Hello: Nader Furrha Comment Count

Brian

I was going to let the enrollment of Ann Arbor Pioneer quarterback Nader Furrha, who's a preferred walk-on, go as just a sidebar link but then someone linked some video…

…and my friend who knows way more about local high school football than most people because he used to work for the Saline Reporter actually sent in a scouting report, so here you go, in the rich tradition of "hey, Eric Puls," and "hey, guy who's behind David Cone on the depth chart": hey, Nader Furrha.

The scouting report:

So I saw Furrha play three times against Saline the last couple of years and if any of you care what I think, I think it's not inconceivable he'll wind up contributing at Michigan.

He doesn't have a rocket for an arm and he doesn't have out-and-out sprinter speed, but his arm's definitely better than Sheridan's and he's a much, much better runner than either Sheridan or Threet. He's quick and slithery, really good in traffic, good at buying time in the pocket. His biggest problem is that he'd be a pocket QB only in the sense that he'd fit in your pocket: I had a laugh when I saw Scout had him listed at 6-1. I can't imagine he's any taller than 5-10, and he might be shorter than that. The first thing I thought when I saw him was "That dude's short," and I'm not even six feet.

It's too bad--his combination of legs and arm, if not spectacular, would be easily good enough to get him a D-I scholarship if he was 2-3 inches taller (he's also a little on the slight side at the moment, but Barwis should fix that).  For whatever it's worth I can't possibly imagine him beating out a guru-approved dual-threat like Forcier, Threet's always going to be a thousand times better passer, and Feagin's the more explosive runner. But, if Forcier hurts himself and the coaches decide they're never going to let Feagin throw a pass, he might be a once-in-a-while change of pace from Threet as a kid who's a genuine threat to run but could also spring a SURPRISE throw further than 10 yards downfield. If Threet--who wasn't substantially more impressive than Furrha when I saw him in college, I didn't think--can become RichRod's starter, I would think a guy who more snugly fits the offense would have some kind of outside shot at at least seeing the field someday.

Much more likely, of course, is that he never earns a scholarship or makes the traveling 85.

J

And now I hope to never think about him again, no offense to the young man. It's just, well… you know.

Comments

Wolvmarine

January 9th, 2009 at 12:49 PM ^

Well he is an Insurance Policy for Forcier. Does this mean we are going to totally set our sights on Gardner for 2010? I know Boyd isn't coming. Either way....I rest a tad better at night.

ThWard

January 9th, 2009 at 1:03 PM ^

To the extent that Boyd saying, "I'm not visiting Michigan, it's too late" confirms it. I'm not being sarcastic (you know how much we're able to rely on recruits' comments), but like, yeah, he's not coming.

BostonWolverine

January 9th, 2009 at 1:34 PM ^

you know, looking at that video, i'm actually a little impressed. he might not have a cannon, but he actually looked pretty accurate. also, some of those runs were tough runs and a couple others were just flat out nice.

ks416

January 10th, 2009 at 6:20 AM ^

I go to Pioneer and have watched him play extensively. Height-wise, he's about 5'10-11, which translates to a football height of 6 feet (the same way Mike Hart was 5'9). I've been to every game the last three years and I can attest that he has an explosive first step and is probably fast enough to play D1 football (granted, there is a big difference between high school defenses comprised entirely of white guys and what he will face in college). He'll need a year or two of Barwis, the dude's skinny as a rail, but from an athletic standpoint he could contribute. The bad news: I really don't see him contributing as a quarterback. He's got the arm strength, but his accuracy, touch, and ability to read defenses (even at the high school level) are below what Sheridan's were at this stage of his career, IMO. He could be a decent slot receiver-type, but I'd look elsewhere for a viable quarterback option.