Tag: 2017 recruiting

Recruiting Update: May 5, 2015

Warren (MI) De La Salle running back Allen Stritzinger

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Today’s recruiting update includes 2017, 2018, and 2019 prospects. Because of the plethora of offers extended over the past week, I had to make the 2016 update a separate post yesterday (LINK). This may happen more often with the Wolverines offering players at a faster rate than the previous regimes.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage running back Kyshaun Bryan was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #8 running back, and #68 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he had 825 yards rushing, averaged 8.4 yards/carry, and scored 7 touchdowns. Bryan is a speedy back with good cutting ability and vision. American Heritage is a football powerhouse, and they sent numerous plays to the FBS in 2015, including defensive back Tarvarus McFadden (Florida State) and quarterback Torrance Gibson (Ohio State). Two of his 2017 classmates also picked up offers from Michigan in Kai-Leon Herbert and Tedarrell Slaton (see below).

Holmdel (NJ) St. John Vianney offensive tackle Micah Clark was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 265 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 offensive tackle, and #69 overall. Clark is a pretty lanky kid right now who could probably be a strongside end or defensive tackle if he worked on his body and technique properly. As things stand, it looks like he will probably be a left tackle in the future. Penn State leads right now, but Alabama and Michigan just came in recently, so he might let things play out for a while before deciding.

Cypress (TX) Cy-Fair offensive tackle Austin Deculus was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 275 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Illinois, and Texas Tech. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #16 offensive tackle, and #98 overall. Deculus is a powerful blocker who has the ability to stay low and blow people off the ball. His classmate, tight end Brock Wright, picked up an offer from Michigan a couple weeks ago. Both attend the alma mater of former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie.

Hit the jump for several more new offers and some miscellaneous bits.

Cleveland Heights (OH) Cleveland Heights wide receiver Jaylen Harris was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 210 lb. prospect with an offer from Kentucky. Harris has a long frame and decent speed, but he needs to work on becoming a more natural pass catcher. He is still early in his recruitment, but Ohio State is thought to be the front-runner if they offer. Cleveland is very pro-Buckeye and tough to pull from, but without any elite prospects the past few years, the last time the Buckeyes got someone from the school was in 2012 with offensive lineman Kyle Dodson.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Cardinal Gibbons wide receiver Leroy Henley was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Miami, Rutgers, and West Virginia, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #41 wide receiver, and #250 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he caught 52 passes for 740 yards and 9 touchdowns. For being such a young guy, Henley is a very adept route runner with good hands and speed. I would not be surprised to see him move up in the rankings.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert was offered by Michigan. A teammate of Bryan’s (see above), Herbert is 6’4″, 260 lbs. and also holds offers from Cal, Maryland, and Michigan. Herbert is very raw with his footwork and technique, but the athleticism is apparent and he can be dominant when he wants to be. There are occasions in his highlights where smaller guys overpower him because of his lack of technique, so he has a lot of work to do.

Phoenix (AZ) North Canyon offensive tackle Austin Jackson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Utah, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 offensive tackle, and #33 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he had 27 pancakes on offense; he added 56 tackles and 5 sacks on defense. Jackson has good athleticism and pretty solid technique, though he is clearly more refined on offense than defense.

Gilbert (AZ) Highland “wide receiver” Tyler Johnson was offered by Michigan. Listed at 6’4″, 245 lbs., he has offers from Arizona and Arizona State, too. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 tight end, and #253 overall. Johnson plays wideout for his high school team, but he is more likely to play tight end or maybe defensive end in college. He shows some very good athleticism for his size, can high-point the ball, and can outrun a lot of his opponents.

Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro offensive guard Kayden Lyles was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 offensive guard, and #167 overall. Lyles plays right tackle for his high school team, but he probably does not have the feet to remain at tackle in college. His teammate is 2016 cornerback Byron Murphy, who also received an offer from Michigan last week.

