Tag: 2014 recruiting

Recruiting Update: April 29, 2013

Upper Marlboro (MD) Wise safety Marcus Allen

COMMITMENT
Hinsdale (IL) Central tight end Ian Bunting committed to Michigan.

Detroit (MI) Country Day wide receiver Maurice Ways committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Upper Marlboro (MD) Wise safety Marcus Allen was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Maryland, Penn State, Pitt, and Stanford, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 70 tackles.  According to the 247 Composite rankings, he’s a 4-star, the #25 safety, and the #316 player overall.

OFF THE BOARD
Charlotte (NC) Christian tight end Jeb Blazevich committed to Georgia.  He initiated the run on tight end commitments this week, although Blazevich was not seriously interested in Michigan.

Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Austin running back Vic Enwere does not have a Michigan offer.  It turns out that a recruiting reporter didn’t know the difference between Michigan and Michigan State, so perhaps that guy is in the wrong profession.


Chatham (IL) Glenwood tight end Daniel Helm committed to Tennessee.  While the Volunteers were presumed to be the favorite already, the commitment of Bunting to Michigan early in the day seemed to cause Helm to pull the trigger.  The Wolverines were supposedly running second to Tennessee, and Michigan supposedly wants just one tight end in the class, so the decision was basically made for him.

Charlotte (NC) Christian running back Elijah Hood committed to Notre Dame.  The Fighting Irish were thought to be his leader before he visited Michigan this spring, after which he briefly talked up the chances of him coming to Michigan.  Shortly afterward, he claimed he was going to stay close to home (hint: UNC) so his family could watch him play.  Then he visited Notre Dame this past weekend and committed.  I would not be entirely surprised if he opened things back up at some point, because he seems a little indecisive.

Washington (DC) St. John’s quarterback William Ulmer was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect who committed to Maryland on Thursday over offers from Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.  He passed for 1,245 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior in 2012, along with running for 1,412 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Midlothian (IL) Marist tight end Nic Weishar committed to Notre Dame.  Prior to Bunting’s Michigan visit, the Fighting Irish were thought to be the leader for both players with Michigan in second or third place, so Weishar’s commitment on Tuesday evening seems to have been the result of a domino effect.  Blazevich to Georgia, then Bunting to Michigan, then Helm to Tennessee, then Weishar to Notre Dame.  Here’s the scouting report I posted on Weishar back in January.

Maurice Ways, Wolverine

Detroit (MI) Country Day wide receiver Maurice Ways

Detroit (MI) Country Day wide receiver Maurice Ways committed to Michigan on Thursday.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from Iowa, Kansas, Pitt, Rutgers, and a bunch of MAC teams.

Ways is a 6’3″, 195-pounder.  As a junior in 2012, he had 51 receptions for 957 yards and 9 touchdowns.

RATINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 3-star, #54 WR
Scout: 3-star, #51 WR
247 Sports: 3-star, 87 grade, #84 WR

Ways was picking up a steady stream of MAC offers along with a few mid-level BCS teams until the Wolverines offered a couple weekends ago.  The writing seemed to be on the wall that he would commit to Michigan fairly soon, but Pitt went ahead and offered, anyway.  He visited Michigan again and committed to the coaches.

There’s a lot to like about Ways.  He’s a tall, lanky kid with the ability to get the ball at its highest point.  He has good straight line speed and the ability to take the top off the defense, due to both his speed and size.  He shows a natural ability to adjust to the ball in the air, whether he’s boxing out defensive backs, accelerating through the ball, or getting his hands in the right position for the catch.  He can go high or low to get the ball and makes a lot of great catches.  With some added weight, he will be very difficult for cornerbacks to check at the line of scrimmage and tackle head on; that will also only help him as a blocker, and he’s already a pretty willing and able in that area, where he keeps a wide base, moves his feet, and uses his hands well.

What Ways lacks most is lateral quickness and the ability to make people miss; he’s not the type of player you want to see returning punts or the guy who will catch short passes and turn them into long gains.  There have also been reports that Ways is inconsistent catching the ball; the highlights obviously show a kid who can make some very difficult catches, so the ability is there, but perhaps not the concentration.

