Ferentz on Gray

Michigan linebacker Austin Gray is one of two recruits in the '10 class who suffered a torn ACL during the season. By all accounts, Gray is one his way back and should be ready for August camp in Iowa City.

Gray was a contact player for Fitzgerald High School (Warren, Mich.). He was middle linebacker. He was an H-back, basically the lead blocker out of the backfield. Contact is always a good place to start for a linebacker.

Links -- Here, Gray calls the Iowa coaching staff "my kind of people." (John Hetzler, Macomb (Mich.) Daily) . . . This Detroit Free Press story is a little dated, but it chronicles the pretty good battle that has been going on in recruiting the last couple years between Iowa and Michigan State. . . . Here's the story I wrote last fall. Gray played the contact positions at Fitzgerald.

Bio -- From UI sports info: High school honors - - Earned honorable mention all-state honors as a junior after being named first team all-state as a junior . . . earned first team all-conference honors for three straight seasons . . . was first team all-Macomb County as a junior and senior . . . named all-Metro East for three seasons by Detroit Free Press and Associated Press . . . team captain as a junior and senior while helping team post 11-1 record as a junior while reaching state playoffs . . . Career - - earned four varsity letters as linebacker and tight end . . . four year starter . . . holds school record with 263 career tackles . . . collected 62 tackles as a senior, including seven tackles for loss and four QB sacks . . . recorded 97 tackles and nine QB sacks as a junior . . . had 105 tackles as a sophomore . . . also a two-year wrestling letterman.

Personal - - Born 8/5/91 . . . open major . . . named academic all-state as a junior . . . parents are Jody and Roy Young and Rod Gray . . . high school coach was Jason Byers

Ferentz on -- On where the four '10 linebacker recruits might fit: "I think if you pressed me right now, Austin Gray we're thinking about a middle guy, and the other guys have versatility to play outside but they could probably move inside. It's like our group right now on campus."

Projection is fun -- When I interviewed Gray, he said he wanted to play middle linebacker. Ferentz also says middle linebacker. So, middle linebacker it is. It's easy to want to play MLB, but it's difficult to do it well. Before Pat Angerer emerged, this was kind of a lost position post Abdul Hodge. Mike Klinkenborg suffered a couple season-killling injuries.

I see a redshirt here. If he emerges as a 6-2, 225 or so MLB next spring, Gray could have a shot at the depth chart. Not a lot of experienced depth at LB. That said, I can see two of the four incoming LBs playing this fall, stagger the classes and they need depth/special teams.