Tag: 2014 recruiting

2014 Under Armour All-American Game Rosters

The 2014 Under Armour All-American Game rosters were announced the other day. All of Michigan’s current commits are on Team Nitro, so that’s who you should be rooting for; that includes Wilton Speight, whose competitors for Michigan’s lone quarterback offer in the class both will play for Team Highlights (Alabama-bound David Cornwell, Penn State-bound Michael O’Connor). The game will be played on January 2, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN.

Here’s a list of all of Michigan’s offerees on the rosters:

TEAM HIGHLIGHT
Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
Lorenzo Featherston – DE – North Carolina
Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois (Ohio State)
Melvin Keihn – LB – Maryland
Tyler Luatua – TE – California
Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
Jermaine Roberts – CB – Louisiana (Texas)
Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana (Alabama)
Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama (Alabama)
John Smith – S – California
Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC
Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
Jacory Washington – TE – Louisiana (LSU)
Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (Florida State)

TEAM NITRO
Jamal Adams – S – Texas
Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Missouri)
Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
Juwan Bushell-Beatty – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
K.C. Crosby – TE – South Carolina (South Carolina)
Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
Corey Holmes – WR – Florida (Notre Dame)
K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
Isaiah McKenzie – WR – Florida
Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
Sam Mustipher – OG – Maryland (Notre Dame)
Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
Wilton Speight – QB – Virginia (Michigan)
Jared Wangler – LB – Michigan (Michigan)
Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
Quincy Wilson – S – Florida (Florida)

Recruiting Update: December 25, 2013

Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake wide receiver George Campbell, Jr. may not be donning those gloves again.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Chicago (IL) Simeon offensive tackle Denzel Ward decommitted from Purdue. Ward was committed to Michigan at one point, moved to Florida without telling the coaches, decommitted from the Wolverines, then committed to Purdue, and is now a free agent again considering Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Florida, and Syracuse. I would hate to wait on him at a restaurant.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake wide receiver George Campbell, Jr. decommitted from Michigan. Campbell had been committed to the Wolverines since this summer, but he supposedly has some family members asking him to reconsider and stay closer to home. Campbell has a wide receiver teammate headed to Clemson, a quarterback teammate headed to South Florida, and an offensive lineman (Mason Cole) headed to Michigan. Cole will enroll at Michigan in January and may become less of a presence for Campbell, which is probably not a good sign for the Wolverines. The vibe from recruiting experts is that while Michigan will continue to pursue him and remain an option, things are not looking good for him to come to Ann Arbor. Clemson and Florida seem to loom large, and with Florida’s terrible offense this year, I’m looking more at Clemson and their explosive offense as a likely destination.

OFF THE BOARD
La Mirada (CA) La Mirada tight end Tyler Luatua committed to Notre Dame. Luatua was vaguely interested in Michigan early in the process, but the decision reportedly came down to the Fighting Irish or the Alabama Crimson Tide. Luatua is the teammate of 2015 quarterback Kevin Dillman, who has been in contact with Michigan and may be an offer candidate down the road.

Monroeville (PA) Gateway safety Montae Nicholson committed to Michigan State. Nicholson was strongly considering Michigan at one point, but the Wolverines told him a couple months ago that they were no longer recruiting players at his position. Gateway seems to send a lot of players to Ohio State or Pitt, so the Spartans got their foot in the door of a pretty good talent pipeline. I was high on Nicholson as a strong safety type, so it will be interesting to see how he develops in East Lansing.

Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook cornerback Parrker Westphal committed to Northwestern. Westphal was at one time considered a heavy Michigan lean, and various recruiting gurus thought he would be the next guy to commit to Michigan . . . but he never did. He seemed to cool on Michigan a little bit, and the reverse also seemed to be true. It was virtually the same situation as Grand Rapids (MI) Christian center Tommy Doles, although Westphal’s recruitment dragged out longer than Doles’s.

