Hello: Micah Pollard
As soon as Mike Macdonald and George Helow joined Michigan’s defensive staff, two names emerged right at the top of their recruiting board at Edge, both of them three-stars from Florida. The first, Mario Eugenio, committed last week. Today, Michigan secured the other one, as well as their sixteenth commit of the class, fourth linebacker of the summer, third edge prospect in three weeks, and second guy named M. Pollard since Wednesday.
Auburn thought they had this in the bag coming off their official visitation two weeks ago, when Pollard’s 4-star DE/DT cousin Caden Story said he and Pollard were likely to go to the same school. Pollard’s dad also grew up in Lanett, AL, near Auburn. But Michigan had their own bloodlines; Pollard is the nephew of Braylon Edwards, and the son of former Colts and Lions TE Marcus Pollard, who played with Harbaugh in Indy. Edwards was reportedly key in this recruitment, which I’m sure will be recognized by all the media shills who’ve been fanning “Braylon is feuding with Harbaugh” talk since the 2018 outburst.
This is also one of those recruitments that get the fans to hate us nearly as much as the more conservative elements of college football hate Harbaugh, because the rankings and program have such vastly different opinions. The rankings suggest the kind of guy Tom Allen usually pulls to Indiana, IE as far below the four stars as he is above the average MSU recruit. The offers are that plus Auburn. Meanwhile they’re popping champagne in Schembechler Hall over a recruitment that for Pollard’s future position coach dates back to Maryland. Agents Edwards and Ty Wheatley were dispatched to whisper sweet winged helmet nothings. The drift towards Auburn that the recruiting industry shrugged at set off a five-alarm fire on State Street. They did NOT want to lose this one.
What they've won is a pure edge; 247Sports’s Steve Lorenz called him “a perfect fit for the database shift” from their old DE/OLB/ILB categories to DL/Edge/LB. Apparently that has yet to reach the 247 scouts, who still have Pollard in the linebacker category:
GURU RATINGS
Rivals: 6-3/200 | ESPN: 6-3/200 | 247: 6-3/200 | 247 Comp |
---|---|---|---|
3*, 5.7, NR Ovr #39 OLB, #64 FL |
No rating | 3*, 87, #577 Ovr #66 LB, #78 FL |
3*, 0.8739, #551 Ovr, #57 LB, #78 FL |
3.75* ⬆⬇⬆ | NR ➡ | 3.67* ➡ | 3.74 ➡ |
Arrows show trend of recruiting rankings. An arrow is like a third of a star.
That works out to a 3.72* in my scale, right next to Kevonte Henry. The other edge guys in the 3.70 to 3.80 range were Glen Steele (3.80), Shantee Orr (3.72), Noah Furbush (3.71), Taylor Upshaw (3.70), and Charlie Stumb (3.70). From there it goes Kwity Paye (3.66), Josh Uche (3.61), Frank Clark (3.59), and Jake Ryan (3.59), so it’s not exactly unheard of for a guy with Pollard’s recruiting profile to blow up. None of those guys were 200 pounds, but Clark was 205, Uche was 212, and Pollard has another year of high school left. For what it’s worth his Twitter profile says 6-2.5/210.
Pollard is still mostly a blank to two of the sites. ESPN added a profile recently but not a ranking. 247 gave him the “87” last February and left him there. Rivals didn’t have him ranked until December, and it’s been a roller coaster since. He moved up from a 5.6 (medium 3-star) to a 5.7 (high 3-star) this summer.
[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]
SCOUTING
There is none of it from the scouting industry. Zilch. The only camp I think he attended was the one where Michigan spotted that Ocoee DT who committed to Tennessee, and no word came from that. He also runs track and played AAU basketball.
The afore mentioned Lorenz quote is almost certainly coming via the Michigan staff:
Michigan’s Plan: The staff views Pollard as a clear EDGE prospect and he is a perfect fit for the database shift at 247Sports. Someone who can get after the passer and can drop back in coverage as well. A classic linebacker size/speed with what I would say is a relatively advanced understanding of rushing the passer and using his hands on the edge. Brice once noted Pollard was the best player on the field when he played against former Michigan verbal and Maryland LB signee Branden Jennings.
