Amara Darboh commited to Michigan on December 4th(I'm late, I know). Amarah Darboh is Michigans first wide receiver commitment of the 2012 class. Darboh hails from West Des Moines (IA) and attends Dowling Catholics high school.

"Recruiting Experts"

Scout	Rivals	ESPN	24/7 Sports
4*, #33 WR, #206 Ovr	4*, #31 WR, #208 Ovr	3*, 78, #77 WR	4*, 93, #19 WR, #191 Ovr

The four main recruiting services all have Darboh listed around 6'2 and inbetween 190 and 205 pounds--he has good size for a receiver.  Scout, Rivals, and 24/7 are really close in their evaluation of his talents, all ranking him as a four-star and right around the #200 player in the country, though 24/7 has him well higher than Scout or Rivals in their positional rankings. ESPN, however, has him ranked as a three-star and the 77th receiver in the country. It's clear that ESPN is the major outlier here.

Amara Darboh at Michigan game(Photo Courtesy of the Detroit News).

Here are some "expert analysis" on Darboh.

From ESPN:
Darboh is a combination of strength and quickness as a big receiver with a sturdy build, long arms and nice height. He is part playmaker and part possession player and against this level of competition he can really stand out. He can be an imposing player off the line and shows some physicality when pressed at the line ... Not afraid to go over the middle and will make the tough catch in traffic. Shows good leaping ability and can catch the ball thrown over his head. Tracks the ball well, and does an excellent job of adjusting to the poorly thrown ball or ball thrown to his opposite shoulder on down field throws along the sideline. Can be a body catcher at times, but secures the ball consistently. Has some wiggle in the open field after the catch for a bigger player and displays some natural open field run skills ... We are somewhat concerned about Darboh's top end speed. He does not play as fast as his listed forty times would indicate nor does he possess sudden change-of-direction after the catch.

From 247Sports:
Darboh shows exceptional speed as a bigger receiver and has another gear once he gets free from a defensive back. Quickness is another aspect that separates Darboh from his competition, as he consistently picks up big gains from short screens or pass patterns. Darboh shows excellent strength and athleticism by breaking tackles from smaller corners and staying up-right. Darboh has a natural feel for the game already by knowing where to sit in zone coverage and also working with his quarterback to find open space when he scrambles. One thing Darboh caught on to quickly was the importance of blocking at the position as he relentlessly blocks until the whistle.

High School Coach
He's a big, physical player," Dowling coach Tom Wilson said of his 6-2, 200-pounder. "I've seen him compared to Roddy White of the Falcons — a bigger guy that can run very well. He ran 4.42. He's a kid that's had an awful lot of big plays for us in his three years as a starter, and we don't have many three-year starters here. Amara is a special talent."

My Analysis
Darboh is a big, physical receiver that has elite blocking skills and has big-play ability everytime he gets his hands on the ball.  He has tremendous hands which are shown when he catches the ball in traffic. Has good body control when a poorly thrown ball is thrown his way. Has good vision when in space, and shows physicality which you can see by the way he breaks away from wimpy tacklers. Darboh needs to straighten out his stance on the line of scrimmage before the snap because he stands to high leaving him vulnerable to being jammed by the corner. His route running is a cause for concern, but that can be fixed with good teaching and a change in technique. I question his top-end speed,though. He appears quick and elusive rather than fast. This isn't a big concern, but something to look out for in the future.

Amara Darboh Junior Highlights


Darboh had a lengthy offer list, with finalists Notre Dame, Florida, Iowa, and Wisconsin joined by Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Vanderbilt. Rivals also shows interest but no offer from Oregon and USC. Darboh may have had more offers, but he suffered a shoulder injury during his senior season.

Despite playing in only seven games this season, Darboh amassed 48 catches for 765 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a junior, he had 49 receptions for 646 yards and 6 TDs, and in his sophomore year he recorded 25 for 371 and a TD.

Amarah Darboh makes diving catch (Photo Courtesy of Public and Paul Media)

With Michigans severe lack of depth at wide receiver,  Darboh could have a chance to start as a true freshman. Even though Michigan doesn't have great depth at receiver, there may be enough depth to let Darboh take a redshirt and add more bulk to his frame. Whichever route the coaches decide to take, Darboh should be a very special talent and maybe be an all-conference player in the B1G.