Recapping 2012 Commit Blake Bars

Now we get into the big guys up front.  Blake Bars was actually the fourth offensive line commitment for the 2012 class, but the first one in our recap.  Big Blake Bars from Nashville, Tennessee.  Offensive line is one of those positions that you need to recruit year in and year out because depth is always crucial when you factor in things such as injury and players either graduating or moving on to the NFL.  Michigan has a bit of inexperience on the line, especially with Rimington Award winner David Molk moving on to the San Diego Chargers.  Replacing players like Molk both in 2012 and beyond will be one of the big factors impacting Michigan's competitiveness and Bars is one of four commitments that will help solidify the future.

Blake has great size at 6'5" and around 275 pounds.  He will definitely have to put on some weight if he hopes to play serious time in the next few seasons, but he should have plenty of time.  Very rarely do we see true freshman see time. It happens on rare occasions as it might with fellow 2012 commit Kyle Kalis, but Bars does not appear college ready enough for it to happen.  Not only does he have the size issue, but his technique is probably not that solid yet.  He has talked about working on his footwork, but he has some stiff competition, if he wanted to play in 2012.



Here are the basic stats for Bars:

	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	247Sports
Height	6’5”	6’5”	6’5”	6’5”
Weight	260 lbs	275 lbs	275 lbs	265 lbs
Position	OT	OT	OT / OG	OT
Rating	3*	4*	3*	3*
Position Rank	#54	#32	#58	#66
National Rank	NR	NR	NR	NR

So my take on the scouts analysis of Blake is he's a mid-level guy top-100 player at his position and Rivals was the most generous, giving him a 4* status.  Great size at 6'5 and like I said right around 275.  There doesn't seem to be a consensus on his position, but he will probably end up playing inside.  All the repots seemed to say about the same thing. He's a great blocker and is very physical, especially once he's able to get hands onto defenders.  Blake also has very good football blood lines, as his older brother is Brad Bars (Penn State defensive end), his father and uncle both played for Notre Dame and he had a grandfather that played for Michigan State.  So Blake is really completing the circle of the rivalries in the household.

As far as the 2012 season is concerned, don't expect to see Blake on the field.  I definitely believe that the coaches will throw the redshirt on Blake.  Not only because he needs to bulk up, but also because there are already players lined up to start at all the positions.  The line depth is pretty weak, as everybody keeps saying, but that doesn't mean he will actually see the field.  If there are some crazy circumstances, maybe he will play, but a redshirt seems to be a pretty sure bet here.

Blake will certainly be fighting for a starting spot down the road and could have an impact in a couple of years, but the other guys should just be be better than Bars for 2012.  Maybe he can win a backup role during the course of the season, which wouldn't be that surprising, but for now, fans should look to 2013 or 2014 as the time when Bars begins making an impact.

Here is his highlight video: