Garrett Fishaw Source for Kareem Walker: He is "a lock" for Michigan
Yes Fishaw is a sunshine blower optimist but his source was first the guy who broke Walker was looking elsewhere when he was an OSU committ. That source is updating it to "a lock" to Michigan after saying UM was heavy favorite for many weeks.
Plus Kareem wore that UM towel folks - so it must be true.
(Wiltfong Lorenz Ace - "the 3 amigos" of UM crystal ballz - all are Walker to UM and have been for weeks).
December 1st, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
Is his source Raback Omaba?
December 1st, 2015 at 11:31 AM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^
I heard it was rolldamntide.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^
RDT = G.O.A.T.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^
Do you see in Walker the home run hitter you've been hoping Michigan would have at RB?
December 1st, 2015 at 11:42 AM ^
He is supposedly more like a Saquon Barkley type - good vision, balance, cutting, but not the top end speed. Barkely was caught from behind on that 54 yd scamper against us if you recall. We'll accept that at this point.
There is a class of 2017 rb who came up with Terrance Davis for The Game that would be "everything". McFarland. Currently projected to GA but that's 14 months away and we at least got a start in with him now.
http://247sports.com/Player/Anthony-McFarland-Jr-58723
But relative to what we have - if Walker is Barkley 2.0 (who won the job 3 games into his freshman year ala Mike Hart) it would make a big difference.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
I mean, if he has Barkley speed, well, I would be supremely happy with that. Barkley still has pretty damn good speed. He got chased down barely by a safety who was coming from a pursuit angle. Ezekiel Elliott got chased down by UM's secondary as well.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
Yep its all relative man. An "above ave" speed back is going to look like lightning compared to what we have. Even Drake looked slower this year - I believe that ACL robbed him of the explosion we were seeing in late 2014.
Barkley would look explosive next to our guys.
Jordan Howard is not sprinter fast but he looked like Timmy B of 20 yrs ago.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
Get the fuck outta my way.
December 1st, 2015 at 1:50 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
I'll take one of our backs getting run down after a three-yard scamper
December 1st, 2015 at 6:43 PM ^
Yes, being caught from behind implies that they got beyond the LOS. I'll take it.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
Ya McFarland came out publicly saying his dream school is Michigan. A couple days later he gets an offer from Harbaugh and staff. Now others are projected as the leader. Recruiting is a funny business.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
I think you are mixing him up with the 2017 OL guy who said that.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
the other day. We'd take him in a heartbeat.
December 1st, 2015 at 7:10 PM ^
I have seen this years backs run into the ass of these linemen so many times I would think, why did we never do that before? How come these guys are not seeing the holes which I agree were far and few between, but other backs find holes that just aren't there on other teams. I can't tell you how many times I swore the opposing team (tailback) was going to get nowhere but there he squeaks through and off to the races we go. What little hole was there the Michigan backs just can't seem to get through it. Cut back runs are non existant even though from time to time there are cutback holes. I am blaming it on vision and that has got to be the most underated ability of a back. Give me good vision or give me death. Why run into the guards ass? They should be bouncing it outside and gain at least a couple of yards rather than a loss of two. Hmmm 2nd and 8 seems better than 2nd and 12. Amirite?
December 1st, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
Walker isn't a home run hitter who can take it 80 yards on any given play. But he's more explosive than most/all of the guys on our roster, and he would certainly be an upgrade at the position.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
I see "Middle-Class Jamaal Charles". Is that fair?
December 1st, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
Jamaal Charles was very good to excellent all 3 years at Texas*, particularly has last (junior) year where he ran for 1600 yards at 6 YPC and 18 TDs.
So are you saying Kareem would be about as good as that? A bit worse?
It's not out of the question, as for a good 20 year period (mid-80s to mid-00s), UM every 2-3 years had a back who put up great numbers like that (Morris, Boles, Wheatley, Timmy B, A-Train, Chris Perry, Mike Hart). Seeing as that's where Harbaugh is headed, we need that type of back; hopefully Kareem is the guy.
* I assume we're not talking NFL, as there he's an all-time great back, so I assume you're not going there: he's the NFL's all-time leader in YPC at 5.5.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:59 AM ^
I think people overrate top end speed in running backs. The number ot times Mike Hart got caught from behind is crazy. But no one had his vision or (forgive me for using this cliche) grit.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
I'd take someone that can consistently hit open holes and make guys miss any day of the week over someone who is fast.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
got caught many times in a run down. But who did not want Barry Sanders?
