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2018 Recruiting Update: May 25, 2015

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Asante Samuel, Jr.

NOTE: I apologize for the light posting over the past few days. We are in the middle of spring practice, and I have had various family obligations over the past several days. Here are some bits on the 2018 class since it’s a holiday, and some larger updates on the 2016 and 2017 classes will be coming tomorrow.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Asante Samuel, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 165 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State, among others. He claims a 4.66 forty. His father is Asante Samuel, the former fourth round NFL Draft pick out of Central Florida. He was chosen by the Patriots in 2003, made 63 total interceptions (including 10 for New England in 2006) for the Patriots, Eagles, and Falcons, and last played in 2013. He played in four Pro Bowls at cornerback.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Benjamin Sapp III was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State, among others. Sapp is the son of former NFL cornerback Benny Sapp, who was undrafted out of Northern Iowa in 2004 (he originally attended Iowa but was kicked off the team after legal troubles). He made the Kansas City Chiefs out of camp, and he would end up making 240 tackles and 6 interceptions for the Chiefs, Vikings, and Dolphins from 2004-2011. Sapp and Asante Samuel, Sr. were high school teammates.

Plantation (FL) American Heritage cornerback Patrick Surtain, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Miami, and Tennessee, among others. He is the son of Patrick Surtain, who attended New Orleans (LA) Edna Karr – the home of Munchie Legaux – before playing football at Southern Miss. He became a second round NFL Draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1998, making the Pro Bowl three times at cornerback and making 37 career interceptions. He retired in 2008 after a four-year stint with the Chiefs.

Moore (OK) Southmoore offensive tackle Brey Walker was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 295 lb. prospect with offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and SMU. He was named a First Team Freshman All-American by Maxpreps. As far as I can tell, Walker does not have a famous father, but he did win a state championship in wrestling as a freshman.

Recruiting Snapshot: Michigan State

Hubbard (OH) Hubbard running back Larry Scott (#3)

2015 Team Ranking: #22. Michigan State signed five 4-stars and sixteen 3-stars.

Cream of 2015 Crop: Far and away, Michigan State’s top signee was Hubbard (OH) Hubbard running back Larry Scott (see below). The 6’2″, 228 lb. bruiser was a 4-star, the #6 running back, and #59 overall. I was also high on Detroit (MI) King offensive guard/defensive tackle Kyonta Stallworth, the #9 offensive guard and #185 overall player in the class.

2016 Team Ranking: #9. With a recent flurry of commitments, Michigan State has two 4-stars and ten 3-stars verbally pledged. This ranking may jump a little bit in early June, when two highly touted defensive ends (Indiana’s Auston Robertson and Illinois’ Josh King) plan to announce their decisions.

Cream of 2016 Crop: The Spartans’ top two commits are both wide receivers. Cleveland (OH) Benedictine’s Justin Layne is #149 overall, and Sicklerville (NJ) Timber Creek’s Cameron Chambers is #183. Michigan State also earned a pledge from former Michigan verbal commit Messiah DeWeaver from Huber Heights (OH) Wayne. All five of the 2016 players mentioned here held Michigan offers.

2015 Projected Depth Chart, Part Deux

Jabrill Peppers (image via MGoBlog.com)

NOTE: I’m bumping this from a couple days ago since it was posted late in the day.

I originally posted a projected depth chart back in December of 2014 (LINK), but obviously, things have changed since then. Things will continue to change over the summer, as players transfer in, transfer out, quit, play their way up the list, or get injured. There are a couple projected transfers I’ll include on the list for the time being. I am not including Ondre Pipkins, who will likely go on medical scholarship. Keep in mind that some positions might fluctuate depending on what defensive package is in the game, the other team’s strengths, game situation, etc.

QB: Jake Rudock (5th), Shane Morris (Jr.), Alex Malzone (Fr.), Wilton Speight (RS Fr.), Zach Gentry (Fr.), John O’Korn (RS So.)*
FB: Joe Kerridge (5th), Sione Houma (Sr.), Brady Pallante (RS Fr.), Wyatt Shallman (RS So.)
RB: De’Veon Smith (Jr.), Ty Isaac (RS So.), Derrick Green (Jr.), Drake Johnson (RS Jr.), Karan Higdon (Fr.)
WR: Amara Darboh (RS Jr.), Jaron Dukes (RS So.), Drake Harris (RS Fr.)
WR: Jehu Chesson (RS Jr.), Maurice Ways (RS Fr.), Freddy Canteen (So.)
SR: Brian Cole (Fr.), Da’Mario Jones (RS So.), Grant Perry (Fr.)
TE: Jake Butt (Jr.), A.J. Williams (Sr.), Khalid Hill (RS So.), Ian Bunting (RS Fr.), Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (Fr.), Chase Winovich (RS Fr.)
LT: Mason Cole (So.), Logan Tuley-Tillman (RS So.), Grant Newsome (Fr.)
LG: Ben Braden (RS Jr.), David Dawson (RS So.), Dan Samuelson (RS So.)
C: Graham Glasgow (5th), Patrick Kugler (RS So.)
RG: Kyle Kalis (RS Jr.), Blake Bars (RS Jr.), Jon Runyan Jr. (Fr.)
RT: Erik Magnuson (RS Jr.), Juwann Bushell-Beatty (RS Fr.), Nolan Ulizio (Fr.), Chris Fox (RS So.)