I think Ways can have a good future at Michigan if he achieves the consistency required to get on the field.  I’m not worried about his athleticism, despite his lack of short-area quickness.  The talk about the pass drops is slightly concerning, but that’s not something that can be discerned through highlight videos.  At the very least, he can be used as a blocker who can stretch the field; in the best case scenario, I think he has All-Big Ten potential.  I’m not the first one to say this, but his build, gait, speed, and athleticism remind me of former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards.

Ways is the seventh commitment in the 2014 class and the second receiver, joining Drake Harris; he is also the first scholarship player from Country Day since linebacker Kenny Demens in 2008.  That school has also produced players like 2014 QB Tyler Wiegers (committed to Rutgers), 2013 DT Poet Thomas (Texas Tech), 2011 WR Kenny Knight (Illinois), current Miami Heat small forward Shane Battier, and former Michigan basketball player Chris Webber.

TTB Rating: 77 (ratings explanation)

Visitors: April 26-28, 2013

Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate cornerback Jalen Tabor (#1)

Daejuan Funderburk – S – Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate: Funderburke is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, Rutgers, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.  He claims a 4.5 forty and according to the 247 Composite ranking, he’s a 3-star, the #43 safety, and the #546 player overall.  He shows decent speed and change of direction, and he could play corner or free safety in college.

Dimitri Lee – CB – Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate: Lee is a 5’9″, 185 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.  Lee is a little stiff in the hips and is a thick kid, so he might be more of a strong safety or slot corner at the next level.


Jimmy Martin – LB – Maitland (FL) Orangewood Christian: Martin is a 5’11”, 203 lb. prospect for the class of 2015 with no offers at this time.  He also visited Michigan for a game back in September 2012.  He claims a 4.62 forty and as a sophomore in 2012, he had 113 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.  He also had 604 rushing yards, 121 receiving yards, and 8 total touchdowns.  Martin plays small school competition, so his numbers should be taken with a grain of salt; he would likely project to middle linebacker or perhaps fullback at the next level.

Chigozie Onyekwere – WR – Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate: Onyekwere is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with a lone offer from North Carolina State.  He’s a 3-star prospect with a 4.5 forty whom 247’s Composite ranking places as a 3-star and the #154 wideout.


Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate: Tabor is a 6’1″, 182 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and numerous others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 27 tackles, 8 interceptions, and 1 interception returned for a touchdown.  The 247 Composite ranking places him as a 5-star, the #4 cornerback, and the #16 player overall.  This will be Tabor’s first visit to Michigan’s campus, and the Wolverines appear to be playing from well behind on this one.  Teammate D’Andre Payne, who has a Michigan offer, committed to Tennessee; other Friendship products have been offered by Michigan in recent years, including linebacker Yannick Ngakoue (Maryland) and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman (Florida State).  Tabor is expect to follow Goldman to Tallahassee.

Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways is a 6’3″, 195 lb. prospect who earned a Michigan offer late last week.  He just earned an offer from Pitt, which joined Iowa, Kansas, and several others.  As a junior in 2012, Ways had 51 receptions for 957 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Many people are expecting Ways to commit to Michigan soon, if not on his visit.

Ian Bunting, Wolverine

Hinsdale (IL) Central wide receiver/tight end Ian Bunting (image via Twitter)

Hinsdale (IL) Central tight end Ian Bunting committed to Michigan on Tuesday.  Bunting chose the Wolverines over offers from Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and USC, among others.

Bunting stands 6’6″ and 210 lbs.  As a junior in 2012, Bunting had 16 catches for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 83 grade, #5 TE, #114 overall
Rivals: 3-star, #14 TE
Scout: 3-star, #17 TE
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #11 TE

Bunting visited Michigan in November 2012 for the Northwestern game, but he didn’t receive an offer from the Wolverines until March.  At the time of that in-season visit, he had just one offer, which had come from Purdue.  When he visited again last weekend, it was thought that Notre Dame was his leader, but he was impressed enough to commit a few days afterward.

