Tag: 2014 recruiting

Recruiting Update: March 25, 2013

Plano (TX) West running back Sotonye Jamabo (image via Dallas News)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Cincinnati (OH) Moeller outside linebacker Sam Hubbard was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’5″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, and Stanford, among others.  He is currently committed to Notre Dame as a lacrosse player, but his football exploits are earning him more attention and making him think twice about which sport to play in college.  Hubbard played safety as a junior in 2012, but with that size, he’ll certainly change positions in college.  Hubbard is the #25 athlete and #239 overall player to 247 Sports.  Moeller has produced several Michigan targets in recent years, including LB Shane Jones, WR Monty Madaris, and DE Marcus Rush, each of whom have picked Michigan State.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Plano (TX) West running back Sotonye “Soso” Jamabo was offered by Michigan.  Jamabo is a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Ohio State and Oklahoma.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 1,697 rushing yards, 453 receiving yards, and 28 total touchdowns.  He’s currently the #2 player in the state of Texas for the 2015 class and claims a 4.55 forty.  Plano is a hotbed of football talent, with players from the area including Rex Burkhead (Nebraska) and Jackson Jeffcoat (Texas), the latter of which attended West.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Buford (GA) Buford defensive end Isaac Nauta was offered by Michigan.  Several recruiting sites claim this is Michigan’s first offer for the 2016 class.  Nauta is a 6’4″, 248 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.  He started for Buford as a freshman this past season, a team that won the Georgia state championship

OFF THE BOARD
St. Louis (MO) DeSmet offensive tackle Andy Bauer committed to Ole Miss.  The 6’6″, 304-pounder had previously been committed to Missouri, prior to which he visited Michigan and claimed strong interest.  He de-committed from the Tigers several months ago and now follows the recent trend of big-time players (he’s Rivals’ #92 overall prospect) going to Ole Miss.

Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson has been removed from the board because he apparently never had a Michigan offer.  One was reported months ago on 247 Sports, but with the recent news of Nauta being the first offer for 2016, 247’s error seems to have been corrected.  He’s still a 6’7″, 285 lb. prospect with listed offers from Illinois and Notre Dame, so it’s not out of the question for him to be offered down the road.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of this past weekend’s visitors.

247 Sports updated their top 247 players for the class of 2014.

247 Sports Top 247 for 2014 updated

Mason Cole is the #103 player in the country

I have not always kept up with the changes in the top 247 because 247 Sports updated their rankings too frequently to do a list like this every single time, but regardless, here’s the first comprehensive update of the 2014 list since August.

Here’s the movement for Michigan’s commits:
– Mone appears at #51 on the list
– Cole dropped from #44 to #103
– Ferns dropped from #98 to #174

1. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia
2. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
3. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
4. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia
6. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
7. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
9. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey
10. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas
11. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)
15. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
16. Edward Paris – S – Texas (LSU)
19. John Smith – ATH – California
21. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
24. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
28. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC
30. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
31. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida
32. Lorenzo Featherston – DE – Georgia
33. Marshon Lattimore – CB – Ohio
36. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan
43. Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois
48. Braden Smith – OG – Kansas
49. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida
51. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
53. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois
54. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
63. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona
68. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Texas)
72. Tyler Luatua – TE – California
75. Joe Mixon – RB – California
76. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina
81. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Mississippi)
83. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio
86. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
91. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
93. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee
103. Mason Cole – OG – Florida (Michigan)
109. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
113. Garrett Dickerson – DE – New Jersey
114. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida
123. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas
124. Elijah Hood – ATH – North Carolina
125. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona
127. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina
131. Dwight Williams – LB – California
136. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)
144. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona (USC)
154. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia
161. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
163. K.J. Williams – WR – Pennsylvania
170. Otaro Alaka – LB – Texas
171. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois
174. Michael Ferns III – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
175. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, D.C.
176. Kiy Hester – ATH – New Jersey
180. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia
182. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee
184. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
192. Andrew Williams – DE – Georgia
200. T’Kevian Rockwell – LB – Texas
205. Bryson Allen-Williams – LB – Georgia
206. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Michigan
210. Adarius Pickett – CB – California
212. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey
214. Kenny Young – LB – Louisiana
216. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
225. Nic Weishar – TE – Illinois
236. Juwann Winfree – ATH – New Jersey
238. Juwann Bushell-Beatty – OT – New Jersey
242. Brandon Simmons – S – Texas
245. Christian McCaffrey – RB – Colorado
246. Kyle Berger – LB – Ohio

Visitors: March 22-24, 2013

Olathe (KS) South offensive lineman Braden Smith is one of the top linemen in the nation (image via MaxPreps)

Danny Burns – OT – Fairfield (OH) Fairfield: Burns is a 6’7″, 308 lb. prospect with offers from Louisville, Nebraska, Pitt, and West Virginia, among others.  He lacks some of the athleticism that most Michigan offensive line offerees do, and I would be surprised if Michigan extends an offer anytime soon.*

Timothy Cason II – CB – Clarkston (MI) Clarkston: Cason is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Bowling Green, Toledo, and Western Michigan.  With Michigan high on the lists of Adoree’ Jackson, Jabrill Peppers, and Parrker Westphal, it might be a while before Cason earns an offer.

Jalen Embry – CB – Detroit (MI) King: Embry is a 5’11”, 180 lb. corner with offers from Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, and Western Michigan.

