Hello: Dallas Crawford
Both premium sites are reporting that FL CB Dallas Crawford has committed to Michigan. Yay!
INFORMATIVE PORTION
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN |
---|---|---|
3*, #32 CB | 3*, 5.7, #23 CB | 4*, 80, #8 CB, #142 Overall |
Scout blurb on Crawford:
Crawford is an elite play-maker at QB and DB. He is a three year starter at QB, but projects to DB or WR at the next level. He has a tremendous natural ability to break on the football and can elevate to go get it(with great hands). His instincts are second to none and he has excellent pop as a tackler. Crawford lacks ideal height at 5'10, but is very strong on that frame. -Geoff Vogt, Florida Recruiting Analyst
They list his strengths as "Burst out of Breaks," "Instincts," and (perhaps most importantly for Michigan fans) "Tackling Ability." His only area for improvement is "Size," which, good luck with that.
As for that size, he's listed at 5-9 180 by Scout, and 5-10 185 by Rivals and ESPN, so I'll side with the majority there and give him the extra inch and five pounds. ESPN's evaluations are always breathless, but their talk on Crawford goes beyond that:
Crawford is simply one of the more instinctive defensive backs we have seen around the football in this class. A great overall athlete with excellent footwork and ball skills.
Before going any further, these are the things Michigan fans have been complaining about for the current DBs, no? Of course the height could be an issue, but ESPN says that he "plays taller." Without lifting their entire evaluation, we skip right to the moneyshot:
Crawford is still very scheme versatile as he could play corner or safety, a potentially great nickel and just a valuable defender in sub-packages. Simply a great playmaker with a nose for the football and some coveted intangibles.
Michigan picked up some smaller (Avery and Talbott) and a taller corner in the class of 2010, but Crawford is the third smurf-ish DB in the 2011 group. There's a chance he could stay at safety in college, but it seems more likely that he ends up on the corner.
Crawford's coach compares him favorably to Brodrick Jenkins, a South Fort Meyers product who now plies his trade at West Virginia:
“I tell all the programs that Dallas is as good as Brodrick. You better take him,” Redhead said. “He’s very talented. He’s got great grades. He’s going to make a great DB, slot receiver/running back in college. He’s just one of the best athletes, period.”
Crawford is also a productive QB for his high school, something that often correlates with good instincts (see: Avery, Courtney). He was profiled as the area's Most Outstanding Athlete as a junior:
It’s rare to see a quarterback, particularly one as gifted as Crawford, play so much on both sides of the ball. Coaches don’t like to risk injury to their star players more than they have to. For Redhead, though, it’s a risk he’s willing to take. Crawford’s athleticism at all positions make him a threat whenever he’s on the field, and Redhead says he’d be dumb not to let Crawford realize his full potential.
“He’s not going to help us standing next to me on the sidelines,” Redhead said. “He does some things I don’t think are possible. He’ll do some things where you say, ‘Don’t do that,’ but he comes out smelling like a rose. He’s so athletic and such a hard worker that it’s just easier for him.”
“Dallas is a phenomenal player,” Barron Collier coach Mark Ivey said. “He has an extremely strong arm and such great, athletic foot work. On defense, he’s an extremely powerful hitter.”
While he’s more than happy to help his team score points, Crawford calls himself a defensive player at heart. Being a quarterback has made him a better safety, he said, allowing him know what the opposing signal-caller is thinking.
An athlete that's too good to ever take off the field? An offensive star who considers him self more natural on defense? Yes, please.
OFFERS
Crawford's offer list has many mid-to-high level BCS programs, but very few upper echelon schools. Rivals has Georgia Tech, Iowa, Miami (YTM), and North Carolina as headliners, though Scout also credits him with LSU and Tennessee.
Crawford picked Michigan over the Hurricanes and Hawkeyes, not a bad pair of schools to beat out for a DB. That top three extended back to the summer.
STATS
Crawford's primary duty for South Fort Meyers is at quarterback, and he threw for 2,629 yards and 25 TDs while running for 422 yards and 5 TDs as a junior. On the defensive side of the ball, Crawford finished his junior year with 43 tackles and 10(!) interceptions, so he's no slouch as a high school DB, either. He was first-team all-state as an athlete, and the area defensive player of the year and 1st-team QB, all-district at free safety, and the Broxson Award winner as the Area MVP. Accolades: he has them.
