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2015 Recruiting Update: February 2, 2015

Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood wide receiver Van Jefferson

COMMITMENT?
Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra wide receiver Deontay Burnett may or may not have committed to Michigan (LINK). It sounds like he wanted to (or wants to) but either his coach or Rivals reporter Adam Gorney fouled something up.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Grayslake (IL) North running back Titus Booker, a Wisconsin commit, was offered by Michigan. Booker is a 5’11”, 172 lb. kid with a reported 4.41 forty time who committed to Wisconsin as a cornerback. He’s ranked as a 247 Composite 3-star, the #50 running back, and #673 overall. Booker immediately scheduled an official visit to Ann Arbor, but he pulled back on that almost as immediately and said he was solid to the Badgers. Michigan wanted him as a running back.

Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist running back Orlando Bradford, an Arizona commit, was offered by Michigan. Bradford is a 5’9″, 195 lb. back who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #73 running back, and #997 overall. He immediately tweeted out that he appreciated the offer from Michigan, but that he was fully committed to the Wildcats.

Hit the jump for several more offers and tidbits.

Port Arthur (TX) Memorial running back Corey Dauphine, a Texas Tech commit, was offered by Michigan. Dauphine is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with a 4.5 forty who’s ranked as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 running back, and #211 overall. Much like Bradford, Dauphine expressed thanks for the offer but said he was solid to the Red Raiders.

Sarasota (FL) Riverview running back Karan Higdon, an Iowa commit, was offered by Michigan. Higdon is a 5’10”, 190 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 running back, and #477 overall. He got the offer on Saturday morning, said he was solid to Iowa, and then scheduled a flight to Michigan for Saturday afternoon. Higdon runs hard and has good vision, but he’s not a breakaway back. However, the Wolverines need a backup plan for Michael Weber – if not a second back, period – so the coaching staff needs to look at a lot of options.

Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood wide receiver Van Jefferson, an Ole Miss commit, was offered by Michigan. Jefferson is a 6’2″, 183 lb. prospect who claims a 4.56 forty. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 wide receiver, #108 overall, and a U.S. Army All-American. Jefferson is the son of former NFL receiver Shawn Jefferson, who then became a coach for the Detroit Lions. Because of that, Van attended Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s for his first couple years of high school before moving to Tennessee, where his dad is now the Tennessee Titans wide receivers coach. Immediately upon receiving the offer, an official visit was scheduled for this past weekend. Van was previously committed to Georgia before flipping to Ole Miss, so a pledge to Michigan would be the third during his recruiting process.

Boutte (LA) Hahnville wide receiver Brandon Singleton, a Cal commit, was offered by Michigan. Singleton is a 6’0″, 170 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #107 wide receiver, and #860 overall. He also has offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota. He just committed to Cal on January 26th, so it would be a quick flip and Singleton has not visited Ann Arbor.

OFF THE BOARD
Millburn (NJ) Millburn defensive end Jake Pickard flipped from Wisconsin to Syracuse. This was a very strange development, because he was committed to a powerhouse school, took an official visit to a big-time program in Michigan, canceled on official visit to powerhouse Oregon, and then . . . committed to Syracuse. I don’t understand this one at all.

MISCELLANEOUS
I posted my predictions for all of Michigan’s uncommitted offerees (LINK).

Here’s a list of this past weekend’s official visitors (LINK).

I updated several profiles of 2015 recruits within the state of Michigan (LINK).

Deontay Burnett, Wolverine

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra wide receiver Deontay Burnett (image via DetroitNews.com)

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra wide receiver Deontay Burnett committed to Michigan on Sunday. He had been committed to Washington State until that point, and he also had offers from Arizona State, Miami, and Utah, among others. UPDATE: Burnett denies that he committed to Michigan, and it’s unclear whether he’s denying it because someone jumped the gun or because he truly has not committed.

