Tag: 2013 recruiting

Junior Season Highlights: Shane Morris

Recruiting Update: December 19, 2011

Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge DE Jonathan Allen (#93)

ADDED TO THE BOARD
Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge DE Jonathan Allen, a 2013 prospect, received an offer from Michigan last week.  Allen is 6’3″, 225 lbs. and listed as a strongside end, although I think he could fit at weakside end as well.  He plays a lot like 2012 commit Mario Ojemudia, although I think Ojemudia might be a little quicker.  Allen comes up too high out of his stance and doesn’t use his hands extremely well to shed blockers, but the physical talent is there to be a very good player.  Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Virginia, and others have also extended offers.

Pittsburgh (PA) Shaler Area TE J.P. Holtz was offered by Michigan, but it might be too late for the Wolverines.  The 6’4″, 240-pounder has already announced a top three of Michigan State, Pitt, and Purdue.  He took a recent official visit to Pitt and reportedly enjoyed it, but the coaching situation might be a negative.  Holtz said that he would like to be done with visits and has yet to make it to Ann Arbor, so chances are slim that he ends up wearing a winged helmet.  Regardless, Holtz is a well rounded athlete who has played running back in high school, so he has running skills that some other tight ends don’t possess.  He could be an interesting pass-catching tight end to go along with the receiving skills of Devin Funchess and blocking of A.J. Williams.

South Bend (IN) Washington RB David Perkins has a Michigan offer, at least according to Scout (Rivals insists he doesn’t).  The 6’2″, 209 lb. athlete was committed to Notre Dame at one point, but decommitted at the end of October for reasons that are somewhat unclear.  Perkins has offers from LSU, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, and Tennessee, all of which he has visited or has scheduled a visit.  Michigan’s coaches are recruiting Perkins for running back now that Bri’onte Dunn appears to be off the table, and Perkins has discussed trying to set up a visit to Ann Arbor for January; that would likely cause him to have to cancel a trip to Ohio State, LSU, or Tennessee.  Various schools are recruiting Perkins for various positions, including running back, wide receiver, and linebacker.  He has a reported 4.43 forty yard dash and a 36″ vertical leap, but he’s kind of a raw athlete and reminds me of Josh Furman in some respects.

Peoria (IL) Manual OT Logan Tuley-Tillman, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week.  Tuley-Tillman is a 6’7″, 280-pounder with a nasty streak.  He’s somewhat raw to be garnering such major offers, but he is a plus athlete.  Unless he improves his technique and footwork significantly as a senior in high school, whichever college gets him will be getting a project.  He also holds offers from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio State.

OFF THE BOARD
Canton (OH) McKinley DE Se’von Pittman changed his allegiance from Michigan State to Ohio State.  I can’t say that I blame him, since MSU if full of criminals.  Oh, wait.  So is Ohio State.  Pittman’s heart never seemed to be in East Lansing, but academics were rumored to be an issue with Michigan and the impending sanctions seemed to push him away from OSU.  I guess the hiring of Urban Meyer and the hope of winning a national championship was too much.  If the NCAA ever gets around to sanctioning Ohio State, we’ll see if their recruiting mojo remains.

Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West DT Tommy Schutt jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire last week, switching his future destination from Penn State to Ohio State.  I guess we’ll see in the next few years whether it was a good idea or not for Michigan to shun Schutt when he wanted to visit Ann Arbor, but my stance right now is that Schutt is going to be a load to deal with for the next several years.  Meanwhile, Michigan might be a little thin on the interior.

Harrisburg (PA) Bishop McDevitt DE Noah Spence committed to Ohio State on Sunday.  It sure was a boon for Ohio State to get Urban Meyer as coach, because kids don’t even care that the school is about to (or, well, should) get hit with NCAA sanctions.  The 6’4″, 245 lb. Spence is considered by many to be the nation’s top defensive end.  Michigan was never a viable option for Spence, but for a long time, it seemed OSU was out of the running, too.

