Tag: 2016 recruiting

Josh Metellus, Wolverine

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Josh Metellus

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Josh Metellus committed to Michigan on Wednesday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Florida International, Miami-OH, Middle Tennessee State, and South Alabama, among others. He had been committed to Georgia Southern until a visit to Michigan last weekend.

Metellus is 6’0″, 187 lbs.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: 2-star S
Scout: 2-star S
247 Sports: Unranked

Metellus committed to Georgia Southern in March. Meanwhile, he had two teammates who picked up Michigan offers: linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. and fellow safety Devin Gil, who was committed to Miami. Michigan was going hard after Bush especially, and they set up a satellite camp with Flanagan’s head coach Devin Bush hosting just outside of Miami. Metellus showed up to the camp and earned an offer. He and the other two Flanagan players visited Michigan this past weekend, and both committed prospects chose to decommit while on the trip. Now Metellus is committed (Gil’s decision is still pending).

Metellus looks to be a shade under 6’0″ and while his highlight film says he’s 195 lbs., that is also questionable. Regardless, he has average size for a safety. The first thing that jumps out about Metellus is that he brings everything he has when he comes up to tackle. He’s a solid tackler and can patrol the middle. He wraps up well and runs his feet through contact. I also think he does a good job in run fits and can wade through the trash, changing direction well in small spaces to dodge blockers and find the ball carrier. Metellus tracks the ball well in the air, and it looks like he does a good job of keeping things in front of him.

What Metellus isn’t is a guy who leaps off the screen for any particular reason. He is a solid but unspectacular football player. He lacks great size and will need to get in the weight room so he doesn’t get overpowered. He lacks great speed and is not a dynamic runner if he gets the ball in his hands.

I see a player whose ceiling looks like that of Thomas Gordon, who started at Michigan for a few years but was never outstanding. He did happen to be a turnover machine a few years ago with a couple picks and some fumble recoveries, but that did not last. Gordon bulked up in college and was a solid player.

Michigan now has 16 commits in the 2016 class. Metellus is the first true safety, although both Kiante Enis and Antwaine Richardson could end up there eventually. The Wolverines are not in dire need of safeties, since the only senior is Jarrod Wilson. He is also the third player from Florida, joining Richardson and defensive end Rashad Weaver. There is at least a decent chance that Bush and Gil join him in committing to the Wolverines.

TTB Rating: 71 (ratings explanation)

Ben Bredeson, Wolverine

Hartland (WI) Arrowhead offensive tackle Ben Bredeson

Hartland (WI) Arrowhead offensive tackle Ben Bredeson committed to Michigan on Wednesday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Wisconsin, among others.

Bredeson is 6’5″, 293 lbs.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 85 grade, #4 OT, #53 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #4 OT, #49 overall
Scout: 4-star, #1 OG, #25 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 96 grade, #10 OT, #46 overall

Bredeson was offered by Brady Hoke’s staff and liked the Wolverines to begin. Things really started to hit their stride between the two parties, though, when Hoke’s side was replaced by Jim Harbaugh’s staff. The three front-runners were Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, but Wisconsin started to fall off the trail a little bit and Michigan insiders were more confident than Notre Dame guys. It doesn’t hurt that Bredeson’s older brother, Jack, will be playing baseball for Michigan this coming season.

Bredeson has good but not great size for the offensive tackle position, and his body may be a better fit for offensive guard. I think the first thing that stands out about him on film is his nasty disposition. He plays to the whistle, and he continues to block guys even when he pancakes them or they’re clearly taken out of the play. He’s clearly frustrating to play against, because numerous guys who get pancaked look disgruntled as they get up after the play (more on that later). Bredeson has a good first step as he run blocks, and he can work double-teams up to the second level. He also shows some solid lateral agility that allows him to latch onto linebackers.

One of the reasons that Bredeson is probably frustrating to play against is because it looks like he holds. A lot. And on reason he holds a lot is because he does not get his hands inside as often as he probably should, so he ends up grabbing on the wings of the shoulder pads. His hand placement needs to improve so he can get away with holding at the next level. It’s also clear that Bredeson is not being taught some fundamentals that will certainly be practiced at Michigan, so a lot of his technique will need to be revamped – his stance, his steps, his kick set (which is basically nonexistent), the hand placement, etc. I don’t think his technique is sloppy or that he doesn’t pay attention to details; I simply think he’s learning “high school technique.” Lastly, I believe he needs to get stronger in the upper body and improve his initial punch, because even at his superior size, he gets stunned sometimes by defenders who attack him straight up.

