Michigan releases spring 2015 roster

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24Feb 2015
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Michigan releases spring 2015 roster

Brady Pallante is a fullback now. Brady Pallante is not #23.

Michigan released its spring roster on Monday as the Wolverines begin spring practice on Tuesday (LINK). Here are some notable updates to the roster.

Ian Bunting: Bunting is up to 6’7″ and 243 lbs. Michigan needs help at tight end this fall, so 243 lbs. is a good sign of him developing physically. He should be up over 250 lbs. by the fall.

Brian Cole: Cole, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #81. He’s listed at 6’2″, 200 lbs.

Ross Douglas: Douglas was recruited as a cornerback, moved to slot receiver, moved to running back, and now is back at corner. Still wearing #29, he is now listed as Ross Taylor-Douglas.

Derrick Green: Green is listed at 5’11” and 234 lbs.

Ty Isaac: Isaac is listed at 6’3″ and 240 lbs.

Alex Malzone: Malzone, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #12. He’s listed at 6’2″, 218 lbs.

Brady Pallante: Pallante came to Michigan as a nose tackle prospect and is now listed as a redshirt freshman, 6’0″, 276 lb. fullback wearing #45.

Terry Richardson: Richardson is listed as a redshirt junior cornerback and is finally nearing close-to-acceptable weight at 174 lbs. at 5’9″.

Matt Thompson: Thompson is a new addition as a walk-on quarterback from Cincinnati (OH) Indian Hills. He’s listed at 6’5″, 214 lbs. as a redshirt freshman. Here are Thompson’s Hudl highlights from his senior year (LINK). His delivery is a little bit wonky, but he doesn’t look too bad for a walk-on. He’s not a bad guy to have available for running a scout team and such. It also looks like he’s hit a growth spurt since high school.

Ryan Tice: Tice is a 6’1″, 177 lb. walk-on who enrolled early out of Saline (MI) Saline. I mainly note this because Michigan graduated both their punter and kicker, so Tice might be competing for one of those jobs, along with walk-on Kenny Allen (punter) and 2015 signee Andrew David (kicker).

23Feb 2015
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Recruiting Update: February 23, 2015

Viera (FL) Viera wide receiver Tre Nixon (image via 247Sports.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Houston (TX) Aldine MacArthur defensive end Isaiah Chambers was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 245 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Florida State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 strongside end, and #133 overall. Chambers is a big, thick player who uses his hands really well. As a junior in 2014, he made 32 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles. His current Crystal Ball currently reads 80% in favor of the Aggies. I am generally not a fan of any recruit who emblazons the title “YOU ARE NOW A WITNESS!” or anything similar on his highlights, kind of like 2015 tight end Jalen Wilkerson (Florida State) titled his highlights “The Chosen One.”

Calhoun (GA) Calhoun offensive tackle Jack DeFoor was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Louisville, and Ole Miss, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #72 offensive tackle, #902 overall. DeFoor is a decent athlete who has a slightly odd habit of taking a small hop just before he gets to second-level defenders. The way he moves and blocks, he looks more like a center to me. One of his teammates is 2016 tight end Landon Rice, an Auburn commit who was offered by Michigan a couple weeks ago.

Sachse (TX) Sachse wide receiver Devin Duvernay was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, LSU, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #3 wide receiver, and #36 overall. As a junior in 2014, he caught 62 passes for 990 yards and 9 touchdowns, plus he carried the ball 33 times for 290 yards and 3 scores. He also claims a 4.46 forty. Duvernay is one of those solidly built slot guys who can be a combo running back/receiver, and he can also return kicks.

Hit the jump for a bunch more offers and some miscellaneous bits.

Mechanicsville (VA) Atlee safety Jaqui “J.J.” Givens was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #47 safety, and #678 overall. He claims a 4.46 forty. As a junior in 2014, he made 32 solo tackles, 1 sack, 4 interceptions, and 11 pass breakups. Givens plays corner for his high school team but has the body of a future safety, and he’s not the smoothest athlete around but a guy who can be physical and support the run.

Madison (MS) Germantown cornerback Nigel Knott was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 cornerback, and #129 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 112 tackles, 4 interceptions, 16 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. He claims a 4.33 forty. Knott is an extremely aggressive corner who has the physicality to be a safety at the next level, too. Unfortunately, he lives in Mississippi, which is a notoriously difficult state to invade from the north.

Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei offensive tackle Frank Martin II was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 301 lb. prospect with offers from LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 offensive tackle, and #111 overall. Martin is a mauling right tackle prospect who could also end up as a guard, and he is a teammate of linebacker offeree Curtis Robinson. Martin has expressed significant interest in visiting Michigan.

Sachse (TX) Sachse cornerback Jared Mayden was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 cornerback, and #96 overall. He claims a 4.58 forty. Mayden is another boundary corner type who could also play safety at the next level. Having announced a top group shortly before receiving some big-time offers, he now says he’s wide open in his selection process.

Viera (FL) Viera wide receiver Tre Nixon was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #52 wide receiver, and #300 overall. Nixon also claims a 4.38 forty. As a junior in 2014, he caught 43 passes for 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns. That 4.38 time might be stretching it a bit, but Nixon has legitimate deep speed and I imagine he’ll climb in the rankings before all is said and done.

Arlington (TX) Lamar offensive guard Chris Owens was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the the #31 offensive guard, and #594 overall. Owens plays right tackle but may not have the length to do so in college, where he will likely have to move inside. However, he is very mobile and could be an excellent pulling guard.

