Tag: 2016 recruiting

Messiah DeWeaver, Ex-Wolverine

Messiah DeWeaver

Huber Heights (OH) Wayne quarterback Messiah DeWeaver decommitted from Michigan on Tuesday night. He had been committed to the Wolverines since June of 2014. DeWeaver is a 6’3″, 202 lb. kid in the class of 2016. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 pro-style quarterback, and #310 overall.

Before he was originally offered a scholarship, I was hoping the coaching staff would hold off. The Wolverines were evaluating or had offered several other quarterbacks who I believed had higher potential, and I thought DeWeaver would jump at the chance to play for Michigan. The poor 2014 season for Michigan may have derailed their chances with some of the guys I viewed as better prospects, so for Michigan’s long-term prospects, that may have been a blessing in disguise. Once a player decommits from a program, it can be tough to tuck the tail between the legs and come back.

Now Michigan has a fresh start with a well-established new coach in Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has had success developing quarterbacks in the past, including former #1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck (Stanford) and former 5th round draft pick Josh Johnson (San Diego), not to mention NFL quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. When Harbaugh was at Stanford, he brought in an average of two quarterbacks per class, and he looks to continue to do so at Michigan. The Wolverines already have Alex Malzone enrolled early, and last weekend saw a commitment from Zach Gentry, who will sign with Michigan next week. Meanwhile, even with DeWeaver committed, Harbaugh had been meeting with California QB K.J. Costello and Washington QB Jacob Eason, who are the #4 and #1 pro-style quarterbacks for the 2016 class. The previous staff had offered seven quarterbacks (LINK), and that number may increase in the near future.

With DeWeaver committed, I had secretly been hoping to avoid doing scouting reports on 10-20 quarterback prospects for 2016. But now it looks like that’s exactly what I’ll be doing in the next couple weeks.

2016 Recruiting Update: January 28, 2015

Manvel (TX) Manvel safety Deontay Anderson (image via 247sports.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Harbor City (CA) Narbonne offensive tackle Alex Akingbulu was offered by Michigan. Akingbulu is a 6’6″, 275 lb. prospect who just finished playing his first year of organized football, and Michigan is his first (and only) offer. Offensive coordinator Tim Drevno is the point man on him, so his west coast connections must have paid off with the little known recruit. Akingbulu does not have much technique at this point, but he is an impressive athlete who moves his feet really well. With a good deal of coaching, he could be pretty special. You might remember his high school from when Michigan was recruiting safety Sean Parker (Washington) in the 2010 class.


Manvel (TX) Manvel safety Deontay Anderson was offered by Michigan. Anderson is a 6’1″, 192 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, and USC, among others. Basically, he can go to school wherever he wants. Michigan recently had a flirtation with his 2015 teammate, cornerback Will Lockett, who ultimately decided to stick to his UCLA pledge. Anderson is an early 247 Composite 5-star, the #2 returner (this is a category now?), and #25 overall in the class. As a junior in 2014, he made 59 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions (1 returned for touchdown), 8 pass breakups, and 1 punt return for a touchdown.

Concord (CA) De La Salle tight end Devin Asiasi was offered by Michigan. Asiasi is a 6’5″, 255 lb. prospect with offers from Nebraska, Oregon, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 weakside end, and #148 overall. He’s a big kid but someone who can be split out at times, and he even takes an occasional direct snap. Former Michigan (and Idaho and New England Patriots) quarterback Matt Gutierrez was from there, and I recently watched When the Game Stands Tall, a decent football movie about the school, which set the national record for consecutive victories.

Hit the jump for a couple more offers, commitments elsewhere, and some random tidbits.

Huber Heights (OH) Wayne quarterback Messiah DeWeaver decommitted from Michigan on Tuesday night. DeWeaver is a 6’3″, 202 lb. prospect who committed to Michigan in June of 2014. He has picked up offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, and Penn State in the meantime, and he’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 pro-style quarterback, and #306 overall. He held out through the coaching change and met the new staff, but ultimately, he has decided not to remain committed. DeWeaver transferred from Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison – which has sent several players to Michigan over the years – to Huber Heights (OH) Wayne after the football season. Wayne has been somewhat kind to Michigan over the years, too, with 2015 safety commit Tyree Kinnel and then the Talbott brothers several years ago.