Overall, I think Bredeson is a player who could slide in at all five positions. He can stay low enough to maintain leverage at the interior positions, and he has the foot quickness to block guys on the edge. I do not see him being an elite left tackle prospect like, say, Taylor Lewan because Bredeson just lacks the length and athleticism that Lewan had. He needs to get in the weight room and learn some new technique, and then I think he can be a mauler for a powerful offense. He’s a potential All-Big Ten player.

Michigan now has fifteen commits in the 2016 class, and three of them are offensive linemen. Erik Swenson is probably a left tackle, Michael Onwenu is an interior guy, and Bredeson is a swing player. The Wolverines will only lose one lineman after this coming season (Graham Glasgow), but next year’s senior class will be four players and the following year will be five more. Those large offensive line recruiting classes in 2012 and 2013 will be filtering out soon, so it’s important to replenish.

Michigan does not dip into Wisconsin extremely often, but they have found some quality players there over the years, including John Navarre and Adam Stenavich. The last player the Wolverines got out of Wisconsin was punter Will Hagerup in the 2010 class, and Michigan has not successfully recruited a player out of Arrowhead since defensive tackle John Herrmann in 1985.

TTB Rating: 88 (ratings explanation)

Recruiting Update: June 16, 2015

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling

COMMITMENT
Dudley (MA) Shepherd Hill tight end Sean McKeon committed to Michigan (LINK).

Norco (CA) Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Tampa (FL) Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Daquon Green was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 183 lb. prospect who has offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #33 wide receiver, and #210 overall. He earned his offer after the satellite camp in Florida, and he also attended the Sound Mind Sound Body camp this past weekend. He’s a speed player who can go get the ball and run after the catch.

Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton running back Sione Heimuli-Lund was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, BYU, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Utah, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 running back, and #160 overall. Lund is a somewhat squat running back who might turn into a fullback or a linebacker in college. He is a teammate of 2016 wide receiver and Michigan target Simi Fehoko, as well as 2015 linebacker Osa Masina (USC). The Wolverines have two Salt Lake City natives currently on the team, though they went to Highland: fullback Sione Houma and defensive tackle Bryan Mone.

Baltimore (MD) Our Lady of Mt. Carmel defensive end Joshua Kaindoh was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 weakside end, and #53 overall. Kaindoh is a long and lanky end or even outside linebacker, but the early favorite appears to be Ohio State.

Hit the jump for several more 2017 offers, a new 2018 offer, and some random bits and pieces.

Bellaire (TX) Episcopal offensive tackle Walker Little was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 301 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star, the #30 offensive tackle, and #302 overall. He’s a huge human being who looks like a college player already. Little is a teammate of 2017 defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, who has Michigan in his top five.

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, LSU, Miami, and Oklahoma. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 outside linebacker, and #88 overall. Jordan-Swilling is also a standout running back, although his future is probably on defense. He is the son of former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl linebacker Pat Swilling. Michigan has also offered two of Bruce’s 2016 teammates, tight ends Peyton Aucoin and and Irvin Smith, the latter of whom is also the son of a former NFLer. Also as an aside, Brother Martin also boasts Bruce’s twin brother (a cornerback who is somewhat less heralded) and another running back named Jordan Bruce. So Jordan Bruce, Bruce Jordan-Swilling, and Tre Swilling are all on the same team. “Hey, Bruce, get over here! No, not you, Jordan. I mean Swilling, get over here! No no no, not you, Tre. Dammit, Bruce Jordan-Swilling, GET OVER HERE! Finally. So…can you get me a water bottle? I’m parched. Thanks.”

Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, Utah, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 dual-threat quarterback, and #25 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he completed 124/200 passes for 2,537 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; he also ran 73 times for 433 yards and 5 touchdowns. He claims a 4.62 forty. Despite his slight frame, Martell has a cannon of an arm, throws a nice ball, displays good accuracy, and can escape pressure.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Dillard wide receiver Jordan Merrell, a Cincinnati commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 176 lb. prospect who earned his offer at the Florida satellite camp. Merrell plays some running back and could end up at either position in college.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Joshua Palmer was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect who also has an offer from Temple. Palmer transferred from a school in Canada to St. Thomas Aquinas this offseason, to this coming year will be his first year of playing football in America. He did play in the International Bowl against the United States, where he made a few nice plays. Michigan is recruiting several other plays at St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2017 and 2018 classes.

