Sam Webb: Recruiting

Mott end likes MSU and U-M

One of the best high school football games in Michigan last season took place during the first week of the state playoffs. Detroit Cass Tech and its triumvirate of Michigan-bound athletes took on seemingly overmatched Warren Mott.

The Technicians had the name recognition and the prospects with scholarship offers, but those things mattered little once the teams took the field. The underdog Marauders gave their favored foes more of a game than anyone anticipated before eventually falling 27-24. By the time the dust settled, though, Mott DE/TE C.J. Olaniyan had earned a little name recognition of his own.

Olaniyan used his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame and 4.7 speed to wreak havoc on the Technician offense. It was a glimpse of how dominant he could be when healthy. Despite not being 100 percent for a portion of the season, Olaniyan managed 84 tackles, including 14 for loss and nine sacks. He contributed on offense as well, hauling in 33 passes for 536 yards and three touchdowns. All things considered, it was a good showing. Still, the talented youngster believes he was capable of more.

"I was disappointed in a couple of games," Olaniyan admitted. "I give myself a B. I could have done better -- way better."

In the Cass game, Olaniyan displayed relentlessness off the edge that continually gave the Technicians problems. That tenacity and productivity was not an anomaly according to his coach, but he still thinks there is room for his star pupil's game to grow to another level.

"I think one of C.J.'s strengths is he has a very good motor," Mott coach Tom Milanov said. "He really gets after it. He plays a lot of reps for us on both sides of the ball. He plays all the way to the whistle. As for improvement areas, we're just looking for more consistently dominant play."

MSU first to offer

Numerous college programs will be keeping close watch. Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Oregon and Michigan have already extended scholarships. The Spartans are positioned well in this race; they were the first to offer, and they impressed Olaniyan during the unofficial visits he took to East Lansing over the winter.

"I feel like I know the coaches," Olaniyan said of the Spartan staff. "They've got some good coaches. They believe in family first. Plus I like the little football academic center. Strictly football athletes can be in there for the computer rooms and to get tutors. I like that."

Michigan had its chance to make a similar impression when Olaniyan made his first visit to Ann Arbor last week. The Wolverines certainly made the most of that opportunity.

"I went to go see (Michigan) Friday (for junior day) and Saturday (for practice), and they told me they were really interested," Olaniyan said. "My recruiting coordinator (Michigan assistant Rod Smith) told me on Monday that they were going to sit down as coaches and decide whether they were ready to offer, and then I should get some news. (Tuesday) my coach told me during lunch to call (Smith), and then he told me that they offered me. I like Michigan a lot because of the academics."

Olaniyan is part of a growing group of prospects that have offers from both in-state programs this year. That's indicative of the deeper and more talented pool of players in the state's 2010 class. An unfortunate byproduct of those riches is the growing prevalence of outside suitors trying to lure them away. Staving off those exterior threats looks to be far from a foregone conclusion in this recruitment.

"I think both (in-state) coaching staffs are excited about (Olaniyan's) potential," said Milanov. "He's got a big upside; I think we've only scratched the surface. I think they see that he has a frame that he can put some weight onto and become an elite player.

"But C.J. is really wide open right now. He is really in no hurry to make a decision. He'll probably start narrowing things down this spring. After the spring, if he starts to get tired of it all and gets a good idea of where he wants to go, then maybe he'll make a decision. Right now he is focused on taking some visits."

On the road again

Olaniyan will rack up significant travel mileage in the coming weeks. He will hit the road frequently during that time as he embarks upon the next leg of his fact-finding mission.

"I'm leaving on Thursday to go to Penn State for the weekend," Olaniyan reported. "The week after that I'm going to Iowa. Then during spring break I'm going to Central Michigan and maybe Wisconsin."

Return trips to Ann Arbor on April 11 for the Michigan spring game, and East Lansing at a yet-to-be-determined date for a spring practice are also in the offing. Proximity might even allow other impromptu trips. That convenience is something Olaniyan's mother has definitely made mention of.

"My mom wants me to stay close to home, but she said that's her opinion," Olaniyan said. "She is going to let me make the decision."

How much of a factor distance will be in his decision remains to be seen. At the moment, it appears there are other attributes that will loom much larger when it comes time to make a choice.

"We've talked about making sure you choose a place where you feel comfortable with the coaching staff, the school, and what academic offerings they have," explained Milanov.

Every suitor will be thoroughly researched before a decision is made. Milanov has offered very firm advice about performing adequate due diligence in this process.

"I think there are positives and negatives to committing before your senior year of football in high school, but we also said that we are not going to through all this decommit crap that all these other kids are doing," Milanov said sternly. "Just from a character standpoint, this entire circus for decommitting is ridiculous.

"I said, 'You can wait until Feb. 4, commit in August, or anywhere in between. Just make sure that when we make that commitment, it's a commitment.' It's a two-way street with the university. It is not going to be one of these decommit circus atmospheres."

That message has certainly hit home with Olaniyan.

"Once I commit, I won't decommit," he said. "I'm going to stay with it. After the visits, I am going to (narrow the list) to my top five or 10. I could make my decision early in the summertime, but my goal is to make it around the beginning of the football season next year."

Recruiting Sam Webb is managing editor of GoBlueWolverine magazine and GoBlueWolverine.com, and co-host of the "Michigan Insider" morning show weekdays on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA. His column appears every Thursday.