Commitment Profile: Allen Gant

Name: Allen Gant

Location: Sylvania, OH

Position: S

Ratings: ESPN – NR* (40), Scout – 3*, 247 Sports - NR*

Recruitment: Allen Gant is what’s known as a legacy recruit; his father (Tony Gant) played defensive back for Michigan during the 80s, and his cousin is some guy called Charles Woodson who I believe may have played for UM at one point? However, Allen also had ties to the OSU program, creating a top two of UM and the Buckeyes. But with limited scholarships available, OSU didn’t offer Allen, whereas Michigan did during May. After Jim Tressel resigned at OSU, there wasn’t much doubt about where Gant wanted to go, and he announced his decision the very next day.

Offers: Michigan, Boston College, Cincinnati, Stanford, West Virginia, Toledo and some others.

Stats: Currently stands at 6’2 and 200lbs with a forty yard dash at 4.6. As a junior he made 56 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles whilst also raking in 20 catches on offense.

ESPN Analysis: None available.

Scout Analysis: None available.

From the man himself: “I’m able to read the quarterback well and know what the offense is doing. I’m pretty quick and I hit hard. I’m a very hard-nosed player. I’d like to be better overall and get faster and quicker. I want to brake on passes better.”

Improvements: Pending analysis.

Film Highlights: Link here. (Short)

Final Thoughts: Gant’s ratings obviously don’t wow you like some of the previous UM commits, but I wouldn’t call him an under the radar prospect at all, which could be worrying. As a sophomore he was pegged to be one of the top prospects in Ohio for the 2012 class, but ratings would suggest a letdown in his junior performance. Maybe Charles can give him some coaching this summer :D

Anyway, his Dad shed some light on his national ranking whilst speaking to TomVH a few weeks ago:

“An analyst asked me why he's not nationally known, and it's because we knew it would probably come down to Michigan and Ohio State. We never went to any combines or camps, so his name wasn't really out there that much.”

As for DB recruiting in general, Gant has now taken the second of probably four spaces in the class and with Wayne Morgan set to announce soon, there could only be one spot left in a few days. This will put a lot of pressure on Anthony Standifer and Armani Reeves.

At 6’2 and 200lbs, Gant has pretty good size for the strong safety (SS) position; however the talent in front of him will cause him to redshirt his first year, giving him time to polish up his skill set. He’ll probably have to wait for the likes of Kovacs, M Robinson and Furman to leave before getting his shot , but he could work his way into the rotation by his RS Soph or RS Jnr year. This is a very rough prediction because UM’s safeties have been moved around loads over the past year, so it’s hard to say if MRob and Furman will even still be at that position; OLB is a possibility for both of them.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this commitment, even if his ratings aren’t great. Maybe it’s the UM connections that he has, but I have a funny feeling that he going to be really good, I just don’t know why.