deltguy2
01-05-2010, 07:55 PM
Cant wait to see him in Maize and Blue next year...sounds like a true duel threat RichRod QB...
Devin Gardner, William Gholston live up to hype during All-America Game week
Saturday's Under Armour All-America Game was the final high-school bow for two of the state's best football prospects -- Inkster quarterback Devin Gardner and Detroit Southeastern defensive end William Gholston. Fittingly, they played on opposite teams, giving a glimpse of their future matchups in the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.
Gardner's White team beat Gholston's Black squad, 32-7, but the outcome wasn't all that important. To them the game was merely one great memory from a week chalk full of them.
"It was the greatest experience of my life," Gardner said. 'Even greater than the Steubenville win that (Inkster) had (during the regular season) -- which was a monumental for the city of Inkster and the state of Michigan, even. This is just another monumental event."
Added Gholston, "It's a lot of fun. (If you have this experience), you are going to have a lot of fun."
Gardner was 2-of-4 passing for 15 yards and a touchdown and four rushes for 14 yards. Gholston, meanwhile, didn't register on the stat sheet. Still, during the practices leading up to the game, both proved to numerous pundits they every bit the talents that people hyped them to be.
"They actually had to sit (Gholston) on the sideline (during practice) on Thursday to give the offense a break because of his dominance," Scout.com southern analyst Chad Simmons said. "He has been effective at outside linebacker and flat-out dominant at defensive end. He has numerous moves off the edge combined with great technique, speed, and size."
Gardner drew similar praise from Black team coach Sam Wyche, a former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Devin is going to be a big-time player at Michigan," Wyche said. "He and (Alabama commitment) Phillip Sims are guys to me that are going to come quickly to the scene. Devin has a great smile. He is going to sell a lot of product for somebody. He's got a great personality. He's smart -- you can change directions with him and it doesn't bother him at all. He is ready to go."
Even with those encouraging words, both players believe there is a great deal of work ahead. Wyche and a number of other former pro coaches were on hand to hammer that point home. Former Colts and Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda headed up the White team, and both staffs featured three former pro coordinators. The weeklong pro influence culminated with a pregame speech from coach of the 2007 Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy.
"Our intention from the beginning was to create a major college bowl game-type environment for these kids," said Steve Battista, a senior vice president of brand for Under Armour. "From the games and the combines that we run alongside of it, having the professional mentorship is another quality of differentiation that really lifts us up to the environment that we set out to make. Tony Dungy talking to 17- and 18-year-olds is a pretty special moment. Those kids got a real treat today."
Not surprisingly, Dungy was eager to help mold those young minds in any way he could. And it wasn't lost on the Jackson native that a few of them were from his home state.
"It was nice to talk to a few Michiganders," he noted.
That said, his advice was pertinent to all of the participants.
"My message really was to enjoy the moment," Dungy said. "Enjoy really the last game of their high school careers and look forward to the future. We kind of talked a little bit about how they can make the future better for themselves and what it's going to take to succeed in college. I really talked a lot about off-the-field things."
"I also told them that the biggest benefit (of this week) will be the friendships that they make. It's great to play on national TV and get that exposure and play, but I did not get to play in any high school all star games. I did get to play in three college all-star games, and 30 years later I still have friendships from that. Herm Edwards and I met at the East-West game and have been friends for 30 years because of that experience of playing together in that week that we had. Those are the things that they'll remember."
They'll certainly remember their interaction with Dungy. Gholston found the speech particularly impactful.
"I got a lot of insight from what he was saying about being ready to think about what you are going to do after your football career because there have been a lot of people telling me that you should think about what you are going to do after your football career," Gholston explained. "I've got a path that I should follow, I could possibly make it to the NFL -- there is a great chance that I could do that, but I'm (also) worried about what I'm going to do (elsewhere) in life."
Now the attention for both Gholston and Gardner shifts to preparing for their collegiate careers. Similarly, Under Armour has already begun looking to next year as well. A host of candidates for the 2011 game put their talents on display last Friday during the Under Armour All-American combine.
"What we've done is come out and opened up this All-American Combine to kick off our combine season," said Brian Griffin, senior director of performance at Under Armour. "We do 19 combines around the country and we use a measurement system, Combine 360. What we do is try and take a holistic approach to the athlete and kind of capitalize not only the core fundamental elements that you see at the NFL scouting combine, but also other elements like mental toughness and nutrition so it is an educational experience."
One of the major standouts during Friday's event was Springfield, Ohio, linebacker Trey DePriest. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has already garnered 16 offers, including Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. He quickly demonstrated why he's so coveted by posting a 32-inch vertical, 28 reps of 185 pounds on the bench, and blistering times in the 40-yard dash and the shuttle. It was the peak performance for a youngster who has already made a habit of turning in impressive showings.
"It's sweet down here," DePriest said. "It's live and it is a lot of competition. Everybody is cool. It smashes (other combines) -- every single one of them. You do a lot more and it is sweet."
DePriest found it so sweet he has already committed to playing in the 2011 Under Armour All-America game.
