Posts under: Uncategorized

Recruiting Update: May 14, 2015

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s wide receiver K.J. Hamler (image via 247Sports.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Clinton (MS) Clinton running back Cam Akers was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 running back, and #62 overall. A high school quarterback, in 2014 he completed 119/200 passes for 1,800 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions; he also ran 166 times for 896 yards and 11 touchdowns. Akers is a sturdily built runner who lacks great breakaway speed, but he has decent acceleration, has good balance, and can break a lot of tackles.

Cheshire (CT) Academy wide receiver Tarik Black was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Connecticut, Maryland, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #14 wide receiver, and #97 overall. He claims a 36″ vertical. As a sophomore in 2014, he had 57 catches for 926 yards and 12 touchdowns. His film should be taken with a grain of salt since Connecticut lacks much talent in the sport of football, but he makes some very nice acrobatic catches – impressive regardless of competition – and shows some decent speed. Black is high on Michigan and could have the Wolverines #1 on his list early.

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne cornerback Chevin Calloway was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and TCU, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #14 cornerback, and #192 overall. He claims a 4.45 forty. Despite just average size, Calloway is good in press man coverage and shows some decent ball skills.

West Sayville (NY) Sayville quarterback Jack Coan was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Miami, and Syracuse, among others. As a sophomore in 2014, he completed 195/327 passes for 3,431 yards and 40 touchdowns. Coan throws a nice, catchable ball and has good pocket awareness, but he is not an adept runner and has a delivery that can be very deliberate. He’s just beginning the recruiting process and took his first college visit less than a month ago.

Hit the jump for several more new offers in the 2017 class.

Norfolk (VA) Booker T. Washington defensive tackle Breyon Gaddy was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 321 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 5-star, the #2 defensive tackle, and #23 overall. Gaddy is large and can be explosive, although his claim of a 4.6 forty is likely an exaggeration. He spends too much of his time standing straight up, so the possibility of being a William Campbell exists. The Seminoles were the first to offer and are likely still the leader.

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s wide receiver K.J. Hamler was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 155 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, and Michigan State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star, the #44 wide receiver, and #270 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he caught 38 passes for 773 yards. Hamler is very speedy and elusive, and despite being undersized, he wants to play receiver in college, most likely in the slot; he could also be helpful in the return game. Michigan State looks like they might have the lead. Hamler has two teammates with Michigan offers: 2016 offensive guard Cameron Kolwich and 2017 linebacker Joshua Ross.

Princeton (NJ) The Hun School defensive tackle Fred Hansard was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 310 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #12 defensive tackle, and #142 overall. Hansard is a big boy with a little bit of bad weight, but he is strong and runs pretty well for his size, which is shown by his fumble return for a touchdown on the very first play of his highlights. He attends the alma mater of former Michigan defensive end Anthony Lalota, who eventually transferred to Rutgers before quitting football altogether.

Roseville (CA) Roseville tight end Jimmy Jaggers was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 230 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Louisville, Northwestern, and Oregon State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 tight end, and #209 overall. He is not the most outstanding athlete, but he shows a good understanding of the position, runs fairly well, and shows a strong ability to block at the point of attack. Jaggers visited Michigan a couple weeks ago without an offer at the time, so his interest in the Wolverines seems quite high.

Vidalia (GA) Vidalia linebacker Nate McBride was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and Georgia, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 outside linebacker, and #91 overall. McBride is a speedy outside linebacker who does a little bit of everything for his high school team – plays linebacker, plays running back, returns kicks, etc. He would be a good pull, but it will be tough to get him out of SEC country.

Atlanta (GA) Hapeville cornerback William Poole III was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Miami, and others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #15 cornerback, and #194 overall. Poole is a quick-twitch kid with good speed and long arms, although he occasionally gets lost in coverage. Georgia looks like the team to beat right now.

Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Rancho Cucamonga cornerback Jaylon Redd was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #19 cornerback, and #243 overall. Redd has that classic highlight film that’s slightly sped up, so he looks faster than he really is – and so does everyone else on the field. His speed should be taken with a grain of salt. Regardless, some big programs have offered, and he’s a little guy with pretty good agility.

