2018 Recruiting Update: May 19, 2016

Jacksonville (FL) Trinity safety Tyreke Johnson (image via Youtube)

The new-ish regime at Michigan is running me ragged with new offers. I used to do a pretty concise roundup each week of all the new offers to have gone out, but that appears to no longer be possible. Brandon Brown from The Wolverine tweeted out that Michigan has offered 42 prospects in the month of May, and while I don’t keep track by month, that sounds . . . low. The Wolverines have offered a record 276 prospects in the 2017 class, and they’re already up to 99 in the class of 2018 before those players even wrap up their sophomore year of high school. Because of that fast pace, I may continue to break up these recruiting roundups into classes, rather than doing 2017-2019 prospects all in one update.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Pensacola (FL) Pine Forest wide receiver Jacob Copeland was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 188 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, and Georgia, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 wide receiver, and #38 overall. He claims a 4.44 forty. He has good speed, excellent body control, and can go up and make tough, acrobatic catches. Florida State has 80% of the Crystal Ball picks.

Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha defensive tackle Austin Fontaine was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 318 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 defensive tackle, and #28 overall. I don’t really understand the high ranking, because he doesn’t show a lot of athleticism, explosiveness, etc. But there are still a couple years for those things to improve or for the rankings to change. He’s a teammate of 2017 RB Anthony McFarland, Jr. and DE Chase Young.

Jacksonville (FL) Trinity linebacker Eriq Gilyard was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Duke, LSU, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a compact, hard-hitting linebacker with a quick first step. Gilyard is a teammate of 2017 FB Chase Lasater (Michigan) and 2018 safety Tyreke Johnson (see below).

Hit the jump for a lot of new offers in the 2018 class.

Clemmons (NC) West Forsyth defensive end K.J. Henry was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 217 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and North Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 weakside end, and #37 overall. Henry is a raw athlete who also plays some tight end. He shows some good long speed, but I expected a little more short-area burst from the #2 weakside end in the country. Even so, he’s a good prospect who could play on either side of the ball.

Stone Mountain (GA) Stephenson offensive guard Jalil Irvin was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 265 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois and Michigan, among others. He reminds me a little bit of Patrick Omameh at this point, but Irvin has a couple years to fill out more than Omameh had by the time he was a senior.

Fort Valley (GA) Peach County wide receiver Kearis Jackson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 191 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #18 athlete, and #189 overall. He claims a 4.53 forty. To give you an idea of what kind of all-around athlete he is, he’s competing at the state track meet in the 100-meter dash, 4 x 100 relay, shot put, discus, and 1600-meter relay. In football he’s a big-play receiver who could also return punts and kickoffs at the next level. Georgia appears to be the leader.

Miami (FL) Columbus cornerback Josh Jobe was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect who committed to Michigan in June of 2015; he also has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, and LSU, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #18 cornerback, and #142 overall. He looks like a very good cover corner with good speed, but he appears to be solidly committed to the Hurricanes. He’s a teammate of 2016 DE Joshua Uche (Michigan) and 2017 CB Trajan Bandy (Oklahoma).

Jacksonville (FL) Trinity safety Tyreke Johnson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, and UCLA. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 safety, and #10 overall, and he already committed to play in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He runs a 4.45 forty and is a big-time playmaker – and he’s not afraid to let everybody know. He’s a teammate of 2017 FB Chase Lasater (Michigan) and several other Michigan targets, since the program produces a lot of talent.

Brooklyn (NY) Erasmus Hall defensive tackle Matthew Jones was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 305 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 defensive tackle, and #21 overall. Jones is a big guy who is already physically developed. He has eight predictions in the Crystal Ball, all for Ohio State.

West Hills (CA) Chaminade running back T.J. Pledger was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 188 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #11 running back, and #192 overall. As a sophomore in 2015, he ran for 1,300 yards and 26 TDs. He’s a player who doesn’t have great top-end speed, but he has very good balance and keeps his feet moving.

Ponte Vedra Beach (FL) Nease tight end Zach Sheffer was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Boston College, Minnesota, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a tenacious blocker who does a decent job of running routes and catching the ball, but he’s not extremely blessed athletically.

Atlanta (GA) Westlake safety Myles Sims was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Clemson, Duke, and Maryland, among others. He’s a teammate of 2017 CB A.J. Terrell.

Murrieta (CA) Valley wide receiver Marquis Spiker was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #23 wide receiver, and #151 overall. Spiker is a tall, lanky, smooth receiver with good speed. He’s a teammate of 2017 WR Maurice Bell, who is high on Michigan.

Indianapolis (IN) Cathedral running back Markese Stepp was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Michigan State, and Notre Dame, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #12 running back, and #209 overall. As a sophomore in 2015, he ran 155 times for 1,300 yards and 17 TDs. Stepp has somewhat of an upright running style and needs to run behind his pads a little bit more. He’s a teammate of 2017 LB Pete Werner (Notre Dame) and 2018 OG Emil Ekiyor.

St. Petersburg (FL) Admiral Farragut Academy linebacker Khalan Tolson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, and Mississippi State, among others. He’s a little thin for ar true linebacker position and looks more like a Don Brown SAM prospect, but he still has a couple years to fill out. Tolson is a teammate of 2017 DE Jeremiah Zio and 2018 DT John Waller (see below).

St. Petersburg (FL) Admiral Farragut Academy defensive tackle John Waller was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 290 lb. prospect who is a pain to look up because there was a 2012 prospect from North Muskegon High who shares the same name. 2018 John Waller moves more like an offensive lineman to me, but he’s pegged as a DT. He’s a teammate of Tolson and Jeremiah Zio (see just above).

Madison (GA) Morgan County linebacker Quin Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 223 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He claims a 4.6 forty. Williams could play outside linebacker at the next level as a rush guy, but he may instead be a weakside end prospect.

Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Xavier Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 athlete, and #66 overall. While listed as an athlete, I think he looks best as a wideout, where he could work in the slot or on the outside.

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