2017 National Signing Day Primer

2017 National Signing Day Primer


January 30, 2017

Leesburg (GA) Lee County DT Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)

National Signing Day 2017 begins on Wednesday, February 1. Below are six storylines and all the uncommitted prospects that Michigan has offered.





SIX STORYLINES FOR MICHIGAN

  • Highland Springs (VA) Highland Springs offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is Michigan’s main target remaining on the offensive line. A visit back in November saw the Wolverines rocket to the top of his list, but more recent visits to Louisville and Virginia Tech have propped up those schools, too. If Michigan is unable to land Becton, then there do not appear to be many/any other options left on the offensive line. ANNOUNCEMENT TIME: 9:30 a.m.
  • Pinson (AL) Clay-Chalkville wide receiver Nico Collins took an official visit to Georgia this past weekend, and that’s not typically good for Michigan unless something very bad happened during his time in Athens. Collins was thought to be a silent commitment to Michigan at one point. After a run of Crystal Balls to Georgia, the most recent picks have been for Michigan. ANNOUNCEMENT TIME: 2:30 p.m.
  • Starkville (MS) Starkville linebacker Willie Gay went radio silent a few days ago. He publicly named Michigan his leader at one point, but in recent weeks, LSU seems to have jumped to the forefront of his recruitment. Sam Webb reported that mom doesn’t like LSU very much, so if she has her way, it may come down to Michigan or hometown Mississippi State. In my anecdotal experience, the kid usually wins these battles. ANNOUNCEMENT TIME: 10:00 a.m.
  • Iowa City (IA) West wide receiver Oliver Martin took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend, and confidence is rather high that he will sign with the Wolverines. He could have visited a lot of places, including Florida and Ohio State, but he picked Ann Arbor. Michigan was probably his leader earlier in the process, but when Nico Collins looked likely to end up in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines backed off. Now that Collins appears to be Georgia-bound, Michigan picked things back up with Martin. EDIT: Martin already committed to Michigan.
  • Grafton (MA) Memorial safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is a Syracuse commit who visited Michigan last week and is considering flipping to the Wolverines. I wrote a piece on him last week (LINK). EDIT: Melifonwu reaffirmed his commitment to Syracuse on Monday night.
  • Leesburg (GA) Lee County defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, a one-time Michigan commit, seems to be down to Alabama and Michigan. He has said multiple times that Alabama leads, but Michigan still reportedly feels confident. He’s a teammate of 2018 safety and Michigan commit Otis Reese. ANNOUNCEMENT TIME: 10:00 a.m.

UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS

  • RB A.J. Davis
  • RB Greg Johnson
  • RB Adarius Lemons
  • RB Cordarrian Richardson
  • RB Damon Williams
  • FB Chase Lasater
  • WR Nico Collins
  • WR Mike Harley
  • WR Joseph Lewis
  • WR Henry Ruggs III
  • WR Jeff Thomas
  • TE Josh Falo
  • OT Mekhi Becton
  • OT Austin Jackson
  • DT Corey Bolds
  • DT Damion Daniels
  • DT Emmanuel McNeil
  • DT Tedarrell Slaton
  • DT Aubrey Solomon
  • DT Aaron Sterling
  • DT Kane Taylor
  • DT Jay Tufele
  • DT Marvin Wilson
  • DE K’lavon Chaisson
  • DE Ryan Johnson
  • DE Jarez Parks
  • DE LaBryan Ray
  • LB Dennis Bell
  • LB Willie Gay
  • LB Malik Horton
  • LB Sterling Jones
  • LB Leonard Warner
  • CB Chevin Calloway
  • CB Meshael Custis
  • CB C.J. Henderson
  • CB Deommodore Lenoir
  • CB Ameer Speed
  • S Chaz Ah You
  • S Todd Harris
  • S Davondre Robinson

9 comments

  1. Comments: 6285
    Joined: 8/11/2015
    Lanknows
    Jan 30, 2017 at 10:57 AM

    The Solomon and Gay recruitments seem to be down to mom vs son. Like you said, son usually wins but maybe mom can sway. I would be very pleasantly surprised if Michigan lands either and ecstatic to get both.

