Visitors: February 15-17, 2013

Tag: 2015 recruiting


16Feb 2013
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Visitors: February 15-17, 2013

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Mikey Weber

Joshua Alabi – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Alabi, a 2015 prospect, is a 6’5″, 245-pounder with offers from Michigan and Michigan State.  Cass Tech has also sent numerous players to Michigan in recent years, including 2013 prospects David Dawson, Delano Hill, and Jourdan Lewis. UPDATE: Alabi did not end up making the trip.

Jayru Campbell – QB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Campbell, a 2015 prospect, is a 6’3″, 190 lb. quarterback with offers from Alabama, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 2,000 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.  He led the Technicians to state championships in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Daniel Helm – TE – Chatham (IL) Glenwood: Helm is a 6’5″, 220 lb. tight end with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina State, Northwestern, and Tennessee.  Rivals recently ranked him the #201 player overall for the class of 2014.  As a junior in 2012, he had 44 receptions for 810 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Gary Hosey – RB/LB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hosey is a 6’0″, 225 lb. inside linebacker or fullback with offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, and Toledo.

Keith Jones – DE – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Jones is a 6’0″, 240 lb. defensive end with no offers at this time.  He claims a 4.74 forty time and a 315 lb. bench press, both of which are impressive numbers for someone his age.  He’s somewhat short for an FBS defensive end prospect, but he still has a couple years to grow.

Mikey Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber, a 2015 prospect, is a 5’10”, 190 lb. back with offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 1,700 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.

Parrker Westphal – CB – Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook: Westphal is a 6’0″, 186 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 51 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. He’s a thick-bodied corner who is being recruited as a boundary corner and potentially a slot corner, but I think he also has the size to potentially play either safety position.  While he doesn’t have great speed, he’s fast enough to be a quality player at the next level.  Westphal has maintained throughout most of the recruiting process that Michigan is his leader, so it would not surprise me if he commits at any time.  His high school coach Todd Howard had 151 tackles, 8 interceptions, and 33 pass breakups as a cornerback for Michigan from 1998-2001.

Several class of 2013 signees are visiting campus, including Derrick Green.

11Feb 2013
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Recruiting Update: February 11, 2013

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (image via Maxpreps)

COMMITMENT
Richmond (VA) Collegiate quarterback Wilton Speight committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Houston (TX) Cypress Falls linebacker Otaro Alaka was offered by Michigan.  Alaka is a 6’3″, 205 lb. linebacker with offers from Arkansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, among others.  He claims a 4.65 forty and is an early 4-star to Rivals.

Manalapan (NJ) Manalapan wide receiver Saeed Blacknall was offered by Michigan.  Blacknall is a 6’2″, 190 lb. wideout with offers from Georgia Tech, Pitt, and Rutgers, and he claims a 4.5 forty.  As a junior in 2012, he had 40 catches for 473 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He’s a speedster with good size, and I’m a little surprised he doesn’t have a better offer list.  His numbers aren’t extremely impressive, but his highlights are full of big plays.

Aliquippa (PA) Aliquippa safety Dravon Henry was offered by Michigan.  Henry is a 5’11”, 185 lb. running back/safety with offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and West Virginia.  As a junior in 2012, he had 116 carries for 1,919 yards and 23 touchdowns, but Michigan wants him as a safety.  Pitt appears to be his leader for now.

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra cornerback Adoree’ Jackson was offered by Michigan.  Jackson is a 5’10”, 170 lb. corner with offers from LSU, Miami, Nebraska, UCLA, and USC, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 56 tackles and 5 interceptions.  Jackson is electric with the ball in his hands and could by a dynamic corner and return man.  In my opinion, he’s a 5-star talent.

Olney (MD) Good Counsel linebacker Melvin Keihn was offered by Michigan.  Keihn is a 6’3″, 225 lb. outside linebacker with offers from Maryland, Miami, Rutgers, and West Virginia, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown.  He could also end up at weakside defensive end.

Highlands Ranch (CO) Valor Christian running back Christian McCaffrey was offered by Michigan.  McCaffrey is a 6’0″, 195 lb. back with offers from Colorado, Colorado State, Oregon, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Washington, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 30 rushing touchdowns and 6 receiving touchdowns.  He’s the son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, and he attends the same high school as 2012 offensive line target Alex Kozan (Auburn).  Michigan is recruiting the younger McCaffrey as a slot receiver.

Washington (PA) Washington running back Shai McKenzie was offered by Michigan.  Mckenzie is a 5’11”, 210 lb. running back with offers from Arkansas, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and West Virginia, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 2,689 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns.  He’s a compact, powerful, downhill runner who claims a 4.42 forty.  He’s from the same hometown as redshirt junior defensive tackle Ken Wilkins, but a different school.

