Tag: 2013 recruiting

Weekend Visitors: March 9-11, 2012

Rumors have been swirling that Massillon (OH) Washington cornerback Gareon Conley (#21) might be the next recruit to drop for Michigan (image via Friday Night Ohio)

Zach Bradshaw – WR – Damascus (MD) Damascus: Bradshaw is a 6’3″, 205 lb. wideout with 4.56 speed.  He has an offer from Michigan, along with Maryland, South Carolina, West Virginia, and several others.  He had 28 receptions for 395 yards and 6 touchdowns last season, plus 250 rushing yards for 2 touchdowns, and 2 punt return touchdowns.  (Highlights here.)

Gareon Conley – CB – Massillon (OH) Washington: Conley is a 6’1″, 170 lb. cornerback with an offer from Michigan, plus from the likes of Northwestern, Toledo, and West Virginia.  He had 26 tackles and 4 picks as a junior in 2011.  There is a good chance that Conley will be committing to Michigan on this weekend’s visit.



David Dawson – OT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Dawson is a 6’4″, 305 lb. offensive lineman who committed to Michigan in mid-February.  Despite being projected by most as an offensive guard, he says that Michigan’s coaches want to start him out at right tackle and see how things go.  (Commitment post here.)

Jaleel Hytchye – CB – Cincinnati (OH) LaSalle: Hytchye is a 5’11”, 170 lb. cornerback who does not yet hold an offer from Michigan.  He does, however, have offers from Kentucky, Kent State, and Western Kentucky.  Last season Hytchye made 30 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and 4 interceptions.  Because Michigan is generally looking for corners who are 6’0″ or taller, chances are slim that he will get an offer at this point.  (Highlights here.)

Ty Isaac – RB – Joliet (IL) Catholic: Isaac is a 6’3″, 215 lb. runner with offers from all over the country, including Michigan.  He is generally thought to be #1 on Michigan’s running back board and early leaders seem to be Michigan and Notre Dame.  He carried the ball 178 times for 2,114 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior in 2011.  (Highlights here.)

Shane Jones – LB – Cincinnati (OH) Moeller: Jones is a 6’1″, 220 lb. ‘backer from the same high school as 2012 wide receiver target Monty Madaris (Michigan State).  He made 89 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks as a junior in 2011.  He looks like a weakside linebacker or possibly a MIKE.  He holds an offer from Michigan, along with Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Penn State, among others.  (EDIT: Jones, like Anzalone below, also canceled his trip to Michigan due to the linebacker position being full.) (Highlights here.)


Colin McGovern – OT – New Lenox (IL) Lincoln-Way West: McGovern is a 6’7″, 280 lb. tackle with offers from Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among others.  He also had an offer Michigan, although the Wolverines are currently full at the offensive line positions unless something changes.  (Highlights here.)

Shane Morris – QB – Warren (MI) De La Salle: Morris committed to Michigan in the summer of 2011.  (Commitment post here.)

Dylan Roney – DE – Novi (MI) Catholic Central: Roney is a 6’2″, 215 lb. defensive end from the class of 2014.  He has no scholarship offers at this point.  Roney made 75 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery as a sophomore in 2011.  He is the teammate of incoming freshman defensive end Matt Godin and 2013 running back commit Wyatt Shallman. (Highlights here.)

NOTE: Wyomissing (PA) Wyomissing Area linebacker Alex Anzalone was originally scheduled to visit Michigan this weekend, too.  However, he stated that Michigan told him they were full at his position, which could mean several things.  Since Anzalone looks like a SAM to me, it might mean that recent commit Mike McCray took that spot.  It could also mean that Michigan has received a silent commitment from another player.  And another possibility is that the coaches are saving a spot for E.J. Levenberry.

Scouting Report: Patrick Kugler

Patrick Kugler

I did a commitment post (Patrick Kugler, Wolverine) for Patrick Kugler (Wolverine) when he committed, but due to a lack of film on him, I only had background information.  Well, now he’s got a twelve minute highlight film on the ol’ Youtubes, so this week’s scouting report is on Kugler.

