Tag: 2016 recruiting

Erik Swenson, Ex-Wolverine

Erik Swenson (image via 247 Sports)

EDIT: Bumped from yesterday since this has been made a big deal. Also, I wrote three posts yesterday and didn’t have time to write one for today. Also also, Kiante Enis has also decommitted but it will be a bit before I can get that post up.

Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson decommitted from Michigan on Wednesday. He had previously been committed to Michigan since late November of 2013, which was at the end of his sophomore season and during Brady Hoke’s second-to-last year. So . . . that was a long time, and in fact, he was the longest-tenured Michigan commit. (Believe it or not, the new holder of that crown is QB Brandon Peters, who committed just before the spring game last year.)

Swenson is a 6’7″, 305 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #31 offensive tackle, and #322 overall. He was recently named an All-American by Tom Lemming. He also has offers from Illinois and Northwestern, and a couple Crystal Ball picks have come in recently for Northwestern. That is not a bad backup plan.

However, rumors have been swirling for a little while that Michigan was not in love with his development up through his senior year. I can confirm this sentiment based on looking at his senior film. He seems to be a kid who peaked early when he reached 6’7″ and about 285 lbs. as a sophomore, but his athleticism has not continued to develop. If you look at the highlights below, he is slow off the ball. He does not bend well. Against mediocre competition, someone his size with that recruiting profile should be burying guys into the ground. Sure, there are a few kids who end up on the ground, but not because he finishes them – it’s mostly because they’re outweighed by 100 lbs. Take a look for yourself:

Based on those highlights, I think his commitment to Michigan may have been artificially propping up his recruiting rankings. That’s not the #322 recruit in the country.

Hit the jump for more.

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Top 247 for 2016 finalized

Brandon Peters

247 Sports released its final list of the top 247 prospects for 2016 (LINK). You can see the movement for each player next to his name if you wish, but notable movements for Michigan players:

• Brandon Peters moved up from #45 to #34
• Michael Onwenu jumped up from #72 to #36
• Ben Bredeson dropped from #58 to #67
• Jordan Elliott dropped from #56 to #70
• Dylan Crawford dropped from #132 to #134
• Nate Johnson jumped up from #243 to #198
• Devery Hamilton dropped from #222 to #228
• Ron Johnson jumped from #246 to #238

Hit the jump for the full list of Michigan targets on the list.

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Rivals 250 for 2016 finalized

Dylan Crawford is the #129 player in the country

Rivals released its final top 100 on Monday (LINK). Here’s the final 250 (LINK). Here’s what it looked like back in December (LINK).

Movement for Michigan commits:

• Dylan Crawford fell from #115 to #129
• Ahmir Mitchell fell from #111 to #139
• Michael Onwenu jumped from #157 to #147
• Brandon Peters fell from #140 to #158
• Kareem Walker fell from #41 to #181
• Devin Bush, Jr. moved up from #184 to #182
• Carlo Kemp remained at #215
• Erik Swenson fell from #223 to #227 (UPDATE: Shortly after I posted this, Swenson confirmed the rumors that had been swirling and officially decommitted from Michigan. I’ll leave him here, though.)
• Brad Hawkins, Jr. fell from #231 to #235

Below the jump are the rest of Michigan’s targets.

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Rivals 100 for 2016 finalized

Ben Bredeson (#74) is Michigan’s top-ranked recruit for 2016

Rivals released its final list of top 100 prospects for the 2016 cycle (LINK). Here’s what it looked like back in December (LINK). Michigan has just one prospect on the list at this point.

• Ben Bredeson moved up from #65 to #60
• Kareem Walker fell from #41 to off the list

Hit the jump for the rest of the top 100.

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Recruiting Update: January 18, 2016

Olathe (KS) North safety Isaiah Simmons

DECOMMITMENT
Upper Marlboro (MD) Riverdale Baptist cornerback Sir Patrick Scott decommitted from Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Winter Garden (FL) West Orange wide receiver Eddie McDoom decommitted from Oregon. McDoom is a 5’11”, 170 lb. prospect who had committed to the Ducks in December, but also has offers from Clemson, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #67 wide receiver, and #405 overall. He recently caught a touchdown pass in the Under Armour All-American Game. Interestingly, McDoom was one of a couple wide receiver commits who took an Oregon spot that could have gone to Dylan Crawford, who committed to Michigan two weekends ago. McDoom says that when he made it clear to Oregon that he wanted to take other visits – mainly to Michigan – the Ducks pulled his offer. Michigan fans are familiar with that policy, since it sounds similar to Brady Hoke’s approach. Now McDoom is scheduled to come to Ann Arbor next weekend, and it’s unclear whether this situation will affect Crawford or not. If Michigan is able to secure a commitment from McDoom and keep Crawford, that may sew up the receiver position before Donald Stewart and Pie Young decide to commit.

Olathe (KS) North safety Isaiah Simmons was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 212 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Louisville, Missouri, and Nebraska, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 safety, and #326 overall. Simmons is a large safety who also plays some wide receiver. He reminds me a little bit of Michigan cornerback Jeremy Clark, although Simmons is thicker at this stage in his career than Clark was. He has visits scheduled to Nebraska and Louisville for the next two weekends, so Michigan would likely have to bump one of those schools out of the way unless he decides to make a mid-week trip. If the name of Simmons’s school sounds familiar, Michigan recruited Jimmie Swain IV (Oregon) from there in the 2014 class.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Port Washington (WI) Port Washington offensive tackle Tyler Beach was offered by Michigan. Beach is a 6’8″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, and Northern Illinois. He has not been offered by Wisconsin yet, but it’s often tough to pull players out of Wisconsin if the Badgers want them (Ben Bredeson is an exception).

Hit the jump for some more 2017 offers, a 2018 offer, some commitments elsewhere, and some random recruiting bits.

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