Tuesday 17 January 2012

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.

40 comments:

  1. UM has to get this kid. This kid has a nose for the ball. And he can hit. He would be a great pick up for UM. I bet Meyer offers him any day now. Because thats what Meyer does he wait to see who UM offers and then follows.

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  2. i know we have had players that came from this high school and hes talked to them before, but I honestly feel like hes going to stay in state, and go to usc or ucla now since they have jim mora as there head coach. We'll see what happens but I dont have a good feeling right now.

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  3. OSU has passed us on rivals team recruiting rankings.

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  4. State might have 4 in a row in FB, but we got 3 in bball now. Whoot Go Blue! DR was there having a good 'ol time huh?

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  5. That's why I love DR. He is having fun like you should in college. Michigan is winning the big ten next year in football and basketball.
    I am calling it right now.

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  6. Did everyone like the interview! I need feedback people!

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  7. Absolutly simplycomplex. Very good job. Seems we have everything he's looking for in a school.
    So nothing about marcell ateman?

    If we could beat bama recruiting would be killer.(or even more so)

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  8. Great interview! Looking forward to seeing more in the future. Landing him would be huge but it's way to early.

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  9. Smokey, I'll answer your question about Ateman either tomorrow or wednesday in a blog post. I'll try to get an interview with him in the meantime, though!

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  10. Just wanted to say best wishes to Daryl Stonum. I hope he learned from his mistakes. The Michigan coaches did the right thing. It is a privilege, NOT a right to play football at Michigan. But again, hope Stonum learned something and lands on his feet somewhere.

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  11. Thanks SC, lookIng forward to it.

    I see our incoming WR's have a great shot to contribute early. It's TE I'm worried about. Not sure we have anyone who can block and catch. Not the biggest deal if some WR's step up. Both recievers are big enough to play already, shouldn't need to RS. Moral of the story...later stonum.

    Go Blue

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  12. Congrats to Michigan basketball tonight! Hardaway was nowhere to be found, but Burke is the MAN

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  13. I like Football game play.But I have not extra time to practice for Football.


    Campus management solution

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  14. OSU just picked up David Perkins.

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  15. OSU has momentum right now, just as Michigan did early in the recruiting process. The shine on Meyer will soon begin to fade as they go through there offensive transition. Braxton could be special, but there are no backs or WR's that fit Meyer's system. That could be a good or a bad thing for recruiting 2013. He will be able to sell early PT if the offense really struggles.

    Does anyone know how many scholarships OSU has this year? I think I read that Perkins gives them 23 committed. I know they are agressively pursuing Kyle Dodson and Jordan Diamond still. BTW, I saw in a combine last summer that Diamond ran his 40 in 5.36! That is ridiculously slow for a top tier OLineman.

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  16. Great job complex! I like how you didn't jam blue down his throat when he said he was undecided. I'm still fairly new to the recruiting world so my question is, how will our LB and OL class of 12 effect the class of 13? I know we need depth but will 4 and 5 star kids want to commit knowing that they wont be able to start early on?

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  17. Our coaches want Michigan Men. Respectable men who will make a difference. THIS, may be white Hoke&Co cooled on Yuri...

    http://www.chatsports.com/michigan-wolverines/a/Yuri-Wrights-tweets-are-why-Michigan-stopped-recruiting-him-10-2-1807

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  18. Wow I am going to laugh if Yuri Wright goes to ND. If he does then that shows me ND and MSU are no different. Both teams will take any players. With B Kelly at ND and his lack of character I would be shocked if ND doesn't get him. This kid has a lot of growing up to do. Glad coach Hoke and the staff did the right thing by taking his offer away. I am sure he will fit in nice with all the Catholics at ND lol.

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  19. There is no doubt in my mind that Meyer will over sign this year. But I was wondering how many scholarships does OSU have available this year? Because there is about 7 or 8 guys they are still going after.

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  20. so today has had pretty much no news, has anyone heard anything relevant on the recruiting front? regarding the 2012 class?

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    Replies
    1. I'm going to be talking with Jordan Payton later tonight after his in-home with coach Hoke. Will post later tonight!

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    2. I thought his in home visit was Thursday?

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    3. You're right. Got my players messed up. Thank you.

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  21. I was thinking about the positions of need for 2013. UM will be in need of QB, RB, WR, CB, DL and TE. Did I miss anything?

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  22. Benji,
    Whats going on with you and Tom Luginbil on twitter?

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  23. I don't understand how currently Alabama has 27 commits so far in 2012, 25 in 2011, 29 in 2010 and 28 in 2009. That's a total of 109 scholarship players in four years. Even if you subtract the players that transferred and left early for the draft you are still looking at 89+ scholarship players on their team after NSD. Explain to me how if the team cap is 85 this is possible..and why the NCAA is allowing it to happen?

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  24. hey gang, here is the link to my new blog.
    its only an infant, but hopefully it will become pretty active. feel free to voice your thoughts!

    its about team 133

    http://wolverineforce.blogspot.com/

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  25. @Simplycomplex who are you interviewing tonight?

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    Replies
    1. Cameron Dillard, Adam Breneman, and Peter Kalambayi.

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  26. great! can't wait to read em, welcome aboard!

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  27. i go to school with cameron dillard, the kid is a beast. His highlight mixtape reminds me of Garnetts.

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  28. @Simplycomplex Why isn't Michigan trying to go hard after DGB? Expecially with Morris coming 13'! Send in Hoke & Co and be that under the radar school that came outta nowhere to get the NEXT "RANDY MOSS"!!

    P.S. First post on here. B1G MICHIGAN fan DOWN here in TEXAS.

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  29. Randy moss? He's way bigger than Randy Moss lol. Height and Physically. More like next Calvin Johnson or maybe that's too high praise. GB15 not doggin ya just giving a better example

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  30. O, and have you ever seen Russell Bellomy play? I know he's from Texas, what was the buzz down there on him?

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  31. Good ole' Urban Myth, I think part of the reason he dismissed some guys off the team was so that he could make more room on the roster, the guy tries to come off like an upstanding, high character individual yet he seems like a sneaky liar like his predecessor. I can just see him carrying a bible w/him to put on an act.

    How can they have so many schollies available when they're supposed to be on probation? It makes me sick and feeling so jaded by the whole thing.

    On a personal note, growing up I always rooted for ohio to win so that when we beat them it meant something, there was a mutual respect. Now, I just have no respect for that program and what Tressel turned it into. ohio fans come on our sites and brag about the whole last decade and many of us try to remind them that they were cheating and yet they just don't get it, sad.

    As an M fan, if that had been our beloved program, I would be embarrassed and certainly not bragging after using players that should not have been able to participate. That's why I so much enjoyed seeing ohio have a losing record this year and lose to Urbans' last school, whom he referred to as his dream job and keeps saying it.

    ohio, you can have you Urban myth, I'm so glad he's not M's coach, I love Hoke and trust me, he's gonna whip up on that disingenuous, overrated and over hyped liar.......and quitter.

    Finally, great job SimplyComplex, I like your addition to this site and I like the way you interviewed, you asked serious non-intrusive questions, keep up the good work.

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  33. that was an unknown player to me, I had read his name at Hostpph, but I did not know he was a player actually haha, he seems to be a good football promise

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