Memphis (TN) Trezevant running back Cordarrian Richardson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #21 running back, and #266 overall. Richardson attended the Sound Mind Sound Body camp at Macomb (MI) Dakota this past weekend and also made a stop at Michigan’s campus, where he was offered.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Oak Park (MI) Oak Park offensive guard Marquan McCall was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 280 lb. prospect whose only other offer comes from Akron. McCall worked out at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp in front of Michigan’s coaches, and they offered him shortly thereafter. He is a teammate of 2017 offensive tackle Ja’Raymond Hall, who also holds a Michigan offer and seems likely to drop for Michigan at some point.

MISCELLANEOUS
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell named Michigan his leader. After observing him at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp late last week, the coaches say he could play either cornerback or safety for them.

Warren (MI) De La Salle running back Allen Stritzinger also named Michigan his leader. Stritzinger’s next biggest offer is from Cincinnati, so that’s not much of a surprise. Stritzinger is a guy who could play running back, wide receiver, cornerback, or safety at the next level.

Over on Recruiting Season:

• I added a profile for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s LB Dwayne Chapman
• Ann Arbor Skyline WR Hunter Rison committed to Michigan State
• I updated the profile of Detroit King WR Ambry Thomas

Victor Viramontes, Wolverine

Norco (CA) Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes (image via 247Sports.com)

Norco (CA) Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes committed to Michigan on Monday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Colorado, Nebraska, Washington State, and Wisconsin, plus a few others.

Viramontes is listed at 6’2″, 220 lbs. He claims a 4.58 forty. As a junior in 2014, he was 123/228 passing (53.9%) for 1,784 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; more impressively, he ran the ball 214 times for 1,757 yards (8.2 yards/carry) and 18 touchdowns.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: 3-star, #19 dual-threat QB
Scout: 3-star, #31 ATH
247 Sports: Unranked

Viramontes participated in Michigan’s satellite camp in Fresno, California, last week. Despite being in a hotbed of talent, the participation in Fresno was not at the same level as previous stops, so it looked like the Summer Swarm tour was ending on a bit of a flat note. But reports came out of the camp that head coach Jim Harbaugh was keeping an eye on Viramontes, pulled his father aside, and had a lengthy discussion. An offer came following the camp, and it only took a few days for “Vicious” Vic Viramontes to publicly accept, despite never having visited Ann Arbor.

EDIT: Here’s an excerpt from my post on Monday morning:

Even better is that his nickname is “Vicious Vic,” so if he ever decides to pursue MMA, he’s got a pretty nice, alliterative name for it: Vicious Vic Viramontes. (You can hear Michael Buffer saying that name, can’t you?) Anyway, Viramontes is a veritable virtuoso on the field who has various valuable skills, like vision and a vibrant arm, to victimize a defense on his way to taking a viselike, victorious grip on a quarterback job. (That’s my way of saying that Vicious Vic can probably go somewhere and be The Man at quarterback in this class, rather than possibly playing second violin fiddle to Brandon Peters.)

I see a little bit of Jim Harbaugh himself in Viramontes. The Norco quarterback plays with a carelessness for his body that shows competitiveness and passion for the game. He will bulldoze tacklers or jump over guys rather than run out of bounds. That’s probably part of why he was offered. As for his more traditional quarterback skills, Viramontes has a strong arm and can throw the outs, the deep ins, the long ball, etc., and he makes some of those throws off of his back foot. He also has an ability to feel pressure in the pocket and keep the play alive while still keeping his eyes downfield. When he tucks the ball to run, he brings all 220 lbs. with him, and at a faster speed than you might guess. He’s not afraid to run over would-be tacklers, and Derrick Green could learn a thing or two from Viramontes about balance and running through low tackle attempts. He also shows nifty feet to keep defenders off balance, he can cut without losing much speed, and he can outrun most of the guys on a high school field.

All those positives aside, Viramontes has a lot of mechanical things to work on before he can succeed at the next level. I imagine Harbaugh will work with him on his footwork and dropback, whether it’s from under center or out of shotgun. He tends to favor one side directly on the snap, and he does not look off defenders, although his ability to keep the play alive can get guys out of position at times. He finishes his throws high, but he tends to drop the ball down, which elongates his delivery like a mirror image of Tim Tebow. He also carries the ball loosely with one hand when he scrambles, which can lead to turnovers. The big rumor with him is that he wings everything with 100% velocity, so he will need to dial it back at times; there are examples of a little touch in his highlights, though, so the ability is there but maybe not with consistency. A lot of coaches would probably advise him to run out of bounds and take a little less of a beating, too.

