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Video: Tim Drevno, D.J. Durkin talk spring practice

Hit the jump for Durkin’s presser.

Matt Wile, #45

Matt Wile (#45, image via BCSN)

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HIGH SCHOOL
Coming out of San Diego (CA) Francis Parker, Wile was a Rivals 2-star kicker. The hometown Aztecs went hard after him under Brady Hoke, and Wile was also pursued by Air Force, Nebraska, and Washington, among others. When Hoke was hired at Michigan, he extended an offer for Wile to play for the Wolverines. After playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, he committed to Michigan in late January.

COLLEGE
Immediately upon arriving in Ann Arbor, Wile was counted on to be the kickoff specialist. He averaged 64.0 yards/kickoff and also averaged 41.6 yards/punt on 17 attempts. ESPN and the Big Ten Network named him to their freshman all-conference teams. As a sophomore in 2012, he averaged 60.5 yards/kickoff, averaged 35.9 yards/punt, and went 2/3 on field goals with a long of 52 while handling the long field goal attempts. During his junior year in 2013, he averaged 59.8 yards/kickoff and went 3/5 on long field goals; he also became the full-time punter while Will Hagerup served a year-long suspension, and Wile averaged 40.6 yards, landing 16 inside the 20-yard line and booming 10 of them 50+ yards. Then as a senior, he became the full-time kicker and went 15/21 on field goals, made 28/28 extra points, and averaged 63.0 yards/kickoff; with Hagerup’s return, Wile punted just once.

CAREER STATISTICS
– 284 kickoff, 17531 yards, 61.7 yard average, 108 touchbacks
– 20/29 field goals (69.0%), long of 52 yards, 33/33 extra points (100%)
– 91 punts, 3658 yards, 40.2 yard average, 4 touchbacks, 22 fair catches, 29 inside the 20, 15 of 50+ yards, long of 69, 0 attempts blocked

AWARDS
All-Freshman Big Ten (2011), Academic All-Big Ten (2013-2014)

SUMMARY
This past season it was hard to believe that Wile was a senior. When he was recruited in 2011, he was the beginning of the trend that Brady Hoke was looking for solid, upstanding citizens who you would want to marry your daughter. As a U.S. Army All-American coming out of high school, there was a feeling that he would have a breakout season or become a weapon at some point in his career. Instead, he was mostly a steady, all-around kicker who always kept himself available. He played in every single game Michigan played for four years, 51 straight. He did not have any extremely memorable moments like his predecessor Brendan Gibbons (who had all-time great kicks against Virginia Tech and Northwestern), but his career didn’t have many memorable low points, either.

I WILL REMEMBER HIM FOR . . .
. . . being there when the other renegade kickers on the team were unavailable. Gibbons allegedly raped a girl and was eventually booted out of the university, leaving Wile to pick up his duties. Meanwhile, Hagerup was suspended for at least one game from 2010-2013, including the entire 2013 season. The guy who stepped in every time to pick up the slack was Wile.

PROJECTION
The best part of Wile’s game was his kickoff. He was very consistent in either getting touchbacks or pinning the ball near the left pylon, leaving returners with limited space to work. Unfortunately, NFL teams want kickers to be able to do more than kick off. Wile’s punting and placekicking are not up to snuff for the next level, so his professional career has probably come to a close.

Video: Jim Harbaugh on work ethics

Recruiting Update: March 30, 2015

Hallandale (FL) Hallandale wide receiver Joshua Hammond (image via MiamiHerald.com)

