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There’s not much good news in this week’s recruiting update. But there aren’t many surprises, either.
OFF THE BOARD
Bingley-Jones was supposed to visit Michigan this summer in late June, but he backed out at the last minute and word is that Michigan stopped recruiting him at that point.
Name: Mike Sainristil Height: 5’10” Weight: 183 lbs. High school: Everett (MA) Everett Position: Wide receiver Class: Freshman Jersey number: #19 Last year: Sainristil was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 32 catches for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 290 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns; he also made 6 interceptions on defense. TTB Rating: 84
Sainristil was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Massachusetts, and that was well deserved. Going back to watch him play during his senior year, it’s ridiculous to see how explosive, elusive, and strong he is. If you’re one-on-one with Sainristil, you might as well sit down to make sure your ankles stay intact. Graveyards have been filled with the shards of tibias that have come within 5 yards of Sainristil on a football field.
And then came the spring. Sainristil enrolled at Michigan early, got hyped up by Josh Gattis, and did things like this in the spring game:
I expect Sainristil to have a breakout year as a true freshman. Unlike Freddy Canteen – whose spring hype from yesteryear outpaced his film – the buzz about Sainristil is backed up by what you see from his high school career. Not only that, but Michigan’s RPO-based offense needs a slot guy who can run the crossing routes, slants, hitches, and bubbles that make the pistons churn. Ronnie Bell has some elusiveness and vision, but his explosiveness isn’t on the same level as Sainristil’s. He has already been named a starter in the slot – a stance in the spring that was reaffirmed recently – which suggests that a previously hyped receiver will start the game on the bench. At various different times, Tarik Black, Nico Collins, and Donovan Peoples-Jones have all been pegged as future high draft picks and/or the best receiver on the team, but Sainristil will apparently start over at least one of them.
Prediction: Starting slot receiver; 30 catches for 480 yards and 5 touchdowns
I’ve stopped doing these because recruiting sites started updating their recruiting rankings so much, but with the arrival of brand new 2022 rankings, I thought I would take a look at this initially. You’re probably not paying a ton of attention to 2022 recruits yet, but it will be here before we know it.
So here is a list of the 2022 recruits in the Top 247 (LINK) that have Michigan offers already:
I don’t know why a war of words is developing between Josh Gattis and Mike Locksley, but it is (LINK).
Ted Nguyen singled out former Michigan lineman Graham Glasgow:
Not sure if Lions RG Graham Glasgow went too far inside on this particular protection but he made one hell of a play to pick up the looper pic.twitter.com/OgWkAtOR3l
This was a pretty cool moment for a guy who fudged his way into a tryout, slept on the beach, used up his last few dollars to get to the tryout, and didn’t even have good shoes to wear in the game until Odell Beckham gave him the cleats right off his feet:
Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi took it to the house on a punt return, and his team couldn't have been happier for him ?
Name: Michael Dwumfour Height: 6’2″ Weight: 282 lbs. High school: Wayne (NJ) De Paul Catholic Position: Defensive tackle Class: Redshirt junior Jersey number: #50 Last year: I ranked Dwumfour #16 and said he would be a starting defensive tackle (LINK). He made 21 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 interception. TTB Rating: 69
Dwumfour created some buzz over the past couple years, and we’ve all heard the comparisons by now: he’s another Maurice Hurst, Jr. If you’re another Hurst, you’re going to be a starter and make a bunch of plays, right? Well, Dwumfour played in every game (starting just two) and made 21 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. Maybe the Hurst comparison makes sense because of the comparative lack of size (Dwumfour is 6’2″, 282; Hurst was 6’2″, 280 on the roster as a senior). As a redshirt sophomore, Hurst made 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks, so the numbers are somewhat similar, too, when you account for the fact that Hurst played more.
The 2019 season presents a huge opportunity for Dwumfour. Bryan Mone, Lawrence Marshall, and Aubrey Solomon are out of the way, and Dwumfour is the elder statesman of the defensive line. Ideally, I would like to rank Michigan’s starting defensive tackle higher in the countdown, but I can’t quite convince myself to do that. He hasn’t flashed in the way I would expect for a future star, and he has been very inconsistent. Injuries have also been a problem, especially in the off-season, and I think it’s hard to reach your potential when you’re always having setbacks. I acknowledge the possibility that Dwumfour could be a stud and explosively slice into opposing backfields regularly, but with him I’ll have to see it before I believe it.