Burnett is a 6’0″, 166 lb. prospect who claims a 4.69 forty. As a senior this past season, he caught 27 passes for 545 yards and 5 touchdowns.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 76 grade, #139 WR
Rivals: 3-star, #59 WR
Scout: 3-star, #82 WR
247 Sports: 3-star, 86 grade, #97 WR

Burnett was a Washington State commit since July of 2014, but an offer last week came from the Wolverines, and he set the official visit to Michigan. Once on campus, he realized that it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Despite possibly playing for a pass-happy offense at Washington State, the visibility of playing at Michigan is difficult to match.

Immediately when I saw Burnett’s film last week, I thought he could be a solid pickup at this juncture. Burnett has decent speed, but his most impressive quality is the ability to go get the ball, whether it’s high or low. He consistently outjumps defensive backs and has a knack for using his hands to come down with the ball. He runs pretty good – not great – routes and seems to understand coverages, locations of defenders, etc. Burnett has a little bit of wiggle to him, although probably not enough burst to be a consistent gamebreaker.

Obviously, he is very light and needs to add weight. He’ll have to be able to block well to get onto the field, so that may be a year or two away. I also think Burnett could run crisper routes, and some added muscle might help him with his acceleration and speed. As for his lack of outstanding production, he actually led the team in receiving – despite the presence of Stanley, who also plays defense – and Junipero Serra runs the ball pretty well. Their dual-threat quarterback (2016 four-star Khalil Tate) rushed for almost 1,300 yards, three other players rushed for more than 400 yards, and eight players had more than 100 yards receiving on the season, which means they spread the ball out quite a bit.

Overall, Burnett has a little bit of a Drew Dileo vibe to me. He’s not a true burner who can take the top off a defense regularly, but he has enough quickness to surprise someone once in a while. He’s also the type of guy who can catch the ball underneath and wriggle his way into a first down. With Michigan’s current recruiting situation, they might not be able to find a true gamebreaker, but this is a solid choice so late in the game.

Burnett’s high school produces a lot of high-quality talent. In the 2015 class alone, they have two Rivals 5-stars in linebacker John Houston and defensive end Rasheem Green. They also have a 4-star, Stanley Norman, who was an Army All-American and is headed to Arizona State. Last year Serra produced two guys Michigan was recruiting hard, wide receiver/cornerback Adoree Jackson (USC) and Dwight Williams (UCLA). And for the 2016 class, they already have three 4-stars and two 3-stars ranked by Rivals. If Michigan can get and keep their foot in the door, this could turn into a productive relationship with the school.

TTB Rating: 69 (ratings explanation)

Mailbag: Two quarterbacks a year?

Kevin Hogan

Numerous people have been asking about Jim Harbaugh’s “standard” practice of taking two quarterbacks in each class. At Stanford he took 2, 1, 2, and 3 quarterbacks during his four years there, so it averaged out to two per year. Without getting into actual quarterback performance (which has been pretty good), here’s how the position has fared over the years. I used Rivals ratings since 247 Sports Composite ranking doesn’t work for ye olden days.

2006*
Alex Loukas (3-star): Redshirted in 2006. Backup quarterback in 2007, 2008, 2009. Moved to safety in 2010.

2007
L.D. Crow (3-star): Crow sat on the bench in 2007 and 2008. Transferred to UCF, so he sat out 2009. Third-stringer in 2010.


Kellen Kiilsgaard (4-star): Kiilsgard immediately became a safety in 2007 when he realized he had a better shot to play on defense. Spent one year on the team before quitting in favor of a baseball career.


2008
Andrew Luck (4-star): Redshirted in 2008, then became starter for 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons. Became #1 overall draft pick in 2012.


2009
Taysom Hill (3-star): Signed with Stanford out of high school. Went on his Mormon mission and ended up at BYU when he returned. Backup in 2012, starter for Cougars in 2013 and 2014.


Josh Nunes (3-star): Other than part-time starting gig in 2012 trying to replace Andrew Luck, spent rest of time on the bench. Medically retired before 2013 season due to weightlifting injury.


2010
Darren Daniel (3-star): Sat on the bench in 2010. Moved to wide receiver in the spring of 2011, then transferred to Itawamba Community College, then to Alabama State.


