2014 Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge Rosters

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7Jun 2014
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2014 Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge Rosters

Tyree Kinnel

The Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge is taking place this weekend, and it’s roughly similar to The Opening, which will take place in July. Parts of this weekend’s activities will be streamed on Rivals, but it won’t be broadcast on ESPN like The Opening, so it doesn’t get quite as much hype.

Here’s a look at the players Michigan has offered on each of the teams so you have a good idea of who to watch for:

TEAM BLUR
Pat Allen – OT – Maryland
Jerome Baker – LB – Ohio
Cameron Chambers – WR – New Jersey*
Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut
Tyree Kinnel – S – Ohio (Michigan)
Ray-Ray McCloud III – RB – Florida
Drew Richmond – OT – Tennessee
Calvin Ridley – OT – Florida**
Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia
Equanimeous St. Brown – WR – California
Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)

TEAM CLUTCH
Miles Boykin – WR – Illinois
Rashan Gary – DT – New Jersey
Rasheem Green – DT – California
Malik Henry – QB – California*
Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri (Alabama)
Mitch Hyatt – OT – Georgia (Clemson)
Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas (Oklahoma State)
Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas

TEAM HIGHLIGHT
Blake Barnett – QB – California
Ben Cleveland – OT – Georgia*
Jashon Cornell – DE – Minnesota
Jacob Eason – QB – Washington*
Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
Sterling Jenkins – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona
Osa Masina – LB – Utah
Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)

TEAM RENEGADE
Sam Bruce – WR – Florida*
Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
Deondre Francois – QB – Florida
Tyron Johnson – WR – Louisiana
Marcus Lewis – CB – Washington, D.C. (Florida)
Gregory Little – OT – Texas*
Iman Marshall – CB – California
Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida

*2016 prospect
**2017 prospect

7Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #72 Noah Furbush

Noah Furbush

Name: Noah Furbush
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 240 lbs.
High school: Kenton (OH) Kenton
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Furbush was a senior in high school. He made 102 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries. He was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 outside linebacker, and #519 overall.
Final TTB Rating: 64

Furbush is one of the more under-the-radar recruits in the 2014 class. He had a decent offer list (Michigan State, Northwestern, Tennessee) and didn’t talk much to the media while playing for a successful small-town school in Kenton. The Wolverines recruited him as a middle linebacker even though most of his high school film shows him playing off the edge, and almost everyone assumed he would be an outside linebacker or a defensive end at the next level. The MIKE position makes a little more sense if Michigan sticks with the Over defense, but even so, Furbush looks like a kid who might be too big and ends up as a weakside end. Michigan’s coaching staff has made a habit of playing young linebackers, and Furbush is more physically ready than a couple of the other guys. He could feasibly be the third-string middle linebacker if he beats out classmate Michael Ferns III.

Prediction: Redshirt

6Jun 2014
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Phil Steele’s 2014 All-Big Ten team released

Devin Funchess

Phil Steele released his 2014 All-Big Ten team, and there are several Michigan players on the list.

FIRST TEAM
WR Devin Funchess
LB Jake Ryan
CB Blake Countess

SECOND TEAM
DE Frank Clark
LB Desmond Morgan

THIRD TEAM
P Will Hagerup

FOURTH TEAM
QB Devin Gardner
LB James Ross III

Many of these are interesting picks for various reasons. First of all, Devin Funchess is going into his first year as a full-time wideout, and he will also be without a proven commodity taking attention away from him in the form of Jeremy Gallon. Ryan is switching positions from strongside outside linebacker to middle linebacker in a new base defense. Countess has been rumored to be relegated to a backup role behind sophomore Jourdan Lewis, though Countess will start at slot corner. Morgan is another guy who changes positions, albeit slightly (middle linebacker to weakside linebacker). Gardner might be the most physically talented quarterback in the conference, but he’s behind Braxton Miller (understandable due to winning and good talent), Connor Cook (who came out of nowhere last year), and Christian Hackenberg (who will be without his stud receiver, Allen Robinson). I think there’s a decent chance that Gardner is a First Team or Second Team all-conference quarterback by year’s end. Meanwhile, Ross is in a battle for his position with up-and-comer Royce Jenkins-Stone.