Bunting is a long and lean prospect.  He’s listed from 6’5″ to 6’7″ and from 210 to 215 lbs., but he plays like a wide receiver.  When he gets an unimpeded release off the line of scrimmage, he’s very difficult to cover.  He can run past some defensive backs, and jump balls are no contest for someone with his size and athleticism; if defenses cover him with a linebacker, that will be a huge mismatch.  He’s a very flexible player who picks up his knees when he runs, can bend at the knees to block, and can adjust well to the ball in the air.  I also like the way Bunting runs routes; he changes direction well for such a tall guy, and he shows a dedication to proper footwork.  As a blocker, he shows the willingness to be physical and he keeps a nice, wide base when engaged with defenders.

There’s not much to dislike about Bunting.  He will add weight as his body matures, so it will be interesting to see whether that changes his athleticism; he won’t be a mammoth bruiser, but he should probably be 240-245 lbs. by the time his college career ends.  I also wonder how he would react to press man coverage, because no defensive backs seem willing to test him in that respect.  He will have to learn how to shed press man defenders if he doesn’t know already.

Michigan will likely use Bunting like they use Devin Funchess, splitting him out wide, moving him around in the backfield, and sending him downfield as a deep threat at times.  I think those two have very similar skills. Michigan should be able to redshirt him in 2014 to add some weight, but if he’s not being used as an in-line blocker, there’s not much of a reason to keep him off the field if he can contribute.  Funchess did just fine at about 228 lbs. in 2012, and Bunting has another year and a half to add that 10-20 lbs.

Recruits have stated that the coaches only plan to take one tight end in the 2014 class, so Bunting will likely be the only player for the position unless something changes with the roster.  He’s the seventh commitment in a class that will probably be around 16 or a few more.  Walk-on wide receiver Brad Anlauf also attended Hinsdale Central High School.

TTB Rating: 78 (ratings explanation)

Recruiting Update: April 23, 2013

Detroit (MI) Country Day wide receiver Maurice Ways

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Fort Worth (TX) All Saint’s Episcopal offensive guard Demetrius Knox decommitted from Texas.  Knox is a 6’4″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and numerous others.  According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 4-star, the #4 offensive guard, and the #77 player overall.  I do not expect Michigan to garner much attention from Knox this time around, either.

New Orleans (LA) John Curtis safety Mattrell McGraw was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’0″, 186 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, and many others.  According to the 247 Composite rankings, he’s a 3-star, the #51 safety, and the #593 player overall.  As a junior in 2012, he had 65 tackles, 1 sack, 4 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), 13 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles.  He also claims a 4.46 forty, and I think he has the speed and change of direction to play cornerback in some schemes.  John Curtis is the same school as a couple other Michigan offerees, wide receiver Malachi Dupre and linebacker Kenny Young.

Chandler (AZ) Hamilton offensive tackle Casey Tucker decommitted from USC.  He’s a 6’6″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, among others.  According to the 247 Composite rankings, he’s a 4-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and the #55 player overall; he’s committed play in the Under Armour All-America Game.  He has expressed an interest in revisiting Michigan’s offer, so the Wolverines might be able to make a move.  Hamilton is the same school that former Michigan targets Cole Luke (Notre Dame) and Christian Westerman (Auburn) attended.

Detroit (MI) Country Day wide receiver Maurice Ways was offered by Michigan.  Ways is a 6’3″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Kansas, Rutgers, and most of the MAC.  As a junior in 2012, he had 51 receptions for 952 yards and 9 touchdowns.  According to the 247 Composite rankings, he’s a 3-star, the #76 wideout, and the #583 player overall.  Ways isn’t the most agile or quickest receiver, but he’s a good sized kid with a nice frame, good speed, and the ability to go up and get the ball.  Country Day is the alma mater of Michigan linebacker Kenny Demens.



ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis defensive end Terry Beckner, Jr. was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’5″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Purdue.  Beckner is the teammate of 2014 linebacker offeree Kyron Watson, who has named Michigan his leader.

MISCELLANEOUS
ESPN released its top 150 players for the class of 2014.

Here’s a list of visitors from last weekend.

247 Sports released its updated Top 247 for the class of 2014.