Dallas Lloyd (3-star): Signed in 2010. Went on his Mormon mission and then returned to Stanford in 2012. Spent 2012 and 2013 as a backup quarterback. Moved to strong safety in 2014.


Brett Nottingham (4-star): Signed in 2010. Backup quarterback in 2011 and 2012. Lost quarterback job to Kevin Hogan, so Nottingham transferred to Columbia. Sat out most of 2013 with broken wrist. Started for Columbia in 2014 but got benched and then quit the team.


2011*
Evan Crower (3-star): Sat on bench in 2011 and 2012. Backup quarterback in 2013 and 2014. Potential for a return as a fifth year senior in 2015.

Kevin Hogan (4-star): Redshirted in 2011. Backup quarterback in 2012. Starter in 2013 and 2014. Will reportedly return as a fifth year senior in 2015.

STARTERS FOR STANFORD
2006: T.C. Ostrander/Trent Edwards
2007: T.C. Ostrander/Tavita Pritchard
2008: Tavita Pritchard
2009: Andrew Luck
2010: Andrew Luck
2011: Andrew Luck
2012: Josh Nunes/Kevin Hogan
2013: Kevin Hogan
2014: Kevin Hogan
2015: Kevin Hogan (probably)

CONCLUSIONS
As you can see, taking multiple quarterbacks per year did not affect Stanford negatively when it comes to scholarships. Of the eight quarterbacks Harbaugh signed during his tenure, only two (2!) spent four years at the quarterback position for the Cardinal. The rest of them transferred, changed positions, or quit football. Stanford also recruited a couple Mormon players who either never played for Stanford (Taysom Hill) or became a backup QB and then moved to defense (Dallas Lloyd). That situation may not arise for the Wolverines because the Big Ten imprint – Michigan’s primary recruiting grounds – does not have a huge Mormon population. Unless recruiting Mormons makes a drastic difference between the two schools, the numbers should not be an issue. Furthermore, that practice for Stanford led to a great three-year starter (Luck) and a solid almost-four-year starter (Hogan)

As for position changes, we’ll just have to see. Shane Morris has never played defense, although he probably has the speed to be some kind of safety. Wilton Speight has the size to move to tight end. Alex Malzone is too small and too slow to do anything else. Zach Gentry has the size and athleticism to become a tight end.

If Michigan continues to recruit two quarterbacks in each class, things will sort themselves out. Guys will quit, change positions, or transfer. In the meantime, Stanford has had solid to great quarterback play over the years, and I would expect that trend to continue for Harbaugh at Michigan. The cream rises to the top.

*I included the years before and after Harbaugh’s Stanford tenure just for a fuller picture of the roster dynamics.

Official Visitors: January 30 – February 1, 2015

Manlius (NY) Canisius tight end/defensive end Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. (image via MaxPreps)

Jarius Adams – CB – Palm Beach Gardens (FL) Dwyer: Adams is a 5’11”, 180 lb. prospect who has been committed to Rutgers since July. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #127 cornerback, and #1405 overall. Along with Michigan, Florida Atlantic and Wisconsin have also come in with offers in recent weeks. He took an official to FAU but won’t visit Madison, so his decision probably comes down to sticking with Rutgers or flipping to the Wolverines.

Titus Booker – RB – Grayslake (IL) North: Booker is a 5’11”, 172 lb. prospect who has been committed to Wisconsin since mid-November, and he was previously committed to Indiana. The Badgers want him as a cornerback, whereas Michigan is looking at him to run the ball. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #60 running back, and #767 overall. As a senior this past season, he rushed 184 times for 1,931 yards (10.1 yards/carry) and 26 touchdowns based on his 4.4 speed. He appears to be canceling an official visit to Iowa in order to visit Michigan. UPDATE: Booker no longer plans to visit Michigan and says he’s solid to Wisconsin.

