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johnny2x2x
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Our new Red Shirt Freshman starting LT! This is a big story for the team. Conklin was a walkon who made waves right away handling Will Gholston while on the scout team last fall. He's a ZERO star recruit who has come in and dazzled. He's closer to 6-7 than 6-6 according to his dad and is 326 lbs this season. He's simply been dominant since setting foot on campus. He was the best O lineman in the Spring Game and reportedly has been nearly flawless all camp so far. He's supplanted 2 year starter and senior Dan France at left tackle, it's not even a battle anymore as Conklin is the starter and France has been moved to guard. Now France was no Orlando Pace at LT, but he was servicable and experienced, France has no shot at the job now, that tells you how good Conklin has been.
Conklin is a great story, he's a coaches son, his dad played at Michigan, who was just a little bit of a late bloomer. He has the height, length, and size to be an All American at Left Tackle. He's excelled in pass protection from the get go and has as good of feet as any O lineman on the team. His technique is improving and he's by all accounts going to be one of the strengths of a veteran and experienced offensive line this season. Bollman, who has coached 27 NFL linemen in college, has been very impressed with this kid. He's a monster and is going to have the left tackle position locked down for us for 4 years.
You cannot overstate how big this is for the program to have maybe found the next Eric Fischer out of nowhere. A guy that will be protecting the QB's blind side for the next 4 years out of a walk on. I would have been fine with France at LT, he has improved and would be an above average B1G LT this season, probably top half of the conference, the fact that Conklin beat him out so decisively that France was moved to guard speaks volumes about how good Conklin has been.
Sometimes things even out, David Barrent was the highest rated tackle MD had brought in a high 4 star, top 50 player in the country we swiped from Iowa. He was penciled in to be the starting LT for years, unfortunately he suffered a career ending injury. We've lost 8 guys either for their careers or whole seasons in the last 4 years off the O line, to get a guy like Conklin from nowhere who could be a stud at LT is huge for the program.
Conklin is a great story, he's a coaches son, his dad played at Michigan, who was just a little bit of a late bloomer. He has the height, length, and size to be an All American at Left Tackle. He's excelled in pass protection from the get go and has as good of feet as any O lineman on the team. His technique is improving and he's by all accounts going to be one of the strengths of a veteran and experienced offensive line this season. Bollman, who has coached 27 NFL linemen in college, has been very impressed with this kid. He's a monster and is going to have the left tackle position locked down for us for 4 years.
You cannot overstate how big this is for the program to have maybe found the next Eric Fischer out of nowhere. A guy that will be protecting the QB's blind side for the next 4 years out of a walk on. I would have been fine with France at LT, he has improved and would be an above average B1G LT this season, probably top half of the conference, the fact that Conklin beat him out so decisively that France was moved to guard speaks volumes about how good Conklin has been.
Sometimes things even out, David Barrent was the highest rated tackle MD had brought in a high 4 star, top 50 player in the country we swiped from Iowa. He was penciled in to be the starting LT for years, unfortunately he suffered a career ending injury. We've lost 8 guys either for their careers or whole seasons in the last 4 years off the O line, to get a guy like Conklin from nowhere who could be a stud at LT is huge for the program.
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