Recapping 2012 Commit Chris Wormley

One of the recruits that got a lot of excitement for his commitment to Michigan's 2012 class was Chris Wormley.  He comes out of Whitmer High School in Toledo, Ohio and was just one piece of Brady Hoke's massive Ohio haul in the 2012 and 2013 classes.  Wormley was also slated for a role in the 2012 season as the likely backup to Craig Roh.  Of course, this plan went out the window when Wormley tore his ACL in fall camp and will now redshirt the 2012 season, but he was getting some consistent play before that happened, giving fans a lot to look forward to in the future.

Wormley has a large skillset that makes him a great pick-up for the Wolverines.  He has solid size and strength, standing at 6'4" and weighing 279 lbs according to the official website.  Some think he's even big enough to eventually move to the inside once he increases his strength a little more.  He is also cited as having a great motor and speed off the snap, which is exciting for a defensive end.  Ace from MGoBlog had some concerns that his "pad level" was significantly decreasing his production.  This and Wormley's general technique will take some improvement if he truly wants to make an impact as a strongside defensive end in the future.  He seems to be pretty good at getting off the blocks, but if he can come off the ball right, he could be simply running through opponents because of his speed and strength.



Here are the basic stats on Wormley:

	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	247Sports
Height	6’5”	6’6”	6’5”	6’5”
Weight	255 lbs	270 lbs	250 lbs	250 lbs
Position	DE	SDE	DE	SDE
Rating	4*	3*	4*	4*
Position Rank	#17	#21	#21	#4
National Rank	#178	#250+	#164	#72

Overall, his rankings are pretty similar across the board.  He seems almost a guarantee to play strongside defensive end, for at least his first few years and is certainly one of the better players at his position in the 2012 class.  Rivals was down on him a bit, but they seem to be the outlier on this one.  Yes, 247 is significantly higher than ESPN and Scout, but they all at least maintain the 4* rating.  I don't think he's the #72 recruit in the 2012 recruiting class, but I certainly think he's worthy of a 4* rating and for some high hopes for the future.

In terms of freshman impact, it will be next to nothing because of his fall camp injury.  I thought he had a good shot at earning the backup role with the current defensive line situation and could have had some serious playing time, but injuries do happen.  The big questions will revolve around his recovery time.  Craig Roh will be gone for 2013 and there's a chance Wormley could get some serious playing time then, assuming his recovery goes well, but it's definitely going to be one of the bigger offseason questions before next year.  If he's back and ready for spring practice, he should be a factor in 2013.

Wormley may not be the 5* defensive line recruit like Ondre Pipkins, but he brings quite a bit of hype and excitement to Michigan.  If all goes well, he could develop into a player like Ryan Van Bergen.  Let's wish him the best of luck with his injury recovery and hope he's back in time for spring practice.  If so, watch out for what could be a big progressive going into 2013 and beyond.