The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE tor on which he made his decision. The biggest was his relationship with the Michigan coaches, one that con- tinues to grow and that he respects … so much, in fact, that he passed on a trip to the January U.S. Army All- American Bowl to honor their in-home visit. "They make you feel like you've known them for a and his brother currently suits up on Saturdays for Penn State. When Nashville (Tenn.) Montgomery Bell Academy's Blake Bars (6-5, 275, Rivals.com four-star prospect) made his college choice, though, he followed in his grandfather's footsteps. It just so happened that Douglas Eggleston was a Michigan Man, making Bars the second in his family destined to wear maize and blue. In all honesty, Bars admitted, that was only one fac- His dad and his uncle both played for Notre Dame, Special Potential Bloodlines Give Blake Bars really long time, and also they're really honest with me. You can tell Coach [Brady] Hoke cares about his play- ers," Bars recalled. "My brother Brad was there, who plays for Penn State, and when we were talking about it afterward he said he was happy about the choice I made because he could tell they were right for me." It will be up to them, led by offensive line coach Dar- ing Day. Bars improved in each of his three years the Michigan coaches watched him play, and he still has room for even more growth. "I think Blake's best years are ahead of him," Mawae said. "He's going to pass the look test as far as his size and his upside. I think he has great potential to be a good player. What he struggled with sometimes was understanding the different techniques. He's had two or three different line coaches since he's been here, but he's adapted well to what I was trying to teach him." He's a run blocker first, Mawae continued. "He's that kind of guy," he said. "He's going to have rell Funk, to take him to the next level, former NFL All- Pro and current Montgomery Bell Academy line coach Kevin Mawae said recently, but not only them. Bars has the size and the ability, and it's how much he pushes himself that will determine how good he'll be at the collegiate level. The ceiling is high, Funk insisted on National Sign- Bars is rated by Rivals.com as a four-star prospect, the No. 9 player in Tennessee and the No. 32 offensive tackle nationally. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM footwork as the season went on, especially in the run- ning game. A matter of inches in footwork determines the outcome of the block, Mawae noted, and those are minute details that are still being learned. They'll also be important at the next level when he's facing prep All-Americans and all-staters. Physically, though, Bars consistently demonstrated he to work on his pass-blocking technique. It's easy to beat guys when you're 6-6, 280 or whatever … the higher level you go, the more technique's going to be a bigger issue as far as pass protection and stuff like that. All in all, Blake did okay this year, but I thought he could have been even better. He relied a lot on size as opposed to just learning and understanding the technique, which is probably indicative of a lot of high school kids. You're just bigger than people, so you try to out-power them. "There were a couple times he found that size doesn't always equate as a win for you. That's something he'll learn as he goes along, how the technique and using it at the right times is going to be important for him." Bars started to understand the importance of proper 36 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2012 him playing on the right side at the next level. Wher- ever they put him is fine with him, Bars said, as long as he's wearing the winged helmet. "It was one of those things when I met Coach Hoke tion, but I think he understands the concept of being around piles and taking shots on guys when he has opportunities as long as they are clean, that kind of thing, " Mawae said. "We never had a problem with him hustling down the field, things like that … he does have to play smart, because he got a little overaggres- sive at times. But he's got a little streak in him I think is indicative of most pretty good offensive linemen. He's not going to back down from anybody." Bars played left tackle as a senior, but Mawae sees had the tools. He's got a nasty streak in him in which he's looking to finish every block with authority, a trait of most of the greats. "He's not a mean guy by any stretch of the imagina- and sat in his office the first time I visited," he said. "I knew Michigan was the place. Sometimes you can just tell. Brad might have been disappointed at first that we weren't gong to play together, but he knows it's a good fit for me. I just knew it was going to be great." — Chris Balas