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Carter Dunaway, Wolverine

Carter Dunaway with Jim Harbaugh (image via Twitter)

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Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice tight end Carter Dunaway committed to Michigan on Friday night. The 2017 prospect had no other offers at the time of his commitment.

Dunaway is 6’6″, 232 lbs. and, according to Maxpreps, had 1 catch for 9 yards (plus a two-point conversion) as a sophomore in 2014.

Hit the jump for more on Dunaway and his commitment to Michigan.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: Unranked
Scout: Unranked
247 Sports: Unranked

Dunaway is the son of former Michigan tight end Craig Dunaway, who caught 55 passes for 775 yards and 8 touchdowns for Bo Schembechler in the early 1980s. Carter’s older brother, Jack, will be a preferred walk-on defensive end out of Brother Rice this coming fall (LINK).

Carter was offered two weeks ago on the weekend of Michigan’s spring game. He was essentially considered a shoo-in for Michigan at the time, and that assumption turned out to be spot on.

Not much is known in the recruiting world about his abilities. He obviously has good size for a high school sophomore, and he has good bloodlines with his dad (who went on to spend one year in the NFL) and a brother who’s a pretty good athlete. He spent his sophomore season mostly watching senior tight ends Brian Fortin (18 catches, 195 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Michael Roney (22 catches, 366 yards, 2 touchdowns) catch passes from Alex Malzone, who is now playing quarterback for Michigan. That obviously worked well for Brother Rice on their way to a 10-1 record, but it doesn’t tell us much about Dunaway.

In my years of following and analyzing Michigan recruiting, this is the biggest head-scratcher I have seen. Brother Rice is a solid program in the state of Michigan, but even at national powerhouses, I have never seen Michigan offer a scholarship to a third-stringer. Personally, I believe that players are made on game day, and presumably without much film (Carter does not have a highlight video), the coaches were going off of meeting him, perhaps watching him work out, and the advice of non-staff members (Dunaway’s family members, coaches, etc.). Certainly Michigan’s staff could have waited until a few games into Carter’s junior season to see how he fared before pulling the trigger on an offer.

But Jim Harbaugh chose not to do so. I mean, we’re talking about Jim Harbaugh, who is extremely competitive and a tight end whisperer. There are four options here:

1. Harbaugh’s legendary intensity has been overcome by Michigan nostalgia, and he offers any and every Michigan legacy.
2. Harbaugh likes what he and his staff have seen of Carter Dunaway in workouts enough to the point that game film and experience are superfluous.
3. Michigan could feasibly have a giant 2017 class, so there are bound to be a couple flyers.
4. Harbaugh can turn anybody who’s 6’6″ into a stud tight end.

*Just kidding. I won’t give out TTB Ratings for 2017 kids until the 2016 class is complete.

Scout 300 updated for 2016

Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson is the #102 player

Scout updated their top 300 players for the class of 2016 (LINK) a couple days ago. Here are a list of Michigan commits:

– Erik Swenson is #102
– Matt Falcon is #147
– Brandon Peters is #283

Hit the jump for all of Michigan’s targets on the list.

5-stars:
1. Rashan Gary – DT – New Jersey
5. Greg Little – OT – Texas (Texas A&M)
6. Shea Patterson – QB – Lousiana (Ole Miss)
8. Caleb Kelly – LB – California
10. Nate Craig – WR – Florida (Auburn)
11. Jacob Eason – QB – Washington (Georgia)
12. Kareem Walker – RB – New Jersey (Ohio State)
13. Ed Oliver – DT – Texas
16. Levonta Taylor – CB – Virginia (Florida State)

