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Visitors: March 13-15, 2015

Kathleen (GA) Veterans quarterback Logan Byrd

The annual coaches clinic held at Michigan is taking place this weekend, and new head coach Jim Harbaugh has made a point to bring in some well respected high school head coaches from around the country to speak at the event. Some of those coaches will be bringing along their players, which could include someone like Jacob Eason (a Georgia commit who is the #1 quarterback in the country). Here’s the beginnings of the list for now:

2016
Logan Byrd – QB – Kathleen (GA) Veterans: Byrd is a 6’3″, 229 lb. prospect with offers from Duke, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Pitt, among others; he recently decommitted from Virginia Tech, where former Michigan player/coach Scot Loeffler was recruiting him. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #20 pro-style quarterback, and #432 overall. Byrd is somewhat of a dual-threat guy, although he does not possess great speed or elusiveness. Considering the other guys Michigan has offered, he would probably be a second-tier target, but driving up from Georgia could net him an offer once he gets to campus.

Jordan Fuller – S – Westwood (NJ) Old Tappan: Fuller is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 athlete, and #141 overall. His older brother, Devin, is a wide receiver for UCLA and was recruited by Michigan a couple years ago. Jordan is one of Michigan’s top targets at the safety position.

Khalid Kareem – DE – Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison: Kareem is a 6’4″, 252 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, and almost all the rest of the Big Ten, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 strongside end, and #227 overall. Kareem briefly committed to Michigan State last month, but it was short-lived and he has since opened up his recruitment.

Hit the jump for several more prospects.

Caleb Kelly – LB – Fresno (CA) Clovis West: Kelly is a 6’3″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #3 outside linebacker, and #15 overall. I am not overly impressed with his film and do not see a 5-star player, but the recruiting sites like him.

Austin Mack – WR – Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers: Mack is a 6’2″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and numerous others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #28 wide receiver, and #129 overall. The Fighting Irish and the Buckeyes are both out in front right now, but Michigan was his leader for a very brief time after he was offered. Mack was supposed to visit Michigan last week, and then he was supposed to visit South Carolina this weekend, but both of those visits fell through. Since he wasn’t able to make it to SC, he’s going to Ann Arbor instead.

Cavaughn Stewart – TE – Fresno (CA) Bullard: Stewart is a 6’3″, 222 lb. prospect with an offer from Utah. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #61 outside linebacker, and #801 overall.

David Tate, Jr. – LB – Fresno (CA) Edison: Tate is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with an offer from Washington. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #57 outside linebacker, and #770 overall. Kelly, Stewart, and Tate are all good friends from the Fresno area.

2017
K.J. Hamler – WR – Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s: Hamler is a 5’9″, 155 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Michigan State, Toledo, and West Virginia. As a sophomore in 2014, he caught 38 passes for 773 yards. Hamler is a speedster who might be limited by his lack of size.

Juan Harris – DT – West Union (IA) North Fayette: Harris is a 6’4″, 356 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Tennessee, and Utah (EDIT: add Michigan to the list). He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #10 defensive tackle, and #94 in his class. He has committed and de-committed from Iowa twice.

Another potential Michigan player will be visiting Michigan NEXT week.

Jake Rudock – QB – University of Iowa: Rudock is a 6’3″, 208 lb. quarterback who has been a two-year starter at Iowa. As a graduate of Iowa, he now has the option to play a fifth year at another school. As a redshirt junior in 2014, he went 213/345 (61.7%) for 2,436 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He also ran 67 times for 176 yards and 3 touchdowns. Going back to high school, he was a Rivals 3-star in the 2011 class and the #29 pro-style quarterback coming out of Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas. Interestingly, Houston quarterback John O’Korn is likely transferring in, and he is also a product of St. Thomas Aquinas; O’Korn was a Rivals 3-star and the #31 quarterback in the 2013 class, so both players had eerily similar expectations coming out of high school.

