Posts under: Blog

Morning Roundup: May 25, 2019

Seth from MGoBlog put together a nice X’s and O’s post (LINK).

Juwan Howard is retaining basketball S&C coach Jon Sanderson (LINK).

Although I know some things may change over time, I will be focusing on these 6 schools until I commit. #GodGotMe

– @Grind_Designs pic.twitter.com/wVbJGggnfy

— Jabari Small 2️⃣ (@JMS4_) May 24, 2019

.@Wino in 5️⃣2️⃣ for the @Patriots! #GoBlue x #ProBlue pic.twitter.com/StLZ8YCWod

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) May 24, 2019

Braiden McGregor, Wolverine

Port Huron (MI) Northern defensive end Braiden McGregor committed to Michigan on Friday evening. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Notre Dame, among others.

McGregor is listed at 6’5″ and 248 lbs. As a junior in 2018, he made 99 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 86 grade, #2 ATH, #26 overall
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #27 SDE
247 Sports: 4-star, 97 grade, #3 SDE, #28 overall

Hit the jump for more.

Nikhai Hill-Green, Wolverine

Baltimore (MD) St. Frances linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green committed to Michigan on Thursday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Nebraska, Pitt, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.

Hill-Green is listed at 6’1″ and 230 lbs.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 80 grade, #25 OLB
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #30 OLB
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #22 OLB, #274 overall

Hit the jump for more on Hill-Green’s commitment.

Ron Johnson, Jr., Ex-Wolverine

Redshirt junior defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr. has entered the transfer portal and will not return to Michigan.

Johnson was a member of the 2016 recruiting class and signed with the Wolverines out of Camden (NJ) Camden, along with wide receiver/safety Brad Hawkins (who then took a prep year). He was a Semper Fidelis All-American and I gave Johnson a TTB Rating of 83 (LINK).

However, Johnson has been languishing somewhere in the 70s of the last few season countdowns, and there just hasn’t been much progress. He bulked up to play some 3-technique defensive tackle at one point, but he transitioned back to defensive end without a noticeable move upward on the depth chart at either spot. He played one game as a true freshman and did not see the field in either 2017 or 2018. He was not expected to play a significant role in 2019, so this loss opens up a scholarship for a transfer or a walk-on.

Michigan now has just 83 scholarship players slated to be on the roster in 2019 (LINK). Not counting Hawkins (who signed again in 2017), Michigan is down to just 14 out of 28 players who signed with the Wolverines in that 2016 class.

2019 Season Countdown: #94 George Johnson III

Name: George Johnson III
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 181 lbs.
High school: Stuart (FL) Martin
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Johnson was a senior in high school (LINK). He passes for 1,174 yards and 10 touchdowns, ran for 442 yards and 9 touchdowns, and caught 5 passes for 102 yards and 1 touchdown.
TTB Rating: 73

Johnson committed to Michigan as a wide receiver despite having just a little bit of experience playing the position. For most of his high school career, he was a quarterback running a spread offense. Perhaps partly because of that inexperience playing the position, he finished the 2019 recruiting class as a 247 Composite 3-star, the #60 athlete, and #877 overall.

There’s virtually no chance of playing quarterback at Michigan, so Johnson is going to make the position switch, and those don’t generally happen overnight. On top of that, the Wolverines already have a pretty solid wide receiver crew, and an early enrollee freshman who was making waves in the spring (Mike Sainristil). Johnson is almost certainly headed for a redshirt this fall.

Prediction: Redshirt