Steve’s coworker Brice Marich was converted to Team Pollard when he went down to scout the guy Helow stole from Michigan at the end of last cycle:
Ironically, when I went to go down see him in person, that was not the kid I was going to go see... it was Branden Jennings from Sandalwood, the one-time Michigan commit who flipped to Maryland. And so, when I watched that game down in Jacksonville, Florida, the best linebacker on the field happened to be this kid named Micah Pollard. 6-3, 200-pounds, he can run sideline to sideline, he can stand up, he can put his hand on the ground, but preferably stands up. He was just a freak. And so afterwards I'm like, 'I've got to talk to this kid. I've got to see who he has got offers from and what he thinks about Michigan.'"
Mike Macdonald has very specific plans for Pollard, via Pollard, via Rivals's EJ Holland:
“He said he sees me playing all over the field,” Pollard said. “He said he can see me being a pass rusher but also someone that can cover and play in the box. We went on a Zoom, and he showed me how he would utilize my abilities. I play a mix at Bartram. If I were to go to Michigan, I would do the exact same thing. I like playing all over the field.”
Rutgers was looking at him for their “Buck” role that starts outside but often steps back and covers/blitzes an interior gap. We learned through Pollard’s recruitment that Michigan has a role with the same name($):
“They said I would play the Buck position there if I went to Michigan. It’s something I play right now with pass rushing and regular rushing, playing in the box and in coverage, so it’s just a mix of everything on defense.”
Also Pollard knew about Helow getting the Michigan job before Helow’s mom did($):
“It's amazing because we have a great relationship and him moving to my position group is even better,” Pollard told The Michigan Insider. “I was the first person he called to tell the good news.”
OFFERS
Morgan State (Tyrone Wheatley) was his first offer—Wheats worked with Marcus in Jacksonville after Michigan. The Power 5 offers, including Pitt and Virginia Tech, appeared in early November after tales of Pollard’s junior exploits hit the circuit. Louisville, Rutgers, and Kansas came in December, Arizona offered shortly after Don Brown arrived, with Michigan, Penn State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Iowa State, and Indiana, offering in January. Since then he picked up offers from South Carolina, Cincy, Navy, UCF, Kentucky, Auburn, and Ole Miss. Indiana made it to the final circle but this was clearly an Auburn-Michigan battle at the end.
HIGH SCHOOL AND FAMILY CONNECTIONS
Bartram Trail High School, located just south of Jacksonville near the east bank of the St. John’s river, is a major talent-producer in the area—as one might expect considering the Jags coaching staff’s kids are there. Their four-stars have all been quarterbacks, including Tennessee’s Nathan Peterman, Auburn’s Joey Gatewood, Boise State’s Riley Smith, and Clemson’s Kyle Parker (who switched to baseball), at least until 2023 cornerback Sharif Denson, who was recently offered by Ohio State. Other D-I bound Pollard teammates: 2022 Cincy DT commit Segree Graham, 2022 LB Dylan Chiedo, whom Helow was recruiting at Maryland, and 2022 Duke RB commit Eric Weatherly, who has a 2025 younger brother, Jaden, who scored six touchdowns in a middle school game last year.
The school is an elite public, ranked the #327 high school in the country by Newsweek in 2008, which was just eight years after it opened. The Patriots practiced there (and renovated the facilities) before Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.
The Pollard family is like a pipeline of its own. Father Marcus was a college basketball convert who played tight end for the Colts in the nineties and early 2000s before a short stint in Detroit and other late career stops. After football he became the director of player development with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He and his wife Amani Pollard, who was a standout basketball guard for Farmington back in the day, were contestants in The Amazing Race in 2011, finishing third. Sister Aja Pollard is a standout 2023 basketball prospect. Older brother Myles (NTMP) and Micah played AAU basketball; youngest sister Ayris is a differently abled athlete.
