Posts by: Thunder

Amauri Pesek-Hickson, Ex-Wolverine

Leawood (KS) Blue Valley North LB Amauri Pesek-Hickson

Leawood (KS) Blue Valley North linebacker Amauri Pesek-Hickson decommitted from Michigan on Monday:

Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN.” pic.twitter.com/aMJAL8Hvyg

— Mauri? (@amaurihickson) February 4, 2019

Pesek-Hickson is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #44 athlete, and #743 overall. He explained that Michigan is tight on numbers right now and wants to get defensive end and defensive tackle grad transfers, meaning they no longer have room for him to sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Michigan is pursuing Rice defensive tackle Zach Abercrumbia and Central Michigan defensive end Mike Hanna.

He did leave open the possibility of going to prep school, though he stressed that academics are not an issue. It’s not a great sign that his academics appear to be in order (he reported a 30 on the ACT) and Michigan wants him to go the prep school route, but Pesek-Hickson’s only other reported offer comes from Missouri State, so options might be somewhat limited. Michigan has had a couple players attempt to go the prep school route in recent years, with Brad Hawkins waiting from 2016 to 2017 to join the program, while linebacker Dytarious Johnson eventually ended up at Eastern Illinois.

Michigan now has 26 commits in the 2019 class, and no more commitments are expected from high schoolers. While Pesek-Hickson was likely to play linebacker, he had the versatility to play a few different positions. Michigan still has several linebackers in the class, including Anthony Solomon, Charles Thomas, and Joey Velazquez, not to mention Daxton Hill and Quinten Johnson, who could both play Viper. The team currently has 86 scholarship players slated to be on the roster in 2019 (LINK), so some things will have to fall into place in order to fit all the 2019 signees and any potential transfers.

2022 Recruiting Update: February 4, 2019

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra QB Maalik Murphy (image via Hudl)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2022

Julian Armella – OT – Ft. Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas: Armella is a 6’5″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida State, and Missouri, among others. Michigan got a commitment from his teammate, Anthony Solomon, in the 2019 class.

Wilfredo Aybar – DE – Cheshire (CT) Cheshire Academy: Aybar is a 6’4″, 220-pounder whose lone offer so far is from the Wolverines. He attends the alma mater of Michigan wide receiver Tarik Black.

Janiran Bonner – WR – Ellenwood (GA) Cedar Grove: Bonner is a 6’2″, 197 lb. prospect with no other offers just yet.

Tyler Booker – DT – Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic: Booker is a 6’2″, 257-pounder with offers from Rutgers and Virginia. He’s being recruited by new defensive assistant Anthony Campanile.

Tevin Carter – QB – Memphis (TN) Freedom Prep: Carter is a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, LSU, Memphis, Tennesssee, and Vanderbilt, among others.

Hit the jump for several more new/new-ish offers.

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Morning Roundup: February 3, 2019

Aaron Donald (image via USA Today)

Tonight is Super Bowl LIII, the New England Patriots vs. the Los Angeles Rams. I think the Rams have more talent, but obviously Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are a pretty lethal combination, too. I’m going to be very interested in seeing whether the Patriots’ offensive line can keep Rams’ defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh out of the backfield. If the Patriots don’t scheme a way of keeping Donald out of Brady’s face, then I think it’s going to be a tough night. The Rams have the best receiving corps in the league, and I don’t think the Patriots’ defensive backs can keep up, so I think New England’s going to have to score a bunch to keep up. My prediction: Rams 34, Patriots 26.

Lo and behold, Stephen Holder wrote about blocking Aaron Donald (LINK), and Ted Nguyen wrote about how the Patriots might stop him (LINK).

Nightly Roundup: February 2, 2019

Ty Law (image via Boston Globe)

Is Stanford going to give up on neanderball? Football Study Hall explores the answer (LINK).

Former Michigan cornerback Ty Law was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame (LINK).

MLive mailbag on Josh Gattis, Pep Hamilton, and the Michigan offense (LINK).

Good for second chances and stuff, but former star recruit and Michigan State wide receiver Donnie Corley is headed to Texas Southern to play football now.

Can’t wait to ball out this fall at Texas Southern ?✊?? #TXSU21 #TXSU20 pic.twitter.com/jnFepNfz44

— Donnie Corley (@Hit_Squad9) February 1, 2019

This is terrifying:

Photographer Herbert van der Beek captures rare moment Jaguar dives to catch food pic.twitter.com/GjKbKr5PVF

— 41 Strange (@41Strange) February 2, 2019

2020 Recruiting Capsule: Flint Beecher WR/S Earnest Sanders

Flint (MI) Beecher WR/S Earnest Sanders (#11, image via Endless Motor)

Name: Earnest Sanders
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Flint (MI) Beecher
Position: Wide receiver/safety
Class: 2020
Offers: Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kentucky, Toledo
Commitment: Undecided

Notes: 247 Sports 3-star, #62 WR, #8 in-state, #315 overall…Also a high-level basketball player with hoops offers from Oakland and Southern Mississippi

Stats: N/A

Strengths: Catches ball well with hands away from body…Very good straight-line speed…Good size with solid frame…Strong runner…Shows ability to plant foot and make 90-degree cuts…Takes short, choppy steps with good change-of-direction skills

Weaknesses: Does not come off ball hard on every play…Needs to improve route running

Overall: I had seen Sanders’s name come across on Twitter and a couple websites, but I had not checked out his film previously. After having checked it out, though, I came away extremely impressed. Sanders has physical skills on par with almost any receiver to come out of the state of Michigan in years, and yes, I’m including Donovan Peoples-Jones. He is not as refined as Peoples-Jones, but they have similar size, and I would give Sanders the edge in short-area quickness. It will be interesting to see how his recruitment develops and whether he leans toward basketball or football. I also like Sanders as a safety prospect and think he has the frame to bulk up to play that position in college, as well.

Highlights: