2018 recruiting profiles

Previously: Last year's profiles. S Sammy Faustin, S German Green, CB Gemon Green, CB Vincent Gray, CB Myles "Spider" Sims, LB Cameron McGrone, DE Taylor Upshaw, DE Julius Welschof, DE Aidan Hutchinson, OL Jalen Mayfield, OL Ryan Hayes, TE Luke Schoonmaker, TE Mustapha Muhammad, WR Ronnie Bell, RB-ish Michael Barrett, FB Ben VanSumeren, RB Hassan Haskins, RB Christian Turner.

Pahokee, FL — 6'5", 234
		24/7	3*, #449 overall #15 PRO, #60 FL
		Rivals	4*, #200 overall #11 DUAL, #37 FL
		ESPN	4*, #119 overall #7 DUAL, #27 FL
		Composite	4*, #204 overall #9 PRO, #35 FL
		Other Suitors	UF, UGA
		YMRMFSPA	Pahokee Ryan Mallett
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from Ace.
Notes	Twitter. Early Enrollee.
Film
Junior: Senior:

Joe Milton is either going to be the greatest quarterback in the history of the game or a malfunctioning sprinkler system. There is no in-between! Unless there is!

This is to say that Milton is one of those quarterbacks: the guy with the proverbial cannon arm. The cannon's dial goes to 11, starts at 11, and all numbers between are also 11:

Upon being asked for his assessment of the Michigan quarterbacks, redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry immediately said, “Joe Milton throws the hardest ball of all time.”

Nico Collins:

"That boy can sling it. Those slants and curls ... you can feel it in your palms, they'll sting a bit."

SBN's Bud Elliott provided a thorough scouting report on Milton after watching 100+ of his throws at a 7 on 7 tournament:

...one of the strongest arms in the country. It’s really something to see in person. One of Milton’s receivers told me his chest hurts after games, and indeed some of his best throws were dropped by receivers who are not as good as the players he will throw to at the next level. The 6’4.5, 222-pound QB fires rockets all over the field. He can make throws others cannot. ... Right now, he is like a pitcher with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball who needs to develop his other pitches. ... If Milton can learn to change the speed and arc on his throws to fit the situation and read defenses more quickly, he could be a beast at the college level.

(That post has 20-30 of those passes in a video if you'd like to confirm or dis-confirm that for yourself.) Even Harbaugh, who's seen a QB or two, is impressed:

“Joe did fantastic, better than you’d expect a freshman at mid-year to be. He’s really talented. Very high ceiling. Big arm. You’d really have to be there to see it. You may have heard (it’s strong), but to see it in person … you’ve got to be there. Pretty good.”

There are passing mentions of 85-yard throws, naturally. There is a distressing high school completion percentage, naturally. And there is the usual scramble to go get the guy from the lingering pro-style wing of college football. Michigan won out and either has Andrew Luck, but with a good arm, or a paperweight.

[After THE JUMP: could be good, could be not good. But Pahokee!]

Previously: Last year's profiles. S Sammy Faustin, S German Green, CB Gemon Green, CB Vincent Gray, CB Myles "Spider" Sims, LB Cameron McGrone, DE Taylor Upshaw, DE Julius Welschof, DE Aidan Hutchinson, OL Jalen Mayfield, OL Ryan Hayes, TE Luke Schoonmaker, TE Mustapha Muhammad, WR Ronnie Bell, RB-ish Michael Barrett, FB Ben VanSumeren, RB Hassan Haskins.

Buford, GA — 5'11", 200
		24/7	4*, #672 overall #37 RB, #60 GA
		Rivals	3*, 5.7 rating #18 RB, #47 GA
		ESPN	4*, 80 rating #21 RB, #45 GA
		Composite	3*, #978 overall #49 RB, #11 MO
		Other Suitors	ND, Wisc, VT, Miami, MSU, UF, Tenn
		YMRMFSPA	Darius Walker
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from Ace.
Notes	Twitter.
Film
Junior:

There are a number of guys in this class who were thrown in the generic three-star bin for understandable reasons. If you take a deep dive on a kid you may come back with reasons he would outperform his ranking or even believe that a recruiting service or three was wrong, but you could still see why a QB in Connecticut slated for TE or a WR everyone expects will play basketball in college doesn't get a top 100 ranking.

