The Wolverine

April 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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COMMITMENT PROFILE Columbus Native Jaron Dukes Is Ann Arbor-Bound Three of Michigan's com- mitments so far in the class of 2013 hail from the Co- lumbus, Ohio, area. Tight end Jake Butt and defensive end Taco Charlton are na- tives of nearby Pickering- ton, and wide receiver Jaron Dukes lives in the city of Columbus itself, playing his high school ball for Marion- Franklin High School. While Butt and Charlton grew up fans of the home- town Buckeyes, however, Dukes was always a bit dif- ferent. "I think it's from when I was younger," he explained. guys from committing on a visit," said Haffele. "You're in- trigued, and you're just excited about everything you see. "I strongly discourage my over his trip to Ann Arbor, how- ever, Haffele let Dukes know that if he was ready to commit, he had his head coach's bless- ing. Ironically enough, it was an offer from a different school that let Dukes know he wanted to pick Michigan. "I got an offer from Illinois, After a couple weeks to mull " "I heard all about 'Michigan that' and 'Michigan this.' Michigan was the very first team I watched, and I grew up watching Michigan. Here in Ohio they're looked at as the bad guys, and I was drawn to that. Everybody's rooting for Ohio State, and I wanted somebody else to root for, and I fell in love with them." The rebellious child grew up to be a and that's when I kind of no- ticed that Michigan was the place for me," he said. "When I got that offer, I wasn't as ex- cited as I was when I got the Michigan offer. Every time I talked about Michigan, it just felt right. Dukes, a 6-4, 197-pound wide receiver, was always drawn to U-M, even when he was younger. 6-4, 197-pound wide receiver with ex- cellent hands — he caught 36 passes for 670 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. By the time Michigan offered in early February, Dukes was just begin- ning to see his star rise on the recruiting trail. He took little time in committing to Michigan, however, picking the Wol- verines Feb. 21. "I'm sure he's going to have an Ohio as possible," Dukes explained. "My mom suggested Friday [Feb. 10]. I talked to my dad about it and he was okay with it, so that's the day we decided to head up. that didn't mean an immediate com- mitment for Dukes. State offer in the next couple weeks," said Marion-Franklin football coach Brian Haffele. "They've talked to me, and I think Michigan's just a little bit earlier than some of the other schools in offering a few of the 2013 kids. Michi- gan knows that they have to get in a little earlier on a Columbus kid, or even an Ohio kid in general. sweepstakes, combined with his boy- hood love of all things Michigan, won out in the end. Another important fac- tor was a trip up to Ann Arbor, on which Dukes got to experience the campus, and see everything that the town has to offer. "I talked to the coaches, and they said they wanted to get me up there as soon That early entry into the Jaron Dukes " Everything went well on the visit, but " PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Coach Haffele reports to be in the 4.6-second range in the 40-yard dash. "I would like to just mature more in the game," he explained. "Number one initial rating of the country's top 250 players, Dukes has the potential to rocket up the recruiting rankings. His size is something that can't be taught, and he's continuing to work on his speed, which Although he's not in Rivals " is my speed. I would love to get my speed up and be the fastest person out there. Speed kills. " defensive backs. He shows an excellent feel for the ball in the air, and launches his 6-4 frame upwards to attack the ball at its highest point. Even through con- tact, Dukes shows no fear in extending his arms away from his body for the ball. Dukes also shows a knack for making yardage after the catch, despite a lack of Strengths: High schoolers with Dukes' size will always have an advantage over FILM EVALUATION — Tim Sullivan elite speed. He has excellent feel for defenders and sets them up to miss when he makes a cut. Areas of Improvement: Dukes doesn't have the speed to run past most defen- sive backs in the open field. He can get faster, but making the most of what he does have will be important. The film shows no blocking from Dukes. At Michigan, wide receivers will need lent speed, but he made the most of it to become a standout receiver and punt returner for Michigan throughout his career, before being selected in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Dukes is taller than Walker, but he also uses his feel for the game, rather than blazing speed, to make big plays. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com to block in order to see the field. He has the size to block, but needs to show the aggressive attitude of a strong blocker on the perimeter. Michigan Player Comparison: Marquise Walker was not blessed with excel- APRIL 2012 THE WOLVERINE 65

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