El Cerrito (CA) El Cerrito cornerback Adarius Pickett was offered by Michigan.  Pickett is a 5’10”, 175 lb. corner with offers from Arizona State, Cal, UCLA, and Utah, among others.  247 Sports ranks him as the #13 cornerback in the class and the #160 overall player in the nation.

Long Beach (CA) Poly wide receiver John “Juju” Smith was offered by Michigan.  Smith is a 6’1″, 185 lb. wideout with offers from Arizona, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others.  He attends the alma mater of former Michigan cornerback Donovan Warren.

McDonough (GA) Eagle’s Landing Christian defensive end Andrew Williams was offered by Michigan.  Williams is a 6’4″, 231 lb. weakside end with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC, among others.  Eagle’s Landing Christian is the alma mater of a couple other Michigan targets in recent years, including Isaac Rochell (Notre Dame) and Avery Walls (Cal).

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra linebacker Dwight Williams was offered by Michigan.  Williams is a 6’0″, 190 lb. weakside linebacker prospect with offers from Cal, Nebraska, Tennessee, UCLA, and Washington, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 158 tackles, 1 sack, 3 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles.  He attends the same high school as elite corner Adoree’ Jackson, who also holds a Michigan offer.

Memphis (TN) White Station defensive end Petera Wilson was offered by Michigan.  Wilson is a 6’3″, 220 lb. end with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, and USC, among others.  He’s an early 4-star to Rivals.

Englewood (NJ) Dwight Morrow wide receiver Juwann Winfree was offered by Michigan.  Winfree is a 6’2″, 180 lb. receiver with offers from Maryland, Pitt, and Rutgers, among others.  He has good size with pretty good speed and an ability to run after the catch.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton linebacker Osa Masina was offered by Michigan.  Masina is a 6’4″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from BYU, Utah, and Wisconsin.  His older brother plays for the Utes, but Masina isn’t tied into playing for Utah.  He’s an aggressive, athletic linebacker who would likely play SAM in Michigan’s defense

Orlando (FL) Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick was offered by Michigan.  Patrick is a 6’1″, 200 lb. tailback with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, and USC, among others.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 231 carries for 2,032 yards and 29 touchdowns, along with 2 catches for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He’s a downhill runner who runs with good body lean, has a little bit of shiftiness to him, and has very good speed.  He looks like a future 5-star or at least a high 4-star prospect.

OFF THE BOARD
Vienna (GA) Dooly County defensive tackle Montravius Adams committed to Auburn.  Clemson was considered to be his leader up until a few days before National Signing Day.  He’s an explosive defensive tackle who should set up shop in opposing SEC backfields soon.

Westerville (OH) South linebacker Marcus Ball flipped from Wisconsin to Arizona State.  His older brother Ray is an offensive lineman at Wisconsin.  Michigan impressed Marcus on an official visit in December, and rumors suggested he almost  flipped to the Wolverines.

Port Saint Lucie (FL) Saint Lucie West Centennial defensive tackle Jay-nard Bostwick committed to Florida.  Bostwick was originally scheduled to visit Michigan the weekend of January 18th, but he canceled that trip, so Michigan never really had a chance to woo him.

Somerville (NJ) Immaculata defensive end Tashawn Bower flipped from Auburn to LSU.  Bower was a long-time Auburn commitment, so this was a bit hit to their class.

Dadeville (AL) Dadeville defensive tackle Rod Crayton committed to Southern Mississippi.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School wide receiver Jordan Cunningham committed to Vanderbilt.  The Commodores almost came out of nowhere, because most experts thought he would end up at either Miami or Stanford.

Louisville (KY) Trinity defensive end Jason Hatcher committed to Kentucky at the last minute.  His recruitment was a wild one that involved two de-commitments from USC in recent weeks.

Corona (CA) Centennial offensive guard Cameron Hunt flipped from Cal to Oregon.  For a long time, Hunt was looking for a way out of Cal’s class.  If Dan Samuelson had not committed to Michigan, I think there’s a very good chance that Hunt would have taken that final offensive line spot in the Wolverines’ class.  Here’s the scouting report I had written up on Hunt.

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall committed to Ohio State.  This came as a little bit if a surprise to me because I had heard that Michigan was slightly ahead in the recruiting process, but he and several other prospects visited Columbus this weekend, and I guess he was impressed.

Washington (DC) Friendship Collegiate Academy linebacker Yannick Ngakoue committed to Maryland.  He had previously been committed to the Terps, but he de-committed to consider Florida State, among others.

Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek wide receiver Marquez North committed to Tennessee.  It was a North Carolina vs. Tennessee battle up until the end, but the Volunteers won out.