There's nowhere to hide with Christian Turner, though. The subject of a rollercoaster Michigan-ND battle at one of the most talented schools in Georgia—Turner split carries with a 2018 FSU commit and 2019 four star—drawing the kind of the general yawning Turner did is weird. He even went to the Opening! Yeah, Turner didn't knock anyone's face off while there and had somewhat limited opportunities to blow up thanks to his crowded HS backfield. This still seems like an easy mid-four star kind of call, but other than ESPN that was not the case. C'est la vie.

Turner's in the bin he's in because he does not have a standout talent that recruiting sites pick up on. When they describe him they tend to say "solid" over and over again, or imply it:

"slasher ... good, not elite speed, but he is quick, he has a good burst up the field ... runs with patience ... solid [receiver]  ... flashes the ability to break tackles, but the consistency between the tackles is not there yet ... may not be one trait that blows me away, but he is solid in so many areas."

Chad Simmons:

"...knowing how he prepares and works at football makes him a safe bet. He’s not a flashy kid and he’s probably not the fastest, biggest or strongest back, but he's good at everything. He’s durable, he’s smart, he knows how to run and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s just a productive running back."

Opposing coach:

“I don’t think he’s a 4.4 kid or anything, but he does run very well for his size. I just think he has an all-around game – you can tell he’s really worked on everything, and not just one area.”

Heck, Turner's self-scout is a very "solid" self-scout:

“I’d say my vision would be my best factor. Seeing things, really knowing the playbook – not just knowing the offensive side of the ball, but the defense; the different schemes and stuff they do. I think just knowing the game, is really what helps me out the most. My speed, toughness… you know I’m not the biggest running back, but I’m not afraid to lay a hit, either. I’m not afraid of contact.”

That is definitely true; a few of the plays that made his highlight reel are Turner laying the wood as a tiny middle linebacker. He gets under some pads when unblocked. And in there is where Turner impressed college coaches more than the industry guys. His coach provided the scouting report that might unravel this mystery:

“His number one strength is point of contact. His yards after contact is his strength — you better buckle up because he’s so explosive from the hips to the chest. He’s going to hit you and run you high, that’s what he’s gifted at. A lot of people don’t have that. ...  very physical ... very explosive, I think that’s what makes him so good, because he’s very fast in the hole, very explosive on contact. His footwork is really, really good.”

As a bonus, Turner is also "really good" at pass protection, in part because he understands the pickups and in part because he gets low to the ground and uses that explosion.

[After the JUMP: further unraveling the mystery]

Previously: Last year's profiles. S Sammy Faustin, S German Green, CB Gemon Green, CB Vincent Gray, CB Myles "Spider" Sims, LB Cameron McGrone, DE Taylor Upshaw, DE Julius Welschof, DE Aidan Hutchinson, OL Jalen Mayfield, OL Ryan Hayes, TE Luke Schoonmaker, TE Mustapha Muhammad, WR Ronnie Bell, RB-ish Michael Barrett, FB Ben VanSumeren.

[photo: Ron Rigdon, Jefferson County Leader]

Eureka, MO — 6'1", 212
[Kaylee Todd]		24/7	3*, #1094 overall #70 RB, #11 MO
		Rivals	3*, 5.6 rating #40 RB, #12 MO
		ESPN	3*, 75 rating #55 RB, #14 MO
		Composite	3*, #978 overall #49 RB, #11 MO
		Other Suitors	Purdue, Wyoming
		YMRMFSPA	Brandon Minor
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from Ace.
Notes	Twitter. Twitch.
Film
Senior:

You know, you do a lot of these and they can get repetitive. I try to insulate you, the reader, from that by deleting most of the truly generic takes, but even the finished products can be a bit same-y. So it's with great pleasure that I present you with something never before seen in one of these posts or anywhere else: these three colors in one outfit.

Eureka Senior High School has some classy Washington-esque purple and gold duds, some bad Nike gray upon gray upon gray outfits, and then these pink, purple, and highlighter-yellow monstrosities that were surely the work of a four-year-old or criminally insane maniac. Adidas and Nike should leak these before every uniform reveal just so their latest attempt to make your favorite football team look like a sexy pterodactyl seems brilliant and understated by comparison. Hassan's senior highlight film cuts between various games and whenever it strikes on... this... your author vomit-snickers. It's a thing.

Anyway, Hassan Haskins. He's a running back.

[After THE JUMP: more about these uniforms, surely]