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Official Visitors: January 16-21, 2015

Long Beach (CA) Poly cornerback Iman Marshall

Damon Arnette – CB – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas: Arnette is a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect who’s committed to South Carolina. He’s a soft commit with a visit scheduled to Ohio State later this month, too. The 247 Composite rankings show him as a 3-star, the #60 cornerback, and #649 overall. D.J. Durkin called him up when he was hired, and Arnette immediately responded that he wanted to visit. Arnette is a good sized corner who would be good against the run.


Chris Clark – TE – Avon (CT) Old Farms: Clark is a 6’6″, 247 lb. prospect who has been committed to both North Carolina and Michigan in the past. Now he says it’s down to Michigan and UCLA with the Bruins having the lead. Even so, he was enthused about Michigan hiring Jim Harbaugh, and some people think the Wolverines will win out. Clark is also close to quarterback Alex Malzone, who enrolled early this semester and will be on campus. Clark is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 tight end, and #79 overall in the 2015 class.

Andrew David – K – Massillon (OH) Washington: David is a 5’9″, 165 lb. prospect who committed to Michigan in June of 2013. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #7 kicker, and #2031 overall. Michigan’s starting punter and placekicker both graduated after the 2014 season, so he will have a chance to compete for a starting gig right off the bat.

Shelton Johnson – DE – Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic: Johnson is a 6’5″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #16 strongside end, and #351 overall. He visited Virginia Tech in December and has visits remaining to the other schools, with Florida State holding the final shot; right now the Crystal Ball is 100% for the Seminoles (based on 10 votes).

Tyree Kinnel – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel committed to Michigan in August of 2013 (LINK). He is currently a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 safety, and #181 overall. Once Michigan’s coaching situation got rocky, Alabama and Notre Dame both came forward with offers, but Kinnel has remained committed throughout.


Iman Marshall – CB – Long Beach (CA) Poly: Marshall is a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect with a top group that includes Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC. He is using January officials for the out-of-state schools, and the visit to Ann Arbor will be right on the heels of one to FSU this weekend. So while the rest of these players will be in town over the weekend, Marshall will be there from Monday through Wednesday. Marshall is considered a USC lean (the Trojans are at 98% on the 247 Sports Crystal Ball), but he has expressed interest in playing college ball with his summer workout partner, Michigan sophomore wide receiver Freddy Canteen. Marshall is a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 cornerback, and #4 overall in the class.

Roquan Smith – LB – Montezuma (GA) Macon: Smith is a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who’s considered to be a heavy lean toward the Georgia Bulldogs, but he’s another guy who’s visiting because of D.J. Durkin. Smith is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 outside linebacker, and #49 overall. He had 173 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions as a senior in 2014. He has visited Georgia and USC, and he has visits scheduled for Ole Miss and UCLA.

Final ESPN 300 for 2015 released

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole is Michigan’s top ranked commit.

Here’s a look at the final ESPN 300 for the 2015 class (LINK), which I have been tracking over the last couple years. Here’s what it looked like back in July (LINK). Movement for Michigan commits is here:

– Brian Cole fell from #139 to #148
– Tyree Kinnel fell from #192 to #196
– Grant Newsome fell from #242 to #253

5-stars:
2. Terry Beckner, Jr. – DT – Illinois
4. Iman Marshall – CB – California
7. George Campbell – WR – Florida (Florida State)
9. CeCe Jefferson – DE – Florida
10. Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)
11. Josh Sweat – DE – Virginia (Florida State)
12. Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas (Alabama)
14. Blake Barnett – QB – California (Alabama)
17. Justin Hilliard – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
18. Mitch Hyatt – OT – Georgia (Clemson)
19. Tim Settle – DT – Virginia (Virginia Tech)

