Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Well, at least now we know when he’ll announce his decision.
Derrick Green, the number one running back in the country per multiple recruiting outlets, has finally decided when he’ll tell the world where he’s going to play his college ball. Green will be picking from the Michigan Wolverines, Auburn Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers on January 26th.
Unfortunately for us, we’re still not entirely sure which school he’ll pick.
Last week at the U.S. Army All American Bowl, Green told reporters that the Wolverines had a slight lead over the rest of the pack. But we all know in recruiting how fast things can change, so just because Big Blue had the lead then doesn’t mean they still have it, especially with the in-home visits.
This is the time of the recruiting world where the head coaches are making the in-home visits. These are incredibly important because a head coach is allowed to visit with a prospect only once, other than that it’s all assistant coaches. Considering this is the home stretch of recruiting, this is when the head coaches are using their in-home visits on the big name prospects, hoping to make one final impression before the prospect makes up his mind.
Needless to say, considering how big of a prospect Green is, he’s got a full schedule coming up. All three of his top schools are making their in-home visits this week, as well as the Florida State Seminoles, who still haven’t given up despite being left out of the top three.
Green was originally going to announce his decision on National Signing Day (February 6th), but decided he wants to end the process sooner than that. Apparently the never-ending world of recruiting is finally taking a toll on the star tailback from Hermitage High School in Richmond, Virginia. He’s ready to be done with it and take the pressure off of he and family.
If I had to speculate as to where I think he’ll ultimately be playing next year, I’d have to give the nod to the Wolverines. He’s been leaning towards Ann Arbor throughout the process, and he’s an ideal fit there. Not only could he play early, but he’s a superb fit for offensive coordinator Al Borges pro-style offense Green, at a thick 6’0” 230lbs, needs to be playing in power running based offense, with few gimmicks, running behind a fullback. There’s nothing flashy here, you use backs like Green to just pound a defensive front, hoping to wear them down throughout the course of a game. All of that makes Michigan the perfect fit for Green.
Stranger things have happened in recruiting, though. We’ll just have to wait until January 26th.