Lake City (FL) Columbia offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil committed to Ole Miss.  Tunsil had long been considered a Georgia lean, so this commitment – along with a few others – has raised some eyebrows for people who are wondering how a mediocre SEC team is pulling in such good talent.

Placer (CA) Placer defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes committed to Notre Dame.  Vanderdoes is one of the top few defensive tackles in the nation, in my opinion, so he will be a force to deal with for Michigan over the next couple seasons.  Here’s the scouting report I wrote up on Vanderdoes.

Cordova (TN) St. Benedict running back Jordan Wilkins committed to Ole Miss.  Wilkins had been committed to Auburn for several months, but the coaching changes for the Tigers caused a bit of an issue with some of the recruits.  Here’s the scouting report I had written up on Wilkins.

28Jan 2013
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Recruiting Update: January 28, 2013

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Mikey Weber (image via Michigan Citizen)

COMMITMENT
Richmond (VA) Hermitage running back Derrick Green committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Louisville (KY) Trinity defensive end Jason Hatcher decommitted from USC.  Hatcher is not considering Michigan, but he is now open to Louisville (where his teammate James Quick is committed) or Kentucky, the new head coaching home of former Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Cleveland (OH) Glenville safety Erick Smith was offered by Michigan.  Smith is a 6’1″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Georgia Tech, Louisville, Ohio State, and West Virginia, among others.  Michigan has also offered his teammate, wide receiver Marshon Lattimore.  Like a lot of Glenville products, Ohio State seems to be the leader.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech defensive tackle Joshua Alabi was offered by Michigan.  The 6’5″, 245-pounder doesn’t hold any other offers.  He doesn’t get off the ball very well defensively, but the athleticism is apparent.  He moves like a future left tackle, but I’m not sure he’ll have the height and length to play that position; if he can get more aggressive, he’s the type of athlete you would want at strongside end or 3-tech defensive tackle.  Alabi has visited Michigan a couple times, including for last season’s Michigan State game.  He played defensive end, defensive tackle, and offensive tackle for Cass Tech, and is the teammate of 2013 commits David Dawson, Delano Hill, and Jourdan Lewis.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Mikey Weber was offered by Michigan.  The 5’10”, 195 lb. running back also has offers from Illinois and Syracuse.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 1,700 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns.  Weber’s body type looks a lot like Fitzgerald Toussaint’s, but Weber’s more of a slasher and doesn’t show the same kind of lateral movement.


OFF THE BOARD

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen committed to Oregon.  Allen flirted with lots of teams out west, and even seriously considered Michigan and Notre Dame for a while.  But he always coveted an Oregon offer, which came recently, and the choice seemed to be pretty easy at that point.

Avon (IN) Avon defensive end Elijah Daniel committed to Ole Miss.  Daniel had previously been committed to Clemson along with the consensus #1 defensive end nationally, Robert Nkemdiche.  Now that Nkemdiche appears to be headed for Oxford sooner or later, Daniel seems destined to be a Rebel, too.

Hamilton (GA) Harris County defensive tackle Jay Ellison committed to Georgia Southern.  That’s an odd development for a player who listed offers from Auburn, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Santa Monica (CA) Santa Monica wide receiver Sebastian Larue committed to Texas A&M.  After decommitting from USC in recent weeks, Larue flirted with the idea of visiting Michigan.  He is now one of about eight wide receivers committed to the Aggies.

Belton (TX) Belton tight end Durham Smythe committed to Notre Dame.  Smythe had previously been committed to Texas, but since he decommitted, it has mostly been a race between the Fighting Irish and Stanford.  He was originally scheduled to take a visit to Michigan this past weekend, but he rescheduled in order to visit South Bend with a bunch of other visitors.  Now it looks like next weekend’s visit to Ann Arbor won’t happen after all.

Euless (TX) Trinity defensive end Gaius Vaenuku committed to Utah.  The 6’6″, 260-pounder pickes the Utes over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, and UCLA.

Tempe (AZ) Marcos De Niza cornerback Priest Willis committed to UCLA.  Michigan was never strongly in the running.  The Wolverines were recruiting him as a cornerback, but most teams project him to safety.

MISCELLANEOUS
There were some rumors that Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole, a 2015 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  However, that is not a solid offer, and he was apparently told he’ll have to wait until his junior year for an offer.

25Jan 2013
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Mini Recruiting Update: January 25, 2013

Future teammates? Jourdan Lewis, Dymonte Thomas, Derrick Green, Jake Butt, and Chris Fox pose together

There aren’t many visitors coming to Michigan this weekend, so here’s a mini update on the week’s news:

VISITORS
Grand Rapids (MI) Christian offensive lineman Tommy Doles will be visiting Michigan tomorrow.  The 6’5″, 255 lb. lineman holds two offers, one from Michigan and one from Iowa State.  Doles would likely play center or perhaps guard at the next level.  His teammate is wide receiver Drake Harris, a highly touted recruit who has pulled in offers from Alabama and Ohio State recently; however, there’s been no indication that Harris will join Doles on this trip.

