Tag: 2015 recruiting

Visitors: August 8-10, 2014

Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic running back Kareem Walker (image via NorthJersey.com)

2015

Recruiting Update: August 6, 2014

Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco offensive guard Zach Robertson (image via Maxpreps)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco offensive guard Zach Robertson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 308 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 offensive guard, and #259 overall. He claims a 340 lb. bench, a 465 lb. squat, and a 5.4 forty. Robertson is a punishing blocker on the move who I believe fits best at offensive guard, though he’s a tackle in high school. He has said that he wants to take an official visit to Michigan, but the current line of thinking is that he’s bound for UCLA, where high school teammate (and fellow Michigan offeree) Josh Rosen is committed.


OFF THE BOARD
Reisterstown (MD) Franklin offensive guard Patrick Allen committed to Georgia. Georgia was considered the favorite, but Michigan was up there in his top few schools. Allen has said that he still wants to see Michigan on an official visit, so the door isn’t completely closed. His 2016 teammate, wide receiver Steven Smothers, also holds a Michigan offer.

Sicklerville (NJ) Timber Creek wide receiver Cameron Chambers, a 2016 prospect, committed to Michigan State. He visited Michigan and Michigan State the weekend prior to his decision, so it was a bit of a nail-biter to see whether he would choose the Wolverines, although they were thought to be playing from slightly behind. Ohio State was also in the mix. As Michigan has seen with its own early commits, it’s a long time between now and signing day for 2016 prospects.

Warren (OH) Harding center James Daniels committed to Iowa. Daniels has an older brother who’s a freshman running back at Iowa, so the Hawkeyes were thought to be the leaders. Michigan has had a lot of success at Harding over the years (Carl Diggs, Prescott Burgess, Mario Manningham, D.J. Williamson, Davion Rogers), but they have struck out recently.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy quarterback Deondre Francois committed to Florida State. This was – and will be – a highly interesting development, because the Seminoles already had two touted quarterbacks (De’Andre Johnson, Kai Locksley) committed in the 2015 class. Taking two quarterbacks in one class happens fairly frequently, but three in one year is almost unheard of. At least one of these guys will flip elsewhere by the time all is said and done.

Sherman (TX) Sherman offensive guard Aaron Garza committed to Kansas. He had previously been committed to Texas.

Tampa (FL) Wharton wide receiver Auden Tate committed to Florida State. At one point Tate called Michigan’s offer a “dream offer” and he has left the door open for an official visit to Ann Arbor. Tate was considered Michigan’s best chance to land a second wide receiver in the class, so the Wolverines may have to expand their offer list if they want another wideout.

Lawrenceville (GA) Central Gwinnett outside linebacker Adonis Thomas committed to Florida. His 2016 teammate, offensive lineman E.J. Price, holds an offer from Michigan.


MISCELLANEOUS
Over on Recruiting Season, I profiled Walled Lake Central’s Ade Ogundeji and Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills’ Derek Smith (Central Michigan). Meanwhile, Muskegon Mona Shores quarterback Tyree Jackson committed to Buffalo, Dearborn Fordson linebacker Abdallah Jaffal committed to Ball State, and West Bloomfield’s Eddie Wilson II committed to Central Michigan.

Recruiting Update: July 31, 2014

Washington (DC) Gonzaga Prep cornerback Marcus Lewis

COMMITMENT

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015

Brian Cole, Wolverine

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole committed to Michigan on Saturday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and others.

Cole is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect. Stats are nowhere to be found (EDIT: Cole had 1,200 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on offense, plus 47 tackles and 5 interceptions on defense), and measurables are hard to come by because he has eschewed the camp circuit. For a highly touted recruit, he has kept mostly to himself and remained quiet on the trail.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #9 athlete, #139 overall, #1 in-state
Rivals: 4-star, #7 athlete, #107 overall, #2 in-state
Scout: 4-star, #5 wide receiver, #40 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 97 grade, #2 athlete, #43 overall, #1 in-state

Back in January 2013, the Wolverines were the first to offer Cole, followed quickly by the Spartans and then Ohio State. Cole did not provide many interviews, and he didn’t attend many camps where he might be in the spotlight, so it was hard for recruiting gurus to keep him in their sites. He made several unofficial visits to schools in the midwest, but it was thought that he would wait to sort through the process a little longer before making a selection. Word out of his “camp” suggested that he wanted to stay close to home, but neither the Wolverines or Spartans seemed to take a huge lead at any point. He finally pulled the trigger on his campus visit with 2015 quarterback commit Alex Malzone just prior to the BBQ at the Big House.

As far as strengths go, Cole has a lot of positive traits as an athlete (which is why he’s ranked as an “athlete” by three of the four services). Cole plays running back, receiver, and safety for his high school team. He’s a big kid who has some natural strength to glide through arm tackles. He has good speed and very good acceleration. His high school offense generally seems like a “Let’s pitch it to Cole and watch him run” system, and Cole has a tendency to bounce everything outside. The competition at his level is not great, so his combination of speed and size makes him look like a man among boys. He also has very good feet and change of direction abilities in space, which will make him extremely difficult to corral in one-on-one situations.

