Disclaimer: While I am a fan of football, that is all I am. I have a decent amount of football knowledge, but I do not see myself as an expert... yet. This is just to recap who Michigan picked up in this last recruiting cycle. I will throw in some personal thoughts on each player, but please take them with a grain of salt. Again, I am no expert.
We will start at running back. Michigan picked up the following two running backs in this class:
Drake Johnson
Drake Johnson, a running back from Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer HS, is a pretty underrated player in my opinion. He has decent size at about 6'1" and 205 lbs. and has pretty good speed. Johnson was close to breaking the Michigan state rushing record for his senior season and practically carried his team through the playoffs. If Johnson can add another 10-15 lbs. but keep his speed, he could be a decent running back in a couple years. I definitely see him redshirting this season, since Michigan has some good depth at running back with Fitzgerald Toussaint leading the backfield.
The following are Drake Johnson's recruiting rankings:
Scout: 3*, #77 RB
Rivals: 3*, NR RB
ESPN: 2*, 72 - Scouts Grade, #161 RB
247: 3*, 85 - 247 Rating, #50 RB
Dennis Norfleet
Dennis Norfleet, the second running back Michigan signed, is from Detroit (MI) King HS. Norfleet is a smaller running back coming in at about 5'7" and 165 lbs. He has good speed and good elusiveness but he is not big enough to be an every down back, in my opinion. Norfleet will most likely become Vincent Smith 2.0, especially if he can learn from Smith how to pick up blitzing line backers and catch out of the back field. He could see some early playing time in the form of kick / punt returns this year though. He is fast enough and has that ability to make people miss.
The following are Dennis Norfleet's recruiting rankings:
Scout: 4*, #19 RB
Rivals: 4*, #5 All Purpose Back, #236 Overall
ESPN: 3*, 75 - Scouts Grade, #81 RB
247: 4*, 94 - 247 Rating, #7 All Purpose Back, #169 Overall
Next is full back. Michigan picked up one this class:
Sione Houma
Sione Houma is a fullback out of Salt Lake City (UT) Highland HS. He is about 6'0" and 211 lbs., so he will need to add some weight to his frame to be a good fullback. Thankfully for Michigan, Stephen Hopkins is only a Junior this year, so Houma will have at least a year to bulk up and learn the playbook. He as good speed according to his highlight film, but I will take that with a grain of salt, since I don't know what type of competition he was facing in high school. If Houma is able to gain the weight and become a solid lead blocker, like what Hopkins was able to do this year, I think he will be a under the radar but good player in the future. Coach Hoke has said multiple times on how he believes the fullback position is important for his offense and I could see Michigan taking one every couple of years.
The following are Sione Houma's recruiting rankings:
Scout: 3*, #6 FB
Rivals: 3*, #5 FB
ESPN: 2*, 74 - Scouts Grade, #4 FB
247: 3*, 83 - 247 Rating, #5 FB
Next is wide receiver. Michigan ended up with two of them in this class:
Jehu Chesson
Jehu Chesson is a wide receiver from Ladue (MO) Ladue Horton Watkins HS. Chesson is a tall receiver (6'3" and 175 lbs.) that I believe will become a jump ball and deep threat kind of player. I haven't seen much film on him but his size makes me believe he can take Junior Hemingway's spot on the team and I am hoping he can. Losing Hemingway is going to hurt, but hopefully Chesson can step in right away.
The following are Jehu Chesson's recruiting rankings:
Scout: 3*, #81 WR
Rivals: 3*, #91 WR
ESPN: 3*, 79 - Scouts Grade, #58 WR
247: 3*, 89 - 247 Rating, #55 WR
Amara Darboh
Amara Darboh is the second wide receiver Michigan signed in the 2012 class. He is from West Des Moines (IA) Dowling HS. He is at about 6'2" and 200 lbs. and seems to me more of a possession type receiver. However, both Darboh and Chesson have the height to be able to get the higher thrown passes. I think since Darboh isn't quite as fast as Chesson, he will be more of a short pass catcher that gets yards after the catch. He is elusive enough to make guys miss and that could make a great one-two combination with Chesson's abilities.
The following are Amara Darboh's recruiting rankings:
Scout: 4*, #32 WR, #205 Overall
Rivals: 4*, #30 WR, #215 Overall
ESPN: 3*, 78 - Scouts Grade, #82 WR
247: 4*, 93 - 247 Rating, #24 WR, #199 Overall
In the second breakdown section, I will look at the tight ends and offensive linemen that Michigan signed for the class of 2012. That will also conclude the offensive side of the ball.
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