Recruiting Recap: Bryan Mone
In the weeks leading up to national signing day, we'll take a look at each one of Michigan's commits.
For previous editions of Recruiting Recap, follow the links: Wilton Speight, Drake Harris, Freddy Canteen., Maurice Ways, Ian Bunting, Juwan Bushell-Beatty, Mason Cole, Michael Ferns, Chase Winovich, Noah Furbush, Jared Wangler, Brandon Watson, Jabrill Peppers.
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Player: Bryan Mone, defensive tackle
Location: Salt Lake City (Utah) Highland
Height: 6-4
Weight: 315
Rankings: Three-star prospect, ranked the No. 23 defensive tackle and the No. 4 player in Utah in the 2014 class, according to Rivals.com
Committed: Feb. 12, 2013, enrolled early
Other Notable Offers: BYU, Mississippi, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Wisconsin.
The Latest News On Mone:
"Mone doesn't play much top competition in Utah, and the state is often under-scouted when it comes to unearthing top football players. That means this event was his best chance of the year to showcase his skills. Mone could have moved drastically in either direction with a revealing week, but he's not likely to move much after performing as expected.
"Mone's main drawback at this time is in his conditioning and body composition. Simply put, he needs to trim some bad weight while adding strength. That will help him with his flexibility and speed moves, but most importantly with his motor.
"On some days at practice, Mone looked unbelievable for several reps before starting to run out of gas. While those were his better days (on others, he was having trouble adjusting to the quality of competition), the fact that his better performances featured an obvious weak point is a negative. Fortunately, he shone on gameday. The rotation along the line kept him fresh, and he had his best overall day.
"Enrolling early will allow Mone to work on his body before he really dives headfirst into football-specific activities. While his overall performance may see hi slip slightly in the rankings, early enrollment can serve to correct some of his current failings."
MoneUA from The Wolverine on Vimeo.
"Highland High School coach Brody Benson couldn't be prouder of his standout two-way player. Mone's Under Armour All-America Game jersey presentation ceremony Oct. 4 was an unprecedented accomplishment at Highland. It is also one of the last honors Mone will receive as a high schooler before heading up to Ann Arbor.
"'For you guys, [the ceremonies] are probably all the same,' he said with a chuckle. 'For me though, that was the first time we've had a kid earn that honor, and we're really proud of Bryan and what it says about what our program is capable of. It was a really nice day for Bryan and a really nice day for Bryan's family.
"'He is enrolling early, and he's all set up for that academically. He hasn't signed the scholarship papers quite yet, but we're planning on him enrolling early up there.'
"Although Highland hasn't performed up to the expectations of Coach Benson, the Rams have one more regular-season game - against Bountiful this weekend - and then the opportunity to make some noise in the playoffs.
"'The season has been OK. We're 6-3, but we haven't really played up to the standards of what we expect out of our football team," Benson said. 'I'm not satisfied, even though our record is fine. We're a couple weeks away from the playoffs - we have Bountiful this week - and hopefully we'll hit our stride toward the end here.'
"Mone has been a big part of the team's success. The 6-4, 315-pounder has high expectations, which naturally comes with the territory of a four-star rating and a ranking as the No. 180 player in the country. He worked his way into game shape by the beginning of the season, and has been a force on both sides of the ball all season.
"'He did all those things in the offseason to get ready to play, and it has really paid off for him,' Benson said. 'He's in great shape, and that's helped him perform really well, especially defensively.'"
Analysis from TheWolverine.com's Tim Sullivan:
Strengths: "Mone is a stoutly built prospect, a good body type for the defensive tackle position. He plays with decent leverage, but his biggest assets are strength in the middle - allowing him to be a run-stuffer - and his quickness to create a rush from the interior of the defensive line."
Weaknesses: "Mone showed up to the Under Armour All-America game slightly out of shape. That reduced his quickness, but more importantly diminished his motor. When he gets into game shape, he should turn the corner as a prospect. That will allow him to be as quick as he was in previous seasons."
What To Expect From Mone In 2014: The Wolverines will lose two of their biggest assets in the middle next season, with the graduation of Jibreel Black and Quinton Washington.
Because of the heavy rotation Michigan coach Greg Mattison used in the middle, though, there are several younger players coming back who got plenty of experience at the two tackle spots.
Willie Henry, Ryan Glasgow and Chris Wormley, who will all be redshirt sophomores next year, all showed serious promised last year as backups along the interior defensive line. Ondre Pipkins will be back in the fold after tearing his ACL against Minnesota in 2013.
And the Wolverines are excited about Maurice Hurst, Jr. and Henry Poggi, who will be redshirt freshmen.
Pipkins and Henry will be the frontrunners for playing time at the nose tackle, which is where Mone is most likely to fit in.
With the number of players competing for playing time inside, a redshirt season from Mone will be likely - which will give him time to get into peak physical condition and get accustomed to collegiate play.
What To Expect From Mone In His Career: Mone has the motor and body to be the kind of run-stuffer in the middle that Michigan is looking for.
Everyone listed above will be back again in 2015, so Mone will still struggle to find playing time against experienced veterans, but he will get a chance to make a bigger impact in 2016 as a redshirt sophomore - and have three years to be a contributor.