On the negative side, Cole does not look like he has the ability to play running back (as some have suggested) because he bounces everything outside and tends not to drive his feet through contact. He will need to get better at powering through solid tackle attempts. I also do not see him as a defender due to a lack of tackling instincts; he just looks more comfortable being the prey rather than the predator. Perhaps the biggest adjustment needed will be the move to receiver, because while he shows some natural catching skills, he will have to familiarize himself with new stances, route running, coverages, etc.

Overall, I project Cole as a receiver, which is also where Michigan sees him playing. If he does end up playing defense, free safety looks like the strongest possibility due to his size and closing speed. The coaching staff plans to play him at slot receiver, and I think he could be very effective running after the catch. I also think he has some value as a kickoff returner due to his straight-line speed and even as a punt returner due to his impressive agility. It may take some time for him to adjust to the receiver position, but he has a very high ceiling.

Cole is Michigan’s ninth commitment in the 2015 class and the first receiver. He follows a couple classes full of receivers, so he shouldn’t be required to contribute extremely early. Michigan has zero senior receivers (although junior Devin Funchess is a possibility to enter the draft early), which means a redshirt may be available for him to transition to wideout. The Wolverines could conceivably be finished at the receiver position, though one more player is a possibility.

TTB Rating: 84 (ratings explanation)

Defensive highlights can be found on Hudl (LINK).

ESPN 300 for 2015 updated

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole is the #139 player in the country.

ESPN released their updated top 300 players for 2015. Here’s what it looked like back in June (LINK). Movement for Michigan commits:

– Chris Clark drops from #108 to #109
– Garrett Taylor drops from #110 to #111
– Brian Cole drops from #137 to #139
– Tyree Kinnel drops from #188 to #192
– Grant Newsome drops from #240 to #242
– Darrin Kirkland, Jr. drops from #263 to #266

5-stars:
1. Josh Sweat – DE – Virginia
4. Terry Beckner, Jr. – DE – Illinois
5. Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)
7. CeCe Jefferson – DE – Florida
8. Iman Marshall – CB – California
9. Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas
10. George Campbell – ATH – Florida
11. Justin Hilliard – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
15. Tim Settle – DT – Virginia
16. Blake Barnett – QB – California (Alabama)
17. Mitch Hyatt – OT – Georgia (Clemson)
18. Jashon Cornell – DE – Minnesota (Ohio State)

4-stars:
19. Josh Rosen – QB – California (UCLA)
22. Rasheem Greene – DT – California
27. Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
28. Keisean Lucier-South – DE – California
30. Damien Harris – RB – Kentucky
31. Shy Tuttle – DT – North Carolina
32. Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
33. Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
36. Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona
38. Jarrett Stidham – QB – Texas (Texas Tech)
39. Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas
41. Jeffery Holland – LB – Florida
45. Keenan Walker – OT – Arizona (Arizona)
46. Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida
54. Arden Key – DE – Georgia
55. Deondre Francois – QB – Florida
58. Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas (Oklahoma State)
61. Matt Burrell, Jr. – OT – Virginia
63. Adonis Thomas – LB – Georgia
64. Drew Richmond – OT – Tennessee
69. Abdul Bello – OT – Florida (Florida State)
70. DaMarkus Lodge – WR – Texas (Texas A&M)
72. Jerome Baker – ATH – Ohio (Florida)
73. Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri (Alabama)
75. Devonaire Clarington – TE – Florida
79. Jaylon Lane – CB – Texas (Oklahoma State)
80. Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia
82. Anthony Wheeler – LB – Texas
84. Dexter Williams – RB – Florida (Miami)
86. Johnny Frasier – RB – North Carolina
90. Jalen Dalton – DE – North Carolina
95. Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Florida (Clemson)
98. Christian Pellage – OT – Florida
99. Hjalte Froholdt – DT – Florida
103. Sterling Jenkins – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
105. Ryan Bates – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
106. Clelin Ferrell – DE – Virginia (Clemson)
108. Tyler Jordan – OG – Florida (Florida)
109. Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut (Michigan)
111. Garrett Taylor – CB – Virginia (Michigan)
124. Osa Masina – LB – Utah
135. Ty’Son Williams – RB – South Carolina
136. Kirk Merritt – ATH – Louisiana
138. Jordan Whitehead – CB – Pennsylvania
139. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan (Michigan)
141. Devante Peete – WR – Florida
150. Ray-Ray McCloud III – ATH – Florida (Clemson)
152. Marcus Lewis – CB – Washington, D.C.
161. Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Notre Dame)
163. Joshua McMillon – LB – Tennessee
165. Darian Roseboro – DE – North Carolina
168. John Reid – CB – Pennsylvania
169. Michael Weber – RB – Michigan
191. Juwan Johnson – WR – New Jersey (Penn State)
192. Tyree Kinnel – S – Ohio (Michigan)
227. Rashard Causey, Jr. – CB – Florida (Florida Atlantic)
236. Isaiah Prince – OT – Maryland
238. Pat Allen – OT – Maryland
242. Grant Newsome – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
256. Cameron Townsend – LB – Texas
259. Cameron Ordway – CB – Tennessee
266. Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indiana (Michigan)