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall visited Ann Arbor for the basketball game against Purdue last night.  Along with a Michigan offer, the 6’4″, 205-pounder has offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, Pitt, San Diego State, and Syracuse.  He hasn’t talked about his recruitment a ton, but Michigan is presumed to be his leader.

ANNOUNCEMENT
Richmond (VA) Hermitage running back Derrick Green will be announcing his college decision at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow.  Michigan has been his stated leader, and it sounds like Tennessee is running second with Auburn third.  Green appears to be looking for a stable coaching staff; with Brady Hoke appearing to be in it for the long haul and running backs coach Fred Jackson entering his 22nd year with the program, Michigan looks pretty stable.  Both Auburn and Tennessee replaced their coaches this offseason.  Green has also stated that he wants to play in a pro-style offense, which neither of those schools offer.  However, the major hangup for Green seems to be that he thinks the SEC will prepare him better for the NFL.  The Big Ten has not produced elite running backs in recent years, and Green has always maintained that he wants to play at the next level.  If he chooses Michigan, he’ll be choosing a school that hasn’t churned out a productive NFL back since Anthony Thomas, whose last college season was 2000.  In approximately that same span, Tennessee has produced Travis Henry, Jamal Lewis, and Arian Foster; Auburn has the success stories of Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams, and even Ben Tate, who rushed for 942 yards as Foster’s backup in 2011.  I have no reason to think that Michigan won’t be the choice, since that’s his recently stated leader, but there are factors working against the Wolverines.

COACHES ON THE ROAD
Here are the names I’ve gathered of whom the Michigan staff has visited this week (all prospects are 2014 guys unless otherwise noted):

Joshua Alabi – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech**
Dominique Booth – WR – Indianapolis (IN) Pike
Shane Evans – OG – Crystal Lake (IL) Prairie Ridge
Derrick Green – RB – Richmond (VA) Hermitage*
Damien Harris – RB – Berea (KY) Madison Southern**
Johnathan Hilliman – RB – Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep
Elijah Hood – RB – Charlotte (NC) Catholic
Jamarco Jones – OG – Chicago (IL) De La Salle
Derek Kief – WR – Cincinnati (OH) La Salle
Brandon Lee – LB – Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central
Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield
Mike McCray II – LB – Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison*
Malik McDowell – DE – Detroit (MI) Loyola
Peyton Newell – DE – Hiawatha (KS) Hiawatha
Austin Roberts – TE – Carmel (IN) Carmel
Enoch Smith, Jr. – DE – Chicago (IL) Mt. Carmel
Durham Smythe – TE – Belton (TX) Belton*
Mikey Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech**
Parrker Westphal – CB – Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook
Mikale Wilbon – RB – Chicago (IL) De La Salle

*2013 prospect
**2015 prospect

13Jan 2013
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U.S. Army All-Combine Team: Defense

Hollywood (FL) Chaminade defensive tackle Khairi Clark

Rivals put together a U.S. Army All-Combine Team, and here are some defenders of note:

FIRST TEAM
Khairi Clark – DT – Hollywood (FL) Chaminade: Offered, class of 2014.
Dillon Bates – LB – Ponte Vedra (FL) Ponte Vedra: Son of former Dallas Cowboys safety Bill Bates.
Ralston Compton – CB – Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Rancho Cucamonga: Attends alma mater of former Michigan TE target Randall Telfer (USC).
Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep: Class of 2015, teammate of 2014 RB target Jonathan Hilliman.
Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington (DC) Friendship: Offered, class of 2014.

SECOND TEAM
Gelen Robinson – DE – St. John (IN) Lake Central:
 Class of 2014, brother of Michigan basketball player Glenn Robinson III.
Dwight Lomax – LB – Burke (VA) Lake Braddock: Class of 2014, teammate of QB Caleb Henderson.
Isaac Stewart – LB – Matthews (NC) Butler: Class of 2014, teammate of 2013 Michigan CB commit Channing Stribling.

HONORABLE MENTION
Daniel Cage – DT – Cincinnati (OH) Winton Woods: Class of 2014, camped at Michigan, attends alma mater of Michigan LB Antonio Poole.
Kenny Finley – DT – Muskegon (MI) Muskegon: Class of 2014, attends alma mater of former Michigan DT Terrance Taylor.
Sean Scullen – S – Rochester Hills (MI) Stoney Creek: Class of 2014, in-state product.