Cornerback Devin Butler visited Michigan this past weekend
OFF THE BOARD Owensboro (KY) Apollo offensive tackle Hunter Bivin committed to Notre Dame over the weekend. The 6’7″, 288 lb. lineman forged a friendship with Michigan’s incoming safety Jeremy Clark, who played high school football nearby in Kentucky. But with a full offensive line class, Michigan was no longer an option for Bivin.
Philadelphia (PA) William Penn Charter offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey committed to Notre Dame over the weekend. The 6’9″, 280-pounder also held offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Pitt, and Wisconsin, among others. Much like Bivin, Michigan has no more room for offensive linemen at this point.
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New Lenox (IL) Lincoln-Way West offensive tackle Colin McGovern committed to Notre Dame over the weekend, too. It’s the chic thing to do. McGovern also had offers from Alabama, Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and several others. See Bivin and McGlinchey above.
WEEKEND VISITORS I was out of town this weekend, so I didn’t get a chance to put together a list of weekend visitors on Friday. However, there were a handful of kids in town:
Washington (DC) Gonzaga cornerback Devin Butler
Pickerington (OH) North tight end Jake Butt (already committed)
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell (2015)
Columbus (OH) Marion Franklin wide receiver Jaron Dukes (already committed)
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech defensive back Johnny Miggins (2014)
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Damon Webb (2014)
Butler is the most significant of those recruits, since he’s a 6’1″, 185 lb. cornerback and Michigan needs a player like him in this class. The coaching staff struck out on some big corners in the 2012 class and are pursuing guys who are 6’0″ or taller to pair with 2013 commit Jourdan Lewis.
Strengths: Good size at 6’3″, similar to 2012 recruit Jehu Chesson . . . Frame to fill out to 210-215 lbs. . . . Good straight-line speed . . . Gets upfield quickly after catching short passes . . . Shifty but not a dancer . . . Quick feet for a tall kid . . . Plays in a pass-happy offense that gives him lots of reps catching the ball . . . Solid runner after catch . . . Runs with good body lean . . . Strong enough runner to break arm tackles . . . Willing blocker but needs to work on technique
Weaknesses: Plays in a somewhat simple passing offense . . . Needs to improve route running/footwork . . . A bit of a body catcher . . . Might not have enough elite speed to blow past good corners, but should be effective on posts, deep in routes, etc.
Projection: Wide receiver. Treadwell is one of the top few receivers I’ve seen in the class. He’s not exceptional in any one area, but he doesn’t have any major deficiencies. With his size he should be a good red zone threat, but the one thing I would like to see is his leaping ability and whether he can catch the ball away from his body. He should be a very good college player, though.
Reminds me of: Greg Mathews (but significantly faster) [EDIT: The more I think about it, David Terrell seems to be a better comparison.]
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OFF THE BOARD
Randolph (NJ) Randolph offensive guard Brendan Mahon committed to Penn State. For whatever reason, Mahon always seemed like a Penn State type of guy. And obviously, with Michigan full at the offensive line position group, this doesn’t affect the Wolverines a great deal.
St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham wide receiver James Onwualu committed to Notre Dame. Onwualu had planned to visit Michigan last week, but decided to go ahead and commit to the Irish instead. Cretin-Derham has produced several high profile athletes (Seantrel Henderson, Joe Mauer, etc.), including outgoing Notre Dame wideout Michael Floyd.
Pittsburgh (PA) Seton La Salle tight end Scott Orndoff committed to Pitt. He was committed to Wisconsin for a long time, but the departure of offensive coordinator Paul Chryst made him back off that commitment. Luckily for Pitt, Chryst became the Panthers head coach. Orndoff visited Michigan unofficially last weekend, but you can’t blame him for picking a Chryst’s offense; he’s a guy who has done a good job of developing tight ends.
When Richmond (VA) Hermitage running back Derrick Green visited on Sunday, the coaches told him that they still wanted another running back, despite the fact that Smith committed on Saturday. That means the door is still open for Green or Joliet (IL) Catholic’s Ty Isaac.
Warren (OH) Howland running back DeVeon Smith committed to Michigan on Saturday
Warren (OH) Howland running back DeVeon Smith committed to Michigan on Saturday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and West Virginia, among others.
Smith is a 5’11”, 205 lb. power back. He estimated that he carried the ball 160 times for 2,200 yards as a junior in 2011. Actual statistics of any kind have eluded me so far.
Michigan was Smith’s favorite team growing up, despite the fact that his older brother, Lance, played running back for Wisconsin and Memphis. His first offer came from the Wolverines back in December, and it seemed in the following weeks that Smith would become a Wolverine sooner or later. He held off on making a decision until he visited Michigan this weekend, which is a bit surprising because his high school coaches like their kids to wait a couple days after a visit before deciding.
There isn’t a ton of film on Smith out there, but there’s enough to get a glimpse of what he offers. He’s a powerful back who’s built low to the ground. He either works hard in the weight room or has the genes of a bowling ball, because that’s how he runs. Both his upper and lower body are pretty thick, giving him excellent balance. He has a good stiff-arm and knows how to get downhill. His coach mentions in the article linked above that he also rarely fumbles. One of his best qualities seems to be that he knows what he is – a straight-ahead runner without the speed or elusiveness to be a dancer.
What Smith lacks is speed. He’s not a breakaway type of runner, unless a linebacker or a couple defensive backs have been left behind as roadkill. He struggles to outrun high schoolers, and Howland doesn’t exactly play the powerhouse schools in Ohio.
Some people want to compare Smith to Mike Hart, and I see that a little bit with his ability to bounce off of tackles. However, Smith doesn’t possess the same elusiveness and might even be a tad bit slower. The guy Smith looks like to me is Leroy Hoard, the former Michigan running back who went on to a career with the Browns, Ravens, Panthers, and Vikings. Hoard was the same height and approximately 225 lbs., which Smith could easily reach in a couple years. Hoard was never a superstar, but he was a very solid player who excelled in part because his offensive line (at Michigan) was very good and got him to the second level against physically overmatched players. Considering the offensive line Michigan is putting together in the 2012 and 2013 classes, Smith might be able to take advantage of that same circumstance.
DeVeon Smith is Michigan’s sixteenth commitment in the class of 2012, a class that currently looks to reach nineteen (although further attrition is almost assured). He’s also the second running back, to go along with Novi (MI) Catholic Central’s Wyatt Shallman. There is some question about whether the Wolverines will still pursue Joliet (IL) Catholic’s Ty Isaac, who also likes Michigan and visited last weekend. I think Michigan will continue to pursue Isaac, who possesses the big-play ability that Shallman and Smith lack.