Auburn (AL) Auburn safety Spencer Perry was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida State, and Mississippi State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #29 safety, and #424 overall. Perry is well built right now, and I think there’s a very good chance that he grows into a linebacker before his college career is over. Much like any prospect Michigan tries to pull out of the deep south, anyone coming from Alabama is a serious long shot unless they’re not coveted by the regional schools.

Hermitage (PA) Hickory safety Andrew Pryts was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #47 safety, and #678 overall. Pryts has pretty decent athleticism, but the most impressive thing about his film is the way he hits. Pryts could be an enforcer in the middle of the field, and he can come up to support the run really well. He is likely to stay home and play for the Nittany Lions.

West Hartford (CT) Kingswood-Oxford linebacker Koby Quansah was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 212 lb. prospect with offers from Connecticut, Pitt, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 inside linebacker, and #322 overall. He claims a 4.58 forty. As a junior in 2014, he made 122 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He also averaged over 10 yards/carry as a running back with 120 carries for 1,245 yards. Quansah looks like an inside linebacker through and through, and while he’s the #1 player in the state, you may notice that the competition level is not particularly impressive.

Folsom (CA) Folsom offensive tackle Jonah Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 272 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Cal, Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 offensive tackle, and #91 overall. He also claims a 4.96 forty, which makes him slightly faster than potential #1 draft pick Jameis Winston! Williams has a nice frame and looks like a college lineman already. He also has a nasty disposition when blocking, although I’d like to see him play through the whistle a little more often.

Tiger (GA) Rabun tight end Charlie Woerner was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 wide receiver, and #98 overall with a 4.76 forty. Woerner has a pretty impressive all-around highlight film where he lines up at running back, slot receiver, and wide receiver on offense. His team gets him the ball any way they can, and that’s probably a good choice. He’s probably not quick enough to line up as a wide receiver in college, but he could be a very versatile tight end or H-back type of player.

Clovis (CA) Buchanan defensive end Bryson Young was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Fresno State and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #27 weakside end, and #456 overall. Young plays outside linebacker for his high school team and shows some nice speed, especially a couple times when he chases down running backs on the opposite sideline. He will probably play with his hand in the dirt in college, or at least as a 3-4 rush linebacker.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Littleton (CO) Valor Christian quarterback Dylan McCaffrey was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 200 lb. prospect whose only other offer has come from Colorado. McCaffrey the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and the younger brother of Stanford rising sophomore Christian McCaffrey, a running back Michigan pursued in the 2014 class. Dylan looks like a prototypical pocket quarterback with a little bit of athleticism to escape the rush. His offer list should expand significantly in the near future.

MISCELLANEOUS
I put together a list of players who visited Michigan for the basketball game against Ohio State on Sunday (LINK).

Several recruiting top lists were updated:

  • Top 247 for 2016 (LINK)
  • Top 116 for 2017 (LINK)
  • Rivals 100 for 2016 (LINK)
  • Rivals 250 for 2016 (LINK)

Over on Recruiting Season, I posted/update profiles on:

22Feb 2015
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Video: Tom Brady at the NFL Combine

Lots of people look at Tom Brady as a college player or in pictures or video from the NFL Combine (see below), and they laugh at the scrawny guy who looks like an un-athletic tenth grader running through agility drills. The thing that people often forget is that when he played quarterback for Michigan and when he was going through QB-specific drills, he actually looked pretty darn good. It was only when asked to run around cones and run 40 yards in a straight line when he looked particularly awkward. It just goes to show that you don’t have to be a great all-around athlete to be a professional athlete. I don’t want to watch C.C. Sabathia run the 40-yard dash or see B.J. Raji throw a curveball, but they’re both good at what they do.

22Feb 2015
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Visitors: February 20-22, 2015

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s linebacker Joshua Ross

The other night, several 2016 prospects – and one 2017 player – were in town for Michigan’s basketball game against Michigan State. On Sunday for the Ohio State game, there will be more prospects on campus, including a couple of the top in-state prospects for 2017.

Bryce Brand – DT – Walled Lake (MI) Western: Brand, a 2017 prospect, is a 6’2″, 267 lb. prospect with offers from Air Force and Louisville. His older brother, Ryan, was a quarterback at U of D Jesuit and signed with Air Force in the 2015 class.

Rodney Hall – QB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hall, another 2017 prospect, is a 6’3″, 192 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. When senior quarterback Jayru Campbell – a one-time Michigan State commit – was suspended for the 2014 season, Hall stepped in as a sophomore. The lefty led Cass Tech to the state championship game.

Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph: Malone-Hatcher is a 6’3″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 weakside end, and #111 overall. Michigan’s staff under Brady Hoke offered him, so Jim Harbaugh and company may reaffirm the offer while he’s on campus.

John O’Korn – QB – University of Houston: O’Korn has been reported by some as being a done deal to transfer to Michigan, although nothing official has been announced. He started as a freshman at Houston (2,889 yards, 26 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) in 2013 and then took a step back last season. Now he’s looking to transfer somewhere, and Michigan seems a likely destination. If the transfer does become official, he will have to sit out the 2015 season and will have two remaining seasons of eligibility (2016-2017).

Joshua Ross – LB – Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s: Ross is a 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 inside linebacker, and #56 overall. He’s the younger brother of Michigan senior linebacker James Ross III, who will be long gone by the time Joshua enters college.

Taeshon Trotter – OT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Trotter is a 6’6″, 275 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Tim Walton – LB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Walton is a 6’1″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati and a handful of MAC schools. He’s currently unranked in the 247 Composite, and I ranked him the #25 player in the state (LINK) last week.