4-stars:
22. Keisean Lucier-South – DE – California (UCLA)
24. Arden Key – DE – South Carolina
27. Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
28. Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
29. Roquan Smith – LB – Georgia
30. Tyron Johnson – WR – Florida (LSU)
31. Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas (Texas)
33. Jashon Cornell – DE – Minnesota (Ohio State)
34. Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas (USC)
35. Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona (Texas A&M)
36. Damien Harris – RB – Kentucky (Alabama)
37. Jarrett Stidham – QB – Texas (Baylor)
38. Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
39. Shy Tuttle – DT – North Carolina (Tennessee)
41. Rasheem Green – DT – California
42. Deondre Francois – QB – Florida (Florida State)
46. Jeffery Holland – LB – Florida
49. Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida (Florida State)
50. Josh Rosen – QB – California (UCLA)
54. Adonis Thomas – LB – Georgia (Alabama)
55. Abdul Bello – OT – Florida (Florida State)
57. DaMarkus Lodge – WR – Texas
58. Drew Richmond – OT – Tennessee (Ole Miss)
64. Jalen Dalton – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina)
66. Anthony Wheeler – LB – Texas (Texas)
67. Jerome Baker – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
75. Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia (Georgia)
77. Osa Masina – LB – Utah
78. Dexter Williams – RB – Florida
80. Johnny Frasier – RB – North Carolina (Florida State)
89. Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Florida (Clemson)
91. Keenan Walker – OT – Arizona (Arizona)
94. Matt Burrell, Jr. – OG – Virginia (Ohio State)
98. Hjalte Froholdt – DT – Florida (Arkansas)
109. Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri (Alabama)
111. Chris Clark – TE – Massachusetts
112. Devonaire Clarington – TE – Florida (Texas)
125. Sterling Jenkins – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
129. Ryan Bates – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
136. Clelin Ferrell – DE – Virginia (Clemson)
138. Christian Pellage – OT – Florida (South Carolina)
139. Garrett Taylor – CB – Virginia (Penn State)
140. Mike Weber – RB – Michigan (Ohio State)
142. Jordan Whitehead – CB – Pennsylvania (Pitt)
145. Ty’Son Williams – RB – South Carolina (North Carolina)
146. Kirk Merritt – ATH – Louisiana
148. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan (Michigan)
157. Ray-Ray McCloud III – RB – Florida (Clemson)
158. Tyler Jordan – C – Florida (Florida)
159. Marcus Lewis – CB – Washington, DC
161. Dre’Mont Jones – DE – Ohio (Ohio State)
168. Kendrick Norton – DT – Florida
169. Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Notre Dame)
171. Joshua McMillon – LB – Tennessee (Alabama)
173. John Reid – CB – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
184. Darian Roseboro – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina State)
195. Juwan Johnson – WR – New Jersey (Penn State)
196. Tyree Kinnel – S – Ohio (Michigan)
210. Pat Allen – OT – Maryland
213. Devante Peete – WR – Florida
223. Isaiah Prince – OT – Maryland
242. Ryan Davis – WR – Florida
247. Rashard Causey, Jr. – CB – Florida (Florida International)
253. Grant Newsome – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
255. Cameron Townsend – LB – Texas (Texas)
273. Cameron Ordway – CB – Tennessee (Ole Miss)
276. Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indiana (Tennessee)
278. Zach Robertson – OG – California (Arizona State)
298. Joe Burrow – QB – Ohio (Ohio State)

Scouting Report: John Kelly

Name: John Kelly
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Running back
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Miami-OH, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Tennessee, Western Michigan . . . Claims a 4.38 forty . . . 37″ vertical . . . ESPN 3-star, 78 grade, #55 running back . . . Rivals 3-star, #28 athlete . . . 247 Sports 3-star, 88 grade, #38 athlete

Strengths: Solidly built . . . Strong lower body and leg churn . . . Runs with good body lean through line of scrimmage . . . Runs like a sprinter, getting more upright in open field . . . Good acceleration in and out of cuts . . . Excellent vision and patience as a runner . . . Very good top-end speed . . . Runs through contact . . . Looks for cutbacks instead of going out of bounds . . . Aggressive blocker both in run and pass game . . . Also an aggressive tackler on defense

Weaknesses: Does not have a great deal of highlights on defense . . . Questionable ball skills . . . Seems to make more plays on offense than defense . . . Gives and takes a pounding, so durability may become an issue

Projection: Running back. I’ve had my eye on Kelly for a couple years now, and while he’s being recruited by some schools to play defense, I just don’t see the playmaking on that side of the ball. He has been dynamic on offense, and the skills I’ve seen displayed translate to running back more than any other position, in my opinion. Other than great size, he has a good dose of everything you want in a running back: speed, vision, strength, toughness, a willingness to block, etc.

