247 Sports released its top 247 players for the class of 2014. The lone Michigan commitment happens to appear at #98 overall. Here are the rest of the Michigan offerees:
1. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia
3. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey
4. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
5. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
11. Edward Paris – CB – Texas
12. Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
13. Bo Scarbrough – WR – Alabama
14. Damian Prince – OT – Massachusetts
18.Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina
19. Tyler Luatua – TE – California
20. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio
21. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, D.C.
24. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
30. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas
38. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida
43. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida
44. Mason Cole – OT – Florida
47. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas
48. Jalen Hurd – WR – Tennessee
60. Joshua Malone – WR – Tennessee
63. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona (USC)
68. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Missouri)
82. Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois
85. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona
89.Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan State)
91. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
98. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
103. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina
115. T’Kevian Rockwell – S – Texas
128. Kiy Hester – WR – New Jersey
164. Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina
165. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois
168. Alex Bars – DE – Tennessee
171. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, D.C.
181. K.C. Crosby – LB – South Carolina
192. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan
205. Nic Weishar – TE – Illinois
212. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
219. Tommy Doles – OT – Michigan
226. Brandon Simmons – S – Texas
241. Joe Henderson – DE – Ohio
242. Orlando Brown, Jr. – OT – Georgia
OFF THE BOARD
Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep cornerback Tre Bell changed his commitment from Florida to Vanderbilt. He has yet to visit the Commodores’ campus, though, which seems like a strange factoid. He was committed to a known commodity and is now headed to a place he’s never seen.
Damascus (MD) Damascus wide receiver Zach Bradshaw decommitted from Penn State, then committed to Virginia shortly afterward. Yawn.
Steve Threet Michael Ferns III. Seriously, tell me he doesn’t look like Threet with that #10.
St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns committed to Michigan on Thursday. He selected the Wolverines over offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Stanford, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.
Ferns is a 6’3″, 235-pounder. He had 136 tackles as a sophomore in 2011, plus another 88 tackles as a freshman. He also claims to run a leg of his high school track team’s 4×100 relay in 11.6 seconds.
A high-level prospect from the state of Ohio, many people thought Ferns was OSU’s to lose. However, he and his family thought better than to head to Columbus, so the pool was narrowed down to Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State. Ferns visited Michigan a couple times, including the BBQ in the Big House at the end of July, and decided that Ann Arbor was the place for him, despite the fact that his father is a Notre Dame fan. You can probably figure out for yourself why Penn State wasn’t the choice. The younger Ferns also has hopes of one day becoming a doctor, so academics weighed heavily on his mind; he currently has a 4.0 GPA.
I really like what I see on Ferns’s film. He plays both ways for his high school team, although keep in mind as you watch that St. Clairsville is a small school with fewer than 700 students enrolled; the competition is not excellent. Ferns plays some fullback, tight end, wide receiver, and linebacker. He shows very good instincts as a linebacker. Ferns the younger plays downhill nicely, showing quick initial reads and stepping up into holes that open. He keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and is a very solid tackler. He also does a nice job of side-stepping blockers and using his hands to shed when necessary. His change-of-direction skills are also apparent as an offensive player, where he swivels his hips pretty well to slither past defenders.
There’s not much to dislike on his film. He has a pretty advanced game for a high school sophomore. He does take a false step here or there as a linebacker, an occasional habit that he will hopefully rid himself of in the coming year or two; as a sophomore, that’s not a huge concern.
Ferns could project to a number of positions in college. He has the instincts to play MIKE linebacker, but I could see him outgrowing the position. I have my doubts that he’s already 6’3″ and 235 lbs. Sometimes heights and weights are exaggerated, and that would make him as big as Jake Ryan was as a redshirt freshman. If he outgrows the position, he has the length and athleticism to play SAM or even weakside defensive end. He also has the speed and receiving skills to play tight end if Michigan needs him there, although I think his upside is higher on defense. His all-around skills remind me of 2013 commit Ben Gedeon.
Ferns is Michigan’s first commitment for the class of 2014. The recruiting class currently looks to be about 17 strong, although that number will almost certainly rise between now and February ’14.
I just like this picture, so I’m posting it again in a slow news week.
There hasn’t been much news for Michigan since the BBQ at the Big House. There haven’t been many new offers for 2014, except for Conor Sheehy. It seems like the coaches want to evaluate the first few games of most kids’ junior seasons before offering them.
OFF THE BOARD
Geismar (LA) Dutchtown wide receiver Shelby Christy committed to Mississippi State. Christy received a Michigan offer relatively recently compared to most of Michigan’s targets at the position, but there was never much buzz about him being interested in the Wolverines.
Louisville (KY) Trinity cornerback Ryan White changed his commitment from Louisville to Vanderbilt. Trinity also boasts defensive end Jason Hatcher (USC) and wide receiver James Quick (undecided), both of whom were offered by Michigan. White said academics was the main reason for the switch.
