Csont'e York, listed as 6'3, 185ish (low variance, since I think all of these sites got that same number from a recent combine weigh-in), committed to Michigan this past week, after visiting unofficially and landing an offer. York is the 18th commit in the class, and only the second not to be listed as (at least) a four star on one site, joining Khalid Hill. As Hill's low rating is a bit of a non-factor due to his system fit, York's low rating fails to evoke and concern because of his status as a 'late riser'.
Chandler Park does not have a rich history of sending football talent to the D-1 ranks (although basketball commit Derrick Walton hails from the school). Rivals has never recorded a Chandler Park Academy prospect signing with any team. They do not playing in a highly publicized league, and the competition is rarely impressive. As a result, York was off the radar of most coaches (besides Toledo and Bowling Green) and recruiting services, until he lit up 7 on 7 camps, as well as the recent NFTC combine in Columbus. The Michigan staff, which has shown a penchant for staying on top of camp performances, quickly whisked York onto campus and offered him. After heading home and thinking it over, York dropped for Michigan on Wednesday.
Attempting to project depth at the WR position is a bit of a crapshoot, at the moment. Outside of Jeremy Gallon, this wide receiving core looks like it may be the weakest group we've seen in years. York's biggest obstacle to playing time may depend on the ability of freshman wide receivers Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson to become acclimated to B1G level football. When York enrolls next summer, he'll likely be thrown into the fray to replace Roundtree. Even if he doesn't win the job outright, I still feel as though he may avoid a redshirt. Following his freshman campaign, Gallon will have to be replaced, as well. York should find himself in the mix at that point.
As you can see, I like York. Although their playing styles are different, I think he favorably compares to Jehu Chesson. He definitely needs to utilize a college level S&C program, and add an element of physicality to his play. However, both flash sufficient athleticism on tape to justify a fair degree of optimism. Their best performances (and reasons for landing an offer) came from camp settings. Hopefully, this also means that York will blow up during his senior year, as did Chesson. Despite lacking impressive offer lists, I think both are likely to outplay their rankings.
The potential York flashes in his highlight tape is exciting. His competition is a bit lackluster, but he answered a lot of these questions with his performance against some of the midwest's DBs in his recent camp tour, such as 5* OSU commit Cam Burrows. He tends to get lazy in his route running, but that's expected when you don't have top-flight competition pushing you on every down. When he does push himself, he's a very smooth route runner. He gets off the ball pretty well, which should help him deal with more physical defensive backs in college. His best asset is probably his vertical leap. Combined with his exceptional ability to track and focus on the ball throughout its flight, he'll definitely be a potent red zone threat. Some of his fading leaps were, dare I say, almost Braylon-esque.
So there you have it, folks. York is an underrated, athletic kid with the potential to be a reliable player in college. With two wide outs committed in the 2013 class, the UM staff will probably only target one more. In a perfect world, that would be IL WR Laquon Treadwell, who is evidently approaching a decision (although I wouldn't be surprised if that's a lot of smoke). Still, I think Michigan is sitting pretty in Treadwell's recruitment. Outside of him, guys like AZ WR Devon Allen, CA WR Sebastian Larue, CA WR Darrell Daniels, MD WR Paul Harris, or FL WR Alvin Bailey could be options, down the road. Landing any of those guys would go a long way to solidifying what is currently a shaky position group.