Posts by: touchbann_adminuser

247 Sports Top 100 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is the top player in Michigan for 2017

It seems a wee bit early for 2017 recruiting rankings, but 247 Sports went ahead with them anyway. The problem I have with them is that these kids are currently going into their sophomore year, meaning these will mostly be the “prodigies” who played up on varsity as freshmen and had good seasons. Meanwhile, the kids who will hit late growth spurts or change focus from basketball to football will be completely absent. Anyway, here’s the complete list (LINK) and then a breakdown of kids from the ever-expanding Big Ten imprint or players with Michigan connections:

5-stars:
2. A.J. Epenesa – DE – Illinois
3. Josh Myers – OT – Ohio: Offered by Michigan.

4-stars:
6. Calvin Ashley – OT – Florida: Offered by Michigan.
8. D’Andre Swift – RB – Pennsylvania: Teammate of 2015 OG commit Jon Runyan, Jr.
9. Hunter Johnson – QB – Indiana
12. Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR – Michigan: Teammate of 2015 RB commit Michael Weber. Son of former Wolverine Shonte Peoples.
20. Jeff Thomas – WR – Illinois: Offered by Michigan.
30. Emani Mason – OT – Michigan
33. Ty Chandler – RB – Tennessee: Attends alma mater of Michigan OG Blake Bars.
39. Lamont Wade – CB – Pennsylvania
43. Danny Clark – QB – Ohio: Teammate of 2015 K commit Andrew David.
44. Cam Spence – OT – Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan DE Henry Poggi.
50. Josh Ross – LB – Michigan: Offered by Michigan. Brother of Michigan LB James Ross.
57. Jordan Anthony – ATH – Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan CB Blake Countess.
60. Marcus Williamson – CB – Ohio
64. Danny Davis – WR – Ohio
73. Kasim Hill – QB – Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan DE Henry Poggi.
77. Anthony McFarland, Jr. – RB – Maryland
81. Juan Harris – RB – Wisconsin
83. Elvis Hines – ATH – New Jersey
94. R.J. Potts – S – Indiana
96. Ricky Smalling – WR – Illinois

Recruiting Update: August 12, 2014

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber

COMMITMENT
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber committed to Michigan (LINK).

OFF THE BOARD
Princeton (NJ) Princeton running back Johnny Frasier committed to Florida State. Frasier had developed a solid relationship with area recruiter Roy Manning, but he was not expected to come to Michigan even before Weber’s commitment.

Brooksville (FL) Nature Coast offensive tackle Christian Pellage committed to South Carolina. He never gave Michigan serious consideration.

Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s cornerback John Reid committed to Penn State. He’s a teammate of Michigan offensive guard commit Jon Runyan, Jr. Michigan had been named to Reid’s top group, but he never seemed particularly interested. Reid was a possible replacement of Shaun Crawford in the class, but the coaching staff will continue to look elsewhere, such as D.C.’s Marcus Lewis or North Carolinian Mook Reynolds.

Detroit (MI) King linebacker Tyriq Thompson committed to Michigan State. Thompson is the son of former Michigan safety Clarence Thompson, so this is a bit of a blow from a legacy perspective. However, I spent some time studying his game film and wrote up a scouting report in March (LINK), and I was not particularly high on Thompson’s game.

Sumter (SC) Crestwood running back Ty’Son Williams committed to North Carolina. He committed to the Tarheels before Weber committed to the Wolverines, but now that Weber has pledged, Michigan will probably not recruit another running back in the class.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of some visitors from last week (LINK).

2014 Season Countdown: #17 Chris Wormley

Chris Wormley got beat on a wheel route by UConn, but won’t have to defend the pass as much at DT.

Name: Chris Wormley
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 295 lbs.
High school: Toledo (OH) Whitmer
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #43
Last year: I ranked Wormley #47 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle. He made 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass breakup.

