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Recruiting Update: July 23, 2018

Elias Ricks (image via OC Register)

There wasn’t a whole lot that happened in 2019 recruiting over the past week.

OFF THE BOARD

Jaden Davis – CB – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas: Davis committed to Oklahoma.

Warren McClendon – OT – Brunswick (GA) Brunswick: McClendon committed to Georgia.

Isaiah Spiller – RB – Spring (TX) Klein Collins: Spiller, a former Oklahoma commit, picked the Texas A&M Aggies.

MISCELLANEY

Here’s an update list of visitors for the BBQ at the Big House (LINK), a list perhaps headlined by 2020 cornerback Elias Ricks (see above).

2018 Season Countdown: #36 Stephen Spanellis

Stephen Spanellis (image via Michigan Daily)

Name: Stephen Spanellis
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 307 lbs.
High school: Baltimore (MD) Gilman
Position: Offensive guard/center
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #72
Last year: I ranked Spanellis #44 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in 13 games at center, guard, tackle, and elsewhere.
TTB Rating: #63

I believe Spanellis qualifies as what Jim Harbaugh would call “an ascending player.” He redshirted in 2016 and became the team’s jack-of-all-trades extra lineman in 2017. Tom Strobel previously held that role as a tight end and extra lineman, and with Strobel moving on to Ohio, Spanellis found himself inhabiting that spot. He would occasionally wear #97 to line up in the backfield as an extra fullback in goal line packages, too. When Patrick Kugler got hurt in the Outback Bowl, Spanellis ended up taking over the center position while Cesar Ruiz started and played at guard.

In the great All or Nothing season released on Amazon Prime Video this off-season, the production documented the coaching staff taking a look at Spanellis snapping the ball and beginning that transition. Spanellis was a tackle in high school, but he was expected to be a guard in college. Going into this season, he could very well be the #2 center behind sophomore Ruiz. I expect incumbents Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu to reprise their roles as the starting guards, but Spanellis is reportedly in competition at right guard with Onwenu, and there’s a chance he wins it. Whether he wins the job or not, I expect him to be a regular contributor, either as a backup or as an extra player for jumbo packages.

Prediction: Backup guard/center

2018 Season Countdown: #37 Carlo Kemp

Carlo Kemp (#2, image via Zimbio)

Name: Carlo Kemp
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 264 lbs.
High school: Boulder (CO) Fairview
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #2
Last year: I ranked Kemp #19 and said he would be a backup strongside end (LINK). He made 3 tackles.
TTB Rating: 84

Kemp received a lot of hype going into the 2017 season. Practice reports were very positive, and he was looked at as a heavy rotation guy behind Rashan Gary. When the season came, the starting defensive ends played a ton (perhaps too much) and Kemp didn’t get on the field too much. When he did, he was just okay. As of his sophomore year, he was just a guy – not a bad player, but not a standout, either.

Now one has to wonder if he’s on a slightly faster path to Lawrence Marshall Land. When Kemp arrived a couple years ago, he was given a shot at inside linebacker. Then he was a weakside end. Then he was a strongside end. And now the talk is that he’ll play a fair amount of 3-tech defensive tackle (note: he’s reportedly closer to 280 lbs. now, but he’s still officially listed at 264). Kemp can play 5-tech or 3-tech, but he’s probably not any kind of option at weakside end. My overall excitement for Kemp has worn away a little bit, but the coaches still appear to be counting on him to play a decent-sized role.

Prediction: Backup strongside end and defensive tackle

2018 Season Countdown: #38 Eddie McDoom

Eddie McDoom (image via Boston Herald)

Name: Eddie McDoom
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 181 lbs.
High school: Winter Garden (FL) West Orange
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #13
Last year: I ranked McDoom #38 and said he would be a backup receiver with 12 catches for 150 yards and 1 TD (LINK). He made 11 catches for 81 yards, ran 8 times for 43 yards, and made 2 tackles.
TTB Rating: 89

McDoom was expected to be a backup last year, and that was accurate. He put up modest stats working mostly from the slot. He and Donovan Peoples-Jones are the most jet-sweep-y guys on the team, so McDoom got some of those carries and did okay with them. So far his career-long carry is 33 yards, which came in 2016 against Michigan State, but 5.4 yards/carry last year wasn’t bad. The biggest disappointment is McDoom’s lack of contribution in the passing game. I was almost spot-on with my guess that he would get 12 catches (he got 11), but the yardage was way off. McDoom has speed and the ability to do things in open space, but Michigan hasn’t been able to get him there. On top of that – and maybe this is why he was limited to 11 catches – he had an egregious drop late in the game against MSU in 2017.

This year I think McDoom is one of the guys who could benefit most from the arrival of Shea Patterson at quarterback. Patterson can improvise, and McDoom is the type of speedy slot guy who can suddenly find himself wide open when the quarterback reverses field on a scramble. I also detailed the other day how an RPO could work with Patterson and McDoom (LINK). If McDoom can develop a rapport with Patterson, then McDoom could be a breakout player. He will have to hold off redshirt freshman Oliver Martin and fight with senior Grant Perry for snaps. He also can contribute in the return game. I know some people have begun to give up on McDoom, but I still think he can be an effective football player, given the right situation.

Prediction: Backup slot receiver, special teamer; 12 catches, 150 yards, 2 TD

Video: The Top 10 Recruits from 2008 – Where are They Now?