Jonathan Hilliman – RB – Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep: I did a scouting report on Hilliman back in December.  Since then he has added offers from Arkansas and Tennessee, among others.  He’s a 3-star and the #34 running back to 247 Sports. UPDATE: Hilliman is no longer planning to visit this weekend and plans to reschedule a visit for May.

Jake Johnson – QB – DeWitt (MI) DeWitt: Johnson is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect from the class of 2015.  He currently has no offers.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 1,250 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, 400 rushing yards, and 6 rushing touchdowns.

Roderick Johnson – OT – Florissant (MO) Hazelwood Central: Johnson is a 6’7″, 310 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Missouri, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others.  He’s a 4-star to Rivals and the #183 overall player.

Braden Smith – OT – Olathe (KS) South: Smith is a 6’6″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Stanford, along with numerous others.  He’s very quiet about the recruiting process, so it’s tough to say who his leaders are, but it’s obviously a good sign that he’s taking the time to visit Ann Arbor.  He’s the #1 offensive guard to 247 Sports and the #19 overall player to both Rivals and 247.*

Darius West – S – Lima (OH) Central Catholic: West is a 5’11”, 197-pounder with offers from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Penn State, West Virginia, and several others.  He claims a 4.4 forty and a 275 lb. bench press.  West camped at Michigan last summer.  He’s short-ish but thickly built, sort of in the mold of current Michigan safety Thomas Gordon; I would expect West also to play safety if he were to end up getting offered by and committing to Michigan, but he could play cornerback at some other schools.

*Burns and Smith are visiting midweek.

Recruiting Update: March 18, 2013

Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe wide receiver Jalen Brown

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe wide receiver Jalen Brown was offered by Michigan.  Brown is a 6’2″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 67 receptions for 1,235 yards and 18 touchdowns; on defense he had 26 tackles and 5 interceptions.  He’s the #57 overall player to Rivals and the #126 overall player to 247 Sports.  Mountain Pointe is also the home of 2014 offensive guard prospect Natrell Curtis, a big-time recruit, and former offensive line target Kenny Lacy, who signed with UCLA in February.  He’s a very good route runner with good body control while the ball is in the air.

Hinsdale (IL) Central tight end Ian Bunting was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’7″, 215 lb. prospect who has been picking up offers at a fast pace recently, including ones from Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, and Wisconsin, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 16 receptions for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Bunting visited Michigan for the Northwestern game last November.

Grand Rapids (MI) Christian wide receiver Drake Harris was offered by Michigan.  Harris is a 6’4″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from all over the place, and he has been discussed ad nauseum on this site and others.  One of the top couple prospect in the state and one of the top few wide receivers in the nation, his recruitment has been followed closely by many.  He visited Michigan’s campus for three weeks in a row despite being “committed” to Michigan State, but that commitment was due largely to his prowess on the basketball court; he now plans to pursue a football career instead.  He has plans to visit several schools, but Michigan should remain a school of interest throughout the process.

Jenks (OK) Jenks safety Steven Parker was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 52 tackles, 1 sack, and 3 interceptions.  He’s the #114 overall player to Rivals and #220 to 247 Sports.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Many (LA) Many offensive tackle Garrett Thomas was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’6″, 295 lb. prospect whose lone current offer comes from Michigan.  Thomas is a very powerful blocker, and he looks like a future right tackle or perhaps an offensive guard.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of the visitors from this past weekend.

Visitors: March 15-17, 2013

Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge defensive end Da’Shawn Hand

Joshua Alabi – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Alabi is a 6’4″, 245 lb. defensive tackle prospect with an offer from Michigan.  He has visited Michigan numerous times this spring.

Kyle Berger – LB – Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius: Berger recently picked up an offer from Arkansas, but the battle for his services appears to be between Michigan and Ohio State.  I put together a scouting report on him a few weeks ago.

Tommy Doles – C – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Doles is a 6’4″, 255 lb. center prospect with offers from Iowa State, Michigan, and Northwestern.  Many analysts believe it’s just a matter of time before Doles commits to the Wolverines.

Michael Ferns III – LB – St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville: Ferns committed to Michigan last August.  He has since turned into a recruiting juggernaut for Michigan and has started sending out “Team 135” t-shirts to each of the other commits in the 2014 class.

Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge: You probably know about Hand already – one of the top few football recruits in the nation.  I did a scouting report on him a few weeks ago.

Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Harris has offers from all over the country.  He recently de-committed from Michigan State and has plans to visit Florida, Notre Dame, and other schools in the coming months.  This would be four weeks in a row he has made it to Michigan’s campus. UPDATE: Harris is no longer planning to visit.

Gary Hosey – LB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hosey is a 6’0″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, and Toledo.  Michigan appears to be looking for just two linebackers in this class – Michael Ferns III is already committed to play middle linebacker, and they need a SAM linebacker.  Hosey appears to be a long shot for a Michigan offer.

Malik McDowell – DE – Detroit (MI) Loyola: McDowell is a 6’7″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from all over the country.  The two major players appear to Michigan and Notre Dame.  I have read that McDowell’s parents aren’t letting him open his recruiting mail until the end of his junior year, so he can concentrate on school and avoid getting wrapped up in the recruiting circus.

Shane Morris – QB – Warren (MI) De La Salle: Morris has already signed with Michigan as part of the 2013 class.  Unable to enroll early, he is finishing out his senior year of high school.

Nic Weishar – TE – Chicago (IL) Marist: Weishar is a 6’5″, 225 lb. tight end with offers from Arkansas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others.  Notre Dame is considered to be the leader for his services.  He tore his labrum this past season, but should be fully recovered for his senior year.  I did a scouting report on Weishar a few weeks ago.