Steubenville (OH) Steubenville tight end Charles Reeves, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect whose lone offer is from the Wolverines. Somewhat like Tyler Johnson, Reeves is a jumbo receiver who will transition to tight end at the next level. Reeves is long-armed and can high-point the ball (he’s also a standout basketball player), and he can probably add another 20 lbs. or so pretty easily.

Denton (TX) Guyer quarterback Shawn Robinson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 dual-threat quarterback, and #10 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he was 145/238 for 2,799 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions; he also ran for 1,416 yards and 17 touchdowns. He claims a 4.6 forty. The Longhorns are the odds-on favorite for his services, and it would be quite a surprise if he spurned them.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage offensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton was offered by Michigan. The teammate of Bryan and Herbert (see above), he’s a 6’4″, 341 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Miami, and Ole Miss, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 offensive tackle, and #17 overall. Slaton has some bad weight on him right now and can get himself a little overextended. He’s either a right tackle or a guard at the next level. He’s a good prospect, but I think where 247 Sports has him at #17 overall is probably too high.

Warren (MI) De La Salle running back Allen Stritzinger was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 183 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, and some MAC programs. As a sophomore in 2014, he had 244 carries for 1,356 yards and 20 touchdowns; he also caught 9 passes for 238 yards and 1 touchdown. Stritzinger is a speed back (he claims a 4.50 forty) who could also project to wide receiver, cornerback, or safety, although I like him as a running back. He needs to add some weight if he wants to hold up, though. Stritzinger is a teammate of Eric Rogers (the brother of former Michigan cornerback James Rogers) and attends the alma mater of current Wolverines Jack Wangler, Jared Wangler, and Shane Morris.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Cardinal Gibbons safety Daniel Wright was offered by Michigan. A teammate of Henley’s, Wright is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Clemson, LSU, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 safety, and #115 overall. He claims a 4.48 forty, and despite still being somewhat slim, he packs quite a punch as a tackler. He’s the younger brother of safety Major Wright, who attended Florida before getting drafted by the Chicago Bears (he’s now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Jacksonville (FL) Bartram Trail quarterback Joey Gatewood was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 206 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, South Carolina, and USC, among others. Gatewood is the first quarterback to be offered by Michigan in the class, but there are lots of rumors that it’s only a matter of time before he commits to Florida State. Maxpreps has him completing just 33/73 passes for 362 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, plus a ground game that included 659 yards and 6 touchdowns (LINK). Regardless of stats, Gatewood carries himself like a senior on the football field, throws a nice ball, and is a pretty good runner.

Jacksonville (FL) Providence wide receiver Will Mallory was offered by Michigan. Mallory is the son of former Michigan linebacker Mike Mallory (which makes him the nephew of now-departed safeties coach Curt Mallory). I have been unable to find highlights or statistics for Mallory except for catching a few touchdown passes for the varsity team during his freshman season. One random tidbit: Providence is the alma mater of Duke basketball player Grayson Allen and former Florida basketball player Patric Young.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2019
Daytona Beach (FL) Warner Christian wide receiver Blake Hinson was offered by Michigan. Hinson is a 6’5″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Miami, and North Carolina. He’s the younger brother of 2016 prospect Evan Hinson, who received a Michigan offer at the same time. Blake played varsity this past season against some clearly overmatched players, and while he shows some impressive skills as a receiver, he could easily outgrow the position and turn into a tight end or defensive end at the next level.

MISCELLANEOUS
Pittsburgh (FL) Seton-La Salle safety Paris Ford has a top three that includes Michigan. He says his top school goes back and forth between Penn State and Michigan, although Michigan currently sits second.