He's been putting up good numbers in his senior season as well, so tune in for Friday Night Lights early next week to find out.
FAKE 40 TIME
None of the recruiting sites have a listed 40 time for Crawford, which makes them not so much fake but imaginary. I'll use my powers to credit him with a 4.1-second time, so I can dole out the coveted five FAKEs out of five to myself.
Realistically, he's a guy known more for his quickness and football speed than being a straight-line burner, so a time in the mid 4.5s is probably likely. Sam Webb estimates this much in the Detroit News.
VIDEO
Here's his junior year:
I couldn't find any free senior video on the tubes.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
Though Delonte Hollowell is ranked higher by Rivals, I think Crawford is probably the better corner in this class, and the most ready to earn immediate playing time. Instincts and quickness should help him to a key role on special teams as a true freshman, on coverage teams and potentially as a return guy. Michigan has three freshman corners this year that are all playing, and JT Floyd and Troy Woolfolk will both return from injury next year. There may be the luxury of a redshirt, as playing time in the secondary will be hard to come by in his first season, except in blowouts (unless the "undersized safety" suggestion by ESPN comes to fruition).
If Crawford doesn't redshirt, he'll have a bit of experience going into his sophomore year, with one of the corner positions opening up. He'll be in a battle with Courtney Avery, Terrence Talbott, and Cullen Christian for that spot. As a junior and senior, he'll get significant minutes in the secondary, even if he doesn't have a starting job.
Should he redshirt as a freshman, he'll get a bit of playing time on special teams and mop-up duty when he sees the field in 2012, then push for more playing time each year before locking down a spot as a junior and senior.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Michigan's recruiting at the corner position is almost certainly finished barring attrition or position changes, though they'll probably look for a safety or two to finish out the secondary. That means defensive line and linebacker become the areas of extreme focus. Michigan has about 21 scholarships to give out, and with 12 guys committed (13 if you count Antonio Kinard), they can be pretty selective about who gets the final spots.
...Speaking of players to fill the final spots, Crawford is teammates and friends with top WR/S Sammy Watkins. Landing Dallas may help the Wolverines beat Miami and Clemson for Watkins, which would be a major bonus to picking up a solid DB. Scout's experts think Watkins may follow Crawford.
November 12th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^
Tim-you might want to change the top line.
Edit-You are fast. Thanks.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
all in for Michigan!!!
Go Blue!!
November 12th, 2010 at 9:54 AM ^
Praise be God!! We got a DB commit!!!!!!!!
November 12th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
He also plays QB for his HS. To me it seems that kids who played QB in HS might be able to read the field better on defense. Courtney Avery played QB in HS as well and he has shown to be a quick learner and not a total liability. Sample size is small, but it looks like he has the instincts to be a great CB.
November 12th, 2010 at 9:57 AM ^
Confirmed!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
Dallas Crawford to Angry Michigan Secondary Hating God: "Fuck Off. Go Blue."
November 12th, 2010 at 10:01 AM ^
I like it!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:44 AM ^
Screw O-Line-U and Quaterback-U. We are now offiicially Dreads-U.
I'm proud to be a alum/student of Dreads-U.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:01 AM ^
And Tim, you amaze me with your deadline reporting.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:04 AM ^
Awesome news! Welcome Dallas!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:06 AM ^
Please lead your buddy Watkins to the promised land with you.
GO BLUE!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^
Great to have you BLUE Dallas! Can't wait to see you in the Winged Helmet!
Get Sammy up here with you!!!!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^
for the update and profile on a Friday morning.........good way to start the day.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^
That's a nice thing to hear about a DB commit. One less thing to worry about.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
Exactly what I was thinking. No clearinghouse issues here.
November 12th, 2010 at 2:33 PM ^
The ticker on the bottom of his highlight video says he got a 21 on his SAT. I sure hope that's wrong, and he took the ACT.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
This is a wonderful day indeed.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
It weird to me that a 5'10", 185 pound corner is getting called "small" by the services. Weren't people calling Turner (6'2", 195 pounds) too big? It seems like an awfully small window.