Oakland (CA) Bishop O’Dowd linebacker Camilo Eifler was offered by Michigan. Eifler is a 6’2″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Colorado, Duke, and Washington. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 outside linebacker, and #594 overall. Eifler is a speedy, hard-hitting linebacker, and I’m surprised that he doesn’t have more offers at this point. His head coach is Napoleon Kaufman, whom you may remember as a tremendously speedy running back for the Washington Huskies and then the Oakland Radiers.

Los Angeles (CA) Loyola cornerback David Long, Jr. was offered by Michigan. Long is a 6’0″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Miami, Oregon, UCLA, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #34 cornerback, and #329 overall. He claims a 4.5 forty and a 34″ vertical. It’s unclear at this point whether Michigan wants him as a corner or receiver; he looks more engaged playing receiver, but he does have some skills on defense. Long is also friends with quarterback K.J. Costello and wide receiver Dylan Crawford, both Californians in the 2016 class whom Michigan has already offered.

Pompano Beach (CA) Coconut Creek cornerback Trayvon Mullen was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 cornerback, and #63 overall. He also claims a 4.37 forty. The previous Michigan staff also offered two teammates of Mullen, wide receiver Binjimen Victor and cornerback Malek Young.

OFF THE BOARD
Cincinnati (OH) Moeller tight end Jake Hausmann committed to Ohio State. Hausmann is one of the top few tight end prospects in the country. On the plus side, Michigan has also been pursuing Perry (OH) Perry tight end Luke Farrell, who also had the Buckeyes at or near the top of his list. This may open the door a little bit for Farrell to come up north, although he too has plenty of suitors.

MISCELLANEOUS
Lawrenceville (GA) Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price included Michigan in his top ten, specifically at #2. Price grew up in Grand Rapids, and he has stated that Michigan was his childhood favorite team. Price is a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 offensive tackle, and #65 overall. The 247 Crystal Ball currently has Georgia leading with some votes for Auburn, so there might be some ground to make up if the new staff wants to reel him in.

Egg Harbor (NJ) Cedar Creek safety Ahmir Mitchell included Michigan in his top eight.

Over on Recruiting Season, I added/updated profiles for:

• Detroit King CB Dontre Boyd
• Muskegon Mona Shores WR Hunter Broersma
• Traverse City West OG Jacob Cerny
• Southfield RB Matt Falcon
• West Bloomfield QB Trishton Jackson
• Farmington Hills Harrison DE Khalid Kareem

2016 Recruiting Update: January 20, 2015

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem with former Michigan defensive line coach Mark Smith

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Houston (TX) Alief Elsik linebacker Dontavious Jackson was offered by Michigan. Jackson is a 6’2″, 237 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 inside linebacker, and #142 overall. As a junior this past fall, he made 165 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 pass breakups. He claims a 4.69 forty, a 30″ vertical, a 275 lb. bench press, and a 535 lb. squat. Jackson is a big hitter and an intense player, but he lacks technique and mostly plays on instinct and natural skills. Elsik has over 4,100 students and is the alma mater of Beyonce Knowles. You’re welcome.

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #24 strongside end, and #411 overall. He claims a 4.8 forty, a 30″ vertical, a 300 lb. bench, and a 335 lb. squat. Kareem’s recruitment has blown up over the last couple months, so I was wondering when Michigan would throw their hat in the ring. Kareem is a little bit stiff and lacks some explosion, so I think he’s somewhat limited in his position flexibility. He’s the seventh in-state player to receive an offer from Michigan in the 2016 recruiting class. While Michigan State appears to be the early leader, Kareem has visited Ann Arbor more often. Michigan senior defensive end Mario Ojemudia is also from Harrison, and so is early NFL entrant Devin Funchess.

Fresno (CA) Clovis West linebacker Caleb Kelly was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 outside linebacker, and #12 overall. Kelly is a long, lean linebacker who has a lot of athletic talent, but he plays a little soft. I’m somewhat surprised that he’s the #12 player in the nation, although he does have that potential.

Hit the jump for a few more new offers and a couple tidbits.