Anthony Standifer, ex-Wolverine

2013 prospect LaQuon Treadwell and 2012 prospect Anthony Standifer

Back at the beginning of June, Crete (IL) Crete-Monee cornerback Anthony Standifer committed to Michigan.  At the time the recruiting services hadn’t really picked up on him yet, despite the fact that he had offers from decent schools like Iowa, Michigan, and Notre Dame.  As of this morning, Standifer is a 3-star to all four major recruiting services, and anywhere from the #28 to #46 cornerback.

He remained committed for the past several months and seemed strongly interested in coming to Ann Arbor, but a few days ago, it all started to fall apart.  Michigan and Standifer have made a mutual decision to part ways, although rumors suggest that it was due to some academic shortcomings on Standifer’s part.

To fill the open spot at cornerback, Michigan has recently re-established contact with West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial’s Armani Reeves and continued to pursue Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep’s Yuri Wright.  Reeves is currently committed to Penn State but is wary of the coaching situation.  Wright has often said that Michigan is his dream school, but he has yet to visit.

It’s unclear where Standifer will end up playing ball, but there is another player who factors into the situation: 2013 wide receiver LaQuon Treadwell.  Treadwell is Standifer’s teammate and seemed like he would commit to Michigan at some point.  Without Standifer in Ann Arbor, that might make Treadwell’s commitment less likely.  While he has stated that the news about Standifer won’t affect his recruitment, I have to wonder if that will hold true or not.  Treadwell has picked up offers from Indiana, Nebraska, and Notre Dame to go along with his Michigan offer.

For other news on former Wolverines and ex-commitments, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Recruiting Update: December 3, 2011

ADDED TO THE BOARD

Pickerington (OH) North DE Jake Butt received an offer from Michigan last week.  Butt is a 6’6″, 220 lb. prospect from the class of 2013.  He has received several offers just this week and now has a list that includes Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, and UCLA.  Butt moves well and has the frame to grow significantly, and his size indicates a future at weakside defensive end for Michigan.  He attends the same high school as 2011 target Darien Bryant (Vanderbilt) and class of 2006 snowplow operator Justin Boren.

Akron (OH) Firestone WR Kevin Gladney received an offer from Michigan a couple days ago.  Gladney is a 6’3″, 180 lb. prospect from the class of 2013.  Michigan is the first school to offer, but he has stated that West Virginia is his favorite school.  Below are some highlights from Gladney’s sophomore season.  He has nice size, good speed, smooth change of direction skills, and the ability to high point the ball.  I would like to see him refine his skills at catching high passes; while he’s willing and able to go up for them, sometimes he gets his body and hands in awkward positions.  Overall, he looks like a solid prospect.

OFF THE BOARD

Weston (FL) Cypress Bay OG Daniel Isidora committed to Miami.  Isidora is a 6’3″, 330 lb. guard who had offers from Illinois, West Virginia, and Wisconson, among others.  He’s a 3-star to both Rivals (#13 OG) and Scout (#49 OG).  Maybe nobody told him that Nevin Shapiro won’t be handing out any more money and strippers.

Athens (TX) Athens ATH Kendall Sanders decommitted from Oklahoma State and flipped to Texas.  The 6’1″, 175 lb. Sanders just opened up his recruitment a few days ago and then suddenly became a Longhorn. This comes a month after saying “I’m 110% committed to Oklahoma State.”  As if the whole “110%” thing weren’t dumb enough already.  Sanders is a 4-star to both Rivals (#4 ATH, #64 overall) and Scout (#22 WR).

Additional Visitors for Ohio State Game

DeVeon Smith

Last week I posted the expected visitors for the Ohio State game.  In addition, the following recruits showed up in Ann Arbor on Saturday:

Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell Academy OL Blake Bars: Bars will sign with Michigan in February.

