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A.J. Dillon, Ex-Wolverine

Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy running back A.J. Dillon decommitted from Michigan on Thursday and flipped to Boston College. Here’s what I wrote about Dillon back in March when he committed (LINK).

As you can see, I was not in love with Dillon. He’s a back in the mold of De’Veon Smith, in my opinion, and while Smith has done some good things, he’s not a championship- or award-caliber back. Dillon ran a laser-timed 4.64 forty, but that speed didn’t necessarily show up on the field.

I wrote a piece on Michigan’s running back recruiting not long ago (LINK) in which I outlined some possible scenarios for the position leading up to the completion of the 2017 class. Basically, Michigan seems to have a shot with just a couple guys right now to fill out the class and/or replace Dillon. One is national #1 prospect Najee Harris from Antioch (CA) Antioch. The other is Wylie (TX) East back Eno Benjamin, who is currently projected to go to Texas. There are some positive vibes about Harris potentially flipping from Alabama to Michigan, and the Wolverines were recently put in the top six for Benjamin, a former Iowa commit.

The loss of Dillon isn’t particularly damaging from a talent standpoint, but it could signal an underwhelming haul at the running back position if Michigan can’t close with Harris or Benjamin. The Wolverines had three running back commits, but are now down to two. Dillon was the second-best runner, according to the 247 Composite rankings, and the top back, Los Lunas (NM) Los Lunas’s O’Maury Samuels, is trying to shore up his academic resume. If academics causes him to fall by the wayside, then Michigan might be left with their third-best option in Loganville (GA) Grayson’s Kurt Taylor. While Michigan got a solid crew in 2016 with Chris Evans, Kareem Walker, and Kingston Davis, it would be disappointing for Michigan to only be able to bring in the 59th-best running back in the country after a year in which they were in playoff discussion and finished the regular season ranked at #6.

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Some notes on Isaiah Wilson’s commitment to Georgia

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

I’m almost to 5,000 followers on Twitter, so help me out and give me a follow (LINK).

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?