2015 Pro Day Results

Michigan’s pro day took place today. Pro day times, measurements, etc. will be sparse with limited media coverage and information coming out of tweets and such. However, I’ll try to post some updates as they trickle in:

DE Brennen Beyer: 4.9 forty, 4.12 shuttle, 20 bench reps @ 225 lbs., 33.5″ vertical, 9’2″ broad jump

DE Frank Clark: 4.6 forty

WR/TE Devin Funchess: 4.48 forty, 4.57 shuttle

QB/WR Devin Gardner: 4.62 forty, 35.5″ vertical, 15 bench reps @ 225 lbs., 9’9″ broad jump

CB Delonte Hollowell: 4.34 forty, 37″ vertical, 20 bench reps @ 225 lbs., 10’1″ broad jump

LB Jake Ryan: 6’2″, 240 lbs., 4.65 forty

CB Raymon Taylor: 4.42 forty, 15 bench reps @ 225 lbs., 4.06 shuttle, 33.5″ vertical, 9’8″ broad jump

Video: Jedd Fisch and Tyrone Wheatley talk about their position groups

Hit the jump for Tyrone Wheatley’s question-and-answer session.

Michigan’s Quarterback Situation

You want Wilton Speight to be Michigan’s starter, don’t you?

In case you’ve been under a rock for the past several months, you realize by now that Michigan is in a pretty undesirable position when it comes to the quarterback . . . position. The Wolverines lost a 2.5-year starter in the form of Devin Gardner, who is pursuing a career as an NFL wide receiver. Meanwhile, one experienced backup has struggled greatly, the other experienced backup transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the other guys available are freshmen of differing sorts. Nobody really knows how this will shake out, but here are some thoughts and rumors.

THE FRONT-RUNNER: Shane Morris (Jr.)
2014 stats: 14/40 (35%), 128 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
It’s hard to believe that someone with those statistics could be the front-runner for any job, but Morris is the aforementioned experienced backup. He backed up Gardner in 2013 as a freshman when Russell Bellomy had a torn ACL. He did not fare well, but there were glimpses against a pretty good Kansas State defense in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Then 2014 came along, and there were no more glimpses. Morris threw an ugly late-game interception in a blowout win over Appalachian State, and he also threw picks against Utah and Minnesota; meanwhile, despite some decent running skills, Morris has yet to account for any kind of touchdown during his college career. That’s 87 career passing attempts and 15 carries without a score. This spring he has reportedly been splitting snaps pretty evenly with the other scholarship quarterbacks available, but nobody has separated himself. Morris has a strong arm, decent accuracy, and those running skills, but his decision-making has generally been terrible.

Hit the jump for the rest of Michigan’s options under center.

THE FAN FAVORITE: Wilton Speight (RS Fr.)
2014 stats: Did not play while redshirting
I call Speight the “fan favorite” because, like just about any fan base, Michigan’s seems to think the backup is better than the starter. I use those terms loosely, of course, because neither slot is filled, but it’s only natural to think that the experienced junior would start while the inexperienced redshirt freshman bides his time. Speight is bigger (6’6″, 235 lbs.) than Morris and not quite as mobile, but the buzz is that he has more leadership qualities and has been picking up the offense quicker. Speight is not exactly a statue in the pocket, but him winning the job would largely negate the threat of designed runs for the quarterback. I was higher on Morris than Speight coming out of high school, although I did have some questions about Morris’s decision-making. Now that it appears Morris will not fill his borderline 5-star potential, it does seem intriguing to see what Speight can do.

THE DARK HORSE: Alex Malzone (Fr.)
2014 stats: 211/325 (64.9%), 2998 yards, 38 touchdowns, 5 interceptions as a senior in high school
Malzone passed up a couple mediocre Power Five conference schools and some MAC offers to stay home and play for the Wolverines. He enrolled early this past January and is currently in the midst of his first spring practice session. One thing I noted when he was in high school was that he seemed to be totally in command of his team’s offense. Nothing really stands out about his high school film other than that – he’s not particularly big, strong-armed, fast, etc. – but sometimes that can be enough. He played in a pro-style offense in high school that should mesh fairly well with what he is learning from Jim Harbaugh, although surely at a more complicated level. The coaches have reportedly been impressed with his ability to learn the playbook quickly, and I should note that I don’t believe I’ve ever heard that reported about Morris. While Speight and Malzone have been noted for their football aptitude, Morris has been more of the best overall athlete of the bunch.

