The Wolverine

April 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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COMMITMENT PROFILE Illinois Offensive Lineman Kyle Bosch Won Over By U-M earned a reputation of spending exorbitant sums of money on facilities and uniforms, all with the goal of wooing big-name re- cruits to play their college ball in Eugene. The Ducks may be on to something — as back-to-back conference championships and a berth in the BCS national cham- pionship game show — but not every recruit can be won over with material goods. One such prospect is Whea- The University of Oregon has 6-5, 285-pound Bosch is ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 60 player in the nation by Rivals. com. Although he's rated as an of- fensive tackle — his high school position — Bosch says thanks to his lack of height, combined with an impressive 345-pound bench press, he's more likely to play on the inside of the line in college. "They told me they project The excitement is mutual. The ton (Ill.) St. Francis High offen- sive lineman Kyle Bosch. When it came time for him to make a decision, he ignored all of the external factors and instead fo- cused on the people he'd be in- teracting with as a college foot- ball player. That made the choice easy, and he committed to Michi- gan Feb. 18. "I never look at the facilities. I never look at all that other stuff," he said. "How cool the uniforms are — if I cared about that I'd be going to Oregon. It's always been about the people and getting to know the coaching staff. test for Bosch and his family. In fact, he looked at everyone involved in the program — from trainers, to academic support, to other recruits — and knew that nobody could top the Wolverines. By the time he committed to Michigan, it was his turn to give them some ex- citement. Michigan's coaching staff passed the " Rivals.com rates Bosch as a four-star recruit and the No. 60 player in the class of 2013. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL [Brady] Hoke, I got a big bear hug from him, and he was extremely excited," Bosch said with a laugh. "I'm really ex- cited to be one of the 130-plus teams that have been at the university. I'm excited to be a part of that tradition and to work with such great men and great players. "After I broke the news to Coach " ing through defensive players. He does not slow his feet or hesitate with his hands when he engages his opponent. He manages to stay under control with good pressure on the defender through the block. Areas of Improvement: Bosch's size and strength versus his high school com- petition allows him to play too high and still dominate the defender. Playing too high at the high school level is common, and Bosch is no exception. He will also need to improve his starting footwork — he shows a couple of crossover steps that will get him in trouble against good defensive linemen. Michigan Player Comparison: David Baas was a consistent player on the inte- plays with a high level of aggression and positions himself for knockout blows on linebackers — which he gladly delivers. He shows good lateral mobility when he attacks the second level and can engage moving defenders. His best strength is the ability to not slow down on impact and continue driv- Strengths: Bosch comes off the ball quickly and runs well in open space. He FILM EVALUATION me playing as either a guard or a tackle," he said of Michigan's coaches. "They said they love my footwork and they love my ath- leticism, and they could see me playing both positions. But I'm learning to snap, and I'm getting better. I could be a triple-threat and be ready to contribute as early as possible. he has such a high motor," Purnell said. "He's a very intense football player, and I think a lot of times, bigger kids like that take a while to develop that. But he has an intensity level that I've never seen in a big guy. He loves contact. That, to me, is the big difference. Bosch Class 5A all-state football honors from the Illinois High School Football Coaches' Association and got him on the college radar. Michigan recruited the offensive line His performances last fall earned " very well in 2012, earning Rivals.com's No. 4 national ranking at that position. The success has continued in 2013 with five O-line commitments, three of whom are top-100 prospects. The Wolverines are building much needed depth and competition at a key posi- tion. Fortunately for Michigan's coaches, rior of the Michigan offensive line from 2001-04. He played left guard and center and elevated his performance to become an All-American and the Rimington Award winner (nation's top center) as a senior in 2004. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com 60 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2012 Bosch is well aware of what it takes to succeed at the next level, and is willing to work for it. "I've been busting my butt in the — Tim Sullivan " coach Greg Purnell, Bosch plays with a level of effort that sepa- rates him from other high school linemen and is a big part of why colleges such as Alabama, Iowa, Notre Dame and Stanford had ex- tended scholarship offers. "I think the biggest thing is that According to St. Francis football " weight room and watching film," he said, "and I'm working to become a Swiss army knife at the next level.

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