The Wolverine

October 2011

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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������ prep profiles Four-Star O-Lineman Zach Banner Moves U-M Closer To The Top With offers from Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, USC and others in addition to Michigan, Lakewood, Wash., offensive tackle Zach Banner has his choice of outstanding programs. Some analysts, though, now believe everyone is chasing U-M following Banner���s outstanding official visit to Ann Arbor for the Wolverines��� 35-31 victory over Notre Dame on the Sept. 10 weekend. Banner, the son of former NFL standout Lincoln Kennedy, is a twosport standout with dreams of playing football and basketball in college. His coach expects him to excel in at least one. ���He���s once in a lifetime as high school players go,��� Lakes head football coach Dave Miller said. ���He���s 6-9, 310, has great feet and a burning desire to excel. He���s the total package. ���We���ve had a few Division I kids over the years, including some NFL guys, but very few are complete. They might have an issue here or there. But Zach is a great student, kid, leader and player. He is complete.��� Oklahoma and Notre Dame will get official visits, while Washington has hosted him a number of times. Banner is committed to taking the rest of his visits, but his Michigan trip set the bar. ������ Zach Banner ��������������� Lakes High School Lakewood, Wash. Position: Offensive Tackle Ht. 6-9 Wt. 310 Bench Max: 395 pounds Ranking: Rivals.com No.��38 player and No. 7 offensive tackle nationally ���He was blown away,��� Miller said. ���He loved it. He said he really enjoyed Coach [Brady] Hoke, and he and his mom were really impressed with the down to earth way he talked to them. The education impressed him, and so did the game-day atmosphere, which is second to none. He liked the campus ��� everything impressed him.��� Banner is dominating in his senior season, the way he has throughout his career. He���ll continue to get better, Miller insisted. ���He hasn���t anywhere near reached his potential,��� Miller said. ���Offensive tackle is where he���ll end up, though I could see him as a young freshman playing somewhere else if he���s not quite ready for that yet. But he just has a tenacity. In high school he���s playing kids that are 6-0, 200, and he manhandles people. It���s going to be more exciting to him to play against people similar to him and see how he compares. I know he���s excited for the challenge.��� Though distance from home is almost always a challenge for kids with tight-knit families like Banner���s, Miller believes the Wolverines have a good shot. What he���s looking for ��� a traditional power that���s in the national spotlight, a great education, somewhere the fan base is crazy about football ��� is everything Michigan offers. More than anything, he���s looking for somewhere he can call home, and Ann Arbor seems to fit the bill. ���In his case, I think he really wants to be where he feels like he fits best,��� Miller said. ���I could see that being Michigan. I think they���ll definitely be there at the end.��� ��� Chris Balas Ohio Receiver Monty Madaris Is Planning Michigan Visit Michigan���s 2012 class is filling up nicely, but there are still a few holes. The wide receiver position is one, though the Wolverines have had some options emerge in recent months. ������ Monty Madaris ��������������� Moeller High School Cincinnati Position: Wide Receiver Ht. 6-2 Wt. 190 40-Yard Dash: 4.5 Seconds Ranking: Rivals.com No. 51 wide receiver nationally What they also have is the promise of one of the nation���s top junior quarterbacks, Warren De La Salle standout and Michigan pledge Shane Morris, waiting in the wings. Cincinnati Moeller���s Monty Madaris has taken notice. Though considered more of a possession receiver, Madaris still caught 50 passes for 719 yards and seven touchdowns in his junior year, averaging 14.4 yards per catch. He���s earned offers from Florida State, Nebraska, Cincinnati and others in addi72��� the wolverine��� ������ October 2011 tion to U-M, and he���s in the process of speeding up his recruitment. ���It���s a high priority right now,��� Madaris said in mid-September. ���I���m still figuring out where I want to take officials. I have to talk with my dad and my coach. I���m going to at least take two before the season is over with.��� Madaris has not trimmed his list and is also still considering Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan State. He���ll take in a few Cincinnati games and is considering a trip to Florida State. He has no plans to wait it out and hopes to make a commitment this fall. Madaris said Michigan���s coaches have been the most active in communicating with him since the recruiting dead period ended Sept. 1, while Nebraska, an early favorite, has not come on as strong in recent weeks. ���They are trying to get me to come up and take a visit,��� Madaris said of U-M. ���I know for sure I am going to make it to the Michigan-Ohio State game at the Big House. ���I haven���t spoken to Nebraska since about a month ago when I spoke to them on Facebook. I���m interested in Nebraska, and they are pretty good with recruiting me. I like Coach [Rick] Fisher a lot. I like what they are doing on the field ... I just need to take a visit out there.��� Madaris has been hindered by a hamstring injury this year that kept him out of one game. He returned with a vengeance against St. Xavier Sept. 16, catching seven passes for 206 yards, his totals including touchdown receptions of 46, 80 and 48 yards. ���He���s a very, very physical blocker and not a traditional receiver. He���s extremely strong and very physical,��� head coach John Rodenberg said in the summer, likening Madaris to the Pittsburgh Steelers��� Hines Ward. ���Blocking is probably his forte, but he���s got excellent speed. ���He���s run 4.4 and 4.42 40s at camps this summer ��� He can catch the ball, he can run the ball and he fits in good with what we do. We���ll play against a national schedule this year, so he���ll get an opportunity to play against the best.��� ��� Chris Balas

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