Reminds me of: T.J. Yeldon from Alabama. Yeldon is obviously significantly larger, but the way Kelly runs – low through the line, good vision, cutting back to avoid going out of bounds, upright in the open field, etc. – reminds me of the Crimson Tide running back.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Tennessee supposedly leads, but Michigan is a strong possibility, too. Right now Michigan State leads the 247 Sports Crystal Ball with 39% of the votes, followed by 32% for the Wolverines. Right now Kelly has visits set for Tennessee, Minnesota, and Michigan. Things are pretty up in the air.

Jay Harbaugh, Wolverine

Jay Harbaugh (right) with his dad, Jim

Jay Harbaugh, the eldest son of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, has been hired as Michigan’s tight ends coach. He replaces Dan Ferrigno, who was at Michigan from 2011-2014 and also served as the Wolverines’ special teams coach.

Jay was a high school defensive lineman, but knee injuries shortened his career. He attended Oregon State and joined their undergraduate assistant coaching program under Mike Riley. He has been an offensive quality control assistant for the Baltimore Ravens for the past three seasons, obviously working for his uncle John, the Ravens’ head coach. It’s unclear at this point how much Jay had to do with the tight ends themselves, but the Ravens have had some decent players at the position in the form of Dallas Clark, Owen Daniels, Dennis Pitta, and Ed Dickson.

There’s a pretty good article on Jay (LINK) that indicates the apple has not fallen far from the tree as far as work ethic goes. Father Jim is known for his competitiveness and work ethic, and the article mentions that Jay is much the same.

Michigan could have made a more impressive hire than getting a 25-year-old kid with no actual coaching job on his resume. At the same time, I’m not inclined to believe that a competitive guy like Jim Harbaugh is going to give his son a job that isn’t deserved. It’s not like the kid was sitting on his butt or working in a grocery store. He had a pretty solid job with an NFL team, albeit with another member of the family. But there are worse places to learn (such as Oakland) than Oregon State and with the Ravens, who won the Super Bowl a couple years ago. On top of his NFL experience, Michigan has hired a special teams coach, John Baxter, who has extensive experience as a tight ends coach. If there are struggles or questions, Baxter – and Jim Harbaugh himself – could give him some advice. With the very impressive group of coaches Jim has put together in Ann Arbor, I’ll be interested to see how this “gamble” works out for the Wolverines. He has some good pieces to work with in Jake Butt, Khalid Hill, and Ian Bunting, along with some potential incoming players like Chris Clark and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.

Quick Thoughts on the National Championship Game

This is my only positive thought about Oregon at this point.

In case you didn’t watch, Ohio State beat Oregon in the national championship game, 42-20. Oregon jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and then things were bad after that.

• For having a mobile quarterback themselves, Oregon did a terrible job of hemming in Cardale Jones. Their outside linebackers and defensive ends kept flying 10 yards upfield, which allowed Jones to step up in the pocket and/or escape contain. Maybe it was their goal to speed rush and try to rattle Jones, but the Ducks never adjusted.
• Ezekiel Elliott is a man. He had 220 or more yards in the final three games of the year, including 36 carries for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns against Oregon. He’s not the most elusive guy around, but he has a good combination of speed and power.
• On the plus side, Urban Meyer went 9-4 following his first national championship at Florida. Unfortunately, he then went 13-1 following his second. Ohio State does not appear poised for a drop-off, because many of their best players (Ezekiel Elliott, Jalin Marshall, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa, J.T. Barrett) are too young to declare for the NFL Draft. However, there could be some turnover with the quarterback position (Braxton Miller to another school, Cardale Jones thinking about the draft) and some early entrants. But the Buckeyes recruit well and will most likely reload.
• The Big Ten has had a bad rap for getting pushed around in recent years, but the Buckeyes demolished Oregon up front. Aside from the pressure put on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and the inability to create seams up front, the defining moment was when Jones scrambled up the middle and ran right through the tackle – I mean the nose tackle – of the Ducks, Alex Balducci.
• The Ducks flat-out laid an egg. They racked up penalties, made immature choices, had a poor game plan, dropped passes, etc. This was my concern when I pointed out that Meyer was 8-2 in bowl games and 2-0 in national championships, while Helfrich was in just his second year. Meyer’s team was mentally and physically prepared to win the game, while Oregon was not.