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Visitors: December 14-16, 2018

Anthony Solomon (image via Sun-Sentinel)

2019

Jordan Castleberry – RB – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward: Castleberry is a 5’7″, 190 lb. prospect. He committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on during the visit.

Danielson Ike – OT – Kansas City (MO) Rockhurst: Ike is a 6’6″, 300 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #44 offensive tackle, and #589 overall. Nobody has a good line on where Ike will end up, so Michigan has as good of a shot as any school. This is his official visit. UPDATE: Ike is no longer visiting.

Cornelius Johnson – WR – Greenwich (CT) Brunswick: Johnson is a 6’3″, 195-pounder with offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #39 wide receiver, and #256 overall. The most recent crystal ball pick comes for Michigan from Notre Dame writer Tom Loy, but that’s the only pro-Michigan pick out of seven. This is his official visit, and he plans to announce his decision on December 19.

Hit the jump for more.

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Caden Kolesar, Wolverine

Caden Kolesar (image via Detroit News)

Lakewood (OH) St. Edward athlete Caden Kolesar committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Akron, Army, and Bowling Green. It’s unclear right now whether Kolesar is committed as a scholarship player, grayshirt, or preferred walk-on. (UPDATE: Kolesar confirmed he will be a preferred walk-on.)

Kolesar is listed at 5’10” and 195 lbs. He claims a 4.61 forty, a 4.18 shuttle, and a 32.7″ vertical.

RANKINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: 2-star S, 5.4 grade
247 Sports: 3-star, #173 ATH, #2201 overall

Hit the jump for more on Kolesar’s commitment.

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Should I stay or should I go now?

Devin Bush, Jr. (image via Wolverines Wire)

With an outstanding defense and a competent offense, a lot of Michigan players will need to decide whether to stay at Michigan for 2019 or to head for greener pastures in the NFL (or elsewhere). Here’s a look at the players that I have the biggest questions about going forward.

Ben Bredeson – OG – Junior

Bredeson, a 6’5″ and 320 lb. offensive guard, has said that he is leaning toward returning to Michigan in 2019. Bredeson was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school who made eight starts as a true freshman and has been a full-season starter for the past two years. He has been a Second Team All-Big Ten selection for the past two seasons, both by the coaches and the media. While he has been a good player at Michigan and anchors the left side of the line for a left-hand-dominant team, he has not yet proven to be the road-grader that many expected. Bredeson would most likely get drafted in 2019, but I think he would be a third-day selection. If he returns to develop for one more year, I think he could potentially work his way up into the second day with an outside shot at the first round.
Verdict: Stay in school

Devin Bush, Jr. – LB – Junior

Bush is listed at 5’11”, 232 lbs., and the biggest knock on him is that he lacks size. Well, he’s probably not going to get any bigger at this point. His father, who played at Florida State and in the NFL, was listed at 6’0″, 210 lbs. The younger Bush was 1st Team All-Big Ten and an All-American in 2017, and he is quite possibly headed for the same accolades here in 2018. He finished the 2018 regular season with 80 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 6 pass breakups. He’s a sideline-to-sideline player who hits like a ton of bricks and can cover. At worst he’s a backup linebacker and special teams player in the NFL; at best he’s a tackling machine who fits in well with the new age of small, quick linebackers. I don’t see much of a reason for him to stay at Michigan in 2019, but I would be happy if he did.
Verdict: Go pro

Rashan Gary – DE – Junior

Gary, of course, has already decided to go pro. As the #1 overall recruit in the 2016 class, it was expected by many that he would be headed to the NFL as soon as possible. Not only has he hit three years, but he also suffered from some shoulder problems during his college career. In an attempt to preserve himself for the NFL, it makes sense that he would want to jump into the draft now. It would be very unfortunate if he came back next year, suffered further shoulder injuries, and still wasn’t getting paid for his efforts and pain. I think Gary made the right choice.
Verdict: Go pro

Hit the jump for a look at some other players who might be considering leaving.

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2020 Recruiting Update: December 10, 2018

Oak Park (MI) Oak Park WR/TE Maliq Carr (image via 247 Sports)

Now that it’s (basically) the off-season once again, I can catch up on the ridiculous number of developments that have taken place over the last couple months in recruiting. Last week I did an update on the 2021 class (LINK), and here’s the 2020 edition.

In the meantime, please consider supporting the blog by doing some of your shopping through TTB’s Amazon links like this one:

COMMITMENTS

Nick Patterson – TE – San Antonio (TX) Christian: Patterson committed to Michigan (LINK).

DECOMMITMENTS

Tim Baldwin, Jr. – RB – Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge: Baldwin decommitted from Michigan (LINK).

Denver Warren – DT – Aurora (IL) West: Warren decommitted from Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2020

Sam Adams II – RB – Sammamish (WA) Eastside Catholic: Adams is a 6’2″, 200-pounder who’s the son of former mammoth Texas A&M and NFL defensive tackle Sam Adams. Adams II has offers from Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Washington, and he’s a 3-star, the #28 running back, and #341 overall in the country.

Maliq Carr – TE – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Carr is a 6’6″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #95 wide receiver, and #524 overall. While he’s listed as a wideout, Michigan is recruiting him to play the tight end position, which makes sense for a guy who’s already 6’6″, 215 as a junior. He claims a 4.72 forty. As a junior in 2018, he caught 21 passes for 815 yards and 9 touchdowns, meaning he was averaging almost 40 yards per catch.

Lejond Cavazos – CB – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Cavazos, originally from Texas, decommitted from Ohio State in the wake of Urban Meyer “retiring” and Ryan Day being named the new head coach. He’s a 6’0″, 186-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and USC, along with many others. He’s a 4-star, the #16 cornerback, and #183 overall.

Hit the jump for several more new offers and some guys who went off the board.

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Daxton Hill, Ex-Wolverine

Tulsa (OK) Booker T. Washington safety Daxton Hill

Tulsa (OK) Booker T. Washington safety Daxton Hill ripped Michigan fans’ hearts out on Saturday when he tweeted out that he was flipping to Alabama. Hill is the #1 safety in the country, according to the 247 Composite rankings, and is the #8 player in the country.

I gave Hill a TTB Rating of 100 (LINK), which means I think he’s the best safety in the country, too. This continues the trend of Alabama treating Michigan like Michigan used to treat Purdue, as the Crimson Tide have stolen Michigan’s top recruit – or close to it – in three of the last five years. In the 2018 class, offensive guard Emil Ekiyor (#113 overall, one spot behind Aidan Hutchinson) flipped to ‘Bama, and in 2015, it was running back Damien Harris (#31).

The Wolverines currently have zero safeties committed in the 2019 class. With 23 commits, this drops their overall 247 Composite ranking to #11 in the nation. Hill joins running back Eric Gray (uncommitted), defensive end Stephen Herron (Stanford), and defensive lineman Tyrece Woods (uncommitted) as decommitments from Michigan in 2019.