Dylan Crawford could be Michigan’s next commit
COMMITMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Michigan has a couple targets who will be announcing their college commitment at the game. While it’s always fun to watch any recruits commit, because weird things tend to happen, Wolverines fans have some stake in watching. Here are the relevant announcements to watch:
- Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King: Several teams have been in the mix for Corley, including Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Tennessee. Lately, Michigan State and Ohio State seem to have pulled ahead of the pack. There are some rumors that OSU is holding out for Florida wideout Binjimen Victor, so Michigan State is a strong contender. Announcement will be during the 3rd quarter.
- Dylan Crawford – WR – Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic: Crawford was high on Michigan early in the process, but things seemed to fall off when friends Theo Howard and K.J. Costello committed elsewhere. Costello, a Stanford commit, was Crawford’s QB this past year. Crawford was waiting for an Oregon offer, got one, and then saw his spot supposedly get taken. Michigan might not have started out #1 on his list, but it’s not a bad backup plan. Announcement will be during the 1st quarter.
- Isaac Nauta – TE – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Nauta was Michigan’s first offer in the 2016 class (back when Brady Hoke was the head coach), and eventually he committed to Florida State. Since that time, FSU stole a possible Michigan lean in TE Naseir Upshur, and now Nauta seems poised to commit to his home-state Georgia Bulldogs. Nauta has family in Michigan and would be a better fit in a Jim Harbaugh offense than virtually anywhere else in the country, but it sounds like he wants to stay close to home. Announcement will be during the 4th quarter.
Hit the jump for more.
HOW DOES BRANDON PETERS MATCH UP?
Michigan early enrollee Brandon Peters is the lowest ranked QB on the West roster, behind former Michigan targets K.J. Costello (Stanford) and Shea Patterson (Ole Miss). Especially early in the week of practice, reports had that pecking order still holding true. One possible intervening factor in their play could be that Costello suffered a minor hand injury, so that could prevent him from playing up to his potential, and it could give Peters more of an opportunity to play. Regardless, it will be a good chance to see whether Peters can hold his own compared to Costello and Patterson, not to mention how he looks against elite defenders. Quarterbacks don’t often get a ton of time to throw in games like this because protection breaks down easily, and chemistry with wide receivers can be a bit spotty. The biggest things I’ll be looking for are Peters panicking in the pocket, whether he can escape pressure or not, and if he has sufficient arm strength to make the difficult throws against speedy defenders. He probably won’t start the game, but we’ll see if Costello’s injury bumps Peters up to #2 on the depth chart or not.
CAN MICHAEL ONWENU LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?
Detroit (MI) King offensive guard Michael Onwenu is 6’3″ and thought to be in the 360 lb. range, although the scale at the Army Bowl only went up to 350 lbs., so he could not be weighed. He reportedly has the biggest hands (11″) and the longest arms (35″) of any recruit there, and that includes offensive tackles who are a few inches taller. There were even suggestions that he was the quickest lineman. Questions about Onwenu have mostly centered around his weight and conditioning, so how well conditioned is he in early January, a month-and-a-half after his last game at Cass Tech? It sounds like we will see him start the game at one of the guard positions, but it will be interesting to see how quickly he tires. I plan to watch him early in the game for indicators on how good he looks, since fatigue may factor in later. Regardless, he will probably be shedding a considerable amount of weight between now and when he steps on the field in Ann Arbor.
A MORE THOROUGH GLIMPSE OF JORDAN ELLIOTT
Michigan fans have been keeping an eye on local talent like Onwenu and long-time commit Peters for a while. Fans who keep up with recruiting have seen Onwenu perform at Cass Tech and Peters perform at the Elite 11, at Michigan camps, and in his senior season at Avon (IN) Avon. On the flip side, Elliott was off the radar a bit when he was committed to two other schools, and he didn’t commit to Michigan until late November. Reports early in the week said that he was perhaps the West team’s best player in the front seven. I take those reports with a huge grain of salt, because analysts often say nice things about absolutely everyone, which isn’t very helpful. The game will be more telling, so hopefully he’s making plays in the backfield and chasing East quarterbacks all over the place.
POTENTIAL MICHIGAN COMMITS
Here’s a list of all the Michigan targets playing in the game (LINK), but most of those players have made their commitments or don’t have a chance of ending up in Ann Arbor. There are a special few to watch, either just for their pure athleticism or for their dalliances with the Wolverines down the stretch. As a guide for your interests, keep an eye on these players:
- WR Donnie Corley (West)
- WR Dylan Crawford (West)
- CB Jordan Fuller (East)
- WR Mecole Hardman (East)
- CB Lavert Hill (West)
- CB David Long, Jr. (West)
- TE Isaac Nauta (East)
THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOOTBALL STARS
Michigan-related or not, it’s always fun to see the guys who stand out against other elite talent. Army Bowl MVPs don’t always translate their games to college, but the list includes Vince Young, Chris Leak, Ted Ginn, Jr., DeSean Jackson, Beanie Wells, Terrelle Pryor, Bryce Brown, Tajh Boyd, and Dorial Green-Beckham since the game’s inception in 2001; other MVPs are current college players Joe Mixon (Oklahoma) and Derrius Guice (LSU), both of whom have found on-field success so far. Somebody is bound to wow us with their physical talents, so who will it be in 2016?
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IF UM gets David Long, is he the most electric, most versatile player in this class? I’ll hang up and listen!
Thank you!
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If Long were to join the current class, I do think he would be Michigan’s best all-around athlete. He could play offense, do some returns, and be a very good cornerback. I think he’s a notch above Chris Evans and Nate Johnson, although I think both of those guys could end up being pretty good. I also think Long is better as a corner than Dylan Crawford is as a receiver. It should be a very interesting, athletic class if Michigan closes with Long, Crawford, and possibly Hill at the skill positions. (There are more options, too, but those are the most likely ones right now.)
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Besides the whole stay close at home thing which totally makes sense to me, you think Nauta goes to Georgia because Butt came back for another year?
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No, I don’t think so. Georgia has a highly rated recruit at tight end (Jeb Blazevich) who’s only a sophomore. His production isn’t on par with Butt’s, but I think he’s a good player. If Nauta wants immediate playing time, he can probably get it in some form or fashion at both places. The difference is that Michigan will use the tight ends a lot in the passing game, whereas Georgia’s TE use is either TBD or significantly less than Michigan’s. I think Nauta could feasibly the #2 guy on the depth chart at either place next year. But being #2 at Michigan could mean 15-20 catches or more. Georgia’s #2 TE had 8 catches this past season, and Kirby Smart’s old team Alabama’s #2 TE has 3 receptions. Heck, even the starting TE at Alabama has 0 touchdowns on 33 receptions this year. If Nauta stays at Georgia, it’s almost purely because it’s close to home.
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Woo Hoo! We got Crawford! Thanks for your input Thunder. Didn’t realize the discrepancy on TE utilization was that drastic…
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