7Jan 2014
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| Michael Ferns, Wilton Speight, Jabrill Peppers, Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Bryan Mone, and Jared Wangler at the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game |
The 2014 Under Armour All-American Game took place on Thursday afternoon, and it was a showcase for four current Michigan commits. All of Michigan’s commits were on Team Nitro, which lost the game by a score of 31-21. Some brief analysis of what I saw:
LB Michael Ferns: Ferns didn’t even record a single tackle in this game. Probably because he sat it out due to injury.
QB Wilton Speight: Speight was named a captain for Team Nitro and earned the start at quarterback. He finished just 2/6 for 63 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also had 3 carries for 8 yards. Offensive lines consistently struggle in these games because they don’t have time to work together, and that was pretty obvious as Speight never really had a chance to set his feet and scan the field. I thought Speight did a nice job of keeping his eyes downfield when the pressure was coming, which was often. He shows a little bit of mobility, but that’s mostly going to be when defenses completely forget about him being 6’6″ and able to run a little bit. He’s a better runner than John Navarre was, but perhaps a notch below Steven Threet. Speight has a nice overhand delivery from the pocket that defenders will probably struggle to bat down, but he can throw from different angles on the move. He made a poor read on a redzone passing attempt that resulted in a pick for Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, but he also made a very nice throw while running to his right for a long gain.
CB Jabrill Peppers: Peppers didn’t really make any highlight-reel plays in the game, but he didn’t get embarrassed, either. Well, except for one play on which he showed very nice change-of-direction skills only to dive at the Team Highlight receiver’s ankles and miss the tackle. Aside from coming up quickly, what I liked about that play was that Peppers hopped right up and attempted to chase down the receiver as he raced down the left sideline. The New Jersey native ended the game with 2 kickoff returns for 65 yards, 3 tackles, and 1 pass for -2 yards out of a Wildcat formation in the first half. Peppers also blocked a field goal at the end of the first half, but that’s not exactly allowed in all-star games like this one. Overall, it was a solid but unspectacular showing.
OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty: Of the guys who played, I thought Bushell-Beatty looked like the biggest project. He looked overweight, out of shape, and slow of foot. Of course, he’s a high schooler coming off of a long run to a state championship, so I don’t expect him to be in peak physical condition at this point in the year. However, he looks like he has a long way to go. He was standing up way too high while run blocking, which severely limited his lateral movement and left him flailing at air. He was also beaten badly on a speed rush that resulted in getting Speight blindsided. It should also be noted that Bushell-Beatty is generally considered a 3-star prospect who was facing some elite talent, and I don’t think it’s a stretch or an insult to say that he was overmatched.
DT Bryan Mone: I saw less of Mone than anyone else, partly because it was just difficult to see jersey numbers at times. He’s large and solidly built, but he’s more about power than anything else at this time. Mone has added a lot of weight in the past year or so, and he’s lost some of the athleticism that made him such a beast as an underclassman. He does not appear to be a huge threat to be a penetrator, as he mostly eats space at the line of scrimmage. That resulted in 2 tackles during the game.
LB Jared Wangler: Wangler was wandering the sidelines due to a separated shoulder.
WR Drake Harris (not pictured): Harris sat out his entire senior season due to a nagging hamstring injury. Since he was not going to be able to play, he did not attend the game.
The 2014 Under Armour All-American Game rosters were announced the other day. All of Michigan’s current commits are on Team Nitro, so that’s who you should be rooting for; that includes Wilton Speight, whose competitors for Michigan’s lone quarterback offer in the class both will play for Team Highlights (Alabama-bound David Cornwell, Penn State-bound Michael O’Connor). The game will be played on January 2, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN.
Here’s a list of all of Michigan’s offerees on the rosters:
TEAM HIGHLIGHT
Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
Lorenzo Featherston – DE – North Carolina
Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois (Ohio State)
Melvin Keihn – LB – Maryland
Tyler Luatua – TE – California
Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
Jermaine Roberts – CB – Louisiana (Texas)
Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana (Alabama)
Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama (Alabama)
John Smith – S – California
Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC
Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
Jacory Washington – TE – Louisiana (LSU)
Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (Florida State)
TEAM NITRO
Jamal Adams – S – Texas
Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Missouri)
Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
Juwan Bushell-Beatty – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
K.C. Crosby – TE – South Carolina (South Carolina)
Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
Corey Holmes – WR – Florida (Notre Dame)
K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
Isaiah McKenzie – WR – Florida
Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
Sam Mustipher – OG – Maryland (Notre Dame)
Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
Wilton Speight – QB – Virginia (Michigan)
Jared Wangler – LB – Michigan (Michigan)
Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
Quincy Wilson – S – Florida (Florida)
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| Paramus (NJ) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers |
The following recruits will be visiting Michigan this coming weekend. It’s each player’s official visit, although several of them have visited campus numerous times.
Ian Bunting – TE – Hinsdale (IL) Central: Bunting committed to Michigan in April.
Juwann Bushell-Beatty – OT – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: Bushell-Beatty committed to Michigan in April. He just won his second straight New Jersey state championship.
Mason Cole – OG – Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake: Cole committed to Michigan in February.
Shaun Crawford – CB – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward: Crawford committed to Michigan in August.
Vic Enwere – RB – Sugar Land (TX) Fort Bend Austin: I did a scouting report on Enwere a couple weeks ago. He is currently a soft commit to Cal despite never having visited campus.
Michael Ferns – LB – St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville: Ferns committed to Michigan in August 2012. UPDATE: Ferns is no longer visiting this weekend.
Noah Furbush – LB – Kenton (OH) Kenton: Furbush committed to Michigan in July.
Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Harris committed to Michigan in April. He missed his entire senior season due to a hamstring injury.
Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Marshall committed to Michigan in May.
Brady Pallante – DT – Naples (FL) Barron Collier: Pallante committed to Michigan in April.
Jabrill Peppers – CB – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: Peppers committed to Michigan in May. He just won his fourth straight state championship in New Jersey.
Wilton Speight – QB – Richmond (VA) Collegiate: Speight committed to Michigan in February.
Jared Wangler – LB – Warren (MI) De La Salle: Wangler committed to Michigan in August.
Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways committed to Michigan in April.
Chase Winovich – LB – Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson: Winovich committed to Michigan in June.
