Tag: 2014 recruiting

Visitors: First week of April 2013

#73 Juwann Bushell-Beatty and #5 Jabrill Peppers (image via Northjersey.com)

Due to Easter and spring break, lots of kids will be off this week, too, and have a chance to stop by Michigan’s campus throughout the week.

Trey Barksdale – LB – Clinton (MI) Clintondale: Barksdale is a 6’0″, 190 lb. linebacker prospect with no offers at this time.  As a junior in 2012, he had 30 solo tackles, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.  He looks like a player who would be a ways down in the pecking order for a scholarship offer, and Michigan is reportedly looking for just one more linebacker (in addition to Michael Ferns III) in the 2014 class. UPDATE: Barksdale did not make it to campus on Tuesday but may visit later in the week.

David Beedle – DT – Clarkston (MI) Clarkston: Beedle is a 6’5″, 250 lb. defensive tackle with no offers at this time.

Ray Buford – WR – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Buford is a 6’0″, 170 lb. wideout from the class of 2015.  He has no offers at this time.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 52 receptions for more than 500 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Buford also visited Michigan for the game against Northwestern back in November.  Michigan’s coaching staff seems to want him as a cornerback.

Juwann Bushell-Beatty – OT – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: Bushell-Beatty is a 6’7″, 310 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, and Rutgers, among others.  The 247 Composite rankings place him as a 3-star, the #35 offensive tackle, and the #456 player nationally.

Cole Chewins – TE – Clarkston (MI) Clarkston: Chewins is a 6’7″, 210 lb. tight end for the class of 2015.  He has no offers at this time.  Some sites talk about him as if he’s a linebacker, but he looks too long and lanky to be a linebacker; I think he will likely end up at tight end or defensive end.

Rob Dowdy – OT – Westerville (OH) South: Dowdy is a 6’7″, 250 lb. prospect from the class of 2015.  He has offers from Indiana and Kentucky so far.  He visited Michigan a couple weeks ago, so he appears to be strongly interested in the Wolverines.  Westerville South is the high school of Marcus Ball (Arizona State), whom Michigan offered in the 2013 class.

Lawrence Gordon – DE – Saginaw (MI) Arthur Hill: Gordon is a 6’5″, 230 lb. defensive end from the class of 2016, so he just finished his freshman year.  He has no offers at this time, but he has recently visited Michigan State and Ohio State.

Jamarco Jones – OG – Chicago (IL) De La Salle: Jones is a 6’5″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among many others.  He has expressed mild interest in Michigan and seems likely to stay somewhere in the midwest, but he does not seem to be very close to committing anywhere.  His 247 Composite ranking (which combines the rankings of Rivals, Scout, and 247 – along with ESPN whenever they rank players) puts him at the #4 offensive tackle and the #53 overall player in the 2014 class.

Evan Mallory – OG – Brownsburg (IN) Brownsburg: Mallory is a 6’4″, 285 lb. prospect for the class of 2015.  He has no offers at this point.  Mallory has good size but is a little slow afoot, but if he can improve his foot speed, he has a chance to become a legitimate prospect.

Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Marshall is a 6’3″, 215 lb. weakside end prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, among others.  He was committed to OSU for a few days, but that ended quickly.  In 247’s Composite ranking, he’s the #13 weakside end and the #198 player overall.

Malik McDowell – DE – Detroit (MI) Loyola: McDowell is a 6’7″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, and a host of others.  He is a 5-star or high 4-star caliber prospect.  Michigan and Notre Dame seemed to be neck and neck, but recent info suggests Michigan might be taking a lead.

Sam Mustipher – OG – Olney (MD) Good Counsel: Mustipher is a 6’4″, 285 lb. offensive guard prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and West Virginia, among many others; his father played football for the Mountaineers.  Good Counsel is the alma mater of Michigan cornerback Blake Countess, as well as the home of several other Michigan targets in recent years, including Stefon Diggs (Maryland), Wes Brown (Maryland), Dorian O’Daniel (Clemson), and Kendall Fuller (Virginia Tech).  The 247 Composite ranking places him as the #8 offensive guard and #119 player overall.

Brady Pallante – DT – Naples (FL) Barron Collier: Pallante is a 6’1″, 270 lb. prospect with a scholarship offer from Appalachian State and a greyshirt offer from Michigan.  He was very close to committing to Michigan’s greyshirt offer when it happened several weeks ago, but he has decided to wait out the process – at least for a little while – to see what other opportunities arise.

Jabrill Peppers – CB – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: Peppers is a 6’1″, 200 lb. prospect with a top group of schools that includes Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Stanford.  The 247 Composite rankings put him at the #1 athlete prospect (he could also play running back, wide receiver, or safety) and the #5 overall player in the nation. Peppers is the teammate of Bushell-Beatty, mentioned above.

Blaise Stearns – WR – Ann Arbor (MI) Gabriel Richard: Stearns is a 6’2″, 202 lb. receiver from the class of 2013.  He will be a student at Michigan in the fall, so it looks like he might be a walk-on in the future.  As a senior in 2012, he had 25 receptions for 540 yards and 7 touchdowns.  He also had 3 rushing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and 1 defensive touchdown.  I don’t often say this about walk-ons, but based on his film, I think Stearns would have a chance of contributing to the team as a slot receiver or on special teams down the road.

Jared Wangler – LB – Warren (MI) De La Salle: Wangler is a 6’2″, 215 lb. linebacker prospect with offers from Bowling Green, Ohio, Toledo, and Western Michigan.  As a junior in 2012, he had 76 tackles, 15 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1 interception, which was returned for a touchdown.  Wangler is the son of former Michigan quarterback John Wangler and the brother of wide receiver Jack Wangler, who will enroll at Michigan in the fall and walk on to the football team.

Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways is a 6’3″, 195 lb. wideout with offers from Iowa, Kansas, and some MAC schools.  He’s a 3-star, the #76 wide receiver, and the #591 overall player in 247’s Composite rankings.  As a junior in 2012, he had 51 receptions for 957 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Ways also visited Michigan last week.  He has supposedly struggled with drops at times, but athletically, I like Ways and think he might be headed for some big offers down the road.

K.J. Williams – WR – Bethlehem (PA) Liberty: Williams is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Michigan, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, and UCLA, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 59 catches for 986 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He also plays safety on defense, but Michigan appears to want him as a wideout.  His 247 Composite ranking places him as a 4-star, the #15 athlete, and the #184 overall player.

Brady Pallante, Wolverine

Naples (FL) Barron Collier defensive tackle Brady Pallante

Naples (FL) Barron Collier defensive tackle Brady Pallante committed to Michigan on Friday.  He chose the grayshirt offer from the Wolverines over a full scholarship from Appalachian State.

Pallante is a 6’1″, 270 lb. prospect who claims a 370 lb. bench, a 580 lb. squat, and a 5.0 forty yard dash.  He is unrated on all four of the major recruiting sites.

Pallante was offered his grayshirt back in February, and he almost committed at the time.  However, he decided to hold off to avoid making a rash decision.  In the meantime, Appalachian State offered him a full ride.  Pallante decided to visit Michigan this week, and it seemed likely that he would take the opportunity to accept the offer.  A grayshirt means that he will start attending Michigan in Fall 2014 on his own dime, but when a scholarship opens up after the season, he will then join the team and begin going to school on scholarship; his true freshman season will be 2015, at which point he will have five years to play four.  Hypothetically, he could redshirt in 2015 and then play the 2016-2019 seasons.  Class of 2012 safety Jeremy Clark also accepted a grayshirt opportunity at one time, but when a scholarship opened up due to attrition, Michigan’s coaches gave him a full ride upon enrollment.  That could very well happen with Pallante, too.

