Tag: 2015 recruiting

Recruiting Update: June 2, 2014

Lake Stevens (WA) Lake Stevens QB Jacob Eason

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Santa Margarita Catholic quarterback K.J. Costello was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 213 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, and Virginia. 247 Sports ranks him as a 4-star, the #5 pro-style quarterback, and #139 overall in his class. Costello has a bit of a hitch in his throwing motion that slows down his release, but otherwise, he’s got a strong arm with good accuracy. Michigan has now offered four quarterbacks in the 2016 class (two more are listed below, plus Dwayne Haskins, Jr. received his two weeks ago), and Costello seems the most enthusiastic about Michigan.

Lake Stevens (WA) Lake Stevens quarterback Jacob Eason was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 5-star, the #1 pro-style quarterback, and #5 overall. As a sophomore in 2013, he completed 209/350 passes for 2,941 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Eason is a tall, lanky kid with a very strong arm, good accuracy, and a high football IQ. Eason’s father is Tony Eason (not that Tony Eason), a former wide receiver for the Fighting Irish.

Thousand Oaks (CA) Westlake quarterback Malik Henry was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 dual-threat quarterback, and #13 overall. Henry has a strong arm, and while he’s listed as a dual-threat guy, he seems like one of those guys who likes to throw first but can move the chains well with his feet. Somewhat like a Devin Gardner, he can make plays from the pocket but his feet are an added bonus.

Panama City (FL) Bay defensive end Janarius Robinson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with a 4.62 forty. He has offers from Clemson, Florida State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and #65 overall. The front-runner appears to be Florida State, but Robinson is planning a trip to Ann Arbor for later in June.

Reisterstown (MD) Franklin wide receiver Steven Smothers was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 152 lb. prospect with a 4.39 forty. He has offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 wide receiver, and #62 overall. In a recent interview with MGoBlog, Smothers claimed to be from another planet and said he’s the most dominant player in the 2016 class, so confidence is not lacking in this one. His teammate is 2015 offensive guard prospect Patrick Allen, who also holds a Michigan offer.

OFF THE BOARD
Merrillville (IN) Andrean linebacker Josh Barajas flipped from Penn State to Notre Dame. Penn State had some significant recruiting momentum, and this is a bit of a blow to what is still a very good recruiting class for the Nittany Lions. New coaches often bring at least a short wave of hype, so we’ll see how long at lasts with James Franklin.

Jefferson City (MO) Helias tight end Hale Hentges committed to Alabama. Hentges had visited Michigan, but he has always been at least the third-most likely player at his position to commit to Michigan (behind Chris Clark and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.), so this isn’t a big blow.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of various kinds of lists:

• Weekend visitors to Michigan (LINK)
• Players attending the upcoming Michigan summer camp (LINK)
• Players attending Sound Mind Sound Body in Detroit (LINK)
• Players visited by Michigan’s coaching staff in May (LINK)

Visitors: May 30-June 1, 2014

East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis defensive tackle headlines an impressive group of campus visitors (image via Maxpreps)

2015
Terry Beckner, Jr. – DE – East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis: Beckner is a 6’4″, 293 lb. prospect with offers from all over the country and a top group that includes Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, and USC, with Missouri the declared leader. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 strongside end, and #21 overall. Beckner started off as an end prospect but with the size he’s already added, he’s more likely to play defensive tackle, in my opinion. Michigan’s coaching staff does not seem to be recruiting defensive tackles heavily in the 2015 class, but they would almost surely take a commitment from someone as talented as Beckner, regardless of his position.

Miles Boykin – WR – New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic: Boykin is a 6’4″, 212 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Oregon, among others. He’s 247 Composite 4-star, the #22 wide receiver, and #185 overall. Boykin visited Michigan for the spring game in early April and was offered shortly thereafter. He was supposed to visit next week but changed plans.

Natereace Strong – RB – East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis: Strong is a 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect who committed to Missouri in April; he also has offers from Florida State, Illinois, Michigan State, and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 running back, and #238 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 67 carries for 595 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’s pretty solid in his commitment and wants to stay close to home so his family members can see him play, but you never know what might happen with a good campus visit. Michigan has been expanding its running back offer list, and Strong would seem to fit in line with what Michigan wants – a big, physical running back with good straight line speed.


2016
Brendan Ferns – LB – St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville: Ferns is a 6’3″, 223 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Pitt, Virginia, and West Virginia. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 athlete, and #51 overall. He’s also the younger brother of current Michigan freshman linebacker Michael Ferns. Despite no offer from either school, Penn State was considered to be ahead of Michigan early in the process. He will be getting a visit from the coaching staff early this week and then heading up to campus at the end of the week.

2017
Jeff Thomas – WR – East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis: Thomas is a 5’10”, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. As a freshman in 2013, he had 54 catches for 944 yards and 12 touchdowns. He claims a 4.45 forty time. Michigan was his first offer and he grew up as a Michigan fan, so that was a big deal for him. This will be his first time on campus. As you may have noticed, he will be visiting with teammates Beckner and Strong. Michigan also recruited East St. Louis in 2014 with an offer to linebacker Kyron Watson (Kansas).

May 2014 Coach Visits

Wayne (NJ) De Paul running back Kareem Walker

I’m going to start a running list of the prospects Michigan has stopped by to see during the month of May. There may be some spillover from late April as I find out about coach visits. Like last month’s post, the newest additions will be placed at the top of each year’s list of prospects. Offered players are denoted by an asterisk.

2015
Auden Tate – WR – Tampa (FL) Wharton*
Damien Harris – RB – Berea (KY) Madison Southern*
Ray-Ray McCloud III – RB – Tampa (FL) Sickles*
Devante Peete – WR – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas*
Jordan Scarlett – RB – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas
Deon Cain – WR – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Henry Roberts – OT – Bellevue (WA) Bellevue*
Amari Henderson – CB – Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek
Hunter Dale – S – New Orleans (LA) John Curtis
Juval Mollette – WR – Randleman (NC) Randleman*
Johnny Frasier – RB – Princeton (NC) Princeton*
Darian Roseboro – DE – Lincolnton (NC) Lincolnton*
Tyriq Thompson – LB – Detroit (MI) King*
Iman Marshall – CB – Long Beach (CA) Poly*
Kendall Sheffield – CB – Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Marshall*
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. – TE – Manlius (NY) Canisius*
Chris Clark – TE – Avon (CT) Old Farms*
Michael Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech*
Mikell Lands-Davis – RB – Douglasville (GA) Alexander*
Osa Masina – LB – Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton*
Jake Pickard – TE – Millburn (NJ) Millburn
Keisean Lucier-South – DE – Orange (CA) Lutheran*
Brandon Knight – OG – Noblesville (IN) Noblesville
Vic Thomas – DE – Orlando (FL) First Academy
Garrett Williams – TE – Orlando (FL) First Academy
Garrett Thomas – OT – Many (LA) Many*
Dexter Williams – RB – Orlando (FL) West Orange (Miami commit)*
Michael Ojemudia – LB – Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison
T.J. Simmons – RB – Lakeland (FL) Christian
DaMarkus Lodge – Cedar Hill (TX) Cedar Hill*
Kyle Marcincik – WR – Dublin (OH) Coffman
Sotonye Jamabo – RB – Plano (TX) West*

This post is getting long, so hit the jump for 2016 and 2017 prospects.