    The WR situation is an interesting one…

    5 OL in the class isn’t enough.

    • Comments: 191
      Joined: 8/13/2015
      crazyjoedavola
      Jan 30, 2017 at 11:38 AM

      Obviously recruiting insiders know more than I do, but I don’t understand why so many people think that Solomon will commit to Michigan when he repeatedly stated that Alabama is the leader. If he is flat out lying about it, then it’s a character flaw that would knock my ranking of him down a notch.

      • Comments: 6285
        Joined: 8/11/2015
        Lanknows
        Jan 30, 2017 at 1:01 PM

        Take all statements with a grain of salt – we’re talking about teenagers and people trying to sell subscriptions.

        Reasonable minds may disagree but I wouldn’t consider Solomon’s actions as indicative of a character flaw necessarily. It’s a pretty messed up process and expecting kids to act like professionals about it is going to be unreasonable in many cases.

        Like you I put more weight on direct quotes than “buzz”. Sam Webb has my respect but it’s clear he is often talking to parents and their filtered information can be misleading.

        • Comments: 191
          Joined: 8/13/2015
          crazyjoedavola
          Jan 30, 2017 at 3:04 PM

          Didn’t Solomon actually say that Alabama is his clear #1?

  2. Comments: 134
    Joined: 9/13/2015
    AC1997
    Jan 30, 2017 at 3:43 PM

    Thunder – What are your thoughts/wishes/preferences/predictions on these guys?

    Here is my list based on need/want:
    1 – Soloman – One of the most critical positions on the field, we need depth, he is really highly ranked, etc.
    2 – Becton – We need more bullets in the chamber at OT.
    3 – Gay – Seems like a dynamic playmaker.
    4 – Martin – I love a guy who likes Michigan and is a good possession receiver to fit within the outside stars we have.
    5 – Collins – Great prospect.
    6 – Melifonwu – Sounds like he might get squeezed out, but I like him and would be happy to see him in the class regardless of his ranking.

    It seems like there might be a little bit of drama, but I’d be happy with any 3-4 guys on that list…..especially if Solomon is one of them.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Jan 30, 2017 at 4:19 PM

      That’s going to be the content of my post tomorrow.

    • Comments: 6285
      Joined: 8/11/2015
      Lanknows
      Jan 30, 2017 at 6:01 PM

      You didn’t ask me but:

      1. Solomon’s not coming – he said he prefers Alabama and fuck Michigan. He probably wasn’t lying but maybe he changed his mind. Chances: 25%
      2. Nobody thinks Bechton will pick Michigan. Chances: <5%
      3. Gay is a longshot. Chances: 10%
      4. Martin is Blue unless the coaches are capped at WR and prefer Collins. Chances: 95%
      5. Collins — the only real signing day drama IMO. Chances 45% (same for Georgia. 10% Other).
      6. Reaffirmed to Syracuse. Chances: <5%

      Expect 2, be happy with 3, 4 is very unlikely.

      A surprise addition could come up ( a guy we haven't heard tied with UM late) maybe even 2. If not — BRING ON THE TRANSFERS!

  3. Comments: 14
    Joined: 12/13/2016
    vlacca
    Feb 01, 2017 at 11:05 AM

    If there is a spot open at the end of the day what about offering it to Jake Fruhmorgen?
    Plug and play RT pretty much guaranteed after sitting out a year.

    • Comments: 3844
      Joined: 7/13/2015
      Feb 01, 2017 at 12:40 PM

      I definitely think Michigan should pursue Fruhmorgen, depending on what his personal situation is. (I suspect it’s nothing too worrisome.) There should be at least one spot remaining after NSD, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue to fit him in if he wants to come.

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