Tag: 2014 recruiting

Scouting Report: Malik McDowell

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive linemen Lawrence Marshall and Malik McDowell, left to right

Name: Malik McDowell
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 285 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) Southfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Syracuse, USC, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 4-star, 84 grade, #4 DT, #68 overall . . . Rivals 4-star, #4 SDE, #33 overall . . . Scout 4-star, #7 DE . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 97 grade, #3 SDE, #42 overall . . . Will play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl . . . As a senior in 2013, had 89 tackles, 7 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles . . . Transferred from Detroit (MI) Loyola prior to senior season . . . Teammates with 2014 Michigan DE commit Lawrence Marshall

Strengths: Very quick first step for a big man . . . Long body and fairly lean despite being 285 lbs. . . . Good wingspan . . . Can lock out offensive linemen . . . Good top-end speed . . . Quick enough to play on edge and keep mildly athletic quarterbacks in pocket . . . Violent hitter . . . Ferocious tackler who fights to bring down ball carriers . . . Does a good job of rolling hips through contact . . . Makes more hustle plays than many big men

Weaknesses: Lacks consistent technique . . . Stands up too high at times, letting blockers into his chest . . . Tends to play patty cake at times . . . Sometimes gets caught up in the trash . . . Needs to use his hands better to shed blockers

Projection: Defensive tackle. McDowell is long and lean now, but I think his body will develop into a defensive tackle’s at a little over 300 lbs. I don’t see him as a 350 lb., space-eating defensive tackle, but a quicker, 3-tech type of player. He might play end early in his career but will probably grow out of that role. From what little I saw of McDowell at Loyola before his senior season, I really thought I was going to be underwhelmed by McDowell’s senior highlights. At Loyola he didn’t show much of a motor and stood up way too high on a consistent basis. However, those highlights weren’t very extensive, and he seems to have improved significantly in the last year. It’s rare that 6’7″ defensive tackles even exist in the world, but there are the rare cases like the 6’6″ Ra’Shede Hageman from Minnesota.

Reminds me of: Kris Jenkins

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: The majority of recruiting gurus peg McDowell for Michigan, but things have grown murkier as time has gone along. Michigan was the early favorite, and now it seems places like Michigan State, Florida, Alabama, Florida State, and USC might be creeping up. Michigan fans have grown pessimistic in recent years because of several recruits stringing Michigan along throughout the process (LaQuon Treadwell, Jordan Diamond, etc.), but the Wolverines are still the favorite.

Highlights: Highlights can be found on Hudl.

Recruiting Update: December 9, 2013

David Sills as a seventh grader (image via MaxPreps)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Manassas (VA) Stonewall Jackson defensive tackle Tim Settle was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 305 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, and Virginia, among many others. Settle is good friends with 2014 defensive end target Da’Shawn Hand, who spurned Michigan in favor of the Crimson Tide in mid-November. Settle visited Ann Arbor for the Notre Dame game in early September and came away raving about the visit, but things seem to be trending toward Alabama or Ohio State. Stonewall Jackson produced Ryan Williams in the class of 2008, who went on to play for Virginia Tech and become a second round pick of the Arizona Cardinals.

Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy quarterback David Sills was offered by Michigan. I hinted at this back in September when Lane Kiffin was fired from USC, but Sills – who committed to the Trojans in seventh grade – could be on the free agent market. His “stock” has fallen considerably since that early commitment, and he is now a 247 Composite 3-star, the #22 pro-style QB in the country, and the #485 prospect overall. There have been hints that new USC coach Steve Sarkisian may want to go in a different direction. Meanwhile, Michigan has verbal commitments from 2014 wide receiver Freddy Canteen and cornerback Brandon Watson, both of whom are high school teammates of Sills. I will be posting a scouting report on Michigan’s 2015 quarterback targets soon, but my own view of Sills is that he’s a very polished prospect who lacks great athleticism and arm strength.

OFF THE BOARD
Warren (OH) Harding defensive tackle Hjalte Froholdt committed to Arkansas. Froholdt played his sophomore year at Harding, moved back to his homeland of Denmark, and plans to return for his senior year of high school in 2014 (location to be determined). It will be interesting to see if he moves closer to Arkansas for his senior year or if he re-opens his recruitment.

Gallaton (TN) Station Camp wide receiver Josh Malone committed to Tennessee. Malone never showed much interest in the Wolverines, and while he was long considered a lean to the Volunteers, Clemson was also making a push near the end. He’s the #2 receiver in the country, according to Rivals.

Rivals 250 for 2014 updated

Grand Rapids (MI) Christian wide receiver Drake Harris is the #106 player in the country

Rivals updated its top 250 players for 2014. Yesterday they released the top 100. Here’s what the 250 looked like back in August.

Movement for Michigan commits:

– Drake Harris dropped from #62 to #106
– Mason Cole dropped from #122 to #129
– Bryan Mone dropped from #180 to #185
– Michael Ferns dropped from #189 to #202

Here’s the full list of Michigan targets on the list:

106. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
107. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona (Oregon)
110. Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois (Ohio State)
114. Daniel Helm – TE – Illinois (Tennessee)
116. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia (Clemson)
121. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Missouri)
122. Erick Smith – S – Ohio
126. Adarius Pickett – CB – California (UCLA)
129. Mason Cole – OG – Florida (Michigan)
133. Kalen Ballage – ATH – Colorado
135. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
137. Christian McCaffrey – RB – Colorado (Stanford)
138. Otaro Alaka – LB – Texas (Texas)
139. Kenny Young – LB – Louisiana
147. Quincy Wilson – CB – Florida (Florida)
149. Dravon Henry – S – Pennsylvania
150. Dwight Williams – LB – California
161. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
163. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina (North Carolina)
181. Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
185. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
202. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
203. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia (South Carolina)
218. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
223. Melvin Keihn – LB – Maryland
224. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, DC (Tennessee)
228. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)
229. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois
232. Nic Weishar – TE – Illinois (Notre Dame)
235. K.J. Williams – WR – Pennsylvania (Syracuse)
236. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (Florida State)
239. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
248. Kiy Hester – S – New Jersey
250. Andrew Williams – DE – Georgia

Rivals 100 for 2014 updated

Rivals updated its top 100 prospects today. Here’s what it looked like back in August.

Movement for Michigan commits:

– Jabrill Peppers remained at #2
– Drake Harris dropped out of the top 100, likely because he missed his senior year with a hamstring injury

5-stars:
1. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
2. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
3. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
4. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
6. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
7. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana (Alabama)
8. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
9. Joe Mixon – RB – California
10. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
13. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
15. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
16. Elijah Hood – ATH – North Carolina (North Carolina)
20. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee
22. John Smith – S – California
24. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC
27. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
28. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)

4-stars:
31. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
33. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
35. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
36. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
37. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
39. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Ohio State)
47. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
48. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
51. Braden Smith – OG – Kansas
52. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
56. Marshon Lattimore – ATH – Ohio
61. Edward Paris – S – Texas (LSU)
65. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
68. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida (Clemson)
72. Jackson Barton – OT – Utah (Utah)
75. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois
77. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
87. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona (Oklahoma)

Senior Highlights: Maurice Ways