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Some notes on Isaiah Wilson’s commitment to Georgia

Brooklyn (NY) Poly offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (image via Rivals)

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NOTE: This is the skeleton of a commitment post I had begun writing for Isaiah Wilson. I had my Crystal Ball on him to pick Michigan, and the late swing to Georgia surprised a lot of people in the Michigan recruiting sphere. So I had some notes going, as well as a bit of a scouting report. Naysayers will say that I’m throwing this stuff out there only because he committed elsewhere, but I guarantee what’s below was written prior to his public commitment to the Bulldogs.

Wilson is listed at 6’7″, 355 lbs. He claims a 5.6 forty.

RATINGS
ESPN: 5-star, 93 grade, #2 OT, #2 overall
Rivals: 5-star, #2 OT, #6 overall
Scout: 4-star, #9 OT, #49 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 94 grade, #12 OT, #103 overall

Hit the jump for more.

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Donovan Peoples-Jones, Wolverine

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (image via MLive)

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones committed to Michigan on Thursday night on ESPN. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Stanford, and USC, among others.

Peoples-Jones is 6’2″, 193 lbs. He claims a 4.4 forty and a 36″ vertical. As a junior in 2015, he caught 69 passes for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has been selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl to be played on January 7, 2017.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 87 grade, #4 WR, #27 overall
Rivals: 5-star, #2 WR, #13 overall
Scout: 5-star, #4 WR, #32 overall
247 Sports: 5-star, 98 grade, #1 WR, #8 overall

Hit the jump for more on his commitment.

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Tarik Black, Wolverine

Tarik Black (#17, image via My Record Journal)

Cheshire (CT) Cheshire Academy wide receiver Tarik Black committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon during a ceremony at his school. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA, among others.

Black is listed at 6’4″, 208 lbs. and has been selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He claims a 4.4 forty, a 38″ vertical, a 4.01 shuttle, and a 10’6″ broad jump.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #31 WR, #223 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #10 WR, #76 overall
Scout: 4-star, #13 WR, #99 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 92 grade, #29 WR, #197 overall

Hit the jump for more on Black’s recruitment.

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2016 Michigan Team Awards

Michigan held its annual Football Bust on Tuesday night, during which team awards are handed out for the season. Here are the awards:

BO SCHEMBECHLER MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

1. LB Jabrill Peppers
2. WR Amara Darboh
3. QB Wilton Speight
4. RB De’Veon Smith
5. CB Jourdan Lewis

HUGH R. RADER MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST OFFENSIVE LINEMAN): RT Erik Magnuson

RICHARD KATCHER AWARD (MOST VALUABLE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN): NT Ryan Glasgow, DT/DE Chris Wormley

ROGER ZATKOFF AWARD (MOST VALUABLE LINEBACKER): MLB Ben Gedeon

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD

1. QB Wilton Speight
2. WR Amara Darboh
3. LB Mike McCray II
4. CB Channing Stribling
5. DE Chase Winovich

SCOUT TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. CB Anthony Dalimonte
2. RB Joe Hewlett
3. FB Joe Beneducci
4. OL Ben Pliska
5. DE/LB Reuben Jones

BOB UFER SPIRIT AWARD (MOST ENTHUSIASM AND LOVE FOR THE GAME): LT Grant Newsome

DR. ARTHUR D. ROBINSON SCHOLARSHIP AWARD (LEADING SENIOR-SCHOLAR):

1. LT Grant Newsome
2. CB Matt Mitchell
3. TE Ian Bunting
4. OL Greg Froelich
5. WR Jack Wangler

I think these awards are pretty spot on, though some are impossible to tell. I thought the Ufer and Robinson awards were supposed to go to seniors and Newsome is only a sophomore, but oh well. Some people might think that Peppers was a more valuable linebacker than Gedeon, but I agree that Gedeon was the most important guy in that position group only. Peppers’s value comes from him playing some linebacker, yes, but also from his various other positions. The other thing about Gedeon is that he rarely came off the field, partly because there was almost literally nobody else capable of playing MIKE except the starting WILL (Mike McCray). The next guy was converted walk-on defensive end Michael Wroblewski. It was important for Gedeon to stay on the field, and he did so while playing pretty well.

Do you have any quibbles?

2018 Recruiting Update: December 14, 2016

Houston (TX) Lamar cornerback D’shawn Jamison (image via 247 Sports)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018

Pompano Beach (FL) North Broward wide receiver Kevin Austin was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #43 wide receiver, and #261 overall. As a junior in 2016, he caught 41 passes for 1,021 yards (24.9 yards/catch) and 13 touchdowns; he also ran 46 times for 454 yards and 6 TDs.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy offensive tackle Daniel Faalele was offered by Michigan. Faalele is 6’9″, 390 lbs. and his nickname is “Baby Shaq.” He moved to IMG Academy from Australia, which is where Michigan originally saw him during their satellite camp tour this past summer.

Houston (TX) Lamar cornerback D’shawn Jamison was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 168 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Houston, and TCU, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #29 cornerback, and #262 overall for 2018. He’s a feisty corner with good speed who’s a surprisingly solid hitter for his size.

Justin (TX) Northwest offensive tackle Darrell Simpson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 330 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and #55 overall. Simpson has some bad weight on him, but he’s a powerful blocker who moves pretty well.

OFF THE BOARD

Camp Hill (PA) Camp Hill tight end Zack Kuntz committed to Penn State. It’s hard to justify anyone picking Penn State based on their history within the football program and the athletic department, but their team success this past season and the production of tight end Mike Gesicki this season were obviously convincing enough for the #1 tight end in the class.

Cibolo (TX) Steele safety Caden Sterns committed to LSU. Michigan had just offered him in early November before he committed in late November, so it was a short-lived romance. Sterns is the #4 safety and #44 overall player in the country.

MISCELLANEOUS

Marietta (GA) Lassiter cornerback Derrik Allen named Michigan to his top ten. I don’t expect much to come from it in the long run, but he is a 5-star and the #21 player in the country.