Over on Recruiting Season, I added/updated profiles for:

• Ann Arbor Skyline RB Charles Jones
• Detroit Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
• Warren De La Salle RB Allen Stritzinger
• Detroit King CB Ambry Thomas

Recruiting Update: April 27, 2015

Brooklyn (NY) Poly Prep offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (image via Scout)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Lakewood (OH) St. Edward cornerback Tony Butler, a Pitt commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Arizona State, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #56 cornerback, and #600 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 27 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 10 pass breakups. He’s a big corner who might project best to safety. Butler played for Michigan’s new director of football operations, Rick Finotti, who was head coach at St. Edward through last season. Despite maintaining a hard commitment to Pitt, Butler is expected to at least put some thought into attending Michigan, a school he visited in early April.

Cranford (NJ) Cranford offensive tackle Will Fries was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #38 offensive tackle, and #392 overall. Fries is a big, lean body who’s aggressive and bends well, but his footwork needs a lot of refinement. The Nittany Lions appear to be the favorite.

Hit the jump for a new 2017 offer, some guys who committed elsewhere, and some random tidbits.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Brooklyn (NY) Poly offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 310 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Miami, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #14 offensive tackle, and #82 overall. I have been unable to find actual game highlights of Wilson, but here are some clips from a recent camp (LINK) that also include Rashan Gary, Ron Johnson, and Michael Menet, all of whom are Michigan targets. Lineman drills in camps are tilted toward the defense, but Wilson looks a little out of his element in pass protection. He is probably a right tackle or a guard.

OFF THE BOARD
Huber Heights (OH) Wayne quarterback Messiah DeWeaver committed to Michigan State. Shortly after Jim Harbaugh was hired at Michigan, he informed DeWeaver that the coaching staff would like to keep him in the class but that they would continue recruiting other quarterbacks. DeWeaver then chose to decommit, and his likely destination for the past couple months had been East Lansing.

Arlington (TX) Lamar offensive guard Chris Owens committed to Alabama. His choice was somewhat expected, and he never gave Michigan much of a look.

Huntersville (NC) SouthLake Christian running back Robert Washington committed to Florida . . . and then Syracuse. In an interesting turn of events, Washington recorded an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report in which he committed to Florida. Bleacher Report went live with the video about 20 minutes before Washington announced himself, but Washington’s official announcement was for Syracuse. It’s unclear whether Washington was just messing with Bleacher Report or if he really changed his mind, but that’s what Bleacher Report deserves for trying to get the drop on Washington’s official announcement. Aside from the announcement thing, it seems odd that Washington would choose Syracuse when he also held offers from Alabama, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. However, his recruitment has long been a bit funky, and the one-time Mississippi State pledge, who visited Michigan several times during the Brady Hoke regime, may not have made his final choice. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he changes his mind again before February.

MISCELLANEOUS
Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton wide receiver Simi Fehoko announced a top five that includes Michigan.

Camden (NJ) Camden defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr., who visited a few weeks ago, named Michigan his leader with South Carolina #2. He’s teammates with wide receiver Brad Hawkins, who also has Michigan and South Carolina high on his list.

Here’s a list of visitors from the past few days, along with one for tomorrow (LINK).

ESPN updated their top 300 prospects for 2016 (LINK).

I wrote up a scouting report for Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha offensive guard Terrance Davis (LINK).

Visitors: April 24-26, 2015

Harbor City (CA) Narbonne offensive tackle Alex Akingbulu

2016
Alex Akingbulu – OT – Harbor City (CA) Narbonne: Akingbulu is a 6’6″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Michigan, UCLA, and Utah, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #39 offensive tackle, and #400 overall. He is an extremely athletic offensive tackle who needs to fill out, but he could be a multi-year starter on the blind side.

Devery Hamilton – OT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Hamilton is a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, and others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #25 offensive tackle, and #235 overall. He plays for the alma mater of Michigan tight end/defensive end Henry Poggi. Hamilton does not talk much to the media, but he did report a positive experience from his visit to Michigan on Thursday.

2017
Jimmy Jaggers – TE – Roseville (CA) Roseville: Jaggers is a 6’4″, 230 lb. prospect with an offer from Louisville. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 tight end, and #205 overall. He will be visiting on Tuesday, April 28.