The Pollard siblings are the niblings of Braylon Edwards through Micah's maternal grandfather/Braylon's stepdad Charles Plater. The Pollard tree also branches into the Story family via their paternal aunt Krisse, who’s married to Clifford Story Jr., the head coach and AD of Lanett High School. Lanett, where Marcus coached for a time after pro football, is in Alabama on the Georgia border, and produces its own fair amount of 3- and 4-stars. 2022 4* DE/DT prospect Caden Story isn’t a Michigan target, but he’s close to a top-150 candidate on 247 despite an offer sheet less impressive than his cousin’s. Caden is the younger brother of Alabama freshman safety Kristian Story, a 2020 four-star. They have no relation to Michigan’s last commitment, TN CB Myles Pollard.
STATS
MaxPreps reports 69 tackles, 27 TFLs, and 12 sacks and an INT. Pollard was second-team all-state. Apparently we don’t scout all-Florida’s second team anymore. He also blocked two field goals and a punt, and got in the backfield so fast on another the punter panicked and threw the ball away.
FAKE 40 TIME
None listed but he ran a 12.31 in the 100-meter. Ty Wheatley ran a 10.46, which gets zero fakes out of five because that actually happened. Those stories you hear about Tyrone Wheatley: they’re all true.
VIDEO
More video, including his sophomore highlights and single-game reels, can be found on his Hudl page.
ETC
Wants to work at Nike.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
The tape is 90 percent of what we have to go on, and the tape is mostly Pollard playing a Buck role where he isn’t blocked, or is blocked so badly you can forgive scouts for not wanting to translate it to college. He does all the Buck things well—zone coverage, explode off the line, bend, and menace anyone trying to use the backfield to get more breathing room. His long speed isn’t anything but the short-area burst makes him lethal as a backside pursuit man, and is more than enough for the high school backs he’s seen.
The package is very close to that of Frank Clark (minus the off-field warnings that drove down Clark’s rankings). If Michigan was running a 4-3 under still I’d put Pollard on the same track as Clark: on the field early as a SAM and slowly grown him into a hand-in-the-dirt pass rushing WDE. Since Michigan is going to a 3-4 setup, there’s less of a transition than that. His familiarity with the position, NFL dad, and experience in high-level Florida play should put him ahead of his classmates for the non-TE side (I see Eugenio as the strongside guy), though Michigan has a lot of young objects on the roster who could emerge first.
I’m a redshirt zealot but I might make an exception if they put this guy on special teams immediately. I didn’t even mention the play where the punter dropped the ball and Pollard, who was three yards behind the LOS, closed the distance so quickly the guy had no choice but to eat the loss.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Between the two Helow fave-raves and CA 3* late riser Kevonte Henry, Michigan now has three guys committed for their two OLB spots, but don’t seem to be letting up on another edge target that Helow/Macdonald covet, GA 3* Joshua Josephs, who was contemplating a second Michigan visit($, info in title) as of the beginning of the month. Auburn offered Josephs yesterday, about the same time the Pollard crystal balls and futurecasts started flipping to block M’s.
I’ve really liked the film of the guys the new staff has targeted. In addition to those guys Michigan lost Beau Atkinson, an Aidan Hutchinson-like athlete, to UNC, and let Winovichian 3-stars Anto Saka and Shakuan Bowser slip away to various purple Wildcats (Northwestern and KSU, respectively). Another target, DeMario Tolen, blew up and was about to commit to LSU last I looked.
The last guy I filed as an edge, TX 3* Joseph Adedire, recently committed to TCU—fellow Don Brownian anchor type Justice Finkley was apparently close to joining the class until Michigan’s in-person evaluation prompted a shift in their projection of Finkley to an inside tackle position.
I have LB targets Sebastian Cheeks, Lander Barton, Jeremy Patton, and recent camp offer Deuce Spurlock filed under ILB, though the athletic profile of the MIKE and WILL targets could translate to OLB and vice-versa. Patton and Cheeks are expected to announce decisions soon—Michigan is battling Texas for both, and both have the recruiting guys baffled heading into their upcoming decisions. Spurlock might be waiting to see what those guys do. Michigan will pursue Barton, the 4* Utah athlete they adore, to the whistle regardless.
