'Speed is overrated and receivers are undercoached in HS'

With the 2013 class wrapped up, as coaches we've all spent numerous hours looking at numbers pertaining to height, weight, 40 time, as well as GPA and ACT / SAT scores and the 2014 class will be no different.

According to Michigan receivers coach Jeff Hecklinski, you can throw out the 40 time when evaluating receivers moving forward. In Ann Arbor it's not a trait that they put a whole lot of stock in with receivers coming out of high school.

"Speed is overrated. Obviously, it's something we have to have. But speed is overrated. How can you truly judge the speed of a high school kid on the perimeter when maybe he touches the ball three times a game?" Hecklinski said last week, noting the receivers that they signed as prime examples in an AnnArbor.com article.

Hecklinski went on to explain that receivers are one of the most undercoached positions in high school football. Once recruits actually get on campus it's the responsibility of him and the rest of the staff to develop their skills to fit the college level.

"It's an undercoached position in high school football -- not by anyone's fault, it's just the nature of the beast at receiver right now," Hecklinski said. "Let us coach technique, let us coach what we want. But if you can catch the ball, there's a place for you. Drew Dileo, Jeremy Gallon, they're not tall. But what do they do? They catch the ball."

"If you can't catch, we have issues, right? All of our guys, if you watch them on high school film, they have great hands, they extend, they adjust to the ball, they track the ball very well up in the air -- they go up and they catch it. We can judge that on film." he said of the recruits that they signed.

"So, let's get the best hand-eye coordination guys -- guys that can go catch the football -- and let's bring 'em in here and then lets develop different areas."