December 2nd, 2015 at 11:08 AM ^
A team that had someone with Barry Sanders vision/cutting ability plus top end speed.
December 1st, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^
You don't need track star speed to be a great RB, and while I would first put the vision, balance, and cutting like Hart had over the speed of Carlos Brown...is it too much to ask for both? I mean seriously, a lot of RBs out there have good combinations of speed, cutting, vision to have very productive college careers. Yet UM has had..Fitz Tousaint for one year since Hart left? That's just crazy. I don't think the two choices should be 'get caught from behind every time 30 yards downfield' and 'can't find a hole'.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
Thanks.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
Magnus, I really hope we do get KW as that would be a huge pickup!
But slightly tangential question - I know recruiting is not an exact science, but in our stable of backs we have Smith, Isaac, and Green. They were all VERY highly rated, but none of the three has lived close to their ratings. Earlier, many of us somewhat blamed it on the OL play and coaching under the prior regime, but now under JH, we have seen a huge improvement in the OL play for at least pass blocking. So, are these 3 really just meh or is it that the OL still does not have run blocking down as well as they should given their ratings?
December 1st, 2015 at 1:55 PM ^
Well, the OL play has not lived up to its rankings, either. We brought in a lot of highly touted guys, and several of them are not playing, they're playing behind walk-ons (Patrick Kugler behind Graham Glasgow), they're playing behind lower-rated guys (Dawson behind Ben Braden), etc. So we can't absolve the OL from blame.
However, the truth is that a couple of those guys were overrated, and we knew it. Green was not the #1 back coming out of high school, regardless of what Rivals said. They missed. He is a straight line back without good balance. Ty Isaac has a lot of physical talent, but his issues are between the ears. De'Veon Smith is simply too slow to be a top-flight back; he would be better as the Thunder part of a Thunder & Lightning duo, but we don't have the lightning, either.
So....unfortunately, we whiffed on all three backs. There's potential for Isaac to still play well if he gets his head on straight, but the other two have pretty much shown us what they are.
December 1st, 2015 at 2:01 PM ^
Not anywhere near Isaac and Green in the rankings. He didn't have the greatest offer sheet, either. One of my favorite recruiting quotes came from his HS coach.
Because there’s a lot of stupid coaches out there and that’s why they get fired. They take 4,3 guys that can’t read, write, block, tackle, hold the ball or win. That’s the bottom line.” Howland, OH HS football coach Dick Angle on why Deveon Smith didn't have any offers yet
December 1st, 2015 at 5:57 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 2:10 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 5:35 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 6:01 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 6:15 PM ^
I think Walker is a good all around back. He has good vision, good speed, good power, good receiving skills, etc. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. I just don't see him as a guy who's going to break off a huge run every single game.
December 1st, 2015 at 6:46 PM ^
Do you think he is the #1 back or anywhere close to that?
December 2nd, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
No, I don't think he's the #1 back. A couple guys I like more are Devwah Whaley (Georgia) and Amir Rasul (Florida State). I haven't looked at every player, but I would say Walker is probably one of the top 5 or 10 backs in the country.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
I hope so. Raback got it right.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
Whatever happened to Raback? Maybe he was Damar Dorsey all along.
December 1st, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 1:39 PM ^
The Party Room'd?
December 1st, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^
I'm really hoping we can finish out this class with at least a few of Walker, Gary, Nauta, Hardman, and Bush. If we get all of them I'd be ecstatic.
However, I'm not going to believe any source until they sign. Recruiting is too crazy these days...
December 1st, 2015 at 11:30 AM ^
I'm just hoping Jordan Elliott commits to UM one more time because I'm a firm believer the 5th time is the charm.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:50 AM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
That would be pretty incredible, but it's not too likely. Walker and Gary seem pretty close to sure things, but I don't think Nauta or Bush are much better than 50-50, and Hardman looks like a longshot.
If we got all of those guys, you're talking #1 class kind of good.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
December 1st, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^
Yep. Good times ahead.
December 1st, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^
I'm having my first kid soon, a boy, due Feb 4th. NSD is Feb 3rd.
I'm most likely going to name him Gary Hardman if he arrives on 2/3, so hopefully that helps our chances.