Posts by: Thunder

6-27-17 Recruiting Update: Let’s pretend you care about 2020

Jaden Navarrette (image via Youth1)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2020

Corona (CA) Corona tight end Jaden Navarrette was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. It’s tough to say how a 6’3″, 190 lb. rising sophomore will fill out in the next few years, but some places project him as a wide receiver . . . and I think he will outgrow that spot. I’m saying tight end, but maybe linebacker or even defensive end.

Ellenwood (GA) Cedar Grove linebacker Isaiah Ratcliff was offered by Michigan. He’s 6’0″, 195 lbs. and his only other offer comes from Charlotte. He plays at the alma mater of Michigan linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse.

Athens (GA) Athens running back Len’Neth Whitehead was offered by Michigan. He’s 6’2″ and 232 lbs., so it’s very possible that he will outgrow the running back position. You can watch him run over a bunch of toddlers here:

OFF THE BOARD

Ocala (FL) Vanguard wide receiver Leonard Manuel committed to Tennessee, whatever that means three years in advance.

2017 Season Countdown: #65 Benjamin St-Juste

Benjamin St-Juste (image via Twitter)

Name: Benjamin St-Juste
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 188 lbs.
High school: Montreal (Quebec) Vieux
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #25
Last year: St-Juste was a senior in high school. He made 30 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 18 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 78

St-Juste had an odd route to Michigan. Originally committed as a part of the 2016 class, he reclassified to 2017. He was a very inexperienced football player and extremely raw when he first popped up onto the scene and committed to Michigan in June of 2015. Many Michigan fans – including me – were unsure why the Wolverines would take a chance on him, even though Michigan offered him after they saw him at a camp in person.

But then came his 2016 season and an early enrollment and the spring game, and maybe we were wrong. Michigan just had a 6’3″, 220 lb. cornerback with a torn ACL get drafted, and maybe Jim Harbaugh knows what he’s doing with big corners.  St-Juste had an okay spring game where he was toasted by fellow freshman Tarik Black for several catches, except St-Juste was right in his hip pocket the whole time and it took some nice throws and catches to complete those passes. The defense needs two brand new starting corners this year, and while St-Juste probably won’t be a starter this year, he could be a depth player who gets groomed for a bigger role as a boundary corner in the next couple years.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

Charles Thomas, Wolverine

Charles Thomas (image via MGoBlog)

NOTE: You know the cliche among recruiting people that a player usually commits when we go on vacation? Well, it’s not not true.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy linebacker Charles Thomas committed to Michigan on Saturday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and others.

Thomas is 6’0″ and 216 lbs. As a sophomore in 2016, he made 132 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 interception.

RATINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: N/A
Scout: N/A
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #4 ILB, #196 overall

Hit the jump for more on Thomas’s commitment.

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Visitors: June 19-25, 2017

Noah Cain (image via Scout)

I updated the visitors list with a bunch of players who camped over the weekend. It was too hard to tell from social media who was camping and who was just visiting, so I clumped them all together.

2018

Emil Ekiyor – OG – Indianapolis (IN) Cathedral:

Aidan Hutchinson – DE – Dearborn (MI) Divine Child:

Jalen Mayfield – OT – Grand Rapids (MI) Catholic Central:

Cameron McGrone – LB – Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central: McGrone is a 6’1″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Indiana, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #17 outside linebacker, and #251 overall. He does not have a Michigan offer yet, but he is likely to get one on this trip.

Raiqwon O’Neal – OT – Conway (SC) Conway: O’Neal is a 6’5″, 265 lb. prospect with offers from Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star, the #70 offensive tackle, and #876 overall. He runs extremely well for a big guy, and I’m very surprised that he’s only the #876 overall recruit in the country. Conway is the alma mater of former Michigan wide receiver Junior Hemingway.

Hit the jump for several more 2018 and 2019 visitors.

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2017 Season Countdown: #66 Jaylen Kelly-Powell

Jaylen Kelly-Powell (image via Rivals)

Name: Jaylen Kelly-Powell
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 175 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #16
Last year: Kelly-Powell was a senior in high school. He made 62 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 26 pass breakups. And yes, his stats make a palindrome.
TTB Rating: 77

Kelly-Powell was long considered a Michigan lock, but tried to keep everyone in suspense. He bounced back and forth a little bit from safety to corner in high school, but mostly he played a strong safety position. He also played a little bit of running back. He went to The Opening in Oregon and was an Under Armour All-American, but he did not stand out at either event.

As an early enrollee this spring, the word coming out of Schembechler Hall was that Kelly-Powell is a solid player but still very light. He needs to get bigger and would probably be headed for a redshirt if not for a shallow pool of applicants at the safety positions. Michigan’s top three safeties are junior Tyree Kinnel, sophomore Josh Metellus, and redshirt sophomore Jordan Glasgow, and after that, it’s unclear. Kelly-Powell won’t break into that top three, but we’ll see if he’s at #4 or below. I would prefer to see him redshirt, especially since the three guys certain to be ahead of him will still be on the roster in 2018. But I won’t be surprised at all to see Kelly-Powell get some run on special teams or late in decided games.

Prediction: Backup safety, special teamer