2017 Recruiting Update: April 21, 2015

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Ambry Thomas (image via Twitter)

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COMMITMENT
Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice tight end Carter Dunaway committed to Michigan (LINK).


ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Olney (MD) Good Counsel linebacker Jordan Anthony was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Iowa, Kentucky, and Maryland. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 outside linebacker, and #110 overall. Anthony is a speedy linebacker who would probably be a weakside linebacker in college. Good Counsel is the alma mater of Michigan fifth year senior cornerback Blake Countess.

Los Angeles (CA) Hawkins wide receiver Taariq Johnson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Miami, and Ohio. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #19 wide receiver, and #127 overall. Johnson is big enough to be a potential tight end. He’s a recent transfer from Long Beach (CA) Poly, and his highlights were removed from their Hudl page, so all I have to go on right now is a few highlights from a camp. Two of Johnson’s 2017 teammates include running back Greg Johnson and wide receiver Joseph Lewis, both of whom already hold offers from the Wolverines.

Hit the jump for several more new offers, a few guys who committed elsewhere, and some random bits.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 183 lb. prospect with offers from Northwestern, Pitt, and several MAC schools. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #12 safety, and #180 overall. He claims a 4.49 forty. His film shows a solidly built safety who’s not afraid to come up and stop the run, although he is transitioning to cornerback for his junior season at Cass Tech. Kelly-Powell was named after his dad’s favorite Michigan basketball player, Jalen Rose, and grew up a Michigan fan.

Owings Mills (MD) McDonogh offensive tackle Jordan McNair was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Ohio State, and Penn State. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #21 offensive tackle, and #159 overall. McNair seems a little overrated to me, as he does not move particularly well for a tackle and does not consistently finish his blocks.

Paramus (NJ) Catholic linebacker Drew Singleton was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 215 lb. prospect whose only other offer comes from Rutgers. He’s also a 247 Sports 4-star, the #11 outside linebacker, and #136 overall. Singleton is a little ponderous at the point of attack and does not seem like a fluid athlete, although he does have good straight-line speed. Not only does he hail from the alma mater of Jabrill Peppers and Juwann Bushell-Beatty, but Michigan has also offered 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, 2016 wide receiver Donald Stewart, and 2017 defensive end Corey Bolds. The Paladins also feature a highly regarded 2018 quarterback, Allan Walters, who already holds a Rutgers offer. New Michigan recruiting coordinator Chris Partridge was the team’s head coach up until last season, too.

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Ambry Thomas was offered by Michigan. He’s listed at 5’11”, 165 lbs, but he does not look that tall or big in his film. He has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, and Pitt. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #10 cornerback, and #144 overall. Although he is tiny, Thomas is quite possibly the fastest player in the state of Michigan for the class of 2017. He has not been in a great deal of contact with the Wolverines, so it’s unclear how serious both sides are, but Michigan needs an influx of speed, and Thomas has some. King has several top-notch prospects over the next couple classes, including an entire defensive backfield that could be playing FBS football in the next couple years – 2016 wide receiver/cornerback Donnie Corley, 2016 cornerback Lavert Hill (a Penn State commit), 2016 safety Jesse Johnson, and 2016 cornerback Dontre Boyd, not to mention Thomas and 2018 corner Jaeveyon Morton.

Snellville (GA) Brookwood tight end Leonard Warner was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 209 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #7 outside linebacker, and #101 overall. Warner plays a lot of different roles for his high school team – linebacker, fullback, tight end, wide receiver – and could feasibly play tight end or linebacker at the next level. He seems to enjoy the physical aspect of the game, as he’s a hard-nosed tackler and also lays some devastating trap blocks on defensive tackles from an H-back alignment. It will not be easy to pry him out of the south.

Cypress (TX) Cy-Fair tight end Brock Wright was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 243 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 tight end, and #56 overall. He has an impressive combination of blocking and running skills with the speed to outrun defensive backs. As a junior in 2014, he caught 17 passes for 369 yards and 2 touchdowns. Michigan does not have a great shot at landing him, but Cy-Fair is the alma mater of the one and only Sam McGuffie, so the Wolverines have that going for them.

