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Official Visitors: January 23-25, 2015

Gainesville (GA) Gainesville cornerback Chris Williamson

Markel Bush – CB – Delray Beach (FL) American Heritage: Bush is a 5’10”, 170 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He tweeted out that he would be taking an official visit to Michigan, so despite the lack of offers, apparently Michigan is pretty serious about recruiting him. On the plus side, Michigan has not used many of their official visits with such an in-flux season and off-season, plus a small recruiting class in general. So they’re in a position to host a few more visitors at this point and take some more risks than a lot of schools.

Nate Dalton – CB – Houston (TX) Cypress Falls: Dalton is a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect who picked up an offer from Michigan earlier this week. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #89 cornerback, and #1014 overall. He has taken visits to Oklahoma, Kentucky, and and Arkansas, and he’ll be in Ann Arbor this weekend. He had 4 picks this past season and is a physical kid who could also play safety. UPDATE: Dalton is no longer planning to visit.

Zach Gentry – QB – Albuquerque (NM) Eldorado: Gentry is a 6’7″, 230 lb. prospect who has been committed to Texas since last May. Texas is also pursuing 5-star quarterback Kyler Murray, and that – combined with Jim Harbaugh’s reputation – is causing Gentry to explore his options. When I did scouting reports on 2015 quarterbacks a year ago, Gentry was #4 on my list (LINK). He’s now a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 pro-style quarterback, and #176 overall.


Reuben Jones – DE – Lakeland (FL) Lake Gibson: Gibson is a 6’3″, 223 lb. prospect who committed to Nebraska in November. He has also visited Michigan State and Louisville. Jones is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 strongside end, and #780 overall. Jones does not sound likely to stick with his commitment to the Cornhuskers. He is coached by former Michigan offensive guard Ricky Barnum, but considering the regime change, there aren’t many connections remaining between Barnum and the current staff.

Will Lockett – CB – Manvel (TX) Manvel: Lockett is a 6’0″, 182 lb. prospect who committed to UCLA in August. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #77 cornerback, and #849 overall. As a senior this past season, he made 48 tackles, 1 sack, 4 interceptions (1 for a touchdown), 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 9 pass breakups. He claims a 34″ vertical and a 4.5 forty. Harbaugh secured a visit after visiting his school on Tuesday.

Hit the jump for a few more visitors.

Joshua McMillon – LB – Memphis (TN) Whitehaven: McMillon is a 6’3″, 239 lb. prospect who committed to Alabama last August. Michigan was in his top two but the Crimson Tide won out. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 outside linebacker, and #231 overall. UPDATE: About six hours after scheduling his visit, McMillon canceled the visit and said he’s “solid to Alabama.”

Jake Pickard – TE – Millburn (NJ) Millburn: Pickard is a 6’6″, 231 lb. prospect who committed to Wisconsin last July; he also has offers from Nebraska, Oregon, Rutgers, Syracuse, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #58 tight end, and #1248 overall. Pickard was angling for a Michigan offer early in his recruitment, and he got one in the middle of this week, setting up an official visit immediately. Pickard could play tight end, defensive end, offensive tackle, or even defensive tackle in college, depending on how his body fills out.


Matt Snyder – TE – San Ramon (CA) California: Snyder is a 6’5″, 245 lb. prospect who committed to Nebraska in late December. He had been committed to head coach Mike Riley at Oregon State since October, but Riley moved from Beaverton to Lincoln after the season, and Snyder followed him. Snyder is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #28 tight end, and #820 overall. Snyer has good size and decent straight-line speed and looks like a decent tight end prospect but not an absolute game-changer. While Harbaugh is a wizard with tight ends, Riley did some good things at Oregon State; starting tight end Connor Hamlett had 104 catches, 1109 yards, and 10 touchdowns over the past three seasons. This is Snyder’s only other official visit he’s taking, so it appears the only team with a chance to flip him is Michigan.

Nolan Ulizio – OT – West Chester (OH) Lakota West: Ulizio is a 6’6″, 280 lb. prospect who committed to UConn in mid-December; he also has offers from Cincinnati and Kentucky. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #222 offensive tackle, and #2326 overall. Michigan is obviously his biggest offer and he was very excited about it, so he might be the most likely to flip this weekend.