Name: Patrick Kugler
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 280 lbs.
Class: 2013
Position: Offensive tackle
School: Wexford (PA) North Allegheny

Strengths: Good drive blocker . . . Nasty player who finishes blocks . . . Good size with low center of gravity despite being 6’5″ . . . Athletic enough to pull when necessary . . . Drives feet extremely well, especially working his way out of stalemate . . . Determined blocker . . . Coach’s son who should be able to adjust well to college

Weaknesses: Not a great athlete . . . A little too stiff and slow-footed to play tackle at next level . . . Needs to be more consistent with his stance . . . Weight distribution in stance shows differences between drive blocks, pass sets, and pull/reach blocks . . . Plays a wee bit high at times

Projection: Center or guard.  I don’t think Kugler is athletic enough to play either tackle position, but he does show good enough athleticism to be a pulling guard.  He’ll reportedly come in as a center, but there’s room for versatility there.  He seems to be a tough, hard-nosed lineman who should be able to adjust well to college and challenge Jack Miller by 2014.

Reminds me of: N/A.  He doesn’t really remind me of any Michigan recruit since I started following recruiting, but he looks like some of those bigger, stronger Wolverines from the late ’90s or early ’00s.

TTB Rating: 83

Initial Scout 300 Released for 2013

Patrick Kugler is Michigan’s top-rated 2013 recruit, according to Scout

The initial Scout 300 was released on Wednesday.  Twelve of Michigan’s current commits appear on the list, with three of them nabbing 5-star ratings.  A total of 84 (or 28% of them) have been on the receiving end of Michigan offers. Here you’ll find the Michigan commits (highlighted in blue) along with the rest of the 2013 offerees:

5-stars:
3. Robert Foster – WR – Pennsylvania
4. Laremy Tunsil – OT – Florida
6. Vernon Hargreaves III – CB – Florida
9. Su’a Cravens – S – California
11. Montravius Adams – DT – Georgia
13. Ty Isaac – RB – Illinois
14. Keith Ford – RB – Texas (Oklahoma)
15. Eddie Vanderdoes – DT – California
16. Jaylon Smith – LB – Indiana
17. Justin Davis – RB – California
21. Justin Manning – DT – Texas
22. Adam Breneman – TE – Pennsylvania
24. Joey Bosa – DE – Florida
25. Patrick Kugler – OG – Pennsylvania (Michigan)
26. James Quick – WR – Kentucky
27. Michael Hutchings – LB – California
28. Shane Morris – QB – Michigan (Michigan)
31. Kendall Fuller – CB – Maryland
33. Priest Willis – S – Arizona
35. Dymonte Thomas – S – Ohio (Michigan)