OFFENSE | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Player | State | Stars | In a nutshell |
QB | Jayden Denegal | CA | 4.1 | Navarre or Speight |
RB | CJ Stokes | SC | 3.7 | SC hesitated, Hart didn’t, Stokes doesn't. |
WR | Tyler Morris | IL | 4.5 | Golden Tate smooth. |
WR | Tay'shawn Trent | MI | 4.0 | Big, leapy. TE/LB? |
TE | Colston Loveland | ID | 3.8 | Flex by own admission |
TE | Marlin Klein | GA | 3.7 | Grow-a-dude |
OT | Alessandro Lorenzetti | CT | 3.7 | Quebecois steal, if workouts are to be believed. |
OG | Connor Jones | CO | 3.5 | Puts water in the harbor. |
DEFENSE | ||||
Pos | Player | State | Stars | In a nutshell |
DT | Davonte Miles | MI | 3.5 | Big endy tackle like Ravens use |
EDGE | Mario Eugenio | FL | 4.0 | Matt Judon 2.0 |
EDGE | Micah Pollard | FL | 3.7 | Braylon nephew, Marcus son, Frank Clark clone |
EDGE | Kevonte Henry | CA | 3.7 | Uche edgebacker |
LB | Aaron Alexander | MI | 3.3 | Raw hybrid from Belleville |
CB | Will Johnson | MI | 4.8 | Everything and tall. Deon's kid. |
CB | Kody Jones | TN | 4.0 | Nickel athlete, Walter Nolen's pal. |
CB | Myles Pollard | TN | 3.8 | Stribling. Loved you on Colson’s film! |
Welcome aboard Micah. I'll take a Frank Clark clone anyday. It seems like we've picked up a few guys whose rankings don't quite match their offers, and am curious if those rankings will eventually move up.
I'll take a Frank Clark clone anyday.
"The other edge guys in the 3.70 to 3.80 range were Glen Steele (3.80)..."
I'll say the same thing in reference to Glen Steele. If Micah is as effective on the field as either of those two, we've got a difference-maker.
Except for the dumb-ass girlfriend beating uzi toting Frank Clark genes.
Long time ago but way to hang on to it. People actually do change sometimes.
Welcome aboard! Also, I like how the class is now arranged by position. Very helpful.
Way to go Blue, Micah!
But, um, am I the only one wondering about the glowing light behind him in his Welcome picture?
Probably sarcasm, but if not that's the Jumpman logo.
Your sarcasm meter was correct ?
Definitely phallic looking to me.
Didn't know why we had a neon penis in there.
Thought maybe Al Goldstein was doing recruit rankings now.
His HUDL video look's like he has a "Beast" mode.
The more Pollards, the better.
Welcome.
I mostly agree. Not sure where the actor Michael J. Pollard would fit. Instead of corner-back, quirky-back?
However, their names on the back of their jersey will be My. Pollard and Mi. Pollard. I guess that means that I would have all the Pollards if I read that correctly?
Not sure if this phrasing is intentional, but well done either way.
"Auburn thought they had this in the bag coming off their official visitation two weeks ago"
I figured the number of people who would catch that would be nil.
*ba dum tss*
Like NIL?
man it's nike i can't get anything past you guys.
The bag is probably not important Formica since Dad played in the NFL.
I wonder how many guys take the bag and then go someplace else anyway. What's the bag man gonna say?
Tataglia is a pimp - he could never have outsmarted Santino.
No - it was not until this day I knew for sure it was Barzini all along!
Love the new commit board format. Makes the big picture so much easier to grasp.
Given that Micah Pollard's mom and Braylon's mom are sisters, aren't Micah and Braylon first cousins rather than nephew-uncle?
Semantics? Or the devil's in the details...
Sem"uncle"tics
FIFY
I botched it. I was thinking of Braylon's half-sister, the one who started a salon with their mom, but that's not the connection. I actually don't know how Braylon's related. Going to find out.
Nevermind I figured it out. Amani is a Plater--Braylon's stepdad's daughter.
It doesn't really matter, but Seth did link to the niblings video to explain relationships and it probably feels more like an uncle-nephew relationship because Braylon is twenty years older, but the relationship is first cousins.