Houston (TX) Aldine Davis linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #25 outside linebacker, and #349 overall. McCulloch claims a 4.76 forty, a 32″ vertical, a 280 lb. bench press, and a 505 lb. squat. Somewhat like Jackson, he’s another heavy hitter but a guy who has a little more technique.

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep defensive end Connor Murphy was offered by Michigan. Murphy is a 6’7″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #19 weakside end, and #354 overall. As a junior this past season, he made 70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Murphy is the younger brother of Trent Murphy, who was recruited by Jim Harbaugh while at Stanford, committed to the Cardinal, became an All-American (under David Shaw), and became a 2nd round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers. Connor told a quick story that while recruiting Trent, his mother went into labor, and Harbaugh ended up babysitting Connor for a while, playing chess and drinking milk. The Wolverines as a program tried to reel in Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen in the 2014 class, but Allen ended up choosing Oregon instead. As for Connor himself, he’s not a great athlete but has some similarities to the likes of former Michigan defensive end Craig Roh.

Houston (TX) Westfield defensive tackle Ed Oliver was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #5 defensive tackle, and #31 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 84 tackles and 7 sacks. He claims a 4.87 forty, a 315 lb. bench press, and a 465 lb. squat. The first clip of the following highlight film is Oliver overrunning a play, hustling to get back in it, then picking up a fumble and returning it 100 yards for a touchdown. Enjoy:

MISCELLANEOUS
Detroit (MI) King wide receiver Donnie Corley visited Michigan this past weekend for the basketball game. Corley picked up a Michigan offer in recent months, and he’s a 4-star, the #27 wide receiver, and #121 overall in the 247 Composite rankings.

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Lavert Hill visited Michigan with Corley. The two are now teammates after Hill transferred to King following the football season. Hill is the younger brother of Michigan safety Delano Hill. The younger Hill is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 athlete, and #196 overall.

On Recruiting Season  in the past week, I’ve updated the profiles of:

• Traverse City West’s Jacob Cerny
• Chippewa Valley’s Stefan Claiborne
• Plymouth’s Michael Jordan
• Ann Arbor Skyline’s Daelin Hayes
• Cass Tech’s Tim Walton
• Cass Tech’s Demetric Vance

Recruiting Update: January 13, 2015

Montezuma (GA) Macon linebacker Roquan Smith

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Damon Arnette, a South Carolina commit, was offered by Michigan and plans an official visit to Ann Arbor for this upcoming weekend. He’s a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #60 cornerback, and #649 overall. He was being recruited by defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin at Florida. Other schools to offer include Florida State, Louisville, Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Wisconsin, among others. Michigan has attempted to dip into St. Thomas Aquinas several times in recent years, but players like Lamarcus Joyner (Florida State), Joey Bosa (Ohio State), and Corey Holmes (Notre Dame) have spurned the Wolverines’ efforts. Arnette is a big, physical corner.

Lithonia (GA) Hapeville Academy defensive end Arden Key decommitted from South Carolina. Key is a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and #103 overall. Most analysts believe Auburn will be the recipient of his commitment sometime in the next few weeks.

Rowlett (TX) Rowlett defensive end Charles Omenihu, a Texas commit, was offered by Michigan. Like Arnette, he had been pursued by Durkin at Florida. Omenihu is a 6’5″, 232 lb. 3-star, #21 weakside end, and #469 player overall. Unfortunately, he has decided not to stir things up and stated that he would not take an official visit to Michigan despite some early excitement about the offer.

Montezuma (GA) Macon linebacker Roquan Smith was offered by Michigan. Smith is a 6’2″, 205 lb. prospect and another Durkin connection. Smith is also a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 outside linebacker, and #49 overall. He also has offers from Alabama and USC, but he’s considered to be a Georgia lean with Ole Miss and UCLA visits scheduled for the final two weeks of January. He will be visiting Michigan this coming weekend, but the Wolverines are playing from behind. As a senior in 2014, he made 173 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions, plus he scored 12 touchdowns. Smith could probably play running back for a lot of teams in college football, but he’s a speedy guy who could play outside in a 3-4 or as a weakside guy in a 4-3. At this point he’s the best prospect considering Michigan, in my opinion, so a celebration would be in order if the Wolverines were able to pull him away from Georgia and his other suitors.

