| 13 January 2011
There has been some buzz going around about elite 2012 defensive lineman Chris Wormley from Toledo Whitmer. That buzz has intensified with the appointment of a new coach at Michigan. A real dyed in the wool Michigan man who I believe will bring the old intensity back to the greatest rivalry in all of sport, the Ohio State - Michigan game.
Wormley was always rumored to be a Michigan fan. He grew up a Michigan fan. Last week Ray Jaske from ESPN 990, http://www.espn990.com/, had a conversation with a family member who stated that Wormley is probably a Michigan lean. It stands to reason that Toledo would be a battle ground in The Rivalry. Recently Ohio State has owned that battleground but I remember Hoke at Ball State. He is originally from Dayton Ohio. He knows the state. He is a good recruiter. He will recruit well here and you can bet he is going to go like gang busters after the one game changer he has a good shot at landing, all the while getting back into the fight for top kids in the state of Ohio in a place that is not so hostile toward the Michigan program.
The question is, why am I so calm about losing such a talent? The answer is a simple one.
I see two linemen in this unbelievable class in 2012 that stand above them all. Those players would be Greg McMullen from Akron Hoban and Adolphus Washington from Cincinnati Taft, both definite Buckeye leans by the way. It is not that I think Wormley is overrated. That is not the case. I see a unique body in Wormley. I see unique measurables in Wormley. I am a believer in recruiting athletes over players. Players cannot overcome their lack of natural tools while athletes can learn to be great players. They can be coached into being difference makers. The best of the best are both great specimens and great players. That is what I see with McMullen and Washington. They are both freaky athletes, especially Washington, and they are great players. That is why I have both rated over Wormley. I have seen great plays that put him at the top of others lists. I also see him disappear for long stretches. One game early in the year the headline had fans all worked up about Wormley because he had a number of sacks. In between you did not know he was on the field.
That is why I have put Wormley in with that next group of defensive lineman. It is why I am not so worried about him choosing Michigan. There is so little difference between Wormley, a surefire five-star kid and one I want to see in scarlet and gray, and the next players on my list, Sevon Pittman from Canton McKinley and Brian Cox jr from Avon, that if I were making the decision once he said he was going to Michigan I would wish him luck and immediately get on the phone with Pittman and Cox. Pittman is such a raw player that we don't know where he will end up. What I see is another great looking specimen who has played so little football but is getting better at an accelerated rate. I have his class of 2011 teammate Steve Miller on my list of the best defensive ends I have seen in this state but if I had to choose one I would choose Pittman. He is as good a football player as Miller but has a better body. He is going to add a good bit more weight and is longer. Cox is the kid fans don't know about. You will. He is the son of former NFL great Brian Cox. He has an explosive first step, great athleticism and has the same motor and nasty streak that might carry his Dad to the Hall of Fame. Here is his ScoutingOhio promo to give you a look at this new name on the list: http://scoutingohio.com/index.php/view-profile.html?task=userProfile&user=5068 Cox has the length I want to see in a defensive end and can add the weight to be a full fledged 4-3 hand in the dirt defensive end. Great speed with Cox and an explosive hitter. He is definitely on the Buckeyes radar so make note of him.
There are some others out there. Joshua Perry is an already verballed Buckeye. His junior film impressed me greatly. The Buckeyes have already offered Greg McMullens teammate LaTroy Lewis. There is a end at Buckeye pipeline program Centerville named Ifeadi Odenigbo who would be a name you already know about if not for the players already mentioned here.
Yes, I want Wormley. No, I am not going to lose any sleep over his decision to go to Michigan should be choose to do so. Great kid and I wish him all the best should that be where he chooses to spend the next four or five years of his life. There are just too many great looking defensive linemen in this class to worry about one going somewhere else. It was going to happen, Buckeye Nation. We just don't have scholarships for them all in a class this deep.
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