2016
Janarius Robinson – DE – Panama City (FL) Bay*
Brendan Ferns – LB – St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville
Elijah Cunningham – QB – Springboro (OH) Springboro:
Justin Rigg – TE – Springboro (OH) Springboro
Price Sammons – DE – Cincinnati (OH) Hills Christian Academy
Joshua Brown – DE – Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek
Liam Eichenberg – OT – Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius*
Isaac Garcia – DE – Bellevue (WA) Bellevue
Treyjohn Butler – CB – Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Etiwanda
Willie Allen – OT – New Orleans (LA) John Curtis*
Robert Washington – RB – Huntersville (NC) Southlake Christian
Taleni Suhren – OT – Charlotte (NC) Ardrey Kell
Shea Patterson – QB – Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist
Shaquille Quarterman – LB – Orange Park (FL) Oakleaf*
Austin Mack – WR – Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers
Antonio Williams – RB – New London (NC) North Stanly
Jarrett Guarantano – QB – Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic
Jared Mayden – CB – Sachse (TX) Sachse
Greg Little – OT – Allen (TX) Allen*
Rashan Gary – DT – Scotch Plains (NJ) Timber Creek*
Trent Maynard – OT – Indianapolis (IN) Decatur Central
Kendell Jones – DT – Killeen (TX) Shoemaker*
Kareem Walker – RB – Wayne (NJ) De Paul Catholic*
Roddrick Bryant – WR – St. Louis (MO) Christian Brothers
Sonny Abramson – QB – Sparta (NJ) Pope John XXIII
Malik Harrison – S – Columbus (OH) Walnut Ridge
Brennen Wooten – QB – Marble Falls (TX) Marble Falls
Jacob Eason – QB – Lake Stevens (WA) Lake Stevens
Jordan Overton – CB – Lyndhurst (OH) Brush
Miles Sanders – RB – Pittsburgh (PA) Woodland Hills*
Khaleke Hudson – RB – McKeesport (PA) McKeesport
Tyrece Speaight – CB – Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary’s
Ellison Jordan – DT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman

2017
Kasim Hill – QB – Baltimore (MD) Gilman
Camaron Spence – DT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman

Recruiting Update: May 26, 2014

Potomac (MD) Bullis quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Jr. is Michigan’s first 2016 offer at the position (image via Gazette)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s cornerback Shaun Crawford decommitted from Michigan.

Raleigh (NC) Millbrook defensive end Kengera Daniel was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Miami, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #18 weakside end, and #402 overall. He claims a 4.89 forty and had 89 tackles, 13 sacks, and 1 interception as a junior in 2013. I think Daniel looks more like a strongside end with the potential even to grow into a 3-tech defensive tackle eventually.

Virginia Beach (VA) Ocean Lakes wide receiver Jaason Lewis decommitted from UCLA. The 6’3″, 233 lb. prospect is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 athlete, and #178 overall. Lewis could play a number of positions, from wide receiver to running back to tight end to linebacker to defensive end. Rivals’ Mike Farrell hinted that there might be a couple more commitments during Lewis’s recruitment, and the most recent Crystal Ball prediction is to Arizona State. As of this time, Michigan is not under consideration.

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne wide receiver Anthony “A.D.” Miller was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #128 wide receiver, and #1062 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 34 catches for 482 yards and 10 touchdowns. Miller is a tall, lanky receiver without great speed but with good body control and hands. Michigan recruited cornerback Nick Watkins (Notre Dame) out of Bishop Dunne in the 2014 class.

Nixa (MO) Nixa running back Alec Murphy was offered by Michigan . . . perhaps. Rivals is the only site reporting the offer right now, and this is not the first time that an offer to Murphy has been reported by a recruiting site. If the Wolverines have not extended an offer, then they are almost surely dancing around the idea of doing so. Murphy is a 6’1″, 228 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Mississippi State, and Purdue, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #65 running back, and #804 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 209 carries for 1,793 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. Murphy is a big, powerful back who lacks great long speed.

Pulaski (TN) Giles cornerback Cameron Ordway was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 174 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #22 cornerback, and #234 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 75 tackles and 9 interceptions. Ordway is a lanky, hard-hitting corner who could also play free safety at the next level.

This is another long update, so hit the jump for 2016 news and some random tidbits.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Woodbridge (VA) Freedom defensive end Kyree Campbell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Ohio State, and Virginia, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #7 strongside end, and #116 overall. Despite already earning an offer, he plans to visit Michigan for camp in mid-June. Ohio State is his leader currently.