WEEKEND VISITOR
Monona Grove (WI) Monona Grove offensive guard Jaden Gault, a 2014 prospect, visited Michigan on Sunday. He’s 6’6″ and 281 lbs. with offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. He reminds me a little bit of Mark Huyge, although Huyge was a MAC-level prospect outside of his offer from Michigan.
Chicago (IL) Marist tight end Nic Weishar, a 2014 prospect, visited campus. He’s a 6’5″, 200-pounder with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, among others. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 77 receptions for 1,160 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Marion (OH) Harding running back L.J. Scott was offered by Michigan. Scott is a 5’10”, 210 lb. tailback who also holds an offer from Kent State. He had 700 yards and 8 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2011. For better or worse, he reminds me of 2013 commit DeVeon Smith.
Milwaukee (WI) Marquette University defensive tackle Conor Sheehy was offered by Michigan on Sunday. Sheehy is a 6’4″, 255-pounder whose only other offer comes from the home state Wisconsin Badgers. He also camped at Michigan back in late June, so two visits in the span of a little over a month indicates he has serious interest in Michigan. Sheehy is listed everywhere as a defensive end, but he moves like a defensive tackle, so I’m guessing the coaches would want him as a 3-tech DT.
OFF THE BOARD
Sicklerville (NJ) Timber Creek defensive end Dajaun Drennon committed to North Carolina. He mentioned early interest in Michigan, but the Wolverines wrapped up their recruiting of defensive ends a while ago. Drennon is the teammate of fellow offeree Greg Webb, who also committed to UNC.
Olney (MD) Good Counsel cornerback Kendall Fuller committed to Virginia Tech. I’ve been expecting this for a while since his older brothers have all attended VT, but Michigan finished third behind the Hokies and Clemson. Fuller is the #1 cornerback in the country according to Rivals, although I did a scouting report on him a few months ago that didn’t blow me away.
Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central offensive guard Tim Gardner committed to Ohio State. Gardner never seemed particularly interested in his Michigan offer.
Tampa (FL) Wharton cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III committed to Florida. Hargreaves was always unlikely to leave the state of Florida, but some thought he was ticketed for South Florida, where his father coaches defensive backs. I wrote up a scouting report on him a couple weeks ago.
Louisville (KY) Trinity defensive end Jason Hatcher committed to USC. Hatcher is the teammate of two fellow Michigan offerees, cornerback Ryan White (Louisville) and wide receiver James Quick (undecided). None of them visited Michigan, and Quick’s interest in the Wolverines tailed off some time ago.
Honolulu (HI) Moanalua defensive tackle Scott Pagano committed to Clemson. Michigan was one of Pagano’s first big offers a few months ago, but since then, he racked up offers from virtually every big-time program in the country. I have to admit that I was never a big fan of what I saw from Pagano on film, but Clemson has a way of churning out NFL prospects.
Sicklerville (NJ) Timber Creek defensive tackle Greg Webb switched his commitment from Penn State to North Carolina. Webb was one of Michigan’s earliest targets for the nose tackle position and Michigan was in his top few schools before he committed to PSU, but the Wolverines didn’t seem to be pursuing him once he started to waver.
WEEKEND/BBQ VISITORS
I put together a list of visitors for Michigan’s BBQ at the Big House. It was an ever evolving list, so there are several additional updates from when it was posted on Thursday.
On top of those guys, there were a couple more visitors over the past few days:
Burke (VA) Lake Braddock quarterback Caleb Henderson, a 2014 prospect, visited Michigan for a second time on Saturday; he also camped at Michigan back in June. No 2014 quarterbacks have earned offers from the Wolverines yet, so Michigan is still searching for a few guys to heavily recruit. Henderson is a 6’4″, 223 lb. pocket passer with offers from Maryland, Michigan State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech; the Hokies appear to have the lead so far.
Wellington (FL) Palm Beach Central offensive guard K.C. McDermott, a 2014 prospect, visited Michigan on Friday. He has already been offered by the Wolverines, along with Auburn, Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and several others. (Highlights.)
Middletown (OH) Middletown tight end Chance Sorrell, a 2014 prospect, visited Michigan on Thursday. He’s 6’6″ and 229 lbs. I could only find highlights of him blocking, so he either plays for a run-oriented team or he’s not much of a pass receiver. The recruiting sites don’t know much about him yet, so it’s unlikely that he’ll be a big-time prospect.
And here’s a picture from the BBQ:
I’m not sure who everyone is, but here’s a stab: #32 Khalid Hill, #14 Dymonte Thomas, #6 Ross Douglas, #27 Derrick Green, #2 Jourdan Lewis, #5 Da’mario Jones, #8 Jaron Dukes, Kyle Bosch (backwards white hat), #26 Ben Gedeon, Logan Tuley-Tillman (back right in blue hat), Chris Fox (middle right in white hat), #55 David Dawson, #9 Mike McCray, #17 Wyatt Shallman, #4 DeVeon Smith, #56 Scott Sypniewski, #24 Jake Butt, #33 Taco Charlton
