Posts under: homepage

Recruiting Update: June 11, 2018

Jalen Wydermyer (image via Galveston Daily News)

DECOMMITMENT

Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna cornerback Te’Cory Couch decommitted from Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2019

Apopka (FL) Wekiva linebacker Rian Davis was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 227 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #11 outside linebacker, and #170 overall. As a junior in 2017, he filled up the stat sheet with 93 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries (both returned for touchdowns), and 6 pass breakups. All six crystal ball picks so far are in favor of Georgia.

Dickinson (TX) Dickinson tight end Jalen Wydermyer was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 235-pounder with offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #17 tight end, and #435 overall. As a junior in 2017, he caught 30 passes for 518 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Hit the jump for more happenings from this past week.

read more

2018 Season Countdown: #92 Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson

Name: Andrew Robinson
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 221 lbs.
High school: Troy (MI) Athens
Position: Long snapper
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #49
Last year: I ranked Robinson #32 and said he would be the starting long snapper (LINK). He snapped for punts, field goals, and PATs in two games.

Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to long snappers. Scott Sypniewski got hurt two years ago, and Robinson stepped in flawlessly. I expected him to be the starter in 2017, and Camaron Cheeseman took those duties. Robinson stepped in for a couple games and once again did a good job, but Cheeseman returns in 2018. I assume Cheeseman will keep the starting job as the incumbent, but who knows? At least Michigan appears to have at least two good options at long snapper, since both of them have played significant time without more than a slight hiccup.

Prediction: Backup long snapper

Visitors: June 8-10, 2018

Hoover (AL) Hoover WR George Pickens (image via 247 Sports)

2019

Briton Allen – S – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Allen is a 5’11”, 186 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, North Carolina, Pitt, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #22 safety, and #302 overall. He does not have an offer from the Wolverines yet, but he took an unofficial visit on Wednesday, June 6.

Zach Carpenter – OG – Cincinnati (OH) Moeller: Carpenter is committed to Michigan (LINK).

George Pickens – WR – Hoover (AL) Hoover: Pickens is a 6’5″, 199 lb. prospect who has been committed to Auburn since July of 2017; he also has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #15 wide receiver, and #94 overall. This is scheduled to be an official visit.

Tyler Rudolph – CB – Waterbury (CT) St. Thomas More: Rudolph is a 6’1″, 205-pounder who committed to Penn State last month; he also has offers from Clemson, Florida, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #24 safety, and #312 overall. This was schedule to be his official visit, although it’s unclear if he will follow through with the visit now that he is a verbal to the Nittany Lions.

2020

Arik Gilbert – LB – Marietta (GA) Marietta: Gilbert is a 6’5″, 248 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 athlete, and #11 overall. He’s a teammate of 2020 quarterback Harrison Bailey, who also visited, though I put him on last week’s list (LINK).

Tevin Griffey – CB – Orlando (FL) Dr. Phillips: Griffey is a 5’10”, 155 lb. prospect whose first offer comes from Michigan. He’s the son of Ken Griffey, Jr.

Tyler Van Dyke – QB – Glastonbury (CT) Suffield Academy: Van Dyke is a 6’4″, 212-pounder with offers from Boston College, UMass, Rutgers, and Michigan. Suffield Academy is where Michigan safety Brad Hawkins, Jr. spent his prep year after high school.

Te’Cory Couch, Ex-Wolverine

Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna CB Te’Cory Couch (image via LSU Football Report)

Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna cornerback Te’Cory Couch decommitted from Michigan on Saturday. He had originally committed to the Wolverines in mid-April (LINK). Couch was also committed to Tennessee at one point, so this idea isn’t new for him.

Couch is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 athlete, and #244 overall. He’s listed by 247 at 5’9.5″ and 148 lbs., though he’s reportedly bigger than that by now. There was some talk that he would end up playing safety at the next level, but it now looks like he will be doing that for Miami (or at least it looks like he will commit to Miami temporarily).

I think Couch is a pretty smooth athlete, although he does not look like a game-changing athlete as a defensive back. This hurts Michigan’s recruiting class from a perception standpoint, but the Wolverines should be able to find a suitable replacement. Michigan’s cornerbacks have performed at a very high level over the past few years, and other recruits surely see that. Georgia cornerback D.J. Turner is set to announce on June 25, and odds are that he will pick Michigan.

On the other hand, Chaminade-Madonna produces a ton of talented prospects, and Couch’s departure won’t help to grease the wheels to a solid program. Michigan is also recruiting wide receiver teammate John Dunmore, a 4-star prospect who was very high on the Wolverines following his April visit, too.

Michigan now has 10 commits remaining in the 2019 class.

Kekoa Crawford, Ex-Wolverine

Kekoa Crawford

Junior wide receiver Kekoa Crawford has decided to transfer out of Michigan. His future destination is unknown at this point.

Kekoa – once known as Dylan Crawford – committed to Michigan at the Army All-American Bowl in January of 2016 (LINK). He caught 4 passes for 47 yards and 1 touchdown as a true freshman in 2016, and then he moved up on the depth chart to become a starter in 2017. In his sophomore season, he was #4 in receptions (17) and #5 in yards (243); he was also second on the team in yards per catch (14.3), out of players with 10+ receptions. Despite being used more in 2017, the writing was on the wall that younger players like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black had passed him.

This is a bit of a blow to Michigan’s receiving corps, considering Crawford was a potential starter somewhere on the field. The upcoming season will probably see Peoples-Jones and Black start on the outside, with junior Grant Perry in the slot. Crawford is physically capable of playing any of those spots, and as we saw last season, an injury like Black’s could thrust the next guy into the starting lineup for long periods of time. However, the Wolverines have recruited well at wide receiver – including backups Nico Collins and Oliver Martin – so Crawford’s departure may not be noticed too much in the long run.

Michigan is now down to 85 scholarship players for the 2018 season (LINK), which means nobody else needs to leave to get down to the limit.