Wormley redshirt during his freshman season when he tore his ACL, and last year was a bit of a recovery year. He spent some time as a defensive end, but due to his bulk – or his bum knee – he seemed a little out of place. It seemed to me that he emerged in the Penn State game, when he made 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. As the year went along, he seemed to move inside more and was a heavily rotated player, despite not earning any starts.

That looks like it will change in 2014. Now that he is 295 lbs. and seemingly beyond the size of a feasible defensive end, Wormley looks like a good bet to earn at least a few starts. In my opinion, the three interior starters on the defensive line should come down to some combination of Ondre Pipkins, Willie Henry, and Wormley. None are certainties – Pipkins is coming off his own ACL tear, and Henry did not have a great offseason. Wormley never put together a great stretch of football last year, but he seems like a coach favorite (they have said that he would have played as a true freshman if not for the knee injury) and he has some tantalizing athleticism for an interior lineman. My guess is that he starts at least half the games at the 3-tech tackle position, and I think Michigan fans will be excited about him going into 2015.

Prediction: Starting defensive tackle; 35 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks

PSA: Donate Your App St. Tickets As In-Kind Tax Deduction

The following is a request from the Muskegon (MI) Mona Shores athletic director, who is looking for help via the kindness of strangers. If you can help out some of his school’s players, that would be great. Let’s help make sure that the Big House is full for every game this fall!
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Muskegon Mona Shores HS, who qualified for the MHSAA Playoffs for the first time in school history last season and is a preseason Detroit News “Top 20” team, plays at Saline HS (another Detroit News preseason “Top 20” team) on Friday, August 29. As many a part of Shores football have never been to Ann Arbor (let alone a game in The Big House), the team plans to tour Schembechler Hall among other places on campus, stay overnight in town, and tailgate with parents before the App St game. Currently, the program has received enough game tickets to get roughly half of the program into the game. However, there is still a long way to go as there are 95 players in the upstart program (9th-12th grade) who are making the trip and competing against Saline the previous day.

If there are App St v U-M ticket-holders who would like to give away their tickets as an “in-kind donation” to these youngsters and get a face-value tax write-off, please email Shores’ Director of Athletics ([email protected]) to start the process.

Thank you so much for your consideration and support! Whether they win or lose the night before, these young ball players are sure to be Wolverine fans by the end of the weekend!

UPDATE: We also have Liberty Tax Service outlets in Canton and Belleville who are willing to do free personal tax returns (for the upcoming tax season) for those who donate their tickets!

2014 Season Countdown: #18 Freddy Canteen

Freddy Canteen (image via TheWolverine.com)

Name: Freddy Canteen
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 176 lbs.
High school: Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #17
Last year: Canteen was a senior in high school.
Final TTB Rating: 83

Canteen played with famed quarterback recruit David Sills in high school. The somewhat odd setup of Eastern Christian Academy (an online high school centered around its football program) leads to difficulties with scheduling. Yet with all the big-time recruits, one would think that highlights would be easier to find. Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to find extensive highlights of Canteen and fellow freshman Brandon Watson, despite the fact that they – and others on the team – were bound for big futures.

Canteen and Watson enrolled early in January, and Canteen was one of the main talking points of the spring. He claimed to be the fastest guy on the team, he looked like a big-play guy in the spring game, and people are talking as if he’s a sure thing to see the field extensively this fall. Canteen is skinny – just look at that picture above, which was taken during practice a few weeks ago – but he does have the long speed and the quick feet to be a threat early. The plan is to play him in the slot, which means he’s not necessarily a starter. But I do rank him above a potential starter like De’Veon Smith or Amara Darboh because Canteen seems to have that knack for getting open and making big plays that we haven’t seen from Darboh, Jehu Chesson, and other receivers, and he does not appear to be interchangeable with another player like Smith and Derrick Green. If Michigan loses Canteen for a stretch of time, they lose a guy who can be a mismatch against safeties and who can take the top off the defense.

Prediction: Starting slot receiver; 25 catches, 400 yards, 4 touchdowns