Wolverine247 Board

Just fwiw, our current scholarship CBs with 2015 eligibility average just over 5'11" in height (71.16 inches) and our uncommitted 2014 CB offers average just a bit taller (71.23 inches). By the time Team 136 rolls around, we'll likely only have one CB as short as 5'9", Terry Richardson, and I don't think anyone really expects him to be much more than a nickel, if he even plays at all.

I think youre going to be surprised IRT Richardson. Yes, his size is definitely a hinderence, but everything else you look for in a CB, he has got it, especially in regards to covering the more speedy/quick types. Just as long as we don't see anymore Jordan Kovac's defending Ace Sanders, I'm cool haha....You will definitely see him play nickel this season IMO. Courtney Avery has done a decent job at it, but he doesn't have the overall skill/feet/hips/quicks that Richardson has. Avery is a better tackler though.

6'2+ corners are rare. You just don't see them be highly successful at the big-time level, whether it's in college or in the pro's..... unless you're the Seattle Seahawks :). Not everyone can have 6'1 corners who run in the 4'3's-low 4'4's like Alabama's duo showed at the combine. Perfect corner height for me is 5'11, JMO. You don't need all your corners to be 6'1-6'2 to be successful lol. They also have to have the feet, the hips, and the change of direction skills needed to stay with a WR.

Michigan is starting to get a perfect mix of corners IMO, with a few bigger ones, and a few quicker ones. Ross Douglas isn't very big, and needs a redshirt, but his feet and change of direction/coming in and out of breaks are second to none. They are lightning quick. Same goes for Terry.

Terry acquitted himself very nicely at the UnderArmour practices/game.

Dont let the "short" corners we have on our roster currently fool you. Their lack of talent is why they aren't very good, not because of their height. Lets look at the shorter corners recruited under RR that are currently on the roster, or just recruited by him in general that made campus(Oh, Demarrrr). Courtney Avery, Delonte Hollowell, Terrence Talbott, Greg Brown. No offense to those 4 guys, but anyone other than Rich as HC, even Hoke, would have never offered any of those 4. Ever. Rich Rod got burned on J.T. Turner and Cullen Christian. 2 big time, "bigger" corners who never panned out worth a crap. The smaller corners RR recruited were just...not very good. And anyone who follows recruiting knew that from when they were in high school.

I hear what you're saying, I just disagree with you. I don't think we should be looking for the exceptions to the rule. Hollowell and Richardson have yet to do anything at the college level and we've had several disappointments among shorter CBs going back to Cissoko. Why take the hard path? If you look at the offer lists for Payne and Crawford you find very few blue chip names. No USC or Bama or ND or LSU. We didn't offer Payne early ourselves and have yet to offer Crawford at all. There is a reason for that. They are small. I watched Dee Milner deck Roy Roundtree and send him flying out of bounds in the opener against Bama last year and in that one moment I immediately understood the difference between an elite secondary and our secondary. Elite secondaries are bigger, faster and stronger. Shaun Crawford will never be Dee Milner no matter how fast he runs or how hard he works at his craft. Get me Dee Milner.

Couple of points
1. Hollowell is not a hoke signing so I don't think he is in this argument.
2. Richardson was a true freshman last yr, why the high expectations by saying "have yet to do anything". Neither has kalis, Braden. Did you expect Richardson to come in and start day one, weighing 165 wet? it's a testament he got on the field as a true freshman.
3. No one said hoke was looking for the exceptions. The 2014 offers you listed is proof to that. But you have exceptions to the rule, exceptions are few. That's why d'andre has an offer.
4. Payne is offered by LSU, OSU, Georgia, FSU to name a few.not to mention offers are fluid and not always a reflection of talent Mixon doesn't have a bama offer right now either, you judging him?
5. Crawford is 2015 so he wont have a lot of offers but he has a FSU offer early can many 2015 corners say that?
6. Roundtree got mauled because he isn't as big Millner, not because he was shorter. Not to mention Millner will be a first round, top 10 drafted corner
7. I remember LSUs top tier secondary from 2 yrs ago had a red shirt freshman starting who was 5'9".

The coaches know talent. They know the measurable a they want for the position but bottom line, they know talent. As I said before, it's likely crawford doesn't have a offer right now because he is 2015 (I think we have offered like 4 2015 kids) and because of his height the coaches are likely doing their diligence to make sure his talent more than compensates for his height.

Alabama and LSU have elite secondaries. The list of CBs each has signed in the last four classes is as follows:

Alabama: Cook 6'0", M. Smith 5'11.5", G. Smith 5'11.5", Belue 6'0", Dixon 6'2", Jones 6'0", Washington 5'11", Milner 6'1", Fulton 6'0", Castille 5'11", Menzie 5'11"

LSU: White 5'10.5", Robinson 6'2.5", Thomas 6'1", Raymond 6'0", Mills 6'0", Sandolph 6'0", Collins 6'2", Martin 6'2", Jenkins 6'1", Mathieu 5'9", Simon 6'3", Vinson 5'11", Gibson 6'1"

So you blame Countess for being too short while he's only 5'10, but yet you say we need more guys like 5'11 Damon Webb and Jalen Embry? Does one inch really make that much of a difference??

Why can't he be similar? The point is there are extremely talented exceptions. Mathieu was obviously one of them. Crawford can be as well

IMO, player heights are usually inflated to make a team more imposing.

For instance, Dee Milliner's measured height from the NFL combine is 6' rather than 6'1".

Tharold Simon (of LSU) is actually 6'2" rather than 6'3".

Both of those CBs are taller than the NFL average but I think people shouldn't get caught up on listed heights. The difference in 1-2 inches is often negligible.

I understand that we want to have a taller, bigger, stronger, faster secondary. Coach Mattison of all people know the value of size + speed. He saw firsthand the difference between a SEC defense and a non-SEC defense.

But it's more important to evaluate skill and ability rather than measurables. It's akin to placing more value on a QB's poise, leadership, intelligence, accuracy rather than his height and arm strength.

Have you seen Crawford's tape? If you have, how in the world can you say he shouldn't get an offer? He's phenomenal.