Posts under: Blog

2020 Recruiting Update: September 6, 2018

Fairfield (OH) Fairfield RB Jutahn McClain (image via Hudl)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2020

Henry Gray – CB – Miami (FL) Central: Gray is a 5’11”, 172 lb. prospect who committed to Miami back in March. He’s a 4-star, the #5 cornerback, and #56 overall. There’s no indication that he’s intending to flip at this point.

Jordan Johnson – WR – St. Louis (MO) DeSmet: Johnson is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #8 wide receiver, and #50 overall.

Jutahn McClain – RB – Fairfield (OH) Fairfield: McClain is a 5’10”, 175-pounder with offers from Kentucky, Louisville, and Maryland, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star, the #5 all-purpose back, and #649 overall. He scored 7 touchdowns in the season opener two weeks ago and is a teammate of 2019 Michigan tight end commit Erick All.

Hit the jump for several more 2020 updates.

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What I’ve Been Reading: The Road to Ann Arbor

There aren’t a ton of perks to being the author of Touch the Banner, but one of them is the occasional chance to get an advance copy of a Michigan-related book. One of those chances popped up a couple weeks ago when I received a copy of Tom VanHaaren’s new (and first!) book: The Road to Ann Arbor, which was released yesterday on September 4.

The Road to Ann Arbor is a piece separated into chapters detailing the stories of how many Michigan greats (and some guys still making their mark) were recruited to Michigan. Each chapter is dedicated to a lone player, and many of them are from the pre-Rivals and pre-Scout eras. All-timers like Mark Messner, Desmond Howard, and Jarrett Irons lead all the way up to Rashan Gary and Aubrey Solomon.

If you’re reading this site, you’re probably pretty familiar with how recruiting works here in 2018. You see it develop on Twitter, you see the commitment videos, and you see players pick a hat at All-America bowls. In the days of yore, recruiting was done by sending out surveys (not requesting Hudl film) and sending handwritten letters (not trendy Photoshop edits). It’s funny and nostalgic to see how much times have changed, but the attitudes are the same among the players. Jarrett Irons, for example, knew he was a big-shot football player and had some demands for anybody recruiting him.

Among my favorite anecdotes are stories of Bo Schembechler, Chris Spielman, Mark Messner, and Desmond Howard. (Yes, I said Chris Spielman.) High school highlight films of those players aren’t widely available like they are now, so it’s fun to read about their high school exploits. For example, I wasn’t aware that Howard was a high school running back and safety before becoming a superstar wide receiver at Michigan.

Overall, The Road to Ann Arbor is just a good, fun piece of Michigan nostalgia. It’s uplifting to read stories about kids’ dreams coming true, especially from a time when football recruiting seemed more pure. It was about relationships and football, not necessarily TV deals, flashy uniforms, and making a big splash. And TomVH has a way of conveying Michigan stories without being too sappy. If you’re a fan of TTB, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Ex-Wolverine Updates: Week 1

Wilton Speight (image via Larry Brown Sports)

TRANSFERS

Devin Asiasi, TE (UCLA): Asiasi was suspended for the season opener.

Ian Bunting, TE (California): Bunting played but did not record a catch in a 24-17 win over North Carolina.

Brian Cole, S (Mississippi State): Cole made 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 63-6 win over Stephen F. Austin. He also had 2 kickoff returns for 59 yards (29.5 yards/return).

Kingston Davis, RB (UAB): Davis had 6 carries for 14 yards and 1 touchdown in a 52-0 win over Savannah State.

Drake Harris, WR (Western Michigan): Harris had 1 catch for 12 yards in a 55-42 loss to Syracuse.

Wilton Speight, QB (UCLA): Speight started in week one and was 8/12 for 45 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception; he also had 4 carries for 12 yards. Unfortunately, he left the game with an apparent back injury. UCLA lost to Cincinnati, 26-17.

Kareem Walker, RB (Fort Scott C.C.): Walker had 13 carries for 48 yards (3.7 yards/carry) in a 29-28 loss to Highland Community College.

Keith Washington, CB (West Virginia): Washington made 1 tackle in a 40-14 win over Tennessee.

Maurice Ways, WR (California): Ways made 1 catch for 23 yards in a 24-17 win over North Carolina.

Tyrone Wheatley, Jr., TE (Stony Brook): Wheatley played but did not record any statistics in a 38-0 loss to Air Force.

Hit the jump for news on former commitments and coaches.

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Michigan vs. Notre Dame Awards

Chase Winovich (image via Yahoo)

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Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Chris Evans. Something must have been going on with Evans (discipline, injury, etc.), because he’s a potential playmaker and only touched the ball 4 times in the season opener against Notre Dame. I heard in the off-season he was working in the slot, and Michigan is short on receivers. But all Evans got was 2 carries for 1 yard and 2 catches for 37 yards. The coaching staff needs to find a way to get him the ball.

Hit the jump for more awards from Saturday night.

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Notre Dame 24, Michigan 17

Shea Patterson (image via Maize ‘n’ Brew)

Same old, same old. From the very first offensive series, I started thinking, “Nothing has changed.” Michigan’s offense didn’t evolve over the off-season with a new offensive line coach, a new wide receivers coach, and a new quarterback. The formations are the same. The alignments are the same. The personnel is mostly the same. The lack of tempo is the same. The confusion and lack of urgency late in games is the same.

Hit the jump for a bunch of other depressing takeaways.

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