GBMW - Friday Night Lights -- Derrick Bryant
IT STARTS HERE- ON FRIDAY NIGHTS
Welcome to a new highlight of Go Blue Michigan Wolverine: ventures by the writers into the bravura world of Friday high school football. There are few, if any, elements of traditional America that capture the spirit and enthusiasm of the populace more so than high school football. While college football attracts monster crowds and generates television revenues of astronomical proportion, every fan in America must be appreciative of the effort and pride placed on display weekly by the local high school football programs. College programs are not discussed in terms of purity anymore, but not so with the kids and coaches that populate the high school ranks. The benefits to a local community can be substantial. Long may this endure.
It is our hope that the readers enjoy this year’s series of player reviews.
Week one of the season in Ohio brought forth the expected; renewed enthusiasm, high-level football, and a hope that hard work pays instant dividends.
This week’s selected game pitted Columbus City League powers Brookhaven and Marion Franklin. Brookhaven is a perennial Central Ohio power that has attracted some attention, since Division 1 recruit Derrick Bryant resides as a formidable defensive end. Those who follow Michigan recruiting are aware that young Mr. Bryant has been mentioned in recruiting circles.
As mentioned, Brookhaven is an excellent program, one that has sent players on to high destinations. This Brookhaven team is young, but talented. There will be more recruiting buzz surrounding Brookhaven players in future years.
The author came armed with many questions from the maize and blue followers (as well as other followers of college recruiting). Now, on to what happened at the game
The scene was nice, the game kicked off; the competition was back and forth; the score was 7-7 and then the enemy of every sports program administrator showed up. Lightning!! The field was cleared, the stands were cleared and it was obvious the game was in for a long delay or suspension.
But there was time to gain some insights regarding young Mr. Bryant. When talking about an athlete, it is respectful and appropriate to first address the nature of the person being discussed. There is much to like about young Mr. Bryant. He is a student in good standing, well liked, and spoken of highly by a knowledgeable person within the school setting. Derrick’s mother is a teacher at Brookhaven, the rest of the dots are easy to connect.
Next for discussion are the measurables that consume many recruitniks. Derrick is a true 6’4” and is 235, as advertised on the recruiting sites. I was informed upon request that Derrick benches almost three hundred pounds. His speed has been listed as between 4.55 and 4.6. After showing one burst to the outside, this quote is believable. Derrick has a slim lower body and good topside, ala Crable. It would not surprise me to see young Derrick fill out to be a 265 defensive end. I suppose linebacker is not out of the question, but that is not where my bet would go.
So what can be determined, in less than one-half of football, regarding playing ability? It would be unwise to generalize tonight to an entire career. Having said this, there certainly was nothing negative to carry away from tonight’s condensed version of Friday Night Football.
Derrick stuffed the first play aimed at him. That was that for a while. Later on, Derrick got caught inside on a counter action and showed some excellent speed taking a pretty good angle to the outside and tripping up the runner after a pretty good gain. In short, he lost contain a little against a pretty speedy back. Derrick played a few plays as a wing and went in motion to block. Clearly, his niche on the team is as an end in a primarily 4-3 defense.
What caught my attention? I liked Derrick’s stance and his focus. He did not seem to play many games with the o-linemen, instead taking a normal angle into the backfield. Derrick had some opportunities to rush the passer and applied pressure. Once in a while, the o-lineman locked him up in the chest, but he was not pushed backwards. He is tall and is playing against guys a little shorter. Like about every other recruit in the nation leverage and pad level are likely discussed on occasion: not bad.
What about the rush end aspect? On certain plays Derrick seemed to make sure before he came off the ball. He did not jump around and make wild anticipations as to the snap. In short, he did not give up any foolish penalty yards that some rush ends frequently do.
Now, on to the questions many Michigan followers want to know. The insight below was not provided directly by Derrick Bryant. However, conversation with a knowledgeable, exceptionally perceptive, student athlete advocate well within the circle of trust brought about some pretty clear probabilities (remember things change). Derrick is blessed to have an advocate such as described above in his corner.
Can Derrick play at a Division 1 level? Clearly, move on to the next question.
What would be his most likely destination in the U of M scheme? My guess is Quick.
Is Derrick similar to other current commits? Somewhat, he is bigger than Kinard, and more similar to Wilkins.
Has the phone been ringing off the wall from Ann Arbor? No. Has the phone been ringing? No.
Does anyone know why? No.
Is this puzzling to some within the Brookhaven circle? Maybe.
Are there some soon to be developments in Derrick’s recruiting? Possibly, look west young man?
What is Derrick’s most likely asset that will attract him to recruiters? Likely his athleticism
Is there upside? Very likely.
Does the writer believe Derrick is underrated, correctly rated, or overrated by the services? Correctly rated.
Question for further study? Is this Marcus Rush – Part 2?
In conclusion, Derrick Bryant is a fine football player with the skills and academics to succeed within Division 1 football. I wish to thank the officials from Marion Franklin and Brookhaven for their courtesy and insights given to me in this abbreviated game. I wish the two teams and Derrick the very best this year.
Thanks for stopping by Go Blue Michigan Wolverine
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Written by Doc4blu