When it comes to quarterbacks, I am of the opinion that too many is better than too few. I said this many times during the 2012 and 2013 recruiting cycles, but it was a mistake to skip the 2012 cycle and crown Shane Morris as the heir apparent for 2013. At one time under Brady Hoke, Michigan had about 12 scholarship linebackers and three quarterbacks, so they had a full four-deep at linebacker – a position that’s often interchangeable with at least one of the other linebacker positions – and went just three-deep at the most important spot on the field. Numbers breed competition, and sometimes you need your second or third quarterback. Quarterbacks are also smart guys who are often some of the better athletes on a team, so they can transition to tight end, slot receiver, safety, etc.

As for Viramontes himself, he joins Brandon Peters at quarterback in the 2016 class. The nice thing about this addition is that it allows for so much flexibility. Even if Peters proves to be the superior quarterback, Michigan could employ Viramontes as a Tebow- or Blake Bell-type short yardage player who can be a dual-threat. With the way he plays, he could be a short-yardage back like Wyatt Shallman, an H-back like Aaron Shea, a linebacker, maybe a safety, maybe a special teams coverage guy. I said previously that I thought Viramontes would end up committing elsewhere because he could be “The Quarterback” in another school’s class. Instead, it looks like he will be Michigan’s Swiss Army knife to deploy as needed. I do think he can be a full-time quarterback with some development because the physical tools are there, so that part of his game comes down to whether he can handle the information and tutelage from Harbaugh.

Norco is a school that produces quite a bit of talent, sending players to places such as Arizona State, Boise State, Duke, UNLV, USC, and others over the years. Harbaugh has some experience with a Norco product in the form of former Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. While out in California, Michigan also offered Viramontes’s teammate, 2016 linebacker/safety Troy Dye.

TTB Rating: 75 (ratings explanation)

Sean McKeon, Wolverine

Dudley (MA) Shepherd Hill tight end Sean McKeon (image via Rivals)

Dudley (MA) Shepherd Hill tight end Sean McKeon committed to Michigan on Monday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech, among others.

McKeon is 6’5″, 230 lbs. He claims a 4.69 forty, a 4.58 shuttle, a 36″ vertical, a 275 lb. bench press, and a 455 lb. squat.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: 2-star TE
Scout: 3-star, #51 TE
247 Sports: 3-star TE

McKeon was offered relatively recently. He immediately set up a visit date to see Michigan, and that visit took place this past weekend. He slept on it for a night, and here we are. The speed of his process makes a lot of sense, not only because Michigan is his best offer, but because tight ends should be lining up to play for Jim Harbaugh.

I have an inherent trust for Harbaugh’s evaluations and usage of tight ends, so I will try not to let that color my evaluation of McKeon himself. But I do think there is a lot to like. First of all, he has good size without bad weight, and he should just be able to pack on some muscle before contributing. Once the play starts, the first thing that jumps out about him is that he shows good acceleration off the ball, and I think he will be able to get separation from linebackers with that initial speed burst. He also shows the ability to adjust to the ball in the air, whether it’s sliding to make a catch or going up to get it, where he can catch the ball with his hands outside the frame of his body. He is not an absolutely dynamic runner with the ball in his hands, but the first clip of his highlights shows a pretty amazing run-after-catch effort, and the offense also uses him on reverses, which is pretty rare for a tight end. McKeon is also a willing blocker who shows some pretty solid technique, and he has the feet and the hips to be effective in the run game.

On the negative side, Massachusetts is not known for its football talent, and the guys McKeon runs away from in the film are probably not going to be big-time recruits themselves. He is not a quick-twitch guy who will make people miss very often, and he is mostly a straight-line player, which is pretty standard for tight ends.

Overall, though he is a 2-star guy or unranked to a couple services, I think McKeon is a quality recruit. He reminds me of junior tight end Jake Butt in a lot of ways. Michigan should be able to get him in the flat or hit him on crossing routes, and a guy with decent speed who’s 250 lbs. or so will be tough to bring down for defensive backs.

McKeon’s commitment gives Michigan thirteen pledges in the 2016 class. He is the first true tight end in the class, though defensive end Rashad Weaver could be a blocking-type tight end. When McKeon arrives on campus, Butt will be a senior, and no other players have established themselves as true tight ends instead of H-backs (Khalid Hill, Ian Bunting, Henry Poggi, and Chase Winovich all seem like H-back types). The only other guy pegged for tight end is incoming freshman Tyrone Wheatley, Jr., who is 6’7″, 286 lbs. and could feasibly end up at another position. If McKeon can add a reasonable amount of weight, he could find himself battling for a starting gig as a sophomore.

The last Michigan recruit from Massachusetts was 2013 defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr., and no Michigan player has ever come from Shepherd Hill.

TTB Rating: 83 (ratings explanation)