Marietta (GA) Sprayberry running back Trey Sermon was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 running back, and #57 overall. Sermon has a nice blend of size, vision, speed, and power which should translate nicely into being the next great Georgia Bulldog running back.

Atlanta (GA) Pace offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 295 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #8 offensive tackle, and #65 overall. Thomas has some impressive agility for a guy his size, and he has the flexibility to stay low and drive people off the ball.

Upland (CA) Upland wide receiver Nathan Tilford was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, UCLA, and USC. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #25 wide receiver, and #164 overall. Tilford plays running back in high school, though he might be a bit tall and lanky to stick at that position. He has good speed and athleticism but might find himself playing safety or outside linebacker, where his raw athleticism might serve him better. Tilford attends the alma mater of former Michigan target Joe Mathis (Washington), who was known for changing his mind depending on the direction of the wind.

Sparta (NJ) Pope John XXIII defensive tackle Dalyn Wade-Perry was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 320 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Ohio State, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #20 defensive tackle, and #241 overall. Wade-Perry is a wide body who will probably be a nose tackle at the next level. He shows some nimble feet but probably lacks the explosiveness to be a penetrating 3-tech tackle.

Roswell (GA) Roswell cornerback LeAnthony Williams, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 cornerback, and #203 overall. I really like Williams’s game, because he’s a speedy guy who’s not afraid to stick his nose into some physical contact. He could play corner or safety, but I would probably include him in the top 100 prospects in the country.

Blake Countess, Ex-Wolverine

Blake Countess

Rising fifth-year senior cornerback Blake Countess has elected to play his final year of college ball elsewhere. The 5’10”, 185 lb. corner was expected to compete for a starting job this fall after having a disappointing 2014 season.

Coming out of Olney (MD) Good Counsel, Countess was a Rivals 4-star and the #133 player nationally in the 2011 class. I gave him a TTB Rating of 84 (LINK) and was pleased with his commitment (LINK), which took place shortly before Rich Rodriguez was fired. I thought he would be Michigan’s next good corner after Donovan Warren departed in 2009.

Countess played immediately as a freshman in 2011 and started six games that year, finishing with 44 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 6 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble. ESPN and the Big Ten Network included him on their conference all-freshman teams. Entering the 2012 season as a starter, Countess got injured playing special teams in the season opener against Alabama and missed the rest of the year with a torn ACL. He came back with a vengeance in 2013, making First Team All-Big Ten with 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions (1 touchdown), and 4 pass breakups. Big things were expected, but his production fell off (24 tackles, 3 pass breakups) and he saw diminished playing time in 2014.

Rumors started to pop up about Countess potentially transferring around the same time Wayne Lyons appeared headed to Michigan. Essentially, the defensive backfield was getting crowded with talented and/or veteran players – Countess, Lyons, junior Jourdan Lewis, sophomore Jabrill Peppers, and senior Jarrod Wilson are all starting-caliber players, and a couple other guys are pushing for playing time. Countess is not a physical corner, and new defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s preferred style of defense did not seem primed to mesh with Countess’s. Even so, Countess would have seen plenty of playing time even if he didn’t start.

But a 4-star guy in his fifth year – a guy who had 6 picks in one season a couple years ago – should probably be starting somewhere. A player of his caliber has an eye on the NFL, and the NFL doesn’t draft many college backups. It’s somewhat understandable that Countess would look to transfer to a more amenable situation.

Unfortunately, this transfer comes at the expense of Michigan’s quality depth. There’s likely no question that the two front-runners for the cornerback jobs are Lewis and Lyons, but the only experienced backup is junior Channing Stribling, who has yet to make a significant play despite a fair amount of time on the field. The position is supplemented by redshirt junior Terry Richardson, redshirt sophomore Ross Taylor-Douglas, redshirt sophomore Reon Dawson, and redshirt freshman Brandon Watson, none of whom have registered a single stat. Furthermore, the lone cornerback in the 2015 class is lanky project Keith Washington. There appears to be a serious deficit in cornerback talent when you get younger than Lewis, although Watson has some potential.

Five years later, linebacker Desmond Morgan is the only player remaining from the 2011 class, which was the Rodriguez-to-Hoke transition year. Attrition can be expected from classes with that kind of instability, but too many players played early and exhausted their eligibility this past season.