Deontay Burnett – WR – Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra: Burnett is a 6’0″, 166 lb. prospect who has been committed to Washington State since last July; he also has offers from Arizona State, Miami, and Utah, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #85 wide receiver, and #686 overall. Burnett just got his offer from Michigan this week, so this is a quickly planned official visit. Junipero Serra produces a lot of high-quality talent, so getting a commitment from Burnett might help to get a foothold in the program.

Karan Higdon – RB – Sarasota (FL) Riverview: Higdon is a 5’10”, 190 lb. prospect who has been committed to Iowa since October; he also has offers from Arizona, Arkansas, South Florida, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 running back, and #478 overall. Higdon is reportedly a high-character kid who originally said he is “all Iowa” after receiving the offer on Saturday morning, but he quickly planned a flight to Michigan for Saturday afternoon.

Van Jefferson – WR – Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood: Jefferson is a 6’2″, 183 lb. prospect who has been committed to Ole Miss for just a few days now; he has also taken visits to Georgia and Oklahoma. He’s a U.S. Army All-American, a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 wide receiver, and #108 overall. As a senior this past season, he caught 47 passes for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns. For those worried about the rumored shady recruiting practices at Ole Miss (and elsewhere in the SEC), I’ll throw this out there: Jefferson’s father is former NFL wide receiver and current wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, so the draw of a $500 handshake may not be as enticing to the son of an NFL player and coach. Even so, Michigan is late to the party, but growing up in Michigan (Van used to attend Orchard Lake St. Mary’s while his dad coached for the Lions) may be a draw.

Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. – TE – Manlius (NY) Canisius: Wheatley is a 6’6″, 260 lb. prospect who has listed a top four that includes Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 strongside defensive end, and #310 overall. He recently played in the Semper Fi All-American Bowl. Wheatley could also play tight end or offensive tackle at the next level, although most coaches have been saying his highest upside is on defense. He is, of course, the son of former Michigan great Tyrone Wheatley, who went on to a solid NFL career with the Giants and Raiders. There’s also a younger brother, Terius, who is a 2016 prospect with no offers at this point. Tyrone, Jr. maintained for a while that Michigan had not talked to him in a while, the new staff was slot to contact him, and he was not sure if he would visit. Flying under the radar, however, he is taking a mid-week official visit to Ann Arbor, beginning on Tuesday.

Messiah DeWeaver, Ex-Wolverine

Messiah DeWeaver

Huber Heights (OH) Wayne quarterback Messiah DeWeaver decommitted from Michigan on Tuesday night. He had been committed to the Wolverines since June of 2014. DeWeaver is a 6’3″, 202 lb. kid in the class of 2016. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 pro-style quarterback, and #310 overall.

Before he was originally offered a scholarship, I was hoping the coaching staff would hold off. The Wolverines were evaluating or had offered several other quarterbacks who I believed had higher potential, and I thought DeWeaver would jump at the chance to play for Michigan. The poor 2014 season for Michigan may have derailed their chances with some of the guys I viewed as better prospects, so for Michigan’s long-term prospects, that may have been a blessing in disguise. Once a player decommits from a program, it can be tough to tuck the tail between the legs and come back.

Now Michigan has a fresh start with a well-established new coach in Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has had success developing quarterbacks in the past, including former #1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck (Stanford) and former 5th round draft pick Josh Johnson (San Diego), not to mention NFL quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. When Harbaugh was at Stanford, he brought in an average of two quarterbacks per class, and he looks to continue to do so at Michigan. The Wolverines already have Alex Malzone enrolled early, and last weekend saw a commitment from Zach Gentry, who will sign with Michigan next week. Meanwhile, even with DeWeaver committed, Harbaugh had been meeting with California QB K.J. Costello and Washington QB Jacob Eason, who are the #4 and #1 pro-style quarterbacks for the 2016 class. The previous staff had offered seven quarterbacks (LINK), and that number may increase in the near future.

With DeWeaver committed, I had secretly been hoping to avoid doing scouting reports on 10-20 quarterback prospects for 2016. But now it looks like that’s exactly what I’ll be doing in the next couple weeks.