Monrovia (CA) Monrovia cornerback Octavius Spencer, a UCLA commit, picked up an offer from Michigan. Spencer is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #64 cornerback, and #684 overall. He could be poachable if UCLA head coach Jim Mora, Jr. takes an NFL job somewhere, but otherwise, he probably sticks with the Bruins.

Hit the jump for players who went off the board and some miscellaneous bits and pieces.

OFF THE BOARD
Berea (KY) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris committed to Alabama. Harris was, of course, committed to Michigan at one time. Michigan dodged a bullet when the 5-star Under Armour All-American did not choose the Ohio State Buckeyes, and he was also heavily weighing the option of staying in the state with the Kentucky Wildcats. Instead, he’s the second running back to flip from Michigan to Alabama in the last four years (Demetrius Hart, 2011).

Jacksonville (FL) Trinity cornerback Shaun Wade committed to Ohio State on the morning of Ohio State’s national championship game against Oregon. It’s too early to see how the 2017 recruiting class will shake out, but Wade had a litany of offers (Clemson, Georgia, UCLA, etc.) and a couple years remaining to allow Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, USC, and the like to get involved.

Wayne (NJ) De Paul running back Kareem Walker committed to Ohio State during the national championship game. He called Urban Meyer in the afternoon prior to the game, and then he made it public during their win over Oregon. Walker, a 2016 prospect, is considered to be the best or one of the top few running backs in his class.

MISCELLANEOUS
Gilmer (TX) Gilmer quarterback McLane Carter is being visited by Jim Harbaugh this week, presumably to add to the class as a preferred walk-on or late addition to the class. Carter is completely under the radar and unranked by the recruiting services. He’s a soft-tossing lefty who completed 74% of his passes for 3,969 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 1 interception on the way to a state title. Carter’s film is impressive in his ability to run a passing spread, but his ability to fit into a pro-style system and play from under center is not on display.

Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy safety Arrington Farrar recently decommitted from Stanford, and Michigan may make a run at him. He’s a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 safety, and #262 overall. He also has offers from Clemson, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, among others. Farrar is a teammate of 2016 running back Elijah Holyfield, who has an offer from the Wolverines.

Over on Recruiting Season, I posted profiles for Chippewa Valley WR Sean Bunting and Southfield DE Charles Harris. I also updated profiles for Cass Tech WR Demetric Vance, Muskegon Mona Shores WR Hunter Broersma, Southfield S Dior Johnson, and Traverse City West OG Jacob Cerny.

Rivals 250 for 2016 updated

Dele’ Harding is the #215 recruit in the country (image via 247Sports.com)

Rivals updated their list of top 250 prospects for 2016 (LINK). Here’s what it looked like in July (LINK). They updated the top 100 yesterday (LINK). Movement for Michigan commits:

– Dele’ Harding dropped from #186 to #215
– Messiah DeWeaver dropped from #210 to #219

Here’s the full list of Michigan’s offerees from #101 to #250:

104. Theo Howard – WR – California
106. Damar Hamlin – CB – Pennsylvania
108. Elijah Holyfield – RB – Georgia
112. Cameron Chambers – WR – New Jersey
113. Darrian Franklin – LB – California
125. Joseph Jackson – DE – Florida
126. J.P. Urquidez – OT – Maryland
130. Josh Imatorbhebhe – WR – Georgia
132. Binjimen Victor – WR – Florida
151. Shaquille Quarterman – LB – Florida (Miami)
152. Brad Hawkins, Jr. – WR – New Jersey
154. Justin Layne – WR – Ohio
164. Luke Farrell – TE – Ohio
170. Michael Onwenu – DT – Michigan
177. Austin Mack – WR – Indiana
185. Antonio Williams – RB – North Carolina (Wisconsin)
186. Kaden Smith – TE – Texas
187. Clark Yarbrough – OT – Virginia
188. Auston Robertson – DE – Indiana
193. Kentrail Moran – RB – Illinois
215. Dele’ Harding – LB – Maryland (Michigan)
219. Messiah DeWeaver – QB – Ohio (Michigan)
225. Jordan Woods – DE – Florida
232. Michael Jordan – OT – Michigan
243. Lavert Hill – CB – Michigan