http://www.hudl.com/athlete/642605/michael-deeb

 

It's a tackling clinic. Me likey

WOW, that was an impressive highlight tape. Seems much faster than what he did in his junior tape. He plays against solid competition as well. I am very impressed, like the music also.

 

I like at 4:30 he used his opponent to tackle the RB. lol

Edited December 21, 201211 yr by NDhoosier

II was talking on their podcast about recruits and who took the biggest step from Junior to Senior film and they said it was Deeb hands down. The difference in his sideline to sideline range was night and day from Junior to Senior.

 

Sounded like they thought he'd be a two down player similar to Carlo and that's it after his junior year. But, he's obviously really expanded his game and lateral quickness his senior year.

 

Excited about this kid.

What's even more exciting is the player development coupled with getting top recruits. I was really impressed that a guy like Te'o actually improved his game from his Junior year to his senior year.

 

I was listening to Powerhour and they were talking about how ND needed to have several players make dramatic improvement to have good year and we had a bunch of players make that improvement... Riddick, Golson, Farley, TJ, Niklas, Nix, Russell, Motta, Fox, Shembo, Spond, and Te'o. I could even argue that Eiferts blocking substantially improved. That is player development!!! I could see this being very attractive to recruits.

Very impressed with his play, getting through traffic and blowing up blocks.

 

The only draw back I see - can he bulk up enough without getting fat to take on 300 lb D1 guard?

Very impressed with his play, getting through traffic and blowing up blocks.

 

The only draw back I see - can he bulk up enough without getting fat to take on 300 lb D1 guard?

 

Once he gets with Longo, I doubt that will be a problem, but the kid is already close to physically ready. He is currently 235lbs and 245-255lbs is ideal for an ILB. He doesnt have much to go and could easily gain the weight with his 6'3" frame.

Looks like he has the instincts and quickness to be a 3 down MLB.

Once he gets with Longo, I doubt that will be a problem, but the kid is already close to physically ready. He is currently 235lbs and 245-255lbs is ideal for an ILB. He doesnt have much to go and could easily gain the weight with his 6'3" frame.

 

I think he is more 6 1 1/2 and 220 lb and his frame is not as big as Manti's or Carlo's.

I think he is more 6 1 1/2 and 220 lb and his frame is not as big as Manti's or Carlo's.

 

He's 6'2" 240 already

That young man is no stiff! From his junior tape I thought Carlo, but, heck he looks more like a Manti in the senior tape. *

 

*Disclaimer: I, UncleJoe, do hereby acknowledge that, yes, I do understand it's only high school competition, and, no, I don't think he's the second coming of Teo, and no, I don't mean to suggest he is already superior to all the middle linebackers already on campus as a true freshman, and yes, I understand he will need to work hard and develop his game at ND, and yes, I understand the principle of shiny new toy, and no, I am not already nominating him for All-American for 2014, and, yes, I understand that he has not even set foot on campus, yet, and generally, that I promise to temper all the enthusiasm I experienced from watching his excellent senior highlight film with healthy doses of show-me, flinty, hard-eyed realism.

ya, he is 6'2" not 6'3" (my bad), but he weighs more than 220

 

247sports - 237lbs

scout - 235lbs

Rivals - 237lbs

ESPN - 238lbs

 

That is very consistent among the 4, so ill stick with them.

Holy fast.

That young man is no stiff! From his junior tape I thought Carlo, but, heck he looks more like a Manti in the senior tape. *

 

*Disclaimer: I, UncleJoe, do hereby acknowledge that, yes, I do understand it's only high school competition, and, no, I don't think he's the second coming of Teo, and no, I don't mean to suggest he is already superior to all the middle linebackers already on campus as a true freshman, and yes, I understand he will need to work hard and develop his game at ND, and yes, I understand the principle of shiny new toy, and no, I am not already nominating him for All-American for 2014, and, yes, I understand that he has not even set foot on campus, yet, and generally, that I promise to temper all the enthusiasm I experienced from watching his excellent senior highlight film with healthy doses of show-me, flinty, hard-eyed realism.

 

Ha! Great post.

He does look a lot more versatile as a senior. Already loved this LB corps, but I don't think I can consider Deeb an afterthought any more. Love this staff and their eye for development.

That young man is no stiff! From his junior tape I thought Carlo, but, heck he looks more like a Manti in the senior tape. *

 

*Disclaimer: I, UncleJoe, do hereby acknowledge that, yes, I do understand it's only high school competition, and, no, I don't think he's the second coming of Teo, and no, I don't mean to suggest he is already superior to all the middle linebackers already on campus as a true freshman, and yes, I understand he will need to work hard and develop his game at ND, and yes, I understand the principle of shiny new toy, and no, I am not already nominating him for All-American for 2014, and, yes, I understand that he has not even set foot on campus, yet, and generally, that I promise to temper all the enthusiasm I experienced from watching his excellent senior highlight film with healthy doses of show-me, flinty, hard-eyed realism.