Sam Webb is managing editor of GoBlueWolverine.com and co-host of the "Michigan Insider" morning show weekdays on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA
Devin Gardner, William Gholston live up to hype during All-America Game week
Saturday's Under Armour All-America Game was the final high-school bow for two of the state's best football prospects -- Inkster quarterback Devin Gardner and Detroit Southeastern defensive end William Gholston. Fittingly, they played on opposite teams, giving a glimpse of their future matchups in the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.
Gardner's White team beat Gholston's Black squad, 32-7, but the outcome wasn't all that important. To them the game was merely one great memory from a week chalk full of them.
"It was the greatest experience of my life," Gardner said. 'Even greater than the Steubenville win that (Inkster) had (during the regular season) -- which was a monumental for the city of Inkster and the state of Michigan, even. This is just another monumental event."
Added Gholston, "It's a lot of fun. (If you have this experience), you are going to have a lot of fun."
Gardner was 2-of-4 passing for 15 yards and a touchdown and four rushes for 14 yards. Gholston, meanwhile, didn't register on the stat sheet. Still, during the practices leading up to the game, both proved to numerous pundits they every bit the talents that people hyped them to be.
"They actually had to sit (Gholston) on the sideline (during practice) on Thursday to give the offense a break because of his dominance," Scout.com southern analyst Chad Simmons said. "He has been effective at outside linebacker and flat-out dominant at defensive end. He has numerous moves off the edge combined with great technique, speed, and size."
Gardner drew similar praise from Black team coach Sam Wyche, a former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Devin is going to be a big-time player at Michigan," Wyche said. "He and (Alabama commitment) Phillip Sims are guys to me that are going to come quickly to the scene. Devin has a great smile. He is going to sell a lot of product for somebody. He's got a great personality. He's smart -- you can change directions with him and it doesn't bother him at all. He is ready to go."
Even with those encouraging words, both players believe there is a great deal of work ahead. Wyche and a number of other former pro coaches were on hand to hammer that point home. Former Colts and Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda headed up the White team, and both staffs featured three former pro coordinators. The weeklong pro influence culminated with a pregame speech from coach of the 2007 Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy.
"Our intention from the beginning was to create a major college bowl game-type environment for these kids," said Steve Battista, a senior vice president of brand for Under Armour. "From the games and the combines that we run alongside of it, having the professional mentorship is another quality of differentiation that really lifts us up to the environment that we set out to make. Tony Dungy talking to 17- and 18-year-olds is a pretty special moment. Those kids got a real treat today."
Not surprisingly, Dungy was eager to help mold those young minds in any way he could. And it wasn't lost on the Jackson native that a few of them were from his home state.
"It was nice to talk to a few Michiganders," he noted.
That said, his advice was pertinent to all of the participants.
"My message really was to enjoy the moment," Dungy said. "Enjoy really the last game of their high school careers and look forward to the future. We kind of talked a little bit about how they can make the future better for themselves and what it's going to take to succeed in college. I really talked a lot about off-the-field things."
"I also told them that the biggest benefit (of this week) will be the friendships that they make. It's great to play on national TV and get that exposure and play, but I did not get to play in any high school all star games. I did get to play in three college all-star games, and 30 years later I still have friendships from that. Herm Edwards and I met at the East-West game and have been friends for 30 years because of that experience of playing together in that week that we had. Those are the things that they'll remember."
They'll certainly remember their interaction with Dungy. Gholston found the speech particularly impactful.
"I got a lot of insight from what he was saying about being ready to think about what you are going to do after your football career because there have been a lot of people telling me that you should think about what you are going to do after your football career," Gholston explained. "I've got a path that I should follow, I could possibly make it to the NFL -- there is a great chance that I could do that, but I'm (also) worried about what I'm going to do (elsewhere) in life."
Now the attention for both Gholston and Gardner shifts to preparing for their collegiate careers. Similarly, Under Armour has already begun looking to next year as well. A host of candidates for the 2011 game put their talents on display last Friday during the Under Armour All-American combine.
"What we've done is come out and opened up this All-American Combine to kick off our combine season," said Brian Griffin, senior director of performance at Under Armour. "We do 19 combines around the country and we use a measurement system, Combine 360. What we do is try and take a holistic approach to the athlete and kind of capitalize not only the core fundamental elements that you see at the NFL scouting combine, but also other elements like mental toughness and nutrition so it is an educational experience."
One of the major standouts during Friday's event was Springfield, Ohio, linebacker Trey DePriest. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has already garnered 16 offers, including Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. He quickly demonstrated why he's so coveted by posting a 32-inch vertical, 28 reps of 185 pounds on the bench, and blistering times in the 40-yard dash and the shuttle. It was the peak performance for a youngster who has already made a habit of turning in impressive showings.
"It's sweet down here," DePriest said. "It's live and it is a lot of competition. Everybody is cool. It smashes (other combines) -- every single one of them. You do a lot more and it is sweet."
DePriest found it so sweet he has already committed to playing in the 2011 Under Armour All-America game.
Sam Webb is managing editor of GoBlueWolverine.com and co-host of the "Michigan Insider" morning show weekdays on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA