Hello From The Future: Messiah deWeaver

2016 four-star Trotwood (OH) Madison quarterback Messiah deWeaver received some much-anticipated news this afternoon:

Just received an offer from the University of Michigan #GoBlue#Blessed

— Messiah deWeaver (@Siah_10) June 18, 2014

From there, the decision-making process took approximately three hours:

Officially committed to the University of Michigan #GoBlue#Blessed

— Messiah deWeaver (@Siah_10) June 18, 2014

DeWeaver* becomes Michigan's second 2016 commit, joining four-star OT Erik Swenson, and the clear-cut leading candidate for class NOTY honors.

[*Corrected—this will come in handy for the next several years.]

Let's Just Get This Out Of The Way

Obligatory.

GURU RATINGS

While deWeaver didn't make the initial Scout 300—they've only handed out stars to 25 quarterbacks in the class—he landed solidly in the four-star range on 247 (Rivals and ESPN have yet to release 2016 rankings). ESPN hasn't even done their initial evaluation. Based on the camp reports you'll see below, the guess here is deWeaver will move into consensus four-star range—though probably not to the very top of the QB position rankings—once he's fully evaluated.

The four sites are in almost exact agreement regarding his measurements, with all listing him at 6'3" and between 198 and 202 pounds. Per Scout, he may still be growing, too ($):

"As a player, he is extremely gifted with size," [Trotwood-Madison coach Maurice[ Douglass added. "He continues to grow everyday and keeps getting taller and bigger. His dad is 6-foot-5 and Messiah is already 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds. He's got the physical tools. He's a great kid who wants to learn and get better."

As it is, he already has the frame to be a college quarterback.

SCOUTING

Although ESPN didn't get the memo, there's no shortage of scouting reports on deWeaver, as he first appeared on the recruiting radar as an eighth-grade phenom camping at Michigan among several other top schools.  He came back to U-M's camp after his freshman season, in which he took the reins midway through the year and helped Trotwood-Madison to the state title game, and caught the eye of Al Borges ($).

That spring/summer saw deWeaver make a serious impact on the camp scene. He earned top underclassman honors from Woody Wommack at the Rivals camp in Cincinnati ($):

There's no doubt that DeWeaver was one of the best quarterbacks in attendance, showing tremendous consistency for a rising sophomore. He moves well for a player his size and could grow into a terrific prospect. 

Then, competing against a group that included top 2014 prospects, he turned heads at Ohio State's Friday Night Lights camp, garnering the #14 spot among all performers from Rivals' Josh Helmholdt ($):

This entire offseason, DeWeaver has stood toe-to-toe with quarterbacks two and three years older than himself and proven to be every bit as good, and in many cases better. He is a good-sized quarterback at 6-foot-2, 184 pounds, but what we have continually been impressed with is how the football jumps off his hand. And the rising sophomore never is out there trying to overthrow the football, so his accuracy is also impressive because of the way he spins the ball. 

ESPN's Brad Bournival was even more impressed, slotting deWeaver inside his top ten players at the camp ($):

8. 2016 QB Messiah DeWeaver (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) 
6-2, 190 
ESPN rank: N/A 

What impressed: Every time DeWeaver camps he seems to get better. The pocket passer can throw the out route, zip in a heater on a slant or throw the fade. His arm strength was incredible again under the lights, as he hit one receiver after another. 

“I think I competed well against the upperclassmen,” DeWeaver said. “Whenever I go out on the field I feel like I’m the best quarterback on the field. I try to prove that every time I go out there.” 

He apparently doesn't lack confidence, either.

The starter from day one this time around, deWeaver had an excellent sophomore season, leading the Rams to their third straight state title game before falling to St. Vincent St. Mary's for the second year in row. Once again, he hit up a bunch of camps, and again, he stood out as one of the best in his class. Helmholdt ranked him fourth among underclassmen at the Columbus Nike camp ($):

DeWeaver was clearly among the best quarterbacks in a top-heavy group on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound sophomore has good size for the position already and gets a lot behind his passes. His key over the next couple years will be to shorten his delivery, which not only will get the ball out of his hands more quickly but also improve his accuracy.

Then it was on to the Elite 11 regional, also in Columbus, where he was the first 2016 QB mentioned by BuckeyeGrove's Marc Givler ($):

DeWeaver continues to put himself firmly in the discussion for Ohio's top signal caller in the 2016 class. I thought he threw it better at the Nike Camp on Sunday than he did on Monday at Elite 11 which is understandable as that is a lot of football's to throw in a 30-hour window. Still, he spins it well and the velocity was still there on Monday even after a pretty heavy workload on Sunday. His throwing motion has steadily improved over the last 18 months, though I'd still like to see it become a little more compact. Just looking at Monday's performance, I thought he had a better time with the touch throws down the field.