Dennis Norfleet, Ex-Wolverine

Dennis Norfleet (image via USA Today)

Running back/slot receiver/cornerback/kick returner/punt returner Dennis Norfleet has been dismissed from Michigan’s football team. Steve Lorenz from 247 Sports reported that he skipped several final exams, which is not a good idea for you prospective college students out there.

Rumors had been swirling about Norfleet for the past couple weeks, and this was likely the reason. The story going around is that Jim Harbaugh informed him that he did not see Norfleet playing a significant role in Michigan’s future, which caused Norfleet to have a negative reaction. He essentially made an emotional decision and put his academics on the back burner, which sealed the deal for his departure.

You may remember that Norfleet was switched to defense in the spring game. Primarily an offensive and special teams player throughout his career, he played cornerback a little at the end of the 2012 season and then this spring. The spring game saw Shane Morris, Amara Darboh, and Jaron Dukes picking on him for several completions, including the only touchdown of the day. Those were unfair matchups since Norfleet was largely inexperienced at the position and going against much larger receivers (Norfleet is 5’7″, while Darboh and Dukes are comfortably over 6’0″), but regardless, he had a job to do and didn’t get it done.

His career offensive output includes 15 carries for 130 yards (8.7 yards/carry) and 21 catches for 157 yards (7.5 yards/catch). He was a little awkward in 2014 as a downfield receiver, excelling more as a screen guy, a change-of-pace guy out of the backfield, etc. Norfleet’s biggest contribution came as a kickoff returner, where he was the school’s all-time return yardage leader (94 returns for 2,203 yards). He also returned 15 career punts for 90 yards. Norfleet never scored a touchdown in a Michigan uniform, unless you count the game against Maryland when an apparent punt return score was called back due to a penalty.

Norfleet was a late addition to the 2012 class, flipping from Cincinnati just before National Signing Day when the Wolverines stepped forward with an offer. In my commitment post (LINK), I thought he would be a solid starter on special teams, and he was. Too small to expect much of a regular role on either side of the ball, I said that I was bothered by the way Norfleet finished plays. It looks like that criticism carries over to classes, too.

Despite my criticism, I am a little disappointed that Norfleet will not return to the field for Michigan. He brought a lot of energy with his dancing and antics, and I can’t help feeling a little bad for a guy who touches the ball so much and never crosses the goal line. When Norfleet ambled over to the sideline when his touchdown was called back against Maryland, he needed consoling. It seemed like only a matter of time before Norfleet would break a big return, but he was always a half-step too slow or a bit too weak to break the last tackle attempt.

Norfleet will likely look to transfer. Since he reportedly has not graduated, he will have to either sit out a year while waiting to become eligible at another FBS school or transfer to a lower division for immediate eligibility. Meanwhile, Michigan will have to find a guy or guys to fill his special teams roles. Jabrill Peppers will probably handle some of those duties, while other candidates include Jourdan Lewis, Freddy Canteen, Amara Darboh, Brian Cole, Blake Countess, and Da’Mario Jones.

Tyus Battle, Wolverine

Tyus Battle (image via Scout)

I don’t cover much basketball here, because jack of all trades, master of none, right? But I am a big Michigan basketball fan, and I’m excited to see that Gladstone (NJ) Gill St. Bernards shooting guard/small forward Tyus Battle committed to Michigan yesterday. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star and #12 overall in the 2016 class. Nobody seemed to be expecting Battle to commit to the Wolverines, at least not yet. Take the following with a grain of salt because I don’t – I repeat, don’t! – mean these players are the same caliber, but the way Battle moves around the floor, handles the ball, etc. reminds me of a young Kobe Bryant.

Site News: Launch date (plus a mid-day serving of Jourdan Lewis)

Jordan Lewis (image via Maize and Blue News)

In site-related news, the tentative launch date of the new website is June 7. Thanks to those of you who have contributed to the efforts. If you would like to donate, please use Paypal (on the left sidebar) or do some shopping through Amazon (LINK).

In football-related news, a video popped up on Scout of cornerback Jourdan Lewis working out against various guys at Belleville High School (LINK). One of the guys is former Detroit (MI) Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell, who is headed to prep school after squandering away his college opportunities.