Tag: 2016 recruiting

Thoughts on U.S. Army All-American Bowl

David Long, Jr.

QUARTERBACK
I think the best passer in the game was Shea Patterson (Ole Miss), who looked the smoothest throwing the ball and the most in command of the offense; he can also run pretty well. Jacob Eason (Georgia) made some nice throws and has a cannon for an arm, but he’s a little bit wild and doesn’t know when to take something off of his throws. As for Michigan commit Brandon Peters, he looked okay. His release is too long, so he’s going to take some extra hits until he gets rid of the ball quicker. He did make some nice throws, including a seam route to Donnie Corley and a short screen pass under pressure; however, both of the deep balls he threw sailed a little bit, and one was almost intercepted because of it. If I’m being objective, I don’t see Peters competing for the starting job next year. He needs a lot of work, and his footwork is basically non-existent. He finished the game 4/16 for 74 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. K.J. Costello (Stanford) did a good job overall, too, and I can’t for the life of me understand why Brady Hoke took Messiah DeWeaver’s commitment when Michigan had a good shot at Costello.

Hit the jump for thoughts on the rest of the position groups.

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Dylan Crawford, Wolverine

Dylan Crawford (image via USA Today)

Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic wide receiver Dylan Crawford committed to Michigan at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Cal, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others.

Crawford is 6’1″, 185 lbs. As a senior in 2015, he caught 51 passes for 822 yards (16.1 yards/catch) and 7 touchdowns. He claims a 4.45 forty, a 37″ vertical, and a 4.01 shuttle time.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #23 WR, #179 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #25 WR, #115 overall
Scout: 4-star, #24 WR, #131 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 94 grade, #21 WR, #131 overall

Hit the jump for the rest of the commitment post.

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Six Things to Watch in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Dylan Crawford could be Michigan’s next commit

COMMITMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Michigan has a couple targets who will be announcing their college commitment at the game. While it’s always fun to watch any recruits commit, because weird things tend to happen, Wolverines fans have some stake in watching. Here are the relevant announcements to watch:

• Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King: Several teams have been in the mix for Corley, including Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Tennessee. Lately, Michigan State and Ohio State seem to have pulled ahead of the pack. There are some rumors that OSU is holding out for Florida wideout Binjimen Victor, so Michigan State is a strong contender. Announcement will be during the 3rd quarter.
• Dylan Crawford – WR – Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic: Crawford was high on Michigan early in the process, but things seemed to fall off when friends Theo Howard and K.J. Costello committed elsewhere. Costello, a Stanford commit, was Crawford’s QB this past year. Crawford was waiting for an Oregon offer, got one, and then saw his spot supposedly get taken. Michigan might not have started out #1 on his list, but it’s not a bad backup plan. Announcement will be during the 1st quarter.
• Isaac Nauta – TE – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Nauta was Michigan’s first offer in the 2016 class (back when Brady Hoke was the head coach), and eventually he committed to Florida State. Since that time, FSU stole a possible Michigan lean in TE Naseir Upshur, and now Nauta seems poised to commit to his home-state Georgia Bulldogs. Nauta has family in Michigan and would be a better fit in a Jim Harbaugh offense than virtually anywhere else in the country, but it sounds like he wants to stay close to home. Announcement will be during the 4th quarter.

Hit the jump for more.

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2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl rosters

Brandon Peters. It was nice of Adrien Brody to show up for the ceremony, too.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played on January 9, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. EST. It will be broadcast on NBC. Michigan has a few commits playing in the game, along with the potential for a few more.