OFF THE BOARD
Antioch (CA) Antioch running back Najee Harris committed to Alabama. Harris is the #1 running back and #16 overall player according to 247’s ranking, and he was the first 2017 prospect that Jim Harbaugh’s staff offered.

Akron (OH) Hoban running back Todd Sibley, Jr. committed to Ohio State, and the hits kept coming for Michigan recruiting this weekend. The Wolverines have offered just five running backs in the 2017 class, and two of them went off the board this weekend. Sibley joins his quarterback – Danny Clark, who transferred in from Massillon (OH) Washington – as a Buckeyes commit. Michigan was probably Sibley’s #2 choice, but that doesn’t count for much.

Westerville (OH) South cornerback Marcus Williamson committed to Ohio State, too. The Buckeyes had a solid couple days of recruiting on their spring game weekend.

MISCELLANEOUS
247 Sports released their initial top 247 list for 2017 (LINK).

Over on Recruiting Season, I added/updated profiles for:

• Greenville TE Keegan Cossou
• Ann Arbor Skyline WR Hunter Rison

Carter Dunaway, Wolverine

Carter Dunaway with Jim Harbaugh (image via Twitter)

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Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice tight end Carter Dunaway committed to Michigan on Friday night. The 2017 prospect had no other offers at the time of his commitment.

Dunaway is 6’6″, 232 lbs. and, according to Maxpreps, had 1 catch for 9 yards (plus a two-point conversion) as a sophomore in 2014.

Hit the jump for more on Dunaway and his commitment to Michigan.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: Unranked
Scout: Unranked
247 Sports: Unranked

Dunaway is the son of former Michigan tight end Craig Dunaway, who caught 55 passes for 775 yards and 8 touchdowns for Bo Schembechler in the early 1980s. Carter’s older brother, Jack, will be a preferred walk-on defensive end out of Brother Rice this coming fall (LINK).

Carter was offered two weeks ago on the weekend of Michigan’s spring game. He was essentially considered a shoo-in for Michigan at the time, and that assumption turned out to be spot on.

Not much is known in the recruiting world about his abilities. He obviously has good size for a high school sophomore, and he has good bloodlines with his dad (who went on to spend one year in the NFL) and a brother who’s a pretty good athlete. He spent his sophomore season mostly watching senior tight ends Brian Fortin (18 catches, 195 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Michael Roney (22 catches, 366 yards, 2 touchdowns) catch passes from Alex Malzone, who is now playing quarterback for Michigan. That obviously worked well for Brother Rice on their way to a 10-1 record, but it doesn’t tell us much about Dunaway.

In my years of following and analyzing Michigan recruiting, this is the biggest head-scratcher I have seen. Brother Rice is a solid program in the state of Michigan, but even at national powerhouses, I have never seen Michigan offer a scholarship to a third-stringer. Personally, I believe that players are made on game day, and presumably without much film (Carter does not have a highlight video), the coaches were going off of meeting him, perhaps watching him work out, and the advice of non-staff members (Dunaway’s family members, coaches, etc.). Certainly Michigan’s staff could have waited until a few games into Carter’s junior season to see how he fared before pulling the trigger on an offer.

But Jim Harbaugh chose not to do so. I mean, we’re talking about Jim Harbaugh, who is extremely competitive and a tight end whisperer. There are four options here:

1. Harbaugh’s legendary intensity has been overcome by Michigan nostalgia, and he offers any and every Michigan legacy.
2. Harbaugh likes what he and his staff have seen of Carter Dunaway in workouts enough to the point that game film and experience are superfluous.
3. Michigan could feasibly have a giant 2017 class, so there are bound to be a couple flyers.
4. Harbaugh can turn anybody who’s 6’6″ into a stud tight end.

*Just kidding. I won’t give out TTB Ratings for 2017 kids until the 2016 class is complete.