4-stars:
21. Ben Bredeson – OT – Wisconsin
22. Justin Madubuike – DE – Texas
25. Dexter Lawrence – DT – North Carolina
26. Devin Duvernay – WR – Texas
31. Michael Menet – OT – Pennsylvania
32. Binjimen Victor – WR – Florida
33. Tommy Kraemer – OT – Ohio (Notre Dame)
36. Boss Tagaloa – DT – California
37. Willie Allen – OT – Louisiana
38. Ben Davis – LB – Alabama
39. Brandon Jones – S – Texas
42. Mique Juarez – LB – California (USC)
44. Charlie Woerner – TE – Georgia
46. Kaden Smith – TE – Texas (Stanford)
47. Jack Jones – ATH – California
48. E.J. Price – OT – Georgia (Georgia)
49. Ahmir Mitchell – ATH – New Jersey
50. Marlon Davidson – DE – Alabama
51. Curtis Robinson – LB – California (Stanford)
52. Jeffrey McCulloch – LB – Texas
53. Demetris Robertson – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
54. Jaquan Yulee – LB – Virginia
55. K.J. Costello – QB – California (Stanford)
56. Jared Mayden – CB – Texas
57. Janarius Robinson – DE – Florida (Florida State)
59. Clark Yarbrough – OT – Virginia
64. Collin Johnson – WR – Texas (Texas)
66. Liam Eichenberg – OT – Ohio
67. Dylan Crawford – WR – California
68. Dee Anderson – WR – Texas
71. Terrance Davis – OT – Maryland
76. Ben Cleveland – OG – Georgia (Georgia)
80. Isaiah Chambers – DE – Texas
81. Isaac Nauta – TE – Georgia (Florida State)
82. Jordan Elliott – DT – Texas
83. Lokeni Toiailoa – LB – California (UCLA)
84. Austin Mack – WR – Indiana
85. Trayvon Mullen – CB – Florida
87. Dontavious Jackson – LB – Texas
88. Auston Robertson – DE – Indiana
89. Devin Asiasi – TE – California
91. Devin White – LB – Louisiana
92. Jake Hausmann – TE – Ohio (Ohio State)
96. Theo Howard – WR – California (Oregon)
98. Miles Sanders – RB – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
99. Chris Daniels – DT – Texas
102. Erik Swenson – OT – Illinois (Michigan)
103. Josh King – DE – Illinois
104. Erick Fowler – DE – Texas
107. Malik Henry – QB – California (Florida State)
108. Sam Bruce – WR – Florida (Miami)
110. Mike Williams – DT – Texas
111. Jaylon Jones – CB – Texas
112. Nigel Knott – CB – Mississippi
113. Scott Bracey – WR – Virginia (Duke)
114. Donnie Corley – WR – Michigan
116. Jonah Williams – OT – California (Alabama)
122. Jordan Fuller – CB – New Jersey
126. Jarrett Guarantano – QB – New Jersey (Tennessee)
134. Steven Smothers – WR – Maryland
135. Julian Okwara – DE – North Carolina (Notre Dame)
144. Brad Hawkins – WR – New Jersey
145. Michael Jordan – OT – Michigan
146. Devery Hamilton – OT – Maryland
147. Matt Falcon – RB – Michigan (Michigan)
149. Amani Bledsoe – DE – Kansas
152. Rahshaun Smith – DE – Florida (Clemson)
154. Luke Farrell – TE – Ohio
157. Camilo Eifler – LB – California
159. Mecole Hardman – ATH – Georgia
160. Trevon Sideny – ATH – California
163. Eli Stove – WR – Florida
167. Michael Onwenu – DT – Michigan
170. Lavert Hill – CB – Michigan (Penn State)
171. Shaquille Quarterman – LB – Florida (Miami)
172. Antonio Williams – RB – North Carolina (Wisconsin)
174. C.J. Pollard – S – California
179. Justin Layne – WR – Ohio
184. John Broussard – CB – Alabama
187. Cole Van Lanen – OT – Wisconsin
201. Daelin Hayes – LB – Michigan (USC)
203. Xavier Kelly – DE – Kansas
208. Frank Martin II – OT – California (USC)
212. Naseir Upshur – TE – Pennsylvania
213. Jacob Mathis – TE – Florida
214. Darrian Franklin – LB – California
219. Patrick Bethel – DE – Florida
225. David Long – CB – California
228. Levi Onwuzurike – DE – Texas
235. Wayne Davis – CB – Virginia
236. Steffon McKnight – WR – California
237. Marquel Dismuke – S – California (Cal)
238. Dwayne Haskins – QB – Maryland
239. Khalid Kareem – DE – Michigan
243. Calvin Bundage – S – Oklahoma
250. Eric Cuffee – CB – Texas
251. Cameron Lewis – S – Louisiana (LSU)
256. Thiyo Lukusa – OG – Michigan
259. Cary Angeline – TE – Pennsylvania
260. Desmond Fitzpatrick – WR – Michigan (Louisville)
264. Damar Hamlin – CB – Pennsylvania
266. Terrell Hall – DE – Washington, D.C. (Ohio State)
268. LaMar Winston – LB – Oregon
271. Connor Murphy – DE – Arizona
277. Demetric Vance – S – Michigan
279. Naquan Jones – DT – Illinois
280. Bryson Young – DE – California
283. Brandon Peters – QB – Indiana (Michigan)
285. Simi Fehoko – WR – Utah
291. Jauan Williams – OT – Washington, D.C.
292. Tavares Chase – WR – Florida
293. Jordan Woods – DE – Florida

