The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE high school football in the suburbs of Denver, Parker (Colo.) Ponderosa offen- sive lineman Chris Fox, the state's top prospect in the class of 2013 according to Colorado Prep Report, has serious Midwest roots. In fact, he was born in India- napolis and lived in Chi- cago before moving to the Centennial State at the age of 8. Those connections to the Midwest — includ- ing the state of Michigan, where many members of his extended family still reside — were a big part of his childhood affinity for the Wolverines. By the time he became a highly recruited football prospect prior to his junior year of high school, he had already made up his mind where he wanted to play. "I've known long ago — Colorado Offensive Lineman Chris Fox Knew He Was Michigan-Bound Although he plays his up pancake block after pan- cake block and preventing defenders from making any progress on their pass rush. Thanks to his combina- tion of physical skills and work ethic — in addition to team workouts, he has indi- vidual sessions with a per- sonal trainer four days each week — he should be able to carry that strong play to the college level. However, he's not just about football. He's a good person too. "He has a lot of compas- ever since I did their sum- mer camp, pretty much," said Fox, who was a Denver Post first- team Class 4A all-state selection last fall. "It's been a long time. I just have known that's where I wanted to go, and I thought: 'Why not do it?" So I did it. ments during that strong recruiting stretch are as highly rated as the 6-6, 297-pound Fox, though. The initial Ri- vals250 listed him as the No. 46 player in the nation. He has the size and te- nacity to play either guard or tackle at the next level, and plans to start on the outside of the line. "I'm a finisher," he said. "Physical, he become the fifth commitment of the day — and Michigan's coaches would add a sixth in Ohioan Taco Charlton shortly thereafter. Fox was also the third offensive lineman to pick U-M that fateful Saturday, and another — Illinois four-star Logan Tuley-Tillman — would follow suit the next evening. None of Michigan's commi t- When Fox pulled the trigger Feb. 18, " nasty, mean. That's everything you've got to do as a lineman. At Michigan, I just want to get on the field as soon as possible and then just dominate. Dominating opposing defenders is 66 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2012 " Fox, an offensive lineman from Parker, Colo., is ranked as a four-star pros- pect and the No. 46 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM definitely something that Fox is used to doing. Although Ponderosa stumbled to a 4-6 record during his junior season, he performed well individually, racking sion for people, and he has a heart bigger than his body," former Ponderosa coach Randy Huff said. "He really is a great person, and I think that comes from mom and dad. Once you get to know them they re- ally are special people. You just don't see it very often. His athletic ability, his size and strength and his pas- sion from snap to whistle is pretty impressive, too. west — his home — will see the Wol- verines gain an asset on the field and in their football program. — Tim Sullivan Fox's return to the Mid- " vering his body in open space very well. He comes off the ball strong and hard with good driving feet — which don't stop until the defender is buried. He shows good awareness of his blocking angles to keep the defender from working under or over his blocks and getting to the ball. He moves well on his pulling blocks and doesn't slow down when he arrives at the blocking point. Fox has good hand placement on his opponents on both run blocking and Strengths: Fox is very athletic. He moves laterally with good balance, maneu- FILM EVALUATION pass blocking. He pops out of his stance to get into his pass sets and shows nice balance when pass blocking. Areas of Improvement: Fox plays too high for the college game and needs to learn to lower his hips at the point of attack. That will bring his upper body down, and he will be even more dominant going forward. He will need to improve his footwork to ensure proper balance. His pass sets are quick but show a false step. Lastly, his stance needs to be more consistent. It is different when he's in pass sets, pulls or drive blocks, tipping his hand to defenders. All of Fox's weaknesses are things that can be improved easily on the Michigan practice field with hard work. He shows the desire to improve and should be able to shore up his weaknesses quickly. Michigan Player Comparison: Jonathan Goodwin was the anchor on the right side of the early 2000s Michigan lines. Jeff Backus and Steve Hutchinson may have earned headlines, but Goodwin is still a top-flight NFL lineman to this day. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com