THE ROOKIE GUNSLINGER: Zach Gentry (Fr.)
2014 stats: Unavailable
The 6’7″, 230 lb. freshman won’t arrive at Michigan until the summer, so all we have to go on is his high school film. It’s impressive high school film, but it also shows him playing against a bunch of New Mexicans, who are not regarded for their football abilities. Gentry is a one-time Texas commit, and while he may not have been ranked as high as Morris, he might have been more coveted by other programs; Morris stopped reporting new offers after he committed to Michigan very early in the process. Regardless, Gentry is very tall, has excellent speed for someone his size, and has a pretty strong arm. He might rival Morris for being the best athlete at the quarterback position, but these two will be on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to experience. After Michigan hired Harbaugh, Gentry became a prime target, so it’s comforting to think that the quarterback guru we hired really wanted this guy. At the same time, freshmen generally play like freshmen, which is not a compliment.

THE CLINT EASTWOOD: Jake Rudock (RS Sr.)
2014 stats: 213/345 (61.7%), 2436 yards, 16 touchdowns, 5 interceptions at Iowa
Who is this Jake Rudock guy and why has he not been playing here the past few years? You might not be too familiar because he’s been Iowa’s starting quarterback for the past two seasons. Reports have been bubbling below the surface for the past month or so that Rudock really wants to play for Jim Harbaugh and get out of Iowa, where ultra-conservative offensive coordinator Greg Davis had called for Rudock to dink and dunk his way to 6.9 and 7.1 yards per attempt for the past two seasons. The staff was not particularly interested to begin with, but none of the quarterbacks look great, so Harbaugh may be considering opening up the competition even further. If Michigan were to accept him, he would not arrive until the summer, but he would be eligible to play this fall due to the NCAA’s graduate transfer rules. Iowa fans do not like Rudock because he is boring, but throwing only 5 interceptions in 345 attempts looks pretty darn exciting to me. He led Iowa to a 7-6 record last year and an 8-5 record the year before, when the Hawkeyes have had a questionable offensive coordinator and debilitation injuries at the running back position. After Michigan went 5-7 last season, I think I would be satisfied with a one-year rental who could win 8 games while being “boring.” Personally, I think Michigan should throw as many darts as they can at the quarterback job, so if there’s any chance that Rudock could be the answer, then the coaching staff should make it happen.

THE UNTOUCHABLE: John O’Korn (RS So.)
2014 stats: 90/173 (52%), 951 yards, 6 touchdowns, 8 interceptions at Houston
O’Korn visited Michigan a few weeks ago and is all but official to be transferring to Michigan. However, he’s not a fifth-year guy and therefore won’t get an exception, so he wouldn’t be available until 2016.

You can voice your opinion on the quarterback situation in the comments or by voting in the poll posted on the left sidebar.

Rivals 100 to Watch for 2017

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones

Rivals released their early top 100 prospects to watch for 2017 (LINK); while the players are not listed numerically, they have been given star ratings. Below is a list of the players Michigan has offered:

5-stars:
Calvin Ashley – OT – Florida
Najee Harris – RB – California
Darnay Holmes – CB – California
Devon Hunter – S – Virginia
Josh Myers – OT – Ohio (Ohio State)

4-stars:
A.J. Epenesa – DE – Illinois
Darnell Ewell – OT – Virginia
Paris Ford – ATH – Pennsylvania
Anthony Hines – LB – Texas
Dylan McCaffrey – QB – Colorado
Jake Moretti – OT – Colorado
Jeffrey Okudah – ATH – Texas
Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR – Michigan
Stanford Samuels III – ATH – Florida
Jeff Thomas – WR – Illinois
Shaun Wade – CB – Florida (Ohio State)
Jamyest Williams – ATH – Georgia
Marcus Williamson – CB – Ohio