Tag: 2014 recruiting

Visitors: February 15-17, 2013

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Mikey Weber

Joshua Alabi – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Alabi, a 2015 prospect, is a 6’5″, 245-pounder with offers from Michigan and Michigan State.  Cass Tech has also sent numerous players to Michigan in recent years, including 2013 prospects David Dawson, Delano Hill, and Jourdan Lewis. UPDATE: Alabi did not end up making the trip.

Jayru Campbell – QB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Campbell, a 2015 prospect, is a 6’3″, 190 lb. quarterback with offers from Alabama, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 2,000 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.  He led the Technicians to state championships in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Daniel Helm – TE – Chatham (IL) Glenwood: Helm is a 6’5″, 220 lb. tight end with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina State, Northwestern, and Tennessee.  Rivals recently ranked him the #201 player overall for the class of 2014.  As a junior in 2012, he had 44 receptions for 810 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Gary Hosey – RB/LB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hosey is a 6’0″, 225 lb. inside linebacker or fullback with offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, and Toledo.

Keith Jones – DE – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Jones is a 6’0″, 240 lb. defensive end with no offers at this time.  He claims a 4.74 forty time and a 315 lb. bench press, both of which are impressive numbers for someone his age.  He’s somewhat short for an FBS defensive end prospect, but he still has a couple years to grow.

Mikey Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber, a 2015 prospect, is a 5’10”, 190 lb. back with offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 1,700 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.

Parrker Westphal – CB – Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook: Westphal is a 6’0″, 186 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 51 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He’s a thick-bodied corner who is being recruited as a boundary corner and potentially a slot corner, but I think he also has the size to potentially play either safety position.  While he doesn’t have great speed, he’s fast enough to be a quality player at the next level.  Westphal has maintained throughout most of the recruiting process that Michigan is his leader, so it would not surprise me if he commits at any time.  His high school coach Todd Howard had 151 tackles, 8 interceptions, and 33 pass breakups as a cornerback for Michigan from 1998-2001.

Several class of 2013 signees are visiting campus, including Derrick Green.

Scouting Report: Da’Shawn Hand

Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge defensive end Da’Shawn Hand

Name: Da’Shawn Hand
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 245 lbs.
Position: Defensive end
High school: Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Boston College, Clemson,  Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, Syracuse, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia . . . Claims a 4.6 forty . . . As a junior in 2012, had 78 tackles and 16 sacks . . . As a sophomore in 2011, had 84 tackles and 21 sacks . . . Ranked the #1 overall prospect by Rivals, Scout, and 247 Sports

Strengths: Plays with a low base . . . Shows ability to use hands well to shed blockers . . . Powerful defender capable of making plays while fending off blockers . . . Quick first step . . . Excellent speed for his size . . . Changes direction well . . . Delivers a blow when he reaches ball carrier . . . Hustles to make plays from the back side

Weaknesses: Anything I put here would be totally nit-picking

Projection: Strongside defensive end.  I haven’t seen another prospect in the 2014 class who is better, so his #1 ranking seems to be deserved.  The guy has a good frame, moves well both forward and laterally, has good technique, and appears to be a high motor player.  It will be tough to run at him, and it will be tough for opposing tackles in the passing game.  Wherever he goes, he should be able to play early and turn into a dominant player at the college level.

Reminds me of: Da’Quan Bowers

Here are a few junior highlights posted on Rivals and some sophomore highlights from Hudl.

Bryan Mone, Wolverine

Salt Lake City (UT) Highland defensive tackle Bryan Mone (image via Scout)

Salt Lake City (UT) Highland defensive tackle Bryan Mone committed to Michigan on Tuesday.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from BYU, Mississippi, UCLA, Utah, and Wisconsin, among others.

Mone is a 6’4″, 315 lb. defensive tackle who had 70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks as a junior in 2012.

RATINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 4-star DT, #12 DT, #172 overall
Scout: 4-star DT, #7 DT, #111 overall
247 Sports: 4-star SDE, 93 grade, #8 SDE, #114 overall

Mone was Michigan’s first offer for the class of 2014.  He maintained that Michigan was his leader almost all the way throughout the process, partly because rising sophomore fullback Sione Houma is an alumnus of Highland.  Mone took an unofficial visit to Michigan for the Northwestern game this past season.