4-stars:
37. Jason Hatcher – DE – Kentucky
39. Darrell Daniels – WR – California
40. Elijah Daniel – DE – Indiana
42. Jake Raulerson – OT – Texas (Texas)
47. Sebastian LaRue – WR – California
49. Kyle Bosch – OT – Illinois (Michigan)
50. John Montelus – OG – Massachusetts
53. Jake Oliver – WR – Texas (Texas)
57. Ethan Pocic – OT – Illinois
58. DeVeon Smith – RB – Ohio
68. Evan Lisle – OT – Ohio (Ohio State)
73. Marquez North – WR – North Carolina
74. Cam Burrows – CB – Ohio (Ohio State)
76. Laquon Treadwell – WR – Illinois
77. Greg Webb – DT – New Jersey
79. Standish Dobard – TE – Louisiana
80. E.J. Levenberry – LB – Virginia
82. Colin McGovern – OT – Illinois
86. Alquadin Muhammad – OLB – New Jersey
90. Eli Woodard – CB – New Jersey (Ohio State)
92. Chris Hawkins – CB – California
93. Peter Kalambayi – LB – North Carolina
94. Joe Mathis – DE – California
96. Leon McQuay – S – Florida
99. Steve Elmer – OT – Michigan (Notre Dame)
102. Jonathan Allen – DE – Virginia
104. Tray Matthews – S – Georgia (Georgia)
110. Michael Hill – DT – South Carolina
111. Billy Price – DT – Ohio (Ohio State)
113. Cole Luke – CB – Arizona
116. Kyle Hicks – RB – Texas (Texas)
118. Kevin Olsen – QB – New Jersey
124. Derrick Green – RB – Virginia
131. Devon Allen – WR – Arizona
132. Larenz Bryant – LB – North Carolina
134. Henry Poggi – DT – Maryland
136. Rob Wheelwright – WR – Ohio
137. Chris Fox – OG – Colorado (Michigan)
141. Shaq Wiggins – CB – Georgia (Georgia)
142. Tashawn Bower – DE – New Jersey
144. Elijah Qualls – DT – California
147. Jake Butt – TE – Ohio (Michigan)
149. Alex Anzalone – LB – Pennsylvania
152. Dorian O’Daniel – LB – Maryland
153. Logan Tuley-Tillman – OT – Illinois (Michigan)
159. Ben Gedeon – LB – Ohio
167. Hunter Bivin – OT – Kentucky
171. Ishmael Thomas – OG – Texas (Texas A&M)
173. Ryan White – CB – Kentucky (Louisville)
177. Eldridge Massington – WR – Texas
179. Wyatt Shallman – FB – Michigan (Michigan)
182. J.J. Gustafson – OT – Texas (Texas A&M)
193. Chase Abbington – OLB – Missouri (Missouri)
202. Mike McCray – OLB – Ohio (Michigan)
204. Christian Lacouture – DT – Texas
208. Darius Latham – DT – Indiana
223. Mike McGlinchey – OT – Pennsylvania
227. Gareon Conley – CB – Ohio
230. Matt Rolin – LB – Virginia

3-stars:
251. Jourdan Lewis – CB – Michigan (Michigan)
258. James Onwualu – WR – Minnesota
264. David Dawson – OG – Michigan (Michigan)
265. Marcell Ateman – WR – Texas
267. Cameron Walker – CB – California
283. Demorea Stringfellow – WR – California
287. Jaron Dukes – WR – Ohio (Michigan)
294. Tim Harris – CB – Virginia
300. Josh Augusta – TE – Illinois

Mike McCray, Wolverine

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison linebacker Mike McCray

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison linebacker Mike McCray committed to Michigan on Tuesday.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and several others.

McCray is a 6’4″, 230-pounder who claims a 4.61 forty.  As a junior in 2011, he made 132 tackles, 5 interceptions (3 of which he returned for touchdowns), 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.  As a sophomore he made 65 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles.

Ratings:
ESPN: 4-star LB
Rivals: 4-star LB, #44 overall
Scout: Unranked
247 Sports: 4-star ATH, 92 grade, #10 ATH, #168 overall

McCray’s father, as you all probably know by now, played linebacker at Ohio State in the 1980s.  Ohio State has yet to offer the Buckeye legacy, which is reportedly a thorn in the McCrays’ side and perhaps a reason why Mike the Younger has decided to choose the Wolverines.  It might not be wise to close the door on Ohio State making a run at him, but at this point, he seems solidly committed to Michigan and convinced that Ann Arbor is the place for him to be.  There were rumblings recently that Tennessee was his leader, but he canceled a scheduled trip to Rocky Top and instead visited the Michigan campus, where he pledged to the coaching staff.

McCray is a very good athlete with excellent straight line speed for a guy his size.  As a receiver and interceptor, he shows soft hands, makes good breaks on thrown footballs, and is hard to catch in the open field.  However, I tend to disagree with a lot of the scuttlebutt out there that he’s destined for the MIKE linebacker.  He does say that he’s being recruited as an inside linebacker, but he doesn’t have the requisite skill set for the position, in my opinion.  He needs to play downhill more and read run plays quicker.  There are times when he takes poor angles in run pursuit, and he’s also not as aggressive of a hitter as I would expect from a kid his size.  I don’t think his highlight clips are that impressive for a linebacker who’s supposedly the 44th-best player in the country (to Rivals), aside from the interception returns.  Defensive touchdowns are great, but a middle linebacker needs to make his biggest impact as a run stopper.