Scout 300 for 2014 updated

Freddy Canteen is Michigan’s big mover, jumping to #171 from outside the top 300

I don’t follow Scout as much as the other three recruiting sites, but it recently came to my attention that the Scout 300 has been updated since my last post on their rankings. Movement for Michigan commits since July:

– Jabrill Peppers jumped from #6 to #4
– Drake Harris fell from #30 to #54
– Bryan Mone jumped from #96 to #90
– Freddy Canteen jumped from outside the list to #171
– Michael Ferns fell from #149 to #178
– Mason Cole jumped from #259 to #249
– Chase Winovich fell from #232 to #277

5-stars:
1. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
2. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
4. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
5. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
6. Juju Smith – S – California
7. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
9. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
10. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
15. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
18. Joe Mixon – RB – California
19. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
21. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
22. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
23. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
24. Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
28. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
30. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
33. Sam Hubbard – OLB – Ohio (Ohio State)
35. Nyles Morgan – MLB – Illinois

4-stars:
37. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, D.C.
38. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
42. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
43. Edward Paris – CB – Texas (LSU)
44. Marshon Lattimore – CB – Ohio
45. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona (Oregon)
49. Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama (Alabama)
54. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
57. Elijah Hood – RB – North Carolina (North Carolina)
58. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida (Florida)
61. Jamarco Jones – OT – Illinois (Ohio State)
63. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
67. Erick Smith – S – Ohio
68. Kyle Berger – OLB – Ohio (Ohio State)
70. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee (Tennessee)
71. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona (Oklahoma)
72. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
75. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
79. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)
81. Dante Booker – OLB – Ohio (Ohio State)
84. Christian McCaffrey – RB – Colorado (Stanford)
90. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
104. Parrker Westphal – S – Illinois
105. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Michigan (Michigan)
108. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
113. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Ohio State)
121. Dravon Henry – CB – Pennsylvania (West Virginia)
136. Sam Mustipher – OG – Maryland (Notre Dame)
141. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida (Clemson)
145. Bryson Allen-Williams – OLB – Georgia
147. Brandon Simmons – S – Texas (Stanford)
155. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
157. Daniel Helm – TE – Illinois (Tennessee)
158. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina (North Carolina)
169. Shai McKenzie – RB – Pennsylvania
171. Freddy Canteen – WR – Maryland (Michigan)
175. Andy Bauer – OT – Misssouri (Missouri)
176. Adarius Pickett – CB – California (UCLA)
177. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia
178. Michael Ferns – MLB – Ohio (Michigan)
186. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia (Clemson)
190. Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
194. Richard Yeargin – OLB – Florida (Notre Dame)
199. Corey Holmes – WR – Florida (Notre Dame)
201. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
203. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
205. Jacory Washington – TE – Louisiana (LSU)
209. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (South Carolina)
213. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, DC (Tennessee)
220. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
231. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)
237. Marcus Allen – S – Maryland (Penn State)
244. Ja’Von Harrison – WR – Florida (Virginia Tech)
249. Mason Cole – OT – Florida (Michigan)
254. Malik Hooker – WR – Pennsylvania (Ohio State)
264. Jackson Barton – OT – Utah (Utah)
268. Kiy Hester – S – New Jersey (Miami)
277. Chase Winovich – OLB – Pennsylvania (Michigan)
279. K.J. Williams – WR – Pennsylvania (Syracuse)
282. Jimmie Swain – OLB – Missouri
283. Kenny Young – MLB – Louisiana
294. Juwann Winfree – WR – New Jersey (Maryland)
298. Conor Sheehy – DE – Wisconsin (Wisconsin)

Recruiting Update: December 16, 2013

Glassboro (NJ) Glassboro wide receiver Juwan Johnson

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Glassboro (NJ) Glassboro wide receiver Juwan Johnson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 196 lb. prospect with a reported 4.4 forty who also has offers from Arkansas, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, and Rutgers, among others. In the South Jersey championship game, he returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown and a punt 75 yards for a score. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, #16 athlete, and #156 player overall.

Chesapeake (VA) Oscar Smith defensive end Josh Sweat was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and the #56 overall prospect in 247’s Composite rankings. This is a somewhat interesting development because Michigan has supposedly been telling St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell that he was their only target in the class for weakside end, but while Sweat is listed as a weakside end, he looks to me more like an eventual strongside end due to his size and some stiffness in his movements. Of course, it’s also possible that Michigan is changing their strategy for 2015. I do not expect Michigan to be a major player in Sweat’s recruitment, though. Oscar Smith also produced defensive tackle Andrew Brown in the 2014 class, a Michigan target who is a 5-star prospect headed to Virginia.