Mone played a lot of strongside end for Highland last season, but his size and skill set suggest that he’ll end up somewhere on the interior in college, either at nose tackle or 3-tech defensive tackle.  He has really grown in size from his sophomore season, when he was listed as a 255 lb. defensive end.  He’s legitimately up around 315 now, and the weight doesn’t look sloppy.  He shows good feet and an ability to stay low, which are both promising qualities for someone with his size.  Perhaps the most impressive thing about him is his hands; he shows an array of moves, and he understands hand placement to keep offensive linemen out of his body.  That’s an important skill that kept someone like Quinton Washington off the field for his first few seasons at Michigan.

There aren’t many weaknesses that show up on film.  Mone might not ever be one of the top two or three guys at his position in this class because he’s not quite as explosive as some other defensive tackles that get ranked that high (Eddie Vanderdoes, Montravius Adams, Andrew Brown, etc.), but he does look like a player who could be one of the top five or seven defensive tackles.

When I watch Mone’s film, I see Johnathan Hankins, the Ohio State Buckeye who is projected as a potential first round pick in the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft.  Mone isn’t extremely fast or quick, but he understands leverage and he carries his weight well.  There will be a step up in competition from the high schools of Utah to the Big Ten, and that may require an adjustment period.  But with his size, athletic ability, and the technique he has already shown, I think Mone could be an early contributor for the Wolverines.

TTB Rating: Pending until I finalize the 2013 TTB Ratings, which will be soon but I’m busy

Rivals 250 for 2014 released

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra linebacker Dwight Williams finished just outside the list of top 100 prospects (image via ESPN)

Yesterday Rivals released its Rivals 100 for the class of 2014, which I broke down here.  Today Rivals released the entire Rivals 250.  Altogether, 72 of Michigan’s 89 offerees are in the Rivals 250.  Neither committed quarterback Wilton Speight or former offensive tackle commit Denzel Ward appears on either list, a development that probably surprises very few of us.

101. Dwight Williams – LB – California
107. Mason Cole – OG – Florida
109. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey
111. John Smith – WR – California
117. Troy Vincent, Jr. – CB – Maryland
122. Sam Mustipher – OG – Maryland
132. Kevin Crosby – ATH – South Carolina
137. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina
155. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
157. Dravon Henry – S – Pennsylvania
158. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas
159. Shai McKenzie – RB – Pennsylvania
164. Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina
167. Otaro Alaka – LB – Texas
172. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah
177. Garrett Dickerson – TE – New Jersey
179. T’Kevian Rockwell – LB – Texas
183. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
189. Adarius Pickett – CB – California
195. Christian McCaffrey – RB – Colorado
200. Brandon Simmons – CB – Texas
201. Daniel Helm – TE – Illinois
204. Kyle Berger – LB – Ohio
213. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois
224. Corey Holmes – WR – Florida
228. Erick Smith – S – Ohio
236. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, D.C.
243. Melvin Keihn – LB – Maryland
245. Petera Wilson – LB – Georgia
248. Javon Harrison – S – Florida (Virginia Tech)
249. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)

Rivals 100 for 2014 released

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns is Michigan’s lone representative on the initial Rivals 100

Rivals released its first Rivals 100 for the class of 2014.  Rivals typically starts off with just a few 5-star prospects, but then grows the list throughout the year to a number between 25-35.  Here’s a list of the Michigan offerees on the list:

5-stars:
1. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia
2. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey
3. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
4. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia
6. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia
7. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
8. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
9. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
12. Elijah Hood – ATH – North Carolina

4-stars:
15. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee
17. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
19. Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
21. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
27. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, D.C.
28. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
31. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
32. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
33. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
38. Edward Paris – S – Texas
41. Marshon Lattimore – ATH – Ohio
47. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
49. Tyler Luatua – TE – California
50. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida
55. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee
56. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan State)
62. Jackson Barton – OT – Utah (Utah)
67. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia
69. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida
70. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois
71. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona (USC)
72. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee
82. Joe Mixon – RB – California
84. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
85. Andrew Williams – DE – Georgia
86. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina
87. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona
88. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Texas)
92. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri
93. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida
94. Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois
99. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio