Tag: 2016 recruiting

Recruiting Update: June 30, 2014

Nacogdoches (TX) Nacogdoches safety Brandon Jones (image via ETSN)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Nacogdoches (TX) Nacogdoches safety Brandon Jones was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 183 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 safety, and #23 overall. As a sophomore in 2013, he made 95 tackles, 5 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown), and 8 pass breakups. He claims a 4.32 forty and is quite a solid tackler, too. Louisiana State, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M appear to be the leaders right now.

Woodberry Forest (VA) Woodberry Forest offensive tackle Clark Yarbrough

 was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 255 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 offensive tackle, and the #156 player overall. Yarbrough’s first year of organized football was as a sophomore in 2013, so he’s raw, but he has some very good agility and athleticism for such a big kid.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of visitors from this past week (LINK).

Last week on Recruiting Season, I profiled Plymouth’s Michael Jordan, St. John’s linebacker Tanner Motz, Detroit King’s Dontre Boyd, Detroit Cass Tech’s Lavert Hill, and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s K.J. Hamler.

Several Michigan targets will announce their college decisions this week:

• St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell will announce his college decision on Wednesday. Michigan stopped recruiting him not long ago because they believe he will grow into a defensive tackle, and they are not interested in taking a 3-tech defensive tackle in the 2015 class. He seems like to end up at Michigan State or Ohio State, with Notre Dame also a possibility.
• Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier linebacker Justin Hilliard will announce back-to-back with Cornell on ESPN. There’s a good chance that he will pick Ohio State, and if the two of them are doing this in concert, that seems to be the most likely outcome. Again, Notre Dame is also a possibility.
• New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic wide receiver Miles Boykin is also announcing on Wednesday. His leader has been Notre Dame, so there’s a chance that all three of these guys end up in South Bend.

Visitors: June 27-29, 2014

Josh Imatorbhebhe (image via NGfootball.com)

2015
Brian Cole – WR – Saginaw (MI) Heritage: Cole is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 athlete, and the #64 player overall. UPDATE: Cole is not visiting this weekend. He will visit in late July instead.

Kieffer Longson – OG – San Ramon (CA) Dougherty Valley: Longson is a 6’7″, 295 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Arizona State, BYU, Missouri, Ohio State, Utah, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #22 offensive guard, and #336 overall. Despite being 6’7″, Longson plays more like a guard because he lacks some foot speed and agility to be an edge protector.

2016
Josh Imatorbhebhe – WR – Suwanee (GA) North Gwinnett: Imatorbhebhe is a 6’2″, 202 lb. prospect for 2016 with offers from Cal, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Vanderbilt, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #44 wide receiver, and #264 overall. He’s visiting Monday and Tuesday, June 24-25. His older brother, Daniel, is a 2015 wide receiver who is committed to Missouri.

Recruiting Update: June 23, 2014

Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers wide receiver Austin Mack (image via MGoBlog)

Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark committed to Michigan (LINK).

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison quarterback Messiah DeWeaver was offered at Michigan’s camp and then committed to the Wolverines (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
La Canada (CA) St. Francis wide receiver Dylan Crawford was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Oregon State, Tennessee, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 wide receiver, and #41 overall. Crawford is on a nationwide recruiting swing with touted quarterback K.J. Costello, who also has/had a Michigan offer. Michigan’s extension of an offer to DeWeaver, who subsequently committed, almost certain dooms the Costello recruitment and may also have a negative impact on Michigan’s recruitment of Crawford going forward.

Perry (OH) Perry tight end Luke Farrell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 219 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 tight end, and #258 overall. Farrell earned his offers from U of M and OSU at their respective camps over the past couple weeks.

Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy running back Elijah Holyfield was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #32 running back, and #358 overall. He visited Michigan’s campus this week on a swing through with a couple teammates. Holyfield is a tough, hard-nosed runner who lacks great breakaway speed, somewhat reminiscent of DeVeon Smith.

Plymouth (MI) Plymouth offensive tackle Michael Jordan was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 275 lb. prospect whose lone offer is from the Wolverines, which he earned at camp last week. The answer to your obvious question is, “No, this is not the same Michael Jordan who starred in Fruitvale Station.” Plymouth is the alma mater of senior defensive end Brennen Beyer.

Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers wide receiver Austin Mack was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 wide receiver, and #78 overall. Mack is a pretty polished route runner with decent speed. I think he will drop in the rankings as more people get evaluated, because he lacks the athleticism one would expect of a top 100 player, but he’s still a quality prospect.

