The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/70101
2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE born on May 21, 1994, in Detroit … Has a maximum bench press of 275 pounds… Best 40-yard dash time is 4.6 seconds … Comes from the same high school as incoming Michigan team- mate Mario Ojemudia … Harrison also produced former Wolverines Kevin Bry- ant and Charles Stewart, along with a host of other Division I athletes. Rankings: Ranked as a three-star Personal: Devin Akeem Funchess was prospect, the No. 9 player in Michigan and the No. 14 tight end in the nation by Rivals.com … Rated as the No. 5 tight end in the country by MaxPreps. com … Tabbed as the No. 56 prospect in the Midwest by SuperPrep … Listed as a four-star player, the No. 3 prospect in Michigan and the No. 5 tight end in the nation by ESPN.com. Brady Hoke's Comments: "On [Mich- 6-4 • 205 • Tight End • Harrison High School • Farmington Hills, Mich. Senior Season: Played wide receiver, DEVIN FUNCHESS ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ igan's release], it says 205 pounds. He's more like 220 now. He's a very athletic tight end. He's a guy who could play your move tight end. If you get down in the red zone, you can put him outside. He catches the ball extremely well with his hands. You could put him out there in the red zone and throw the ball up to him. port: "He has excellent hands, great leaping ability, toughness and quick- Tom Lemming of Prep Football Re- " tight end and defensive end for a 10-1 Harrison squad that that won the Oak- land-White League with a perfect 7-0 record … Ranked No. 1 in Division 2 be- fore getting knocked out of the playoffs after losing their starting quarterback to injury … Secured 21 catches for 433 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 20.6 yards per catch … Recorded a long grab of 69 yards … Returned one punt for 20 yards and one kickoff a total of seven yards … On defense, recorded 31 tackles with 18 solo stops … Posted four sacks, four quarterback hurries, four pass deflections and one intercep- tion … Named to The Detroit News Blue Chip list … Tabbed honorable men- tion Associated Press Divisions 1-2 All- State … Selected to The Detroit News All-Metro North second team. Junior Season: Played wide receiver, Funchess is listed as a three-star prospect, the No. 9 player in Michigan and the No. 14 tight end in the nation by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM tight end and defensive end for a 12-0 Harrison squad that won its 13th state championship under head coach John Herrington … The squad became Divi- sion 2 state champions with a 38-28 victory over Lowell in the state title contest … Harrison won the Oakland- White League with a 7-0 record … Caught 36 passes for 738 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 20.5 yards per catch … Scored one two-point conver- Harrison head coach John Herrington on Devin Funchess "He'll get bigger. I think he could be that prototype tight end, that they're using in the pros — really a wide receiver that is playing tight end." 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns, av- eraging 20.5 yards per catch over the course of his career … Fumbled just once in his varsity seasons and re- corded one two-point conversion … On defense, notched 50 tackles, includ- ing 27 solo stops … Contributed five sacks, six tackles for loss, seven quar- terback hurries, five pass deflections and two interceptions … Returned one punt 20 yards and one kickoff seven yards. ness. He has all the tools to develop into an elite-level tight end. He runs like a receiver and blocks like a tight end, and you will find very few high school tight ends averaging 20 yards a catch. Career Totals: Caught 57 passes for " sion, and recorded a long grab of 42 yards … On defense, managed 19 total tackles, including nine solo efforts … Notched one sack among two tackles for loss … Posted three quarterback hurries, one pass deflection and one interception … Earned all-state, all- county, first-team all-league and Oak- land Country Dream Team honors. All-Star Games And Camps: At- tended the Midwest Showcase in Ann Arbor in February, 2011 … Listed by Rivals.com as one of several "top per- formers" at the event … Played in Inter- national Bowl at Austin, Texas, on Feb. 1 … Caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in that game, performing for the U.S. Under-19 National Team that lost, 35- 29, to the International Federation of American Football World Team. Other Sports: Played basketball as a junior and sophomore … Averaged a double-double in points and rebounds both years … Finished seventh in the long jump at the Division 1 Regional 4-1 in 2011, leaping 20-1¾ … Will com- pete this spring in the 200-meter dash and the 4x200 meter relay. High School GPA: 2.9. Planned Major: Sports manage- ment. Favorite Michigan Athlete: Green Bay Packers defensive back Charles Woodson. Favorite Pro Player: Detroit Lions nati, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska and Virginia. Date Of Official Visit To Michigan: wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Other Schools Considered: Cincin- Dec. 10, 2011. Why Funchess Chose Michigan: "I " liked the atmosphere around Michigan. I liked the coaching staff. They made you feel like you were at home. The education was a big part of it, too. Harrison Head Coach John Her- rington's Comments: "Devin has got really unlimited potential. He's big, and he's got great hands. He can block, he can play wide receiver; he can play tight end. He has a good knowledge of the game. He was one of our best at film study and knowing what the op- ponent was going to do. " MARCH 2012 THE WOLVERINE 49