Class of 2015 Preferred Walk-ons

Saline (MI) Saline running back Kevin Gross

Saline (MI) Saline running back Kevin Gross recently posted on Twitter that he would be walking on to Michigan’s football team, giving Michigan at least seven preferred walk-ons for the fall. Sometimes walk-ons never contribute, sometimes they play special teams, and sometimes they play significantly. For whatever reason(s), these past few seasons have featured several walk-ons in prominent roles: Jordan Kovacs, Graham Glasgow, and Ryan Glasgow, among others.

The Glasgows were the preferred kind, which means they were guaranteed a spot on the team in fall camp. In addition to the 85 scholarship players, 20 more (for a total of 105) can begin fall camp and practice with the team from day one. More players can join the team after the first day of classes, but these players will be there learning and earning their shot from day one. Kovacs, on the other hand, was a student body walk-on, meaning basically that the coaches had no idea who he was before he showed up for a tryout in the middle of the year.

Hit the jump for the profiles and highlights of the seven walk-ons.

John Andrysiak – LB – Flint (MI) Powers Catholic: Andrysiak, a 6’1″ and 205 lb. linebacker, is the son of former Notre Dame quarterback Terry Andrysiak. As a senior in 2014, he made 100 tackles, 7 sacks, and 1 interception. He also rushed for 391 yards and 16 touchdowns as a fullback, and he claims a 4.7 forty. Andrysiak is a solidly built inside linebacker type who lacks great size and athleticism, but he could be a special teams coverage guy on punt or kickoff. (MLive article)

Jack Dunaway – DE – Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway is 6’3″, 212 lbs. and the son of a former Michigan tight end. He’s also the teammate of two incoming scholarship freshmen, quarterback Alex Malzone (who technically enrolled early in January) and wide receiver Grant Perry. And to top it off, he’s the older brother of 2017 tight end Carter Dunaway, who was offered a scholarship by Michigan recently. In his own right, Jack made 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 4 pass breakups from his defensive end spot this past season. Dunaway has some explosiveness as a defensive end and the bloodlines to potentially develop into a player, although he does not have great measurables.