EAST
Josh Brown – DE – NC (Florida State)
Brian Burns – DE – FL
Cam Chambers – WR – NJ (Michigan State)
Ben Cleveland – OG – GA (Georgia)
Jacob Eason – QB – WA (Georgia)
Matt Farniok – OT – SD
Jordan Fuller – S – NJ
Mecole Hardman – S – GA
Jake Hausmann – TE – OH (Ohio State)
Michael Jordan – OT – MI (Ohio State)
Tommy Kraemer – OT – OH (Notre Dame)
Dexter Lawrence – DT – NC (Clemson)
Austin Mack – WR – IN (Ohio State)
Trayvon Mullen – CB – FL
Isaac Nauta – TE – FL*
Shaquille Quarterman – LB – FL (Miami)
Demetris Robertson – WR – GA
Janarius Robinson – DE – FL (Florida State)
Binjimen Victor – WR – FL
Clark Yarbrough – OT – VA (Stanford)
Malek Young – CB – FL

WEST
Devin Asiasi – TE – CA
Donnie Corley – WR – MI
K.J. Costello – QB – CA (Stanford)
Dylan Crawford – WR – CA*
Tren’Davian Dickson – WR – TX (Baylor)
Camilo Eifler – LB – CA (Washington)
Jordan Elliott – DT – TX (Michigan)
Simi Fehoko – WR – UT (Stanford)
Erick Fowler – DE – TX
Daelin Hayes – LB – MI (Notre Dame)
Lavert Hill – CB – MI
Jack Jones – CB – CA
Mique Juarez – LB – CA
Caleb Kelly – LB – CA
Xavier Kelly – DE – KS (Clemson)
Josh King – DE – IL (Michigan State)
David Long, Jr. – CB – CA
Justin Madubuike – DE – TX
Vavae Malepeai – RB – HI (Oregon)
Frank Martin II – OT – CA (USC)
Byron Murphy – CB – AZ
Michael Onwenu – OG – MI (Michigan)
Shea Patterson – QB – FL (Ole Miss)
Brandon Peters – QB – IN (Michigan)
Curtis Robinson – LB – TX (Stanford)
Chanse Sylvie – S – LA
Cole Van Lanen – OT – WI (Wisconsin)
Demetric Vance – S – MI (Michigan State)

Players who could or will be announcing during the game:

Ross Blacklock – DT – TX
Donnie Corley – WR – MI
Javon McKinley – WR – CA
Isaac Nauta – TE – GA
Binjimen Victor – WR – FL

Recruiting Update: January 4, 2016

Michigan RB Kareem Walker (#6)

THOUGHTS ON UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICA GAME
Hartland (WI) Arrowhead offensive lineman Ben Bredeson played right tackle, even though he said he would begin his Michigan career at left guard. Bredeson was mentioned throughout the week as one of the more impressive linemen during practices, and he did a good job for Team Highlight, who won the game in a 27-0 blowout. Team Highlight had the more impressive running game, and they protected the quarterback better than team Armour. Bredeson was able to get to the second level, and he did not look out of place among the nation’s elite players. I think this week was confirmation of his ranking.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. didn’t get quite the same hype as Bredeson throughout the week, but he was mentioned multiple times for his physicality. I didn’t count snaps, but Bush did not seem to play as much as some other guys. That’s probably a fair allotment of playing time. I think Bush is a good linebacker prospect, but he’s not the type of athlete who outshines a lot of people at these types of events. He’s a guy who needs to get in the weight room and learn a system before he can really be effective, in my opinion.

Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic running back Kareem Walker had a bit of a rough week. Rivals’s Mike Farrell didn’t really mince words when he said that Walker did not look like the #1 running back or the #41 prospect in the country, which…like…duh. I’m not sure how he got that ranking in the first place. That being said, Walker earned the start for the Armour team that included Miles Sanders (Penn State), so he must have done a few things right. One criticism as a senior was Walker’s indecision, and I saw more of that when he got the ball in space, as opposed to when he was running up the middle. It’s tough to gauge players in this type of situation, especially running backs behind a porous offensive line. However, I think I saw confirmation of what I have said previously, that Walker’s not the best back in the class. Sanders is more explosive, Devway Whaley (Arkansas) is more powerful, and B.J. Emmons (Alabama) is more elusive. I still think Walker is a welcome addition to a class and a team that needs help at the running back position.

Hit the jump for several players who committed elsewhere and some random tidbits.

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