OFF THE BOARD
Peyton (CO) Falcon running back Kalen Ballage committed to Arizona State. This is about as soft a commitment as they come, with him saying ASU is “the school I can most see myself at.” Ballage also went ahead with his scheduled visit to Nebraska this past weekend and plans to visit Washington, while Boise State and Michigan State were also thought to be in the running up until recently. Planned visits to Michigan never panned out, and while Michigan doesn’t appear to be in the running anymore, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Ballage signs somewhere other than Arizona State. I wrote up a scouting report on Ballage back in May.

Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic defensive end Garrett Dickerson committed to Northwestern. Dickerson eschewed offers from national powerhouses like Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State for the Wildcats, who garnered his interest with their academics . . . and the presence of sophomore wide receiver Cameron Dickerson, Garrett’s older brother; the elder Dickerson has had 2 catches for 20 yards in each of the last two years’ games against the Wolverines, and the 2012 game included his first collegiate touchdown. Garrett is the 247 Composite’s #198 player overall.

Aliquippa (PA) Aliquippa safety Dravon Henry committed to West Virginia. Henry could play running back, receiver, cornerback, or safety at the next level, but the Mountaineers are expected to try him at safety. He’s the 247 Composite #8 athlete and #110 player overall.

Wayne (NJ) St. Joseph Regional safety Kiy Hester committed to Miami. Hester was previously committed to Rutgers. He took an official visit to Michigan State at the end of November, and it was thought to be a three-horse race between Miami, MSU, and Rutgers, so Michigan somewhat missed a bullet by him going to the Hurricanes; he’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #17 safety, and #217 player overall.

Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep running back Jonathan Hilliman changed his commitment from Rutgers to Boston College. Rutgers has been leaking recruits during and after their 6-6 season. I wrote up a scouting report on Hilliman a little over a year ago, after his junior season highlights were posted online. He ended his senior year with a state title game loss to Paramus (NJ) Catholic and the duo of Juwann Bushell-Beatty and Jabrill Peppers, both of whom are committed to Michigan. On the plus side for Hilliman, he’ll be joining a program that just watched senior running back Andre Williams run for 2,102 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Belmont (NC) South Point linebacker Tanner Muse committed to Clemson. Muse is a 2015 prospect who earned a Michigan offer not long ago, but he was considered to be a tough pull out of the south. He’s a 4-star and the #337 player overall, according to 247’s Composite rankings.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of players who visited Michigan this past weekend.

School in the News: Texas

After many rumors and much turmoil, Texas head coach Mack Brown stepped down from coaching the Longhorns on Saturday. Here’s a look at their recruits and players that Michigan has pursued:

2014 commits: LB Otaro Alaka, CB Jermaine Roberts
2015 commit: OG Aaron Garza
Roster players: CB Antwuan Davis (Fr.), S Sheroid Evans (Jr.), K Anthony Fera (Sr.)*, OT Garrett Greenlea (So.), LB Jordan Hicks (Jr.), DT Desmond Jackson (Jr.), DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Sr.)*, LB Peter Jinkens (So.), WR Jake Oliver (Fr.), RB Jalen Overstreet (So.), C Jake Raulerson (Fr.), WR Kendall Sanders (So.), LB Dalton Santos (So.), S Josh Turner (So.)

*Seniors who would be unable to transfer

None of Texas’s players or commits visited Michigan during the recruiting process, as far as I know. Most of them are from Texas or at least Big 12 country, and Jordan Hicks – who’s from Ohio – never seemed interested in the Wolverines. Therefore, I don’t expect that the coaching change in Austin will have any tangible impact on Michigan. Alabama head coach Nick Saban was thought to be a potential replacement for Brown, but now that Saban has signed an extension with the Crimson Tide, the Longhorns will presumably have to go in a different direction. Some of the names mentioned for the head job at Texas include Baylor’s Art Briles, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, LSU’s Les Miles, UCLA’s Jim Mora Jr., Stanford’s David Shaw, and Louisville’s Charlie Strong.