Devin Funchess is the second commit in Michigans 2012 class that hails from Farmington Hills High School in Michigan. The other being his teammate Mario Ojemudia. Funchess stands at 6'5 215 pounds and has the athleticism to play either wide receiver or tight end. Most recruiting sites(and the Michigan coaches) think that he has more upside at the tight end position. Funchess is a four-star recruit to ESPN, Scout and 24/7 Sports, while being a three-star to Rivals.

Devin Funchess showing off his athleticism.

I had the honor of talking with Devin about his senior season and his excitement about attending Michigan.

SimplyComplex: What was it about Michigan that made you want to commit to them?

Devin Funchess: The atmosphere and how involved the coaches were with the players. The education was a big factor in my decision as well.

SC: What was the atmosphere and experience like when you visited Michigan?

DF: It was very live . Everybody was very friendly and it seemed very family oriented, which made me feel very comfortable with the university.

SC: How often do you talk with other Michigan commits/prospects?

DF: I speak to the instate commits often, but I rarely speak with the others. Although, I do communicate with some out-of-state commits over twitter a little bit.

SC: With Michigan having depth problems at the TE position, do you feel like you could see early playing time?

DF: I think I could come in and play right away if the coaches needed me to contribute right away in an emergency or just to evaluate my performance. The coaches also tell me that I can, but I just have to come in and be ready for action.

SC:What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses at the tight end position?

DF: My main weakness is my size. I'm a little on the slim size for a TE, so I definitely need to bulk up and let my body develop properly. My biggest strength is that I have a great match up with the linebackers. I'm usually faster than them, so it's a huge advantage for me.

SC: What kind of stats did you accumulate during your senior season?

DF: I caught 21 passes for 433 yards and 6 touchdowns.

SC:What do you think is the hardest part about being a tight end? Are you looking forward to the challenges of playing the position at the college level?

DF: The hardest part for me would be learning the different and more difficult blocking schemes. The different footwork is also a bit of a challenge for me. Yes because I think it's the most underestimated position and I want to show people what I'm capable of.

SC: You're a teammate with Michigan commit Mario Ojemudia. How would you describe his game on the defensive side of the ball? Do you like going up against him in practice?

DF: He's just a complete monster. He is the type of player that just never gives up. He has a motor that just keeps going and going. We didn't really go up against each other in practice because we both played both ways.

SC: I did an interview with another teammate of yours, Gairus Coleman. How good of a player do you think he is? Have you been recruiting him towards Michigan at all?

DF: "G"(Gairus Coleman) is a fantastic player. He is the total package at wide receiver. The only thing he needs to work on is his speed. If he gets his speed up, then he will be great. We talk about Michigan all the time.

SC: How do you feel about Ohio State,uh, I mean "Ohio"?

DF: I don't care for them personally.

Devin Finchess Junior Film:


Devin is just one of the many top-notch athletes that Hoke and company are bringing in to restore Michigan to what it once was. Be on the look out for many other football prospects to come out of Farmington Hills in the coming years that may end up wearing the Maize and Blue.

Erik Magnuson, courtesy of La Costa Canyon High School Football
That recruit is 2012 offensive line commit Erik Magnuson. Magnuson stands at 6'6 and 275 lbs., and will be asked to anchor the offensive line for Michigan for many years to come. Magnuson is one of Michigan's most highly regarded commits, because he provides depth and a need at the OL position. Magnuson's best attributes at the OL position are his versatility, athleticism, and his aggressive nature. Magnuson is a consensus 4* recruit on all four of the major recruiting services, and turned down the likes of USC, Stanford, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon and many others.
Fresh off his visit from Michigan, I caught up with Magnuson for a quick interview.

SimplyComplex: Do you think that you have improved on your game from this season compared to last?

Erik Magnuson: "Yes a lot. I learned so much this off season from camps."

SC: Have you been recruiting any (California) kids? Like Jordan Payton, Darius Powe, Joshua Garnett (from Washington) etc.

EM: "Yes I have. Jordan was in Ann Arbor the same time I was. Josh is from Washington,but I'm really good friends with him and really want him to come and play next to me."

SC: What's your favorite thing about Michigan?

EM: "The game atmosphere and the fans."

SC: How would you describe the Michigan coaches? Attitude, personality etc.

EM: "They know how to win, and what it takes to win. Very family like."

SC: What was your experience like at the Michigan-ND game?

EM: "It was unreal, words can't describe how crazy it was. The fans were nuts. I loved it. Made me happy to think I'm going to be wearing that winged helmet one day."

SC: Besides Michigan, what other schools were in your top group?

EM: "ND, Oklahoma, Miami, USC, Oregon,and Texas."

SC: What do you think of Denard Robinson?

EM: "The dude is a crazy athlete. Lots of fun to watch."

SC: What is your high school teams expectations coming into this season?

EM: "To win San Diego."
Magnuson (#77) gets into position to make a block to spring his RB for positive yardage. Photo courtesy of La Costa Canyon High School Football and Tom Mills.

Magnuson will be visiting for the OSU-UM game this November. This will be Magnuson's 4th visit to Michigan in the past 8 months. Hoke and his staff have been recruiting Magnuson since his days at San Diego State. So they have kept up and maintained a great relationship with him over the past year.

The Late Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler Jr. said in the 1989 book Bo by Mitch Albom, that recruiting made him feel like a pimp. This came straight out of the mouth of imo the greatest college football coach of all time. How should I, the average passionate fan feel about recruiting?

In all honesty I hate it. I hate the hoards of fans that anxiously wait for the Rivals 250 to be released(Rivals 100 was released today). I hate the people that e-stalk 17 year old athletes. This post isn’t a knock on you people, in today’s society the masses demand instant knowledge and instant gratification. Look at any college football message board today, and the majority of the talk will be  about High School athletes.

I understand why recruiting is relevant, I really do. These kids are the future of our program.  I get that, what I don’t get is the need to stalk these kids by guys in their 20’s and 30’s or even into their 40’s. I understand that at Michigan we demand the best, that we expect every 5 star athlete we sign to come in and start from day one. But doesn’t it make more sense to let the kids play who have had some time in the system? Very few people want Jordan Kovacs to start in 2010, but this was a guy who was a very good football player unless he had deep coverage. You want Marvin Robinson to come in and start because he’s more athletic? Does he have some of the intangibles that Kovacs has? Does he have experience in this system?

I don’t want to go off on a rant, the whole deal with recruiting perplexes the shit out of me. These 17 year old kids could give a fuck what you, or I have to say, our words are not going to influence their decisions. In my real life, when a 17 year old walks past me in the street I pay ZERO attention to them. Why should these kids be any different. Ignore the fuck out of em.