I also don’t think he should play defensive end.  Do you really want to take a guy who had eight interceptions in his sophomore and junior seasons (at least three of which were returned for touchdowns?) and make him a defensive end, where he’ll only drop into coverage on a rare zone blitz?  That doesn’t make much sense, either.

The way I see it, McCray looks like a future SAM linebacker.  He could still be used in coverage at times, and since he’s not the most instinctive run stopper, rushing him off the edge would force him to play downhill and take some of that indecision out of the process.  I see some similarities at this point between McCray and outgoing senior J.B. Fitzgerald.

For people who didn’t like my Logan Tuley-Tillman scouting report, stop reading here.  There is a monster at the end of this book.

I don’t see McCray as a truly instinctive linebacker, at least not to the same level as James Ross and Joe Bolden.  He doesn’t seem to be a real “finisher” when it comes to tackling.  He leaps at a bunch of guys and drags them to the ground with his weight, rather than wrapping up and driving his feet; on the numerous highlights I’ve seen, I think I’ve seen one impressive tackle.  There are times where he almost gets a guy to the ground and needs somebody else to come and clean up.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I don’t like it when dudes jog into the end zone, and he does it multiple times.  This is a kid with all kinds of athletic potential  but he’s not college ready from the perspective of technique and football maturity.

Cue the nasty e-mails.

Trotwood-Madison High School is the alma mater of current Wolverines Roy Roundtree and Brandon Moore.  McCray, commitment #14 for Michigan in 2013, is also teammates with former Michigan target Cam Burrows, a cornerback who is committed to Ohio State.

TTB Rating: 74

Recruiting Update: March 5, 2012

Josh Augusta looks angry (image via Scout.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD
Peoria (IL) Peoria defensive lineman Josh Augusta was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’5″, 275 lb. kid who looks like he’ll grow into a 3-tech defensive tackle.  He also has offers from Illinois and Iowa.  The highlights below (the only ones I could find of Augusta on Youtube) appear to show some clips of Michigan commit Logan Tuley-Tillman playing against Augusta:

New Orleans (LA) Edna Karr tight end Standish Dobard has an offer from Michigan.  He’s a 6’5″, 235 lb. end who lists a 4.6 forty.  He also has offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma, among others.  He attends the alma mater of former Michigan target (and current Cincinnati quarterback) Munchie Legaux.

College Station (TX) A&M Consolidated defensive end Christian Lacouture decommitted from Texas A&M.  The 6’5″, 255-pounder had been committed to the Aggies since January 2011 and plans to visit Michigan soon.



OFF THE BOARD
St. Peters (MO) Fort Zumwalt South running back/athlete Chase Abbington committed to Missouri.  There is some uncertainty about whether he was ever offered by the Wolverines, but regardless, he’s off the board.

Cypress (TX) Cypress Ranch running back Keith Ford committed to Oklahoma.  The powerful 5’11”, 195-pounder expressed interest in visiting Michigan at one point, but Oklahoma’s not a bad choice, either.

Castle Rock (CO) Valor Christian offensive lineman Alex Kozan committed to Auburn.  Kozan was a part of the 2012 class but decided not to sign with a team on (or even near) National Signing Day.  Iowa was apparently out of the picture at the end, and Kozan was deciding between the Tigers and the Wolverines.

Louisville (KY) Trinity cornerback Ryan White committed to Louisville.  White is one of three Trinity teammates to have been offered by Michigan for 2013, along with defensive end Jason Hatcher and wide receiver James Quick.

TTB RATINGS
I released the TTB Ratings for 2013.  You can hit the link or they can be found on the 2013 Offer Board.