The young defensive tackle has a fair amount of potential, in my opinion.  He’s a true nose tackle in a 4-3 Under defense, because he plays with great leverage as a short, stout fire hydrant.  He uses his hands well to control offensive linemen, he looks tremendously strong in the upper and lower body, and he’s comfortable in either a right- or left-handed stance.  His first step is decently quick, and he does a good job of grabbing at ankles coming through the line, tripping up ball carriers before they can get a full head of steam.

Pallante will never be massive, since he’s only listed at 6’1″; often players are even shorter, so he might only be about 6’0″ tall.  He will probably top out at around 300-310 lbs.  His speed leaves a little bit to be desired; he won’t be able to chase players from sideline to sideline, and he won’t be much of a pass rusher.

Overall, I think Pallante can be a solid contributor, although perhaps not a stud at Michigan.  He won’t put up big numbers like Mike Martin did, but there are some similarities there in size and technique.  Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison had a similar player with the Baltimore Ravens in the form of Kelly Gregg; Gregg has put up 80 tackles in a couple seasons and has had up to 3.5 sacks, mostly by playing with great leverage, showing consistent effort, and creating a pile in the middle of the line.

TTB Rating: 70 (ratings explanation)

Here are Pallante’s junior highlights.

Recruiting Update: April 1, 2013

Goodyear (AZ) Desert Edge defensive end Ismael Murphy-Richardson (#17 in white)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Goodyear (AZ) Desert Edge defensive end Ismael Murphy-Richardson was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’4″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Michigan, and Washington, among others.  Scout ranks him as a 3-star and the #58 outside linebacker, and Rivals ranks him as a 3-star athlete.  As a junior in 2012, he had 68 tackles and 6.5 sacks; he also caught 32 passes for 747 yards and 11 touchdowns.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Virginia Beach (VA) Ocean Lakes wide receiver Jaason Lewis was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’3″, 230 lb. wide receiver, but a high schooler with that size will most likely grow into a tight end or linebacker, if not a defensive end.  He has offers from Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 34 receptions for 636 yards; he also had 200 rushing yards and 6 total touchdowns.

OFF THE BOARD
Sherman (TX) Sherman offensive guard Aaron Garza, a 2015 prospect, committed to Texas.  It was unclear whether Garza actually had a Michigan offer or not, but the coaching staff had made contact and shown at least some interest.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of visitors who made it to campus during the week leading up to Easter. Several updates have been made in the last 24 hours, so check it out.

Here’s this week’s scouting report: on Cleveland (OH) Glenville safety Erick Smith.

Visitors: Last week of March 2013

Huber Heights (OH) Wayne safety Tyree Kinnel

Joshua Alabi – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Alabi is a 6’4″, 245 lb. defensive tackle prospect from the class of 2015.  He has offers from Michigan and Michigan State and has visited Michigan numerous times.

Alex Bars – OT – Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell: Bars is a 6’6″, 287 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Stanford, among others.  He has an older brother at Penn State and an older brother at Michigan (offensive guard Blake).  The younger Bars is a 4-star prospect to ESPN, Rivals, and Scout.

Jayru Campbell – QB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Campbell is a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Alabama and Notre Dame, among others.  He has led Cass Tech to state championships during both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Orlando Carter – OT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Carter is yet another Cass Tech product, in this case a 2015 lineman who’s already near 300 lbs.

Jalen Embry – CB – Detroit (MI) King: Embry is a 5’11”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, and Western Michigan.  He’s a 3-star and the #64 cornerback to 247 Sports.

Carl Fuller – LB – Detroit (MI) King: Fuller is a 6’3″, 195 lb. linebacker with offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse, Toledo, and Western Michigan.  He’s a 3-star and the #28 inside linebacker to 247 Sports.  As a junior in 2012, he had 83 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, and 2 forced fumbles.