Southfield (MI) Southfield WR Brandon Bean: Bean is a 6’2″, 200 lb. prospect for 2013.  He attends the same high school as class of 2012 tight end Ron Thompson, whom Michigan offered early in the recruiting cycle.

Owensboro (KY) Apollo OT Hunter Bivin: Bivin is a 6’7″, 288 lb. prospect for 2013.  Apollo is a rival of Madisonville (KY) North Hopkins, where 2012 commit Jeremy Clark played.  Bivin’s only current offer is from Kentucky.

Mason (MI) Mason FB/LB Blake Cook: Cook is a 6’3″, 226 lb. prospect for 2012.  He currently has zero FBS offers and could be a walk-on prospect for Michigan.

Warren (OH) Howland ATH Brendan Cope: Cope is a 6’4″, 185 lb. prospect for 2013.  He currently has zero FBS offers, but with that size and a reported 4.45 time in the 40, that will likely change soon.

Lansing (MI) Eastern OL Josh Crim: Crim is a 6’6″, 270 lb. prospect for 2013.  He currently has zero FBS offers.

Cincinnati (OH) Wyoming DT Terry Davis: Davis is a 6’4″, 270 lb. prospect who’s currently committed to North Carolina State.  He attends the alma mater of Michigan defensive end Jibreel Black.  Davis also has offers from Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, and South Florida, among others.

Lake Forest (IL) Lake Forest WR Bo Dever: Dever is a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect who has already committed to walk on at Michigan in 2012.

Cincinnati (OH) Moeller OG Alex Gall: Gall is a 6’5″, 295 lb. prospect for 2013.  He currently has zero FBS offers.

Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary WR Jordan Hargrove: Hargrove is a 5’11”, 170 lb. prospect for 2013.

Traverse City (MI) West OG Connor Hayes: Hayes is a 6’3″, 260 lb. prospect for 2014.

Muskegon (MI) Muskegon RB Juwan Lewis: Lewis is a 5’11”, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Buffalo, Toledo, and Western Michigan.  He was hoping for a Michigan offer, but the commitment from Drake Johnson and the potential for Bri’onte Dunn to commit have presumably squashed most of that hope.

Canton (OH) Glenoak OG Steve Mathie: Mathie is a 6’5″, 270 lb. prospect for 2013.  He already holds an offer from UCLA.

Youngstown (OH) Cardinal Mooney SS Marcus McWilson: McWilson is a 6’0″, 195 lb. prospect for 2013.  He currently has zero FBS offers, but that will likely change in the coming months.  He attends the alma mater of former Michigan safety Ray Vinopal.

Saline (MI) Saline LS Taybor Pepper: Pepper is a 6’5″, 180 lb. prospect who one “expert” considers to be the #6 high school long snapper in the country.  Michigan’s starting long snapper is Tom Pomarico, who graduates after this season.  Pepper may walk on in Ann Arbor and battle with starting short snapper Jareth Glanda for snapping duties.

Kansas City (MO) Park Hill DT Ondre Pipkins: Pipkins will sign with Michigan in February.

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice LB Jon Reschke: Reschke is a 6’2″, 210 lb. prospect for 2013.  He currently holds offers from Michigan State and Toledo; the Spartans are considered to be the leader, with Notre Dame somewhere close to the front, too.

Holland (MI) Holland LB Nathan Ricketts: Ricketts is a 6’3″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Central Michigan, Toledo, and Western Michigan.

Warren (OH) Howland RB DeVeon Smith: Smith is a 5’11”, 215 lb. prospect for 2013.  He currently has zero FBS offers, but he’s the younger brother of former Wisconsin running back Lance Smith (who was booted from the Badgers a few seasons ago because of a domestic violence charge).

Holland (MI) Holland ATH Corey Willis: Willis is a 5’10”, 170 lb. prospect for 2013.  He could play wide receiver or cornerback in college, but he currently has zero FBS offers.