Michigan is looking to pull some talented prospects out of the great state of Texas.
The Wolverine made its way out to Houston to see 2021 targets Latrell Neville and Reuben Fatheree as Fort Bend (Texas) Hightower squared off against Richmond (Texas) Foster on Thursday night.
A Rivals100 wide receiver, Neville has Michigan in his top group and has preexisting relationship with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, dating back to his time at Alabama. While buzz is Neville will stay closer to home, Michigan has recruited him hard over the last several months.
Get a free 60-day trial to TheWolverine.com with promo code Blue60
At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Neville is a big, physical wide out. On the hoof, Neville has the look of an elite level prospect. He's extremely well put together and has really bulked up since I last saw him in the spring.
Neville is physical and hard to bring down once he gets the ball in his hands. He only had two offensive touches in a low scoring win for Hightower. One was this end around that showed off his power and ability to run through tackles.
The other touch was a short catch for a first down. Neville struggled from below average quarterback play and simply didn't get many opportunities.
From what I was able to see, Neville needs to make sure the added weight doesn't slow him down. He really didn't impress in terms of speed and flexibility. The four-star prospect was a little stiff getting in and out of breaks and just didn't get open a ton.
With Neville, it's more about projection. He is far from a finished product but has a high ceiling. He just hit his growth spurt last year and is adjusting to his body. If he puts it all together, he is very capable of living up to his billing.
Right now, I'm not sure Neville is a Top 100 prospect nationally as there is a lot of development left. But again, it's more about his potential. He has the size to be a big bodied pass catcher on the outside at the next level.
A Rivals250 offensive lineman, Fatheree is one of the most under appreciated prospects in the state of Texas in the 2021 recruiting cycle. I get it's a strong year for offensive linemen across the board, but people are missing the boat on him.
The four-star prospect is 6-foot-8, 275 pounds and moves extremely well for his size. He does need to add weight, especially in his lower half, but he has all the tools to be a premier left tackle at the next level.
His feet are absolutely phenomenal, which can be credited to his ability on the court. Fatheree is a plus basketball player and has only been focused on football for a couple of years. He actually plays high level AAU basketball with Houston Hoops, which has produced several NBA players.
Fatheree does need to be a bit more physical, but he's definitely improved in that area. He actually served up a couple of pancakes when pulling and did a terrific job of keeping edge rushers at bay in pass pro.
Fatheree's upside might be the best out of any offensive lineman in the region. This is a guy that could very well be a Top 100 recruit nationally when the final 2021 rankings are released. He's just too big and athletic not to be.
On the recruiting front, we don't talk much about Fatheree, but he did pick up an offer from Michigan in the spring and is interested in visiting this offseason.
On Friday night, I made my way out to Grandview (Texas) to see four-star 2021 athlete Dametrious Crownover, who notched an offer from Michigan in the spring.
Unfortunately, Crownover did not play due to a minor knee injury.
I did see Crownover live last year, and I thought he was impressive at defensive end. It does appear that he is getting more attention at tight end but at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, I really like what he brings off the edge.
At the same time, I haven't seen junior film of Crownover this year. He plays at a tiny school and is very raw. It will be interesting to see how he develops over the next year.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