Keith Jones – LB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Jones is a 6’1″, 235 lb. prospect from the 2015 class.  He has no offers at this time.  He’s classmates with Joshua Alabi and Michael Weber, both of whom have Michigan offers.

John Kelly – CB – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Kelly is a 5’10”, 170 lb. prospect for 2015 with no offers at this time.

Tyree Kinnel – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel is a 6’1″, 190 lb. safety with no offers at this time.  He’s a 2015 prospect who has visited Michigan multiple times, including last fall and earlier this month.  He once again visited campus on Tuesday, and he seems to be expecting an offer sooner or later.  Kinnel claims a 4.5 forty time.

Avonte Maddox – CB – Detroit (MI) King: Maddox is a 5’9″, 160 lb. corner with offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo.  He’s a 3-star and the #72 athlete to 247 Sports.

Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Marshall is a 6’3″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others.  He was recently rated the #12 weakside end and the #206 overall prospect by 247 Sports, although Rivals initially ranks him as a 3-star. UPDATE: Marshall was unable to make it to campus.

Malik McDowell – DE – Detroit (MI) Loyola: McDowell is a 6’7″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC, among others.  He’s the #2 strongside end and the #30 overall player to 247 Sports.

Michael Ruf – DE – Darlington (WI) Darlington: Ruf is a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Chance Sorrell – TE – Middletown (OH) Middletown: Sorrell is a 6’6″, 250-pounder with offers from Bowling Green, Indiana, Kent State, and Ohio.  He has visited Michigan several times, but he’s more of a blocking TE prospect and may be a ways down the pecking order for a Michigan offer.

Tyriq Thompson – S – Detroit (MI) King: Thompson is a 6’1″, 220 lb. prospect who’s a part of the 2015 class.  As a sophomore that size, he will likely grow into a linebacker before all is said and done.  He’s also the son of former Michigan defensive back Clarence Thompson, who was All-Big Ten in 1995.  The younger Thompson transferred from Missouri after his sophomore season.

Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways is a 6’3″, 193 lb. wideout with offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Iowa, and Toledo.  As a junior in 2012, he had 51 receptions for 952 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Michael Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber is a 5’10”, 195 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Michigan and Michigan State.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns.  He has visited Michigan numerous times.

I will be adding to this list if any players trickle in throughout the week.  Some high schoolers are on their spring break, so they can make midweek visits before Easter.

Scouting Report: Erick Smith

Cleveland (OH) Glenville safety Erick Smith

Name: Erick Smith
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195 lbs.
Position: Safety
High school: Cleveland (OH) Glenville
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and West Virginia . . . Rivals 4-star safety, #228 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 90 grade, #26 safety . . . Attends alma mater of Michigan defensive end Frank Clark and defensive tackle Willie Henry

Strengths: Good straight line speed . . . Good leaping ability . . . Solid inside-out pursuit player . . . Not afraid to hit . . . Runs feet after contact . . . Does a good job of wading through traffic . . . Sheds blocks aggressively . . . Very aggressive blitzer . . . Seems to be excited about getting into backfield

Weaknesses: Somewhat limited as an athlete . . . A good athlete, but doesn’t really leap off the screen . . . Needs to use hands better to shed blocks . . . Could improve backpedal . . . Hips lack fluidity transitioning out of backpedal

Projection: Strong safety.  I don’t think Smith is at his best backing up in coverage, although he does have decent range and athleticism.  He’s a good tackler who deals well with traffic, so I think he would fit best playing in the box, helping with the run, and then occasionally giving the offense a different look by playing deep coverage occasionally.

Reminds me of: Thomas Gordon.  While Smith appears to be a little taller, his playing style reminds me of current Michigan safety Thomas Gordon.  Gordon, of course, has been playing free safety for the past couple seasons, but he has been playing strong safety this spring and may fit best at SS in the long term.

Likelihood of coming to Michigan: Ohio State appears to be the leader, but if the Buckeyes falter in his recruitment, the Wolverines appear to be lurking in that next group of schools.