Hit the jump for 2017 prospects, commitments to other schools, and miscellaneous bits.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Plano (TX) East linebacker Anthony Hines III was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 218 lb. prospect who committed to Mississippi State in October 2013. He also has offers from Baylor, Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and numerous others; he tweeted out that Michigan was his 42nd offer, despite having finished just his freshman year.

Lawrenceville (GA) Archer cornerback Jamyest Williams

 was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and a few others. He claims a 4.59 forty. As a freshman in 2013, he had 32 tackles, 16 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. Williams camped at Michigan this past week.

OFF THE BOARD
Corona (CA) Santiago quarterback Blake Barnett committed to Alabama. He had previously been committed to Notre Dame, and when he decommitted a couple weeks ago, signs were pointing to Oregon. However, he pulled the trigger for the Crimson Tide, which leaves the Ducks and the Fighting Irish searching for quarterbacks in the class. Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy had been a possible choice for Alabama, but now it seems that the USC commitment will end up at a slightly lower-tier program, perhaps like West Virginia.

Richmond (VA) Benedictine defensive end Clelin Ferrell committed to Clemson. Ferrell was high on the Wolverines and had some connections to Ann Arbor; he’s in the same league as Wilton Speight and Garrett Taylor. Clemson has a good track record with defensive ends, so it’s probably a good choice for him. His 2016 teammate, wide receiver Scott Bracey, also holds an offer from the Wolverines.

Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius defensive end Dre’Mont Jones committed to Ohio State. His top three consisted of the Buckeyes, Michigan, and Notre Dame, but it seemed like a pretty sure thing that he would end up in Columbus. St. Ignatius is the alma mater of Jake Ryan.

Allen (TX) Allen offensive tackle Gregory Little committed to Texas A&M. Little is the consensus #1 recruit in the country so far for 2016, so this presents a little bit of a challenge to the recruiting sites. It seems that the #1 prospect in the nation usually holds off on committing until fairly late in the recruiting cycle, so with 1 year and 8 months left, will they drop Little to create drama?

Cedar Hill (TX) Cedar Hill wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge committed to Texas A&M. Lodge never seemed to be in danger of leaving the Lone Star State.

Flower Mound (TX) Marcus offensive tackle Keaton Sutherland committed to Texas A&M. Okay, this is ridiculous. Another Michigan target picks the Aggies. Sutherland is the teammate of 2016 tight end Kaden Smith, who also has a Michigan offer.

Bellevue (WA) Newport offensive guard Calvin Throckmorton committed to Texas A&M Oregon. I will not miss having to type that name repeatedly over the next four or five years. Give me lots and lots of Chris Clarks, please.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of the kids who visited Michigan this past week/weekend (LINK).

Visitors: June 20-22, 2014

Avon (MI) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark (image via MGoBlog)

The following prospects have been noted by me as visitors to Michigan for the week. It’s not completely clear whether some of them will compete at Michigan’s summer camp this week or not. I would expect most of the ones with Michigan offers to just be visiting, but those without offers (such as Holyfield and Malone-Hatcher) seem to still be trying to make a name for themselves and will probably be participating in the workouts.

2015
Asmar Bilal – LB – Indianapolis (IN) Ben Davis: Bilal is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan and Notre Dame (and lots of others, but those two are the ones that really matter). He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 inside linebacker, and #225 overall. As a junior in 2013, he made 106 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery. Bilal visited Michigan earlier this spring with Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – who has since committed to the Wolverines – but the presumption is that the Fighting Irish lead.


Chris Clark – TE – Avon (CT) Old Farms: Clark is a 6’6″, 247 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and tons of others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 tight end, and #100 overall. As a junior in 2013, he caught 39 passes for 417 yards and 6 touchdowns. Clark recently performed well in the Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge and impressed people with his receiving skills, although he suffered a minor injury. He plans to announce his final college decision during Nike’s The Opening in early July, but he was previously committed to North Carolina, so any commitment at that time should be taken with a grain of salt. He thoroughly enjoyed a spring visit to Michigan and said the Wolverines led at the time, and the thought is that Michigan still leads. Whether they can hold onto that lead into July (or into National Signing Day) is another issue, but for now, things look good.

Tyree Kinnel – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel committed to Michigan last August.

Shane Lemieux – OT – Yakima (WA) West Valley: Lemieux is a 6’6″, 285 lb. prospect with an offer from Michigan but who committed to Oregon in May. He had originally planned to visit Michigan during this time, but that was prior to his verbal commitment. I assume he is not visiting now, but I’ll leave his name on here since I haven’t heard confirmation either way. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star and the #31 offensive guard.