After camping at Texas and Cincinnati, picking up an offer from the Bearcats after his camp performance, he also appeared at last weekend's Sound Mind Sound Body camp, earning praise from the 247 staff:

Trotwood (Ohio) Madison Top247 2016 quarterback Messiah deWeaver spun the ball well, has a powerful arm and has good mechanics. He still needs to speed everything up, his feet, his throwing motion but he was one of the top performers.Can really drive the football and had a couple nice touch throws in the back of the end zone. Early offers include Cincinnati, Kentucky and Louisville.

Helmholdt placed him behind only Malik Henry, the top 2016 dual-threat QB in the country, among day one performers at SMSB ($):

After camps at Cincinnati and Texas in the last week you would think DeWeaver's arm might be feeling some fatigue, but the rising junior was as sharp as we have seen him during Thursday's action. He went through position drills efficiently but really shined in the one-on-one session where he was varying his trajectory to put passes in windows that didn't appear to be there until the receiver caught the ball.

Finally, of course, came Michigan's camp, which ultimately earned him the offer. Sam Webb broke down his showing in front of his future coaches ($):

Sam’s Take: This kid has come a really long way in the last year. Gone are the days where he didn’t consistently throw spirals… where it looked like he would struggle making the “arm” throws… where his footwork was all out of whack.  His mechanics have tightened up significantly and the result is a kid that spun the ball extremely well during Michigan’s camps (and also at the Sound Mind Sound Body Camp last week).  He also showed really nice touch on deep ball over the middle.  He won’t fire out-routes from the far hash with as much velocity as Alex Malzone, but those plays no longer need to be eliminated from DeWeaver’s playbook.  In my opinion he has gone from being an unlikely offer to a kid that just picked one up from the Maize & Blue Wednesday afternoon.

247's Steve Lorenz also took in Tuesday's camp session and noted deWeaver's aptitude for putting the right touch on the ball ($):

2016 Top247 quarterback Messiah DeWeaver continues to build off the momentum he built during a strong showing at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp last week in Detroit. DeWeaver doesn't have a ton of zip on his throw, but he usually has enough. He throws an excellent deep touch ball and can throw it to any side of the field.He's also built himself up nicely in the weight room while being able to maintain his scrambling ability, which is apt.

Finally, let's kick it back to his high school coach for the traditional The Pattern™ quote ($):

"I think Messiah can be a top level prospect, without a doubt," said Douglass. "It's not just because of the talent he has. It's also because of how smart and dedicated he is in the classroom. Messiah has a 4.2 grade point average now. That kind of effort and maturity can translate to the football field."

I think he'll pass admissions.

OFFERS

DeWeaver also held offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Toledo, and Western Kentucky at the time of his commitment. Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, and Tennessee were among the larger programs that showed interest but hadn't come through with an offer yet.

HIGH SCHOOL

You're likely familar with Trotwood-Madison, one of the powerhouse Division III programs in Ohio. In the Rivals era, they've produced four Michigan players: WR Roy Roundtree, TE Brandon Moore, DB Reon Dawson, and LB Mike McCray. Sophomore Ohio State corner Cam Burrows, one of the top-ranked recruits in the state in 2013, is also a former Ram.

STATS

The Greater Ohio Western Conference may keep the most detailed high school stats in the country, so click here to get a full game-by-game rundown of deWeaver's numbers. The short version:

Freshman year: 59/124 (47.6%), 831 yards (6.7 YPA), 13 TD, 4 INT
Sophomore year: 137/231 (59.3%), 2265 yards (9.5 YPA), 21 TD, 9 INT

The improvement is apparent.

FAKE 40 TIME

Despite all the camps, I can't find a fake 40 time for deWeaver. He's very much a pro-style QB, with negative rushing yards in each of his first two high school seasons (though that includes sacks); he's got the athleticism to make a play or two breaking the pocket, but he's not looking to run.

VIDEO

Sophomore highlights:

Yes, the mechanics are a bit wonky, and he doesn't exactly possess a cannon, but I'm quite impressed with his accuracy and ability to change speeds to fit the ball into the right window.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

With two full seasons left in his high school career, the evidence is flimsy indeed, though it's not too difficult to project this: a freshman year redshirt, a probable apprenticeship behind Wilton Speight and/or Alex Malzone, and then deWeaver enters the conversation for starting quarterback. To remind you how far into the future we're looking here, Shane Morris will be a senior when deWeaver gets to campus.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan has two commits for 2016, and given how this coaching staff operates it's safe to assume they're done at quarterback. I can assure you they will add more prospects at other positions. Otherwise, class projection at this juncture is probably pointless.