Tag: Upton Stout

Chiefs scouting report: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers CB Upton Stout

The Kansas City #Chiefs could target Western Kentucky #Hilltoppers defensive back Upton Stout in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs found a quality nickel defender when they used a fourth-round pick in 2023 on Chamarri Conner. Injuries hit Kansas City’s secondary hard this season, which could lead general manager Brett Veach to seek depth behind Conner in the 2025 NFL draft.

Defensive back Upton Stout lines up in the slot for Western Kentucky but spent the majority of his first four seasons with the Hilltoppers as an outside corner. His small frame and limited length make him a slot-only prospect at the next level.

Stout attacks everything downhill and significantly contributes in the run game and against screens. He is an eager run defender who competes to shed stalk blocks and quickly redirects to the football. Defensive coordinators aren’t afraid of playing him near the box because they trust his aggression and physicality.

Stout is a smooth athlete with fluid hips and good but not great speed. He delivers some surprisingly powerful punches in press coverage to jam receivers at the line. Stout’s closing burst helps him drive on short routes to contest receivers at the catch point. His physical play dislodges the football in contested catch situations.

Stout’s football IQ helps him overcome some of his physical limitations. He recognizes and anticipates plays pre-snaps and makes quick adjustments when reading route combinations post-snap. Stout projects as a mid-Day 3 selection.

Western Kentucky plays away at Liberty today at noon. Flames quarterback Kaidon Salter is one of the best passers in the Group of Five.

Michigan football receives pair of predictions for coveted transfer target

Getting this dude in the fold is one of the top priorities! #GoBlue

Michigan football is pulling out all the stops for a handful of priority transfer portal targets. One could be the replacement for star nickel back Mike Sainristil.

Out of Houston (Texas) North Shore High School, cornerback Upton Stout has thrived at Western Kentucky. Of the seven games he played in 2023, Stout had one of his better games against one of the better opponents, registering a 72.7 grade covering Ohio State‘s receivers in Week 3. Against the Buckeyes, he was targeted once on 45 snaps and allowed no receptions.

At 5 feet, 9 inches and 185 pounds, Stout could thrive in the Michigan football defense, and he visited Ann Arbor this week to see what the Wolverines have to offer. As a result, two national 247Sports analysts, Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer, put in 247Sports crystal ball predictions indicating the Hilltopper cornerback will end up wearing maize and blue.

However, Michigan Insider’s Steve Lorenz put in an undecided prediction on Wednesday night, which could indicate there’s still work to be done.

Stout originally committed and enrolled at North Texas before transferring to WKU. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining at his school of choice. As a transfer, 247Sports lists Stout as a four-star, No. 40 overall, and the No. 4 cornerback available.

Does Michigan football have Sainristil, Colson replacements on campus now?

#Michigan needs to land these guys! #GoBlue

Michigan currently has 26 commits in the 2024 high school recruiting class, and seems to be pretty much wrapped up except one or two targets still on the board.

With the youngsters essentially done early, Michigan has turned its full recruiting efforts to portal targets. Last year, the Wolverines landed nine transfers and used seven as starters or heavy rotational pieces. This year, Michigan will be once again looking to pick and choose in order to replace some key players likely departing for the draft after the 2023 campaign wraps up.

Michigan has stayed relatively quiet about its recruiting efforts, but sources have confirmed that two of the top players in the portal are currently on campus and one has even received a prediction to the Wolverines on another site.

The first player on campus in Western Kentucky defensive back Upton Stout. Stout is likely looking to replace Mike Sainristil as the team nickel back and should slide in as a starter on the inside. He recently posted to Instagram that he was in Ann Arbor, so it’s clear the staff has a chance to land him. Stout played in seven games this year and recorded 29 tackles, one interception, and eight passes defensed. He has played four years of college football for two teams (North Texas, Western Kentucky) and has 114 tackles, five interceptions, and 14 passes defensed in his career. Stout is currently the third-ranked cornerback in the portal according to the 247Sports portal rankings.

The second transfer target is Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who is on campus as well according to Josh Henschke of The Maize & Blue Review.

Barham just finished his true sophomore season for the Terps, but is somehow ranked in the mid-eighties on 247Sports. Barham was the 119th player nationally in the class of 2021 and played alongside Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. Barham recorded 37 tackles, three sacks, and one interception (on J.J. McCarthy) in 10 games this season. Barham has 96 tackles, seven sacks, and one interception in his career. The 6-foot-four, 233-pound linebacker will likely be called on to start next to Ernest Hausmann next season with Junior Colson possibly declaring for the draft. As a true sophomore, Barham has just two years of eligibility remaining and is a likely candidate to remain at Michigan for two seasons as opposed to being a one-year portal rental.

Landing either Barham or Stout would be a massive win, and fix a likely need on the defense next season. There are no timelines for either player to make a decision, but Barham was predicted to Michigan by Steve Lorenz of The Michigan Insider. Keep a lookout as transfer decisions tend to happen quickly.

Michigan football offers top 25 transfer target

Would be a good get for #Michigan! #GoBlue

The NCAA Football portal opened on Monday, and Michigan is expected to be one of the most active teams in the country. Though the Wolverines are 100% percent focused on beating Alabama and winning the national championship, next year’s roster needs tending to as well.

Specifically, the defensive backfield will look quite different from this year. Michigan could lose as many as four starters to the NFL after this season with Mike Sainristil, Josh Wallace, Rod Moore, and Makari Paige either running out of eligibility or getting NFL attention. Though Michigan has a lot of promising young talent on the roster, they will likely take between one and three transfers to pad depth.

The first public target on the board is former Western Kentucky defensive back Upton Stout. Stout will be entering his fifth year of college football and has played for North Texas and Western Kentucky. Stout recorded 29 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups in seven games this season. He has 114 total tackles, five interceptions, and 14 pass breakups during his college career.

Stout is likely being recruited as a nickel replacement for Mike Sainristil. He stands at 5-foot-9, weighs 185 pounds, and moves exceptionally well. Ja’Den McBurrows is currently expected to start inside next year, but he has the flexibility to go outside should Stout end up on the roster.

Stout is a popular name as well. He currently has a four-star transfer grade of 91 from 247Sports and is ranked as the 21st overall player and second overall DB in the portal. Stout has reported offers from Pitt, Washington State, Memphis, Houston, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Tulsa, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Virginia, USC, and Michigan. The Wolverines stand alone as the strongest program on his offer sheet, so it would not be surprising to see him end up as a Wolverine.

In addition to Stout, former Penn defensive lineman Joey Slackman has reported a Michigan offer on his Twitter. The Wolverines have certainly had private conversations with a number of other players, but those two remain the only public targets.