Reagan Williams – FB – Jackson (OH) Jackson: Williams is a 6’3″, 232 lb. prospect who committed to Stanford last July. He took his official visit to Stanford this past weekend and was offered by the Wolverines during that visit. Williams is being looked at as a middle linebacker by some schools, but Michigan wants him working out of the backfield. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #3 inside linebacker, and #690 overall. Williams visited Michigan a couple times prior to committing to Stanford, so the interest is not new.


Chris Williamson – CB – Gainesville (GA) Gainesville: Williamson is a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect who has visited or will visit Cal, North Carolina, and Florida. Auburn also swooped in with a recent offer, and he’s heavily considering the Tigers. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #56 athlete, and #610 overall. Williamson could fill several roles in college, including corner, safety, wide receiver, and returner.

Scouting Report: Chris Williamson

Gainesville (GA) Gainesville cornerback Chris Williamson (image via 247sports.com)

Name: Chris Williamson
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Gainesville (GA) Gainesville
Position: Wide receiver/cornerback
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from Auburn, BYU, Cal, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Iowa State, Kentucky, Miami-OH, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, UCF, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest . . . ESPN 3-star, 79 grade, #57 ATH . . . Rivals 4-star, #36 ATH . . . 247 Sports 3-star, 89 grade, #39 ATH . . . Claims a 4.4 forty . . . 36″ vertical . . . 315 lb. bench press . . . 465 lb. squat . . . 10.83 time in 100 meters . . . “Big Play Ray” Buchanan called Williamson a “poor man’s Champ Bailey” (LINK)

Strengths: Adjusts well to ball in air . . . Good body control . . . Capable of making acrobatic plays . . . Able to high-point the ball . . . Very good leaping ability . . . Transitions well out of backpedal to break on ball . . . Fluid hips lead to good recovery speed . . . Excellent in zone coverage . . . As a receiver, consistently works to get open . . . Tough to jam off line of scrimmage due to lateral movement . . . Finds holes in defensive coverages . . . Good balance . . . Very good acceleration . . . Able to cut at full speed

Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger . . . Willing tackler but lacks proper technique and strength . . . Does not run feet through contact . . . Film does not show abilities in press man coverage . . . Appears to be holding back at times, but that may be due to playing both ways

Projection: Cornerback. I say this largely because of his size and body type, but he could easily play receiver in college. Williamson shows enough awareness and potential to slot in wherever a team needs him most. He has short legs, which lend themselves to good short-area quickness and change of direction, but he also has very good long speed. Williamson could also be one of those guys who becomes a multi-purpose returner, because he has the vision and quickness to return punts with the straight-line speed to do kickoff returns.

Reminds me of: Chris Davis from Auburn. I can’t think of a great equivalent with respect to Michigan, so I’ll go with the corner from Auburn who made his name with the 109-yard field goal return for a touchdown against Alabama in 2013 (LINK). I think they have similar physical skills, although I see Williamson having better ball skills.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Analysts have stated that it will be tough to pull Williamson away from the home-state Bulldogs, and Auburn also jumped into the picture with an offer a few weeks ago. He has visited Cal and North Carolina, he’ll be in Michigan this weekend, and then he’s going to Florida the last weekend in January. It seems to be kind of a crap shoot right now, but Michigan is right in the thick of it due to former Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin leading the charge.

Highlights:

Rivals 250 for 2015 finalized

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole (image via 247Sports.com)

Rivals released their top 250 prospects at noon on Tuesday (LINK). The top 100 was revealed yesterday (LINK). Here’s what the top 250 looked like back in December (LINK). Movement for Michigan commits:

– Brian Cole fell from #91 to #101
– Grant Newsome jumped from #220 to #191
– Tyree Kinnel fell from #211 to #225

Here are the rest of the guys Michigan has offered:

101. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan (Michigan)
108. Garrett Taylor – CB – Virginia (Penn State)
120. Dexter Williams – RB – Florida
123. Jashon Cornell – DE – Minnesota (Ohio State)
135. Clelin Ferrell – DE – Virginia (Clemson)
152. Juwan Johnson – WR – New Jersey (Penn State)
155. Matt Burrell, Jr. – OG – Virginia (Ohio State)
156. Miles Boykin – WR – Illinois (Notre Dame)
158. Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
162. John Reid – CB – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
167. Jaason Lewis – RB – Virginia (Arizona State)
168. Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indiana (Tennessee)
170. Dre’Mont Jones – DE – Ohio (Ohio State)
174. Tim Settle – DT – Virginia (Virginia Tech)
180. Josh Barajas – LB – Indiana (Notre Dame)
191. Grant Newsome – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
193. Pat Allen – OT – Maryland
194. Auden Tate – WR – Florida (Florida State)
198. Ryan Bates – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
202. Keaton Sutherland – OT – Texas (Texas A&M)
206. Zach Robertson – OG – California (Arizona State)
215. Johnny Frasier – RB – North Carolina (Florida State)
221. Hjalte Froholdt – DT – Florida (Arkansas)
223. Connor Williams – C – Texas (Texas)
225. Tyree Kinnel – S – Ohio (Michigan)
243. Darrell Taylor – DE – Virginia (Tennessee)
246. Asmar Bilal – LB – Indiana (Notre Dame)
247. Arden Key – DE – Georgia
249. Joshua McMillon – LB – Tennessee (Alabama)

2016 Recruiting Update: January 20, 2015

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem with former Michigan defensive line coach Mark Smith

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Houston (TX) Alief Elsik linebacker Dontavious Jackson was offered by Michigan. Jackson is a 6’2″, 237 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 inside linebacker, and #142 overall. As a junior this past fall, he made 165 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 pass breakups. He claims a 4.69 forty, a 30″ vertical, a 275 lb. bench press, and a 535 lb. squat. Jackson is a big hitter and an intense player, but he lacks technique and mostly plays on instinct and natural skills. Elsik has over 4,100 students and is the alma mater of Beyonce Knowles. You’re welcome.

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #24 strongside end, and #411 overall. He claims a 4.8 forty, a 30″ vertical, a 300 lb. bench, and a 335 lb. squat. Kareem’s recruitment has blown up over the last couple months, so I was wondering when Michigan would throw their hat in the ring. Kareem is a little bit stiff and lacks some explosion, so I think he’s somewhat limited in his position flexibility. He’s the seventh in-state player to receive an offer from Michigan in the 2016 recruiting class. While Michigan State appears to be the early leader, Kareem has visited Ann Arbor more often. Michigan senior defensive end Mario Ojemudia is also from Harrison, and so is early NFL entrant Devin Funchess.

Fresno (CA) Clovis West linebacker Caleb Kelly was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 outside linebacker, and #12 overall. Kelly is a long, lean linebacker who has a lot of athletic talent, but he plays a little soft. I’m somewhat surprised that he’s the #12 player in the nation, although he does have that potential.

Hit the jump for a few more new offers and a couple tidbits.

Houston (TX) Aldine Davis linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #25 outside linebacker, and #349 overall. McCulloch claims a 4.76 forty, a 32″ vertical, a 280 lb. bench press, and a 505 lb. squat. Somewhat like Jackson, he’s another heavy hitter but a guy who has a little more technique.

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep defensive end Connor Murphy was offered by Michigan. Murphy is a 6’7″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #19 weakside end, and #354 overall. As a junior this past season, he made 70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Murphy is the younger brother of Trent Murphy, who was recruited by Jim Harbaugh while at Stanford, committed to the Cardinal, became an All-American (under David Shaw), and became a 2nd round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers. Connor told a quick story that while recruiting Trent, his mother went into labor, and Harbaugh ended up babysitting Connor for a while, playing chess and drinking milk. The Wolverines as a program tried to reel in Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen in the 2014 class, but Allen ended up choosing Oregon instead. As for Connor himself, he’s not a great athlete but has some similarities to the likes of former Michigan defensive end Craig Roh.

Houston (TX) Westfield defensive tackle Ed Oliver was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #5 defensive tackle, and #31 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 84 tackles and 7 sacks. He claims a 4.87 forty, a 315 lb. bench press, and a 465 lb. squat. The first clip of the following highlight film is Oliver overrunning a play, hustling to get back in it, then picking up a fumble and returning it 100 yards for a touchdown. Enjoy:

MISCELLANEOUS
Detroit (MI) King wide receiver Donnie Corley visited Michigan this past weekend for the basketball game. Corley picked up a Michigan offer in recent months, and he’s a 4-star, the #27 wide receiver, and #121 overall in the 247 Composite rankings.

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Lavert Hill visited Michigan with Corley. The two are now teammates after Hill transferred to King following the football season. Hill is the younger brother of Michigan safety Delano Hill. The younger Hill is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 athlete, and #196 overall.

