Michigan Football: Recruiting Short Cornerbacks

While I was reading a Detroit News article yesterday on fast rising Detroit Renaissance cornerback Mylan Hicks, I started thinking about cornerbacks and height.

Mylan is listed at 5"9, 167 pounds, another high-profile CB recruit is Dior Mathis is 5"8, 160 and already has a host of offers from the likes of Michigan, Miami, Florida, LSU, Oregon, and many more.

If you look at some of the cornerbacks in the 2010 class that Michigan has offered, most of them are under 6 feet tall:

• Nickell Robey from Florida is 5"10, 154
• Lo Wood from Florida is 5"11, 163
• Lamarcus Joyner from Florida is 5"8, 163

Only Cullen Christian from Pittsburgh is over 6 feet at 6"1, 175.

Take a look at the size of the three WR's that have committed to Michigan's class for 2010:

• Ricardo Miller, 6"2 200
• Jeremy Jackson, 6"2 175
• Jerald Robinson, 6"1 170

So the first thing that might come to mind is: Why are we recruiting tall WR's and shorter CB's?

The reason is a couple things: First, the guys that Michigan has offered at CB are lightning fast.

Dior is said to have put up a 4.3 40 yard dash. That is why he is getting offers from every major program. The other guys run somewhere in the 4.5 range.

I also heard an interview with Tommy Tuberville after he left Auburn and was doing some work for ESPN U. He said that CB's in high school are very hard to find.

Taller athletes, he said, will look to the offensive side of the ball first at WR, QB, etc. The faster, smaller guys have to play corner. So getting a guy that can cover, is fast, and is over 6"0 is impressive.

Just consider what an important pick up Justin Turner was for Michigan in the 2009 class. Justin was not only a 5-star prospect from Scouts, rated Ohio's No. 1 player, showed he could cover in the Army All-American game by recording an interception, and is 6"2, 200 lbs.

In conclusion, I'm not saying "don't" recruit shorter CB's because there are not a ton of guys out there that are over 6 feet.

I'm just asking junior high and high school coaches and fathers, to have their sons try corner instead of WR, because if your son is 6"2, runs a 4.4 and has good cover skills, he will be able to pick any program he wants.

For now, we will have to live with 5"9 fast DB's trying to outjump 6"3 WR's.