DE: Taco Charlton (Jr.), Henry Poggi (RS So.), Shelton Johnson (Fr.), Tom Strobel (RS Jr.)
DT: Willie Henry (RS Jr.), Ryan Glasgow (RS Jr.), Bryan Mone (So.), Maurice Hurst (RS So.)
DT: Chris Wormley (RS Jr.), Matt Godin (RS Jr.)
BUCK: Mario Ojemudia (Sr.), Lawrence Marshall (RS Fr.), Reuben Jones (Fr.)
ILB: Desmond Morgan (5th), Ben Gedeon (Jr.), Noah Furbush (RS Fr.)
ILB: Joe Bolden (Sr.), Mike McCray (RS So.), Jared Wangler (RS Fr.)
OLB: James Ross III (Sr.), Royce Jenkins-Stone (Sr.), Allen Gant (RS Jr.)
CB: Jourdan Lewis (Jr.), Ross Douglas (RS So.), Terry Richardson (RS Jr.), Reon Dawson (RS So.)
CB: Wayne Lyons (5th), Brandon Watson (RS Fr.), Channing Stribling (Jr.), Keith Washington (Fr.)
FS: Jabrill Peppers (RS Fr.), Delano Hill (Jr.), Dymonte Thomas (Jr.)
SS: Jarrod Wilson (Sr.), Jeremy Clark (RS So.), Tyree Kinnel (Fr.)

P: Blake O’Neill (5th), Kenny Allen (RS So.)
K: Andrew David (Fr.)
LS: Scott Sypniewski (RS So.)
PR: Jabrill Peppers (RS Fr.), Jourdan Lewis (Jr.)
KR: Jabrill Peppers (RS Fr.), Jehu Chesson (RS Jr.), Brian Cole (Fr.)

*Must sit out 2015 season due to NCAA transfer rules

Recruiting Snapshot: Michigan

Brian Cole, Jim Harbaugh, and Tyree Kinnel (left to right)

Yeah, that’s right. Michigan. What is up with Michigan’s recruiting?

2015 Team Ranking: #38. Michigan signed six 4-stars and eight 3-stars in February. The 14 total signees is Michigan’s smallest class in the Rivals era, which began in 2002.

Cream of 2015 Crop: The biggest fish is Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole, who was a 4-star, the #5 athlete, and #74 overall. Cole was a speedy jack of all trades in high school, playing running back, receiver, safety, returner, and punter. He enrolled early in the spring and got positive reviews, although he needs to get stronger in order to match up against college players. The Wolverines also pulled in a late steal in the form of Albuquerque (NM) Eldorado quarterback Zach Gentry, a 6’7″, 230 lb. pro-style quarterback who’s a 4-star, the #8 player at his position, and #175 overall.

2016 Team Ranking: #31. Michigan has three 4-stars and three 3-stars committed.

Cream of 2016 Crop: Michigan’s highest rated recruit so far is Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson, who committed to Michigan in November 2013 and has since pulled in an offer from Alabama. He’s a 4-star, the #17 offensive tackle, and #158 overall. Slightly behind him is Avon (IN) Avon quarterback Brandon Peters, who chose Michigan over LSU in early April 2014. Peters is a 4-star, the #9 pro-style guy, and #185 overall.

Recruiting Snapshot: Maryland

Potomac (MD) Bullis quarterback Dwayne Haskins

2015 Team Ranking: #48. The Terps signed two 4-stars, fifteen 3-stars, and one 2-star.

Cream of 2015 Crop: The Terrapins stole Gaithersburg (MD) Quince Orchard defensive tackle Adam McLean from Penn State after he decommitted in November of 2014. McLean is a 6’2″, 290 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 defensive tackle, and #124 overall, and you can see his highlights below. The only other 4-star is Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate interior offensive lineman Quarvez Boulware, the #256 overall player in the 2016 class.

2016 Team Ranking: #21. The Terps have two 4-stars, five 3-stars, and two 2-stars.

Cream of 2016 Crop: Potomac (MD) Bullis quarterback Dwayne Haskins had offers from all over the country, including Michigan, before pulling the trigger for the Terrapins last week. Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, and Texas, among others, were all after the 247 Composite 4-star, #5 pro-style quarterback, and #61 overall player. I had Haskins as the #4 quarterback on my wish list for Michigan (LINK). Meanwhile, Olney (MD) Good Counsel linebacker Keandre Jones doesn’t have the same caliber of offers, but he’s the #11 outside linebacker and #146 overall.