2016
Elijah Holyfield – RB – Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy: Holyfield is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. As a freshman in 2012, he carried the ball 66 times for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns. He claims a 4.55 forty, but on film, his speed is not particularly impressive. He is the son of former heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield.

Matt Heuerman – TE – Naples (FL) Barron Collier: Heuerman is a 6’6″, 200 lb. prospect with no FBS offers at this time. He’s the brother of Jeff Heuerman (Ohio State), whom Michigan offered a few years ago, but their father played basketball for the Wolverines. He attends the same high school as incoming freshman defensive tackle Brady Pallante.


Janarius Robinson – DE – Panama City (FL) Bay: Robinson is a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and #65 overall. Robinson has openly stated that his favorite team is Florida State, and that’s his likely destination, but he did make almost immediate plans to visit Ann Arbor after receiving his offer from the Wolverines, so they will have a chance to sway him.

Miles Sanders – RB – Pittsburgh (PA) Woodland Hills: Sanders is a 5’10”, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 running back, and #182 overall. He claims a 4.39 forty, a 37″ vertical, a 270 lb. bench, and a 420 lb. squat.

Clark Yarbrough – OT – Woodberry Forest (VA) Woodberry Forest: Yarbrough is a 6’5″, 255 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 offensive tackle, and #158 overall. His sophomore year in 2013 was his first year playing organized football.

2017
Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph: Malone-Hatcher is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with no offers currently, but he will likely be one of the top few prospects in the state of Michigan for his class. He came away raving from a spring visit to Alabama, so that may be an obstacle if they extend an offer. It’s still very early for 2017 prospects, though.

Messiah DeWeaver, Wolverine

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison quarterback Messiah DeWeaver

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison quarterback Messiah DeWeaver committed to Michigan today. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Louisville, among others.

DeWeaver is 6’3″, 202 lbs. As a sophomore in 2013, he passed for 2,300 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 6 touchdowns.

RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: Unranked
Scout: Unranked

247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #9 pro-style QB, #244 overall, #12 in-state

DeWeaver has been visiting campus regularly for a couple years due to Trotwood-Madison’s connections to Michigan. The school sent former Wolverines Michael Shaw, Roy Roundtree, and Brandon Moore to Ann Arbor, and DeWeaver’s teammates Mike McCray II and Reon Dawson will be redshirt freshman Wolverines in the fall. DeWeaver will hit Michigan’s campus in 2016 when they will presumably be redshirt juniors. DeWeaver has been his varsity team’s starting quarterback since his freshman season.

Trotwood-Madison runs a diverse, modern pro-style offense that involves some single-back plays, some I-formation, and a lot of shotgun, five-wide, bunch formations, etc. DeWeaver does a good job of directing the offense. There’s a play roughly 5:25 into his Hudl highlights where he makes and adjustment with his slot receiver, who runs a drag route across the field, catches the ball, and turns it up the sideline for a 60+ yard touchdown. DeWeaver seems to know where to go with the ball rather quickly, so he doesn’t take a lot of time sitting in the pocket waiting for the rush to get to him. Accuracy is difficult to gauge from a highlight film, but he does seem to manage putting the ball in a place where only his receiver can catch it. He also is willing to take a hit in order to get rid of the football and does not seem jumpy in the pocket. The mental aspect of playing quarterback seems to be there. As for his athleticism, he keeps his feet active in the pocket but does not appear to be a huge threat on the move.

The biggest issue I have with DeWeaver is (to quote the great Trent Dilfer) his “arm talent.” DeWeaver lacks a great arm, and he tends to drop his elbow, which can make the ball sail a little bit. He does not put great spin on the football, and he has a tendency to step to the left of his target, which affects the zip on his passes. I would also like to see him speed up his dropback from under center, but that is easily coached.

Overall, I think DeWeaver has considerable potential if his body and arm strength mature. It’s difficult to keep in mind that the highlights available show an athlete who is entering his junior year of high school. If that arm strength matures with age, then he could be a very good college quarterback. If he does not get stronger in that area, I think he will have some serious issues completing passes against tighter coverage and quicker defenses. This will be something to watch over the next two years.

DeWeaver is the second commitment in Michigan’s 2016 class, joining Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson. The class is scheduled to be roughly 16 players strong right now.

TTB Rating: I will not release TTB Ratings for the 2016 class until the 2015 class is completed.