Potomac (MD) Bullis quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. As a sophomore in 2013, he completed 72/128 (60%) of his passes for 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Haskins is the first quarterback prospect to be offered in the 2016 class, although his early leader is Ohio State, so Michigan will probably need to extend more. He’s a pretty polished quarterback who has good accuracy and arm strength.

Camden (NJ) Camden wide receiver Brad Hawkins was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Ohio State, Rutgers, South Carolina, and West Virginia, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, #29 wide receiver, and #152 overall. Hawkins has good speed and leaping ability, and he’s a powerful runner after the catch. He does not play against great competition, but he also does not have a polished quarterback, a combination that allowed him to catch 45 passes for 805 yards (17.9 yards/catch) and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2013.

Reading (PA) Exeter offensive tackle Michael Menet was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 offensive tackle, and #44 overall. He has the feet to play left tackle and the athleticism to easily dunk a basketball (click on his highlights), so he’s an impressive prospect. Most prognostications have him ending up as a Nittany Lion.

Egg Harbor (NJ) Cedar Creek athlete Ahmir Mitchell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 197 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Rutgers, and Virginia, among others. He also claims a 4.6 forty. Mitchell is a big prospect who plays running back, receiver, and safety, but he looks more comfortable to me on defense. I believe he would be best as a strong safety, but he has some thickness that could lead him to grow into an outside linebacker. He grew up in Virginia and his older brother, Mitchell, was a 3-star prospect who signed with Arkansas in 2013.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Coconut Creek wide receiver Binjimen Victor is a 6’4″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Miami, Ohio State, Rutgers, South Florida, and West Virginia, among others. He transferred from Northeast High School in the Miami metro area. Victor is a big receiver with long arms but not a great deal of speed. He is an older prospect for being a rising junior (already over 17), so he may not develop as much as other prospects.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Coconut Creek cornerback Malek Young was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Rutgers, South Florida, and West Virginia, among others. He’s a slight but speedy cornerback with good cover skills and who’s dangerous with the ball in his hands. He has named Florida State as his outright favorite, though the Seminoles have yet to offer.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s the running list of players to have been visited by Michigan’s coaches in the month of May.

Last week on Recruiting Season, I profiled St. Joseph’s DE Corey Malone-Hatcher, Haslett’s Brandon Allen, U of D Jesuit’s Ryan Brand, Detroit Cass Tech’s Michael Onwenu, and Saginaw Swan Valley’s Alex Grace.

Rivals 250 updated for 2015

New Michigan commit Darrin Kirkland, Jr. is the #167 player in the country

Rivals updated its top 250 prospects on Tuesday. Here’s what it looked like back in February. Movement for Michigan commits since then:

– Shaun Crawford drops from #106 to #111
– Tyree Kinnel drops from #188 to #193

101. John Reid – CB – Pennsylvania
103. Michael Weber – RB – Michigan
106. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan
111. Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Michigan)
116. Miles Boykin – WR – Illinois
139. Juwan Johnson – WR – New Jersey (Penn State)
146. Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut
147. Matthew Burrell, Jr. – OG – Virginia
154. Devonaire Clarington – TE – Florida
164. Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri
167. Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indiana (Michigan)
169. Keenan Walker – OT – Arizona (Arizona)
170. Deondre Francois – QB – Florida
191. Hjalte Froholdt – DT – Ohio (Arkansas)
193. Tyree Kinnel – S – Ohio (Michigan)
196. Auden Tate – WR – Florida
199. Grant Newsome – OT – New Jersey
206. Josh Barajas – LB – Indiana (Penn State)
213. Devante Peete – WR – Florida
216. Anthony Wheeler – LB – Texas
222. Ryan Bates – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
223. Joshua McMillon – LB – Tennessee
235. Juval Mollette – WR – North Carolina
239. Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. – TE – New York
241. Jordan Whitehead – CB – Pennsylvania
250. Prentice McKinney – S – Texas (Notre Dame)