Wouldn't it be fun if the evidence of his play on the high school tape translated directly to college?
(I know you could say the same about any HS star but maybe I'm getting fall fever.)
Good Stuff Welcome Aboard!
Great write up Seth. You really put the research into this one...I feel like I know this kid's whole family now.
It was a great write up, especially when we didn't have to see that fucked up term "BPONE" !
My personal evaluation, based on the Hudl video is that it is a huge mistake to not block this young man.
Nice writeup Seth!
This looks like days of future past, however:
What, you been in stasis for the last 18,000 years? Vwo’id Tworug XXVII is Yu-fwothaa’a of the United Space Federation, in case you’re wondering.
Isn't it 16 commits with him?
Yep. 8 plus 8 equals 16.
Today, Michigan secured the other one, as well as their seventeenth commit of the class, fourth linebacker of the summer, third edge prospect in three weeks, and second guy named M. Pollard since Wednesday.
Dangit, let me try again.
One! One 2022 commit, ah ha ha.
Two! Two 2022 commits, ah ah ha.
Three! Three 2022 commits, ah ah ah.
fourth linebacker of the summer, third edge prospect in three weeks, second guy named M. Pollard
And Chris Partridge in the coaching tree?
This is what I was writing when I wasn't paying attention to the moss turn-in.
Strangely, YouTube has no Charlie Stumb highlight video.
Go Blue!
Good taste in uniform numbers.
Every year I watch for who gets Rob Lytle's #41 ... this year it's Micah Pollard. Wear it proudly, young man.
Might I suggest EDGE and OLB to differentiate the two spots (Hutchinson vs. Ojabo...Eugenio vs. Pollard, etc.)?
UPDATED
QB (1): Jayden Denegal
RB (1**): CJ Stokes
**Dillon Tatum (ATH, would get first crack as a S, plays RB as well)
**Dillon Bell (ATH, would get first crack as a WR, first ID'd by Mike Hart to play RB)
WR (1): Tyler Morris
WR (2): Tay'shawn Trent
-Dillon Bell
SLOT (1): empty
-Ja'Kobi Albert
TE (2): Marlin Klein, Colston Loveland
-Oscar Delp
LT (1): Connor Jones
LG (1): empty
-Josh Conerly
-TBD
C (0): empty
RG (1): empty
-Mark Nabou
-TBD
RT (1): Alessandro Lorenzetti
---------------------------------------------------------------
DT (1): Devonte Miles
NT (1): empty
-Walter Nolen
-Kenneth Grant
DT (1): empty
-Deone Walker
EDGE (1): Mario Eugenio
ILB (1): empty
-Sabastian Cheeks
-Deuce Spurlock
ILB (1): Aaron Alexander
OLB (2): Kevonte Henry, Micah Pollard
-Joshua Josephs
CB (1): Will Johnson
CB (1): Myles Pollard
-Jalil Florence
NB (1): Kody Jones
FS (1): empty
-Keon Sabb
-Jeremiah Caldwell
SS (1): empty
-Dillon Tatum
K (0): empty
P (0): empty
...finish with Bell, Albert, two OL (doubt we get Conerly or Nabou), Nolan (Grant as a backup), Walker, Cheeks (Spurlock as a backup), and 2 of the 4 DBs listed...and that's 25 commits and one heck of a class. Well rounded with a ton of needs filled.
Like a number of guys in this class Pollard feels like someone who is due for a ratings bump as they get evaluated during the year. Just seems like a good multi-year starter with some positional flexibility.
If guys aren't a 5-star or high 4-star...I couldn't care less about ratings this year. With COVID, I just think there are too many factors that make it impossible to accurately distinguish a 3-star vs. a 4-star. In most years? Sure. But not this cycle.
Especially when you start to consider scheme. In this defense, a 3-star Micah Pollard could easily be much more valuable than a 4-star Joe Bolden (or that 4* throwback MLB from New England that we originally had in THIS class).
Love this get. He sounds enthusiastic and ready to bring it! Welcome to Michigan, young man!!
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