Jordan Glasgow – S – Marmion (IL) Marmion Academy: Glasgow is a 6’0″, 205 lb. player who was a running back and safety in high school. He is the younger brother of Graham and Ryan Glasgow, a fifth year senior center and a redshirt junior defensive tackle, respectively. As for Jordan himself, he is a thickly built defensive back who will probably be limited to special teams duty and a chance to play some strong safety, though he lacks the speed to play much in space. (Kane County Chronicle article)

Kevin Gross – RB – Saline (MI) Saline: The 5’11”, 195 lb. Gross was accepted to Michigan’s engineering program. From nearby Saline High School, he suffered a broken leg during his junior year that limited his playing time and ability. As a senior he rushed for 662 yards and 15 touchdowns, caught 20 passes for 422 yards and 6 touchdowns, and even threw a touchdown for good measure. (MLive article)

Cheyenn Robertson – DE – Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep: Robertson is a 6’4″, 220 lb. player who played against new recruiting coordinator Chris Partridge’s Paramus (NJ) Catholic team this past season. St. Peter’s Prep went on to win the state championship. Robertson is a decent sized kid who does not look like a quick-twitch athlete. While he has the size of an outside linebacker, he probably lacks the quickness, and he might be best served by builking up and playing end. (NJ.com article)

Chris Terech – LB – Saline (MI) Saline: Another walk-on from Saline, Terech is a 6’2″, 220 lb. linebacker who led the state in tackles during his senior season. He finished the year with 151 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. Terech lacks the measurables of an elite linebacker, but he has a good nose for the ball and packs a punch once he arrives. (MLive article)

Ryan Tice – K/P – Saline (MI) Saline: Yet another Saline Hornet, Tice graduated in December, enrolled at Michigan in January, and participated in spring football this past semester. He’s listed as a 6’1″, 177 lb. kicker/punter. Both of Michigan’s kicking specialists graduated after last season, so the jobs are open.

Who is the most likely to contribute?

Scouting Report: Naseir Upshur

Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep tight end Naseir Upshur with former Michigan tight ends coach Dan Ferrigno in June 2014 (image via GBMWolverine)

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Name: Naseir Upshur
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 233 lbs.
High school: Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep
Position: Tight end
Class: 2016

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, LSU, Maryland, Massachusetts, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, UCF, UCLA, USC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin. . . 22 catches, 640 yards, 11 touchdowns; 20 tackles, 6 sacks as a junior in 2014 . . . Claims 4.7 forty . . . 4.47 shuttle . . . 26.7″ vertical . . .  Rivals 4-star, #3 TE, #61 overall . . . Scout 4-star, #10 TE, #212 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, #7 TE, #208 overall

Strengths: Thick, powerful lower body . . . Adept and potent blocker . . . Drives feet after contact . . . Blocks through the whistle . . . Impressive straight line speed . . . Tough to bring down for defensive backs . . . Good agility . . . Solid route runner . . . Understands how to threaten and beat coverages

Weaknesses: Rather short for tight end . . . Does not possess ideal length . . . Limited catching radius . . . Body catcher . . . Does not extend hands well

Projection: Tight end/H-back. Upshur has the tenacity to become an inline tight end and blocker, but he lacks ideal size for the position and might top out around 240 lbs. He probably projects best as a complementary tight end or an H-back type who can go in motion, line up as a wing, work out of the slot, etc. He is not a mismatch in the passing game because he lacks the explosiveness and catching radius to beat well trained pass defenders. However, he could be effective on seam routes, an occasional bubble screen, bootlegs, etc. He will also be a strong point in the running game, where he can latch onto and overpower second-level defenders. If offense doesn’t work out, Upshur could also play defensive end, where he has some explosiveness and a nose for the ball.

Reminds me of: Khalid Hill. Upshur’s size is similar to that of Vernon Davis, but he lacks the same kind of speed. Hill is a similar type of player in regard to pass catching and overall physical profile, but Upshur is more explosive and a stronger blocker.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Steve Lorenz recently predicted that Upshur would end up committing to Michigan. Jay Harbaugh is his recruiter and has been coming after him hard. He essentially has his choice of schools, and there has been some talk about him playing with Maryland quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who is bound for somewhere other than Ann Arbor. Overall, Michigan is one of his top few schools right now and at least has a strong chance to secure his commitment.

Highlights:

Hudl highlights.