On Recruiting Season  in the past week, I’ve updated the profiles of:

• Traverse City West’s Jacob Cerny
• Chippewa Valley’s Stefan Claiborne
• Plymouth’s Michael Jordan
• Ann Arbor Skyline’s Daelin Hayes
• Cass Tech’s Tim Walton
• Cass Tech’s Demetric Vance

Top 247 for 2015 finalized

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole

247 Sports released their final list of the top 247 prospects of 2015 (LINK). Here’s what it looked like in March of 2014 (LINK).

Movement for Michigan commits:
– Brian Cole dropped from #34 to #65
– Grant Newsome fell from #181 to #220

5-stars:
5. Iman Marshall – CB – California
6. Josh Sweat – DE – Virginia (Florida State)
8. Terry Beckner, Jr. – DE – Illinois
9. Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)
11. CeCe Jefferson – DE – Florida
12. Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas (Texas)
13. Jarrett Stidham – QB – Texas (Baylor)
15. Rasheem Green – DT – California
16. Josh Rosen – QB – California (UCLA)
20. Justin Hilliard – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
23. Blake Barnett – QB – California (Alabama)
25. Osa Masina – LB – Utah
27. Mitch Hyatt – OT – Georgia (Clemson)
29. Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
31. Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas (Alabama)

33. Keisean Lucier-South – DE – California (UCLA)
35. George Campbell – WR – Florida (Florida State)
37. Arden Key – DE – South Carolina
38. Jalen Dalton – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina)
39. Tyron Johnson – WR – Louisiana (LSU)
41. Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona (Texas A&M)
42. Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas (USC)
44. Johnny Frasier – RB – North Carolina (Florida State)
45. Damien Harris – RB – Kentucky (Alabama)
49. Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
54. Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida (Florida State)
57. DaMarkus Lodge – WR – Texas
61. Jerome Baker – ATH – Ohio (Ohio State)
64. Shy Tuttle – DT – North Carolina (Tennessee)
65. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan (Michigan)
67. Keaton Sutherland – OT – Texas (Texas A&M)
68. Dre’Mont Jones – DE – Ohio (Ohio State)
71. Roquan Smith – LB – Georgia
76. Abdul Bello – OT – Florida (Florida State)
81. Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
87. Garrett Taylor – CB – Virginia (Penn State)
90. Hjalte Froholdt – DT – Florida (Arkansas)
91. Clelin Ferrell – DE – Virginia (Clemson)
93. Matt Burrell – OG – Virginia (Ohio State)
97. Drew Richmond – OT – Tennessee (Ole Miss)
98. Jashon Cornell – DE – Minnesota (Ohio State)
106. Henry Roberts – OT – Washington (Washington)
107. Ray-Ray McCloud III – ATH – Florida (Clemson)
108. Josh Barajas – LB – Indiana (Notre Dame)
112. Jeffery Holland – LB – Florida
115. Juwan Johnson – WR – New Jersey (Penn State)
116. Darian Roseboro – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina State)
123. Kirk Merritt – RB – Louisiana
131. Mike Weber – RB – Michigan (Ohio State)
133. Deondre Francois – QB – Florida (Florida State)
136. Anthony Wheeler – LB – Texas (Texas)
139. Dexter Williams – RB – Florida
142. Isaiah Prince – OT – Maryland
143. Ryan Bates – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
156. John Reid – CB – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
157. Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri (Alabama)
162. Tim Settle – DT – Virginia (Virginia Tech)
163. Jordan Whitehead – CB – Pennsylvania (Pitt)
175. Keenan Walker – OT – Arizona (Arizona)
178. Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Florida (Clemson)
179. Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Notre Dame)
182. Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indiana (Tennessee)
184. Marcus Lewis – CB – Washington, DC
187. Asmar Bilal – LB – Indiana (Notre Dame)
205. Adonis Thomas – LB – Georgia (Alabama)
209. Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut
210. Joe Burrow – QB – Ohio (Ohio State)
213. Darrin Paulo – OT – California
219. Auden Tate – WR – Florida (Florida State)
220. Grant Newsome – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
226. Darrell Taylor – DE – Virginia (Tennessee)
229. Mook Reynolds – CB – Virginia (Virginia Tech)
239. Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia (Georgia)
241. Devonaire Clarington – TE – Florida (Texas)