Michael Hutchings Interview

For decades, Concord (Calif.) De La Salle has been widely regarded as one of the country's preeminent high school football programs — and as such, it has churned out its fair share of marquee talent. This year, De La Salle will be churning out yet another extraordinary player by the name of Michael Hutchings. Hutchings stands at 6-2, 210-pounder and is a five-star prospect according to Scout. Hutchings is also on the ESPNU 150 watch list for the 2013 class. He is also the 39th ranked prospect in 24/7Sports Top 24/7 rankings, warranting him a 95 rating, which makes him a four-star prospect. I was able to contact Hutchings for an interview earlier today.

Michael Hutchings

Here's what he had to say:

SimplyComplex:You're one of the prospects in the country. How exciting is that for you? What do you do to stay humble throughout the recruiting process?

Michael: It's exciting to be a top prospect in the country and have little kids and fans look up to you. However, I stay humble just by continuing to work hard and continue the same work ethic that I had before all the offers came in.

Simply: I know that Michigan extended an offer to you early in the process. Does that give Michigan a slight advantage or are you pretty much wide open right now?

Michael: It does give Michigan an advantage by being an early offer. Showing that they had high interest in me from the beginning is huge, but my list is wide open as of now.

Simply: Do you feel like distance could be a factor in your decision?

Michael: Distance won't be a huge factor in my decision. I just want to get to place where I feel comfortable and it fits what I'm looking for in a school. Such as a great degree with strong alumni network after football, early playing time, and a strong committed coaching staff. I want a coach that is going to be there all of my four years, not up and leave to the NFL.

Simply: How many offers do you have right now? Any favorites or even a top group?

Michael: I have fourteen offers at the moment and there are probably more coming, so I haven't cut any lists down. That will come in the summer when recruiting for 2013 cools down a little bit.

Simply: How would you describe your style of play? What areas do you struggle with, and what areas do you excel at?

Michael: My style of play is athletic. I'm very versatile. I can play both outside linebacker and strong safety. My versatility allows for me to cover a slot receiver or tight end effectively. That's what the college coaches love about my game.

Simply: Do you know who your main recruiter from Michigan is?

Michael: My main contact from Michigan is Coach Ferrigno, but he has been working on giving me more position contacts.

Simply: With you attending De La Salle high school, there have been many alums that give you recruiting advice. Who do you talk to the most and what advice have they given you?

Michael: I talk with Amani Toomer about the process a lot. He didn't try to sell me on Michigan or anything like that. He just gave me some straight-up advice. He said Michigan was a great fit for him education-wise. It was somewhere he felt comfortable and where it felt like the coaches cared. He said that as I start getting deeper into the recruiting process, that some schools may just jump on the bandwagon. He said those first few offers are the ones I want to look at heavily. Michigan was No. 3.I also talk with Matt Gutierrez about once or twice a month, but we haven't really discussed Michigan.

Simply: Do you have any visits planned right now? Which schools would you like to visit in the future?

Michael: I don't have any visits planned right now, but in the future I really want to visit Oregon. Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, and UCLA are some more places that I'd like to visit.

Simply: What kind of things are you looking for in a university? How big of an effect will education have on your decision?

Michael: In a university, I'm looking for how they support and take care of their student-athletes. I have visited one school where they had a graduation plan for their athletes to get there degree in 3 years and their masters in their in five. Education is the biggest factor in regards to my decision, and the rest will follow. That's how my parents have told me to take on the process.

Simply: How do you handle all the attention you get by being a highly regarded recruit? Do you like it? Or does it get annoying after awhile?

Michael:I handle all the attention in an unselfish manner. I don't try to put myself above others. I consider myself on the same level as everyone and I give my friends and fans the same attention that they give to me. It does get annoying sometimes when people repeatedly ask me where I'm going or when I'm deciding everyday that I'm at school, but I don't let that show.

Simply: Where does Michigan stand right with you right now?

Michael: Michigan stands along with all the rest of the schools. I haven't really into in-depth research of all the schools recruiting me.

Simply: Who in your life inspires you to become a better football player and a better man in general?

Michael My parents inspire me to be a better man and that's what this process is helping me with. And, the strong football alumni from our school make me want to be better each day, just to be mentioned with them some day when I'm all done.

Simply: Do you have a time line for when you'd like to decide, or will you just go with the flow of things?

Michael: I don't really have a time line of when I'm going to decide. If it's not before the season, then it will probably be in the Army All-American Game.

Simply: Are you looking forward to participating in all the high school camps over the spring/summer?

Michael: I'm looking forward to competing at two Nike training camps this year at least, which are located at Stanford and USC. I'm also looking forward to going to the USC camp and competing with a good friend of mine, Su'a Cravens. We are arguably number 1 and 2 in the state, so it'll be fun to compete with him.

As you can tell by his interview, Hutchings is a high character athlete that is determined to become an all-time great linebacker. Here's a little breakdown on Hutchings which comes from Scout.com West regional manager Brandon Huffman. "Hutchings is well put together and has nice long arms with a good base,He can take on linemen and usually makes short work of backs trying to block him. He can also slip his blockers because he moves so well laterally. His hits are big and they almost always end up in a ball carrier or receiver on the ground because he runs through them. Hutchings also excels in coverage and does a great job on his pass drops. He's got tremendous instincts. The big key is that he does it against arguably the toughest schedule of any program in the West, so he's dominant against elite programs."

Michael Hutchings 2010 Highlight film:

Since Michigan extended him an offer early, and has been in constant contact with Coach Ferrigno, I'd say that our chances of getting him are good right now. Although, Michigan must get him on campus to see where Michigan stands with him in the long run.