Photo Credit: Tanya Moutzalias | MLive Detroit

New Michigan Man: DB Vincent Gray Commits to Michigan

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

Don Brown knows what he likes out of his defensive backs. That’s taller, longer, versatile athletes that aren’t afraid to get physical. And he’s already found quite a few in the 2018 class. But he clearly wasn’t completely satisfied with the haul as recently offered Rochester Adams (MI) DB Vincent Gray has committed to Michigan during his official visit to Ann Arbor.

Commitment

Scouting Report

Gray is another tall, long armed, athletic defensive back prospect with good coverage skills and a nose for the ball and ball carrier. He looks to have potential at either cornerback or safety thanks to his natural build and willingness to tackle though he fits the look of the majority of this staff’s corner back signees. And like the other defensive backs in this class, he’ll need to add a little more size and catch up to the speed of the college game to contribute. However, he has the frame to do so without losing a step. The depth at the position will be tough to overcome for him but if he puts on the right size and makes an impact on the practice field, he could be fighting for playing time by his sophomore season.

Recruitment

Unlike most in-state recruits, Gray wasn’t a known name on the Michigan recruiting front until he started to show out during his senior season. And it wasn’t until after his junior season that he really started to receive any Power Five offers, including an offer from Missouri in May. That offer clearly caught the attention of the Rochester Adams standout the most as he committed to the Tigers over the summer.

Gray stayed committed to the Tigers for a couple months but it was actually West Virginia who made a strong push during the fall and was reportedly expected to receive his letter of intent during the Early Signing Period. But those plans changed when Michigan extended an offer just two days before the early signing date and all signs quickly flipped towards the Wolverines stealing the rising in-stater.

Gray officially visited Ann Arbor this weekend and, as expected, committed to Michigan to the staff during the visit. This commitment gives Don Brown one of the longest and most athletic defensive back hauls in the country. Gray will officially sign with the Wolverines on February 7th.

  • Height: 6’2”
  • Weight: 180lbs
  • Hometown (School): Rochester, MI (Rochester Adams)
  • Notable Offers: Missouri, West Virginia, Iowa State, Boston College, Washington State
  • Rankings: Rivals (3*, #56 CB) – 247Sports (3*, #67 CB) – ESPN (3*, #80 CB)
  • Composite Ranking: Three star, #686 overall, #60 CB, #17 in Michigan

Highlights

As for the Rest of the Class

Gray is the 20th overall commitment in this class, the fifth defensive back, the fifth in-state get and the first commit since the Early Signing Period. With him in the fold, Michigan is pushing to finish the 2018 class with 1-2 offensive tackles. The best bets to fill those spots are OT Jarrett Patterson and Rice transfer OT Calvin Anderson. But the most wanted targets heading into National Signing Day are commit OLB Otis Reese and OT Nicholas Petit-Frere. Signing either would be a huge boost to this class. There’s also the chance of Michigan adding another defensive back in Utah transfer DB Casey Hughes.

Photo Credit: Tanya Moutzalias | MLive Detroit

Garrett Fishaw
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