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COMMITMENT
Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich confirmed that Wayne Lyons will be joining the team this season, so I wrote up a commitment post (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015(?)
Concord (CA) De La Salle safety Je’Vari Anderson is still a possibility to join Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 200 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #63 safety, and #902 overall. I talked about him a couple weeks ago as a guy who was talking about joining the Wolverines but needs a qualifying test score. He has listed offers from Cal, Oregon State, and Utah, but his Twitter account still says “THE MISSION IS GOO!! BLUE!!” with a giant picture of the Michigan banner (LINK). I mention him again this week because the deadline to sign a National Letter of Intent is Wednesday, April 1. He could still end up playing for Michigan without the NLI, but he would not be able to practice with the team until the first day of classes. For his sake – and for the team’s, since I think he’s a better prospect than his rankings/offers indicate – I hope he gets good results and can fax in his NLI before the deadline. It might also help with Michigan’s recruitment of two of Anderson’s 2016 teammates, tight end Devin Asiasi and center Boss Tagaloa.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Tyrone (GA) Sandy Creek wide receiver Korey Banks, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, and Western Michigan, among others. He visited this past weekend with a couple Lawrenceville (GA) Archer prospects for 2017, Isaiah Pryor and Jamyest Williams, who already held Michigan offers. Banks claims a 4.26 forty and is a track guy. Some teams are looking at him as a corner, but Jedd Fisch was the one to offer him, which implies that Michigan wants him at receiver.

Hit the jump for several more 2016 prospects, some 2017 prospects, an offer for 2018, and some miscellaneous bits.

Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Los Osos offensive tackle Cohl Cabral was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Cal, Utah, and Washington State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 offensive tackle, and #203 overall. Cabral has good feet and could play either tackle or guard at the next level. He has also been recruited by some schools as a defensive end, although I think that’s a stretch unless he would be in a 3-4 system.

Gordo (AL) Gordo linebacker Ben Davis was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, and numerous others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #4 outside linebacker, and #22 overall. He claims a 4.6 forty. He is widely expected to attend Alabama.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Devin Gil, a Miami commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who also has offers from Louisville and Marshall, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #76 safety, and #1202 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 64 tackles and 3 interceptions. Depending on how his body develops, he could end up as an outside linebacker at the next level. He is a teammate of fellow offeree Devin Bush, Jr., who visited Michigan this past weekend, although Gil was not on campus. Gil committed to Miami back in January, but he is still open to being courted by other schools, so there’s a chance to pull him away.

Hallandale (FL) Hallandale wide receiver Joshua Hammond was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #59 wide receiver, and #343 overall. As a junior in 2014, he caught 25 passes for 413 yards and 6 touchdowns. He received an offer early in the week and immediately scheduled an unofficial visit, since he was going to be in the midwest visiting Notre Dame and Ohio State, anyway.

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s offensive guard Cameron Kolwich was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan and Missouri, among others. He is currently unranked. Back in February I ranked him as the #13 prospect in the state (LINK), which was higher than several prospects with more offers. He plays tackle in high school, but he projects to offensive guard, where I think he has the potential to be a pretty solid lineman at the BCS level. He’s a teammate of 2017 linebacker Joshua Ross, who also has a Michigan offer.

Farmington (MI) Farmington linebacker David Reese, a Louisville commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 235 lb. prospect whose other offers are from Indiana, Pitt, and some MAC schools. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #23 inside linebacker, and #685 overall. I was not expecting Reese to get an offer from Michigan, at least not this early. There has been some chatter about him moving to defensive end in college, since some think he might not have the quickness to remain at linebacker; however, it’s not often that 6’1″ defensive ends make an impact in college. There is a possibility that he is being recruited for the fullback position, since Michigan loses two fullbacks after this season (Joe Kerridge, Sione Houma) and does not have any other experienced players at the position. Reese is a teammate of fellow Michigan offeree (and Louisville commit) Desmond Fitzpatrick, a wide receiver. Both have visited Michigan numerous times, and it would be somewhat surprising if they did not choose to stay home.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Mansfield (OH) Madison safety Tyrell Ajian was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Miami-OH and Toledo. He claims a 4.4 forty and a 35″ vertical. Also a standout receiver, Michigan wants him to play free safety. Ajian does have very good speed and will certainly pick up some other big-time offers before long.