 

^^^ Best post ever. LMAO. Is it too late to nominate someone for a DomerDomain award?

Went over his tape today. I'll be up front in saying that his junior tape left me totally unimpressed with his odds of playing for Notre Dame. Looked like a kid who was just a football player; simply put, not a good enough athlete to translate.

 

His jump from junior to senior year really was quite impressive. The first thing that stands out for me is the depth of his highlight reel. There are clips of him taking on tackles as an edge rusher, clips of him going sideline to sideline from the middle, clips of him wading through blockers on dive runs, and a good amount of highlights from special teams too.

 

Two things I draw from that perspective - first, IF he's ready to contribute physically, he's going to be an asset on special teams right away. Whereas a guy like Jaylon Smith is simply too gifted physically to ignore in that discussion, Deeb has shown that he's already got a great grasp of what his responsibilities are on punt coverage or block units. Second, it's kind of implicit, but the kid has to have a very high football IQ. He's asked to do multiple things depending on the situation, and has shown an ability to thrive in each capacity. There's even a clip of him as a goal line tight end taking his guy for a 3.5 yard ride. While he doesn't always have flawless execution of technique, or he isn't the fastest athlete around, he's always got the right idea on the play, and with 10+ minutes of highlights to sift through, I'd have to think the law of averages are on his side.

 

He's got great body language. As opposed to some guys who seem lost out there, or aren't totally invested in the game, his passion is evident. You don't have to be Joakim Noah or a cheerleader to convey that, but it is obvious that he loves the game, and that teammates feed off of his energy. Always there to celebrate a big play with his teammates - I can imagine that his enthusiasm will be a welcome presence in the locker room.

 

As far as the nuts and bolts of his game, tackling ability stands out. When given a clean shot, he does a very good job of delivering some thump. I don't think he'll need a ton of work in the strength department before he's ready to see the field, because he's certainly capable of delivering some punishment. Moreover, he takes these opportunities to wrap up and drive through a receiver or a ball carrier. There are times where he's caught with some arm tackles, but that usually is an indication of him cleaning up a play, not poor technique. Sometimes, he simply isn't there fast enough to drive through someone, so he's trying to pitch in when teammates are also there to bring a guy down.

 

His speed isn't a plus, but it certainly took a quantum leap from his junior year. I think elite speedsters would still give him trouble, but I don't envision him as a liability unless we're playing on a shortened field. He shows the ability to track down ball carriers on stretch plays, though he looks more comfortable wading through the middle. He also has decent closing speed when thrust into pass rushing situations. I don't see it has his calling card in college, but at least he doesn't look like a lost puppy out there, and shows a level of comfort in the situation should he be asked to blitz in college.

 

If I have to down on him in an appreciable way, pass drops would have to be near the top of the list. He's got the right idea on where he needs to be sometimes, but in general, his backpedal looks a bit clunky, and he's not always fluid in arriving to a certain spot in the zone. Given the kind of athleticism he displayed a year prior, that isn't totally surprising, and what we're seeing is closer to significant progress than an irreversible strike against him. Just saying that, in comparison to Alex Anzalone, pass drops are a night and day difference.

 

Clear inside linebacker prospect - neither Mike nor Will is out of the question. Rivals has him as a 3 star; ESPN has him as a 4 star. Deeb has been consistently reported as being in the 235-240 range - if he can remain that weight while improving his athleticism under Longo, he's got a good shot at starting. Very high football IQ, the kind of passion you'd love to get on the field as much as possible, and a real knack at attacking run games. Will he see the field as a freshman? A lot depends on Fox/Calabrese, and a lot depends on what kind of gains he can make in foot speed between now and next fall. I currently envision him taking a shirt while Grace, Fox, Calabrese, and Kendall Moore swallow up the playing time and special teams roles affiliated with ILBs, but if he takes another step forward, I envision Kelly aggressively seeking out good special teams players, and he fits the bill.

Recap.

 

Pros:

 

+ Football IQ

+ Passion/Body Language

+ Sifting through blockers

+ Technically sound tackler

+ Size

 

Cons:

 

- Pass Drops

- Foot speed

 

Projection: High 3/Low 4 star prospect. Better football player than athlete at this point in his career. If he takes another step forward like we saw between junior and senior year before August 2013, we could be talking about a 4 year player. As is, probable redshirt, with an eye towards special teams impact in 2014. Analogies to the positive aspects about Calabrese's game are not unfounded.