John O’Korn, Wolverine

Houston transfer quarterback John O’Korn

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Houston quarterback John O’Korn is transferring to Michigan. You already know this if you are a Michigan football blogosphere fanatic, but I didn’t want to write a commitment post until things were more concrete. So here we are.

O’Korn is a 6’4″, 220-pounder who attended Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas before committing to Houston; he also had offers from Arkansas, Louisville, Mississippi State, and North Carolina, among others. Coincidentally, he played at the same school as incoming graduate transfer Jake Rudock. O’Korn started for Houston as a freshman after the starter got knocked out with concussions; O’Korn was named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year for his performance. He then lost his starting job in the middle of his sophomore year and is now headed to Ann Arbor.

Hit the jump for more on O’Korn and his future at Michigan.

HIGH SCHOOL RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 77 grade, #38 pocket passing QB
Rivals: 3-star, #31 pro-style QB
Scout: 3-star, #38 QB
247 Sports: 3-star, #24 pro-style QB, #519 overall

As a freshman, he went 259/446 (58.1%) for 3,117 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. As a sophomore in 2014, he was 90/173 (52%) for 951 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in seven games.

O’Korn is a good-sized quarterback who fits the physical mold of a pro-style quarterback. While Houston is more of a spread team, O’Korn was in a pro-style offense as a high schooler, so dropping back from under center, ball handling, etc. should not be major adjustments. He has a strong enough arm for college football, although not a cannon; he should be able to make all the throws necessary for Harbaugh’s offense. He shows some very nice touch on his throws and won’t try to laser in passes to wide open receivers. As a runner, he’s a strong kid who can shake off some tacklers. He’s not afraid to lower his shoulder if necessary – or sometimes even if it’s unnecessary – and he has enough athleticism to move the chains if defenses don’t respect his ability to scramble.

On the negative side, O’Korn has a bit of a three-quarters delivery that might see some of his passes get batted down. He also tends to fall off to his left side when throwing left, which can cause the ball to sail high and generally be inaccurate. Mechanically, he made significant strides from high school to Houston, but he still showed some issues with footwork. His biggest issue as a sophomore was that he seemed to be staring down his receivers, allowing defenders to converge on his intended target.

One thing to consider regarding O’Korn’s decline was the offensive coordinator change between his freshman and sophomore years. Doug Meacham was transplanted from high-octane Oklahoma State to passing game coordinator at Houston in 2013, and O’Korn enjoyed a great deal of success under him. After that season Meacham was hired away by Gary Patterson at TCU, where Meacham’s offense turned Trevone Boykin from mediocre (7 touchdowns, 7 interceptions) into a potential Heisman candidate (33 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 707 yards rushing). Meanwhile, replacement coordinator Travis Bush was not retained by new Houston head coach Tom Herman and, as far as I can tell, has not found a new job yet.

Overall, I think Michigan did a good job of bringing in O’Korn, who has a similar skill set to what Harbaugh brought in at Stanford. As an athlete he compares favorably to all but Shane Morris and Zach Gentry of Michigan’s other quarterbacks, but O’Korn is a better decision maker than Morris and more experienced than both. He will have to sit out the 2015 season due to NCAA transfer rules, and he will be a redshirt junior in 2016. Unless Morris or an underclassman wins the job this year and plays well, I would guess that O’Korn would be the opening day starter going into 2016.

As of right now, there are six quarterbacks scheduled to be on the roster in 2016: Shane Morris (Sr.), O’Korn (RS Jr.), Wilton Speight (RS So.), Zach Gentry (So.), Alex Malzone (So.), and Brandon Peters (Fr.). Michigan is already technically over the limit for scholarships in 2015, so there will have to be some attrition – or some walk-on scholarships yanked – before this season begins. Either way, the quarterback cabinet is pretty full and it would be pretty surprising if Michigan went after another high school quarterback in the 2016 class besides Peters.

TTB Rating: 81 (ratings explanation)