Paramus (NJ) Catholic defensive end Corey Bolds was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 260 lb. prospect whose only other offer so far came from Rutgers. He does not have particularly impressive film, so this offer surprises me a little bit so early in the process. Bolds is the teammate of 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, and both of them visited this weekend (see below for visitors list). Their former high school coach, Chris Partridge, is now a recruiting coordinator for Michigan.

Stafford (TX) Stafford wide receiver Hezekiah Jones was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, TCU, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #11 wide receiver, and #61 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he caught 28 passes for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus a kickoff return score. He claims a 4.4 forty and a 32″ vertical. Jones is a crafty runner who does a good job of breaking tackles, catches passes while defensive backs interfere, and has good speed in the open field.

Akron (OH) Hoban running back Todd Sibley, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky and Ohio State. He claims a 4.51 forty. As a sophomore in 2014, he averaged 8.2 yards/carry on his way to 1,576 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s not a true blazer, but he has the stout build of Michigan State’s recent running back standouts, guys who are built low to the ground and are tough to take down. Hoban’s quarterback, 2017 prospect Danny Clark, used to attend Massillon (OH) Washington with Michigan freshman kicker Andrew David; Clark is now committed to Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are at the top of Sibley’s list.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Indianapolis (IN) Cathedral offensive guard Emil Ekiyor was given his first offer by Michigan. Ekiyor is a 6’3″, 285 lb. prospect who claims a 5.1 forty. He is the son of Emil Ekiyor, a Nigerian immigrant who played defensive end at Central Florida and then in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons.

OFF THE BOARD
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Rancho Santa Margarita quarterback K.J. Costello committed to Stanford. The writing was on the wall that he would pick Stanford or perhaps USC over Michigan once his repeated promises to visit Michigan fell through. He had visited Michigan last summer and was reportedly close to committing at the time, but Brady Hoke convinced him to take his time, allowing Messiah DeWeaver to commit first.

Temecula (CA) Great Oak running back Demetric Felton committed to UCLA. Felton is a very speedy, surprisingly tough runner who could also play receiver at the next level. He expressed initial interest in visiting Michigan but never planned a visit.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy defensive end Rahshaun Smith committed to Clemson. Smith is originally from Maryland and initially had Michigan high on his list, but a mid-year transfer to Florida seemed to alter his recruitment a little bit. By the time he was ready to commit, Michigan was no longer on his list.

MISCELLANEOUS
I posted a huge list of visitors from this past week/weekend (LINK).

I also posted an early spring game visitors list (LINK). And speaking of the spring game, I also did a mock draft of the two teams (LINK).

Notre Dame center Matt Hegarty has been granted a full release from the program to transfer as a fifth-year graduate. There have not been strong indications that Michigan is in the mix, but it’s a possibility for a team that lost its starting center (Jack Miller) and whose backup (Graham Glasgow) is going through some legal issues. Hegarty visited Florida State last weekend, and the Seminoles are in a better scholarship situation (80 right now, whereas Michigan is at the limit of 85). The Wolverines recruited Hegarty as part of the 2011 class out of Aztec (NM) Aztec, where he was a Rivals 4-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and #70 overall.

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

• Macomb Dakota RB Kaiser Carleton
• West Bloomfield CB Justin Clark
• Orchard Lake St. Mary’s OG Cameron Kolwich
• St. Joseph DE Corey Malone-Hatcher
• Farmington LB David Reese

2015 Spring Game Draft

Jourdan Lewis

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Just for fun, I thought I would draft up teams for the spring game. I had the idea of finding someone else to draft against . . . and then time got away from me. Michigan’s coaching staff is drafting teams this coming Saturday, a week ahead of the April 4th contest between squads. So here, a day ahead of time, are the players I and me would draft.

Here are the rules:

• Each team gets 25 players.
• Each side of the ball must be filled out completely for both squads.
• Players with known debilitating injuries or who are not on campus yet are not available for the draft.
• Specialists are not available, since special teams will not be played in the spring game.