November 12th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
sometimes people make critiques simply because that is the format expected.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
Thanks for the info Tim
November 12th, 2010 at 10:11 AM ^
Been waiting for a long time for this Hello! post. Thanks Tim.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^
a guy with good instincts at 5'10" over a guy who gets lost on the field at 6'2" any day of the week.
November 12th, 2010 at 11:53 AM ^
Agreed that good instincts are much better than just height.
His instincts are second to none and he has excellent pop as a tackler.
Let us hope that the second half of the sentence also proves to be true.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^
Wow that was a fast write up on Crawford considering the timeliness of the news. Great job!
November 12th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
I am pretty sure that Tim has a few of these already in the bank with commits that are very high on UM. This was the case with Hart, and hopefully Tim is putting the finishing touches on a Hello: Sammy Watkins write up that he can put up in the next few weeks.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^
HAIL YES,Bring on the defensive players.WelcomeDallas Crawford!!!!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
Does he plan on enrolling in January?
November 12th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
No word yet, and when we haven't heard anything about it at this point in the process, the default is "probably not."
November 12th, 2010 at 10:15 AM ^
Oh most forgot to say, welcome Dallas and hopefully welcome Sammy to the family..
November 12th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^
go blue
November 12th, 2010 at 10:21 AM ^
I know having Dallas commited is not a huge deciding factor for Sammy, but it certainly can't hurt.
November 12th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
"As soon as I get off the phone I am going to get on him and try to get him to join me," Crawford said.
Unverified... but from Rivals, I assume.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:18 AM ^
straight beastola. I see a lot of other corners playing for so so squads with a few picks but he is credited with 8 against serious comp down in south florida. Short or not, this sounds like ball-hawkishness in spades.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:18 AM ^
I'm very excited about crawford and believe he will eventually be an impact player. You said that with his commit that we're most likely done with corner recruits. However, what about Blake Countess? Again, thanks for the info and couldn't be happier about Crawford's commitment
GO BLUE!!
November 12th, 2010 at 11:30 AM ^
I think the coaches will make room for Countess. But what happens when HaHa, Lyons, Karlos Williams, and Walls all decide to commit to us?
November 12th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^
I would guess a commit from Countess means that one of our current corner commits doesn't end up in the class, or that one or more of them plays safety in college (and hell, it could be Crawford).
November 12th, 2010 at 10:18 AM ^
Welcome to the family.
YES
November 12th, 2010 at 10:19 AM ^
The wait is on now for Sammy Watkins...Love it!!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
...like this aspect:
“I tell all the programs that Dallas is as good as Brodrick. You better take him,” Redhead said. “He’s very talented. He’s got great grades. He’s going to make a great DB, slot receiver/running back in college. He’s just one of the best athletes, period.”
Kid seems to be all business and no drama which, yes please.
I've been intrigued by the Crawford/Watkins duo since they visited for the Spring Game. As I recall, they had to borrow warm jackets because they weren't prepared to deal with the weather. Both young men continued to show interest and make repeat visits and dismiss all the stupidity about Michigan and its "Arctic" climate.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:25 AM ^
Freep tomorrow - "Michigan illegally benefits recruits by giving them jackets...."
<br>
<br>
<br>End of article, in VERY small print "....to wear while they were outside in the winter cold on a loaner basis".
November 12th, 2010 at 1:02 PM ^
Dreads can Keep You Warm.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:22 AM ^
November 12th, 2010 at 10:58 AM ^
You beat me too it sir
November 12th, 2010 at 10:56 AM ^
You mean LEGEND-wait for it-wait for it-DARY!!!
November 12th, 2010 at 10:22 AM ^
I think they would take Blake Countess too, if Blake wants to come. It could start to get a little crowded though, which of course is a nice problem to have. Time to get more crowded at DT,LB, and FS.
November 12th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Crawford called Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez around 9:30 this morning to give him the news.
"He said he was happy, he was ecstatic," Crawford said. "He said it made his day."
via...http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/nov/12/prep-football-south-fort-myers-dallas-crawford-ver/
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