The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE Missouri Wide Receiver Jehu Chesson Picks Michigan Entering the season, wide re- ceiver was the biggest remaining need for Michigan's 2012 class. Holes at linebacker, offensive line and tight end had already been filled, and the Wolverines needed to add two wideouts to the class to restock the position. West Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling Catho- lic receiver Amara Darboh filled one spot in early December, and St. Louis Ladue Horton Watkins receiver Jehu Chesson followed suit on Dec. 21. "The main thing when you make a decision is you have to be able to trust somebody," Chesson said. "It's who I feel I can trust the most and who I think is the right fit for me." Chesson may be an under-the- radar selection, but he's one with plenty of upside. Rivals.com rates him as just a three-star prospect, the No. 11 player overall in Mis- souri and the No. 89 wide receiver in the country. He stands 6-3, and although he's just 180 pounds, he has the frame to put on more weight in a college strength and conditioning program. "He can easily fill out to 210, 215 relay team, which captured the crown with a time of 1:28.05. That speed is impressive, but develop- ing it may have prevented him from refining his receiver skills. "Like a lot of kids, he's a three- sport kid, so he's not exclusively into one sport," Tarpey said. "Once he's focused on the one sport, there will be a tremendous amount of growth there for him. The big upside that I've talked the most with people about is his overall understanding of route running. There's a lot of receivers at the college level and at the pro level that don't run the fastest 40 times, but they have a knack for getting open. That's something that will come with him, because he's extremely coachable." Chesson acknowledges that he still needs to improve, but also knows that he has the skills to be a difference-maker at the next level. "I feel I can go across the mid- Rivals.com rates Chesson as a three-star prospect, the No. 11 player in Missouri and the No. 89 wide receiver in the nation. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM pounds," Ladue Horton Watkins football coach Mike Tarpey said. "That's what I've been telling people. He's a skinny frame right now. Just with the size and strength gains, that will obviously allow him to play at that level." Chesson's biggest asset, however, may be his speed. He ran a 37.44-sec- ond time in the 300-meter hurdles as a junior — the 34th-fastest high school time in the country in 2011 — en route to a state championship in the event. He was also a member of Ladue Horton Watkins' state-champion 4x200-meter FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Chesson is another example of where Brady Hoke is taking the Michigan roster in terms of pure size to go along with speed. Chesson stands 6-3 with plenty of room to fill out his current 185-pound body. His size and strength gave him an obvious advantage against the high school competition he faced. His film shows great speed, and he consistently pulls away from defenders when he is in open space. Chesson also does a nice job of attacking the ball at its highest point. Smaller defensive backs have trouble defending tall and long receivers, and Chesson's play indicates that he uses his length to his advantage. Area of Improvement: How tough and nasty is he when he is called on to block? It's always an important question to ask when looking at wideouts that will play at Michigan. All the great Michigan receivers will block their opponent to the ground. It is a mandatory skill that Chesson will learn well once he gets to Ann Arbor. Michigan Player Comparison: David Terrell developed his 6-3 body to be- come an imposing player on the edge of Michigan offenses and get himself selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Chesson will be able to win those jump-ball situations when needed. He also has a nice break on his slant routes and shows good ability to dismiss defenders after the catch. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com 60 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 dle and make catches," he said. "Also, I'm a rangier kind of guy for deep passes. Attention to detail is important. Executing your part of the play that needs to be ex- ecuted and attention to detail are key." During his senior year, Chesson's sta- tistics didn't live up to his own expec- tations. Ladue Horton Watkins had a first-year starter at quarterback and a running back who rushed for 1,800 yards, so the passing game wasn't a focus. Chesson caught 53 passes for 757 yards (14.3 yards per catch) and six touchdowns, and also played defense, where he made 57 tackles and inter- cepted two passes. The Wolverines' coaches have had the opportunity to evaluate him in person — he attended Michigan's summer camp as a junior — and determined that he is a good fit for the offense. Michigan's shift to a pro-style offense with West Coast passing schemes should accommodate Chesson's skill set perfectly, and allow him to blossom under the coaching and strength train- ing he'll receive as a college athlete. Iowa and Northwestern were his other two finalists in the recruiting process, but thankfully for Michigan, he'll be lin- ing up as a Wolverine, instead of on the opposite sideline. — Tim Sullivan