Michigan certainly has a lot of question marks going into 2014, but that’s what happens when you go 8-5 and 7-6 in consecutive years.

5Jun 2014
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Ty Isaac, Wolverine

Ty Isaac

USC transfer running back Ty Isaac has announced his intentions to take his talents to Washtenaw County. His mother has an illness that does not allow her to fly from their home in Joliet, Illinois, so the roughly four-hour drive to Ann Arbor is easier on her. He was also considering Illinois and Notre Dame with other teams like Northwestern, Northern Illinois, and Ohio State also showing interest.

Isaac is a 6’3″, 225 lb. player who was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 all-purpose back, and #54 overall in the 2013 class. As a freshman at USC, he carried the ball 40 times for 236 yards (5.9 yards/carry) and 2 touchdowns.

I wrote a scouting report on Isaac when he was in high school and considering Michigan (LINK).

Isaac was a backup for the Trojans last year, but they had a stacked backfield. He would have been a bit player once again this season, but he enters a Michigan backfield that is waiting for one of many players to emerge at the position. The two front-runners for the position had been sophomores De’Veon Smith and Derrick Green, both of whom were also in the 2013 class with Isaac. Isaac automatically enters that conversation as long as the NCAA waiver comes through that will allow him to play immediately, based upon his mother’s illness.

The depth chart will sort itself out. The best player(s) will play, but I have a hard time imagining all three players finishing out their careers at Michigan. Assuming that Isaac’s waiver is granted and he is eligible to play in 2014, I would not think that redshirting him would be a great idea. If he’s not immediately the best runner, he offers some value as a pass receiver out of the backfield and perhaps in an H-back type of role.

I won’t assign a TTB Rating to Isaac because it’s a little unfair, given that we’ve already seen him playing against FBS-level competition. However, I did say during the recruiting process that I would have ranked him above Green (and Smith), so I probably would have rated him somewhere in the 90’s.

Michigan will probably continue recruiting running backs for the 2015 class because they did not address the position in the 2014 class. It’s less dire of a need, but going two consecutive years without a running back (even if you got three in 2013) is not a good long-term strategy. By seniority, here’s the running back stable as it stands right now:

1. Justice Hayes, RS Jr.
2. Drake Johnson, RS So.
3. Derrick Green, So.
4. Ty Isaac, So.
5. De’Veon Smith, So.
6. Ross Douglas, RS Fr.

The last player to come from Joliet (IL) Catholic to Michigan was Mike Kolodziej, an injury-addled offensive lineman in the 2002 class.

5Jun 2014
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2014 Season Countdown: #73 Brandon Watson

Brandon Watson

Name: Brandon Watson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #20
Last year: Watson was a senior in high school.
Final TTB Rating: N/A

Watson is a largely unknown quantity coming into college. He earned an offer when he camped at Michigan last summer (along with high school teammate Freddy Canteen), but he played just a few games as a junior. And despite the fact that Eastern Christian Academy was essentially created to get exposure for football players, highlights have been tough to find. What we do know is that a few schools like UConn and Rutgers also pursued Watson, which means he may not be a Brady Pallante-sized gamble.

Watson enrolled in January and went through spring drills as a safety, despite playing corner in high school. There was a time (when I originally drafted the list) that I thought Watson might be able to nab some playing time, but the more I think about it and sift through information, the more it looks like Watson will redshirt this season. Special teams duty is a possibility, but I think there are enough other players with similar skills to fill those roles. I was unable to nail down a TTB Rating for Watson based on a lack of film, but it’s going to be tough for him to break through into playing time considering the youth of some other players and the talent in Michigan’s secondary.

Prediction: Redshirt