Tag: 2020 recruiting

2020 Recruiting Update: February 14, 2019

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2020

Jordan Banks – DE – Harbor City (CA) Narbonne: Banks is a 6’3″, 245 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, LSU, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #17 strongside end, and #302 overall.

Dee Beckwith – TE – Florence (AL) Florence: Beckwith is a 6’3″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Michigan, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #21 athlete, and #305 overall. Florence is the alma mater of current Michigan safety J’Marick Woods.

Olu Fashanu – OT – Washington (DC) Gonzaga: Fashanu is a 6’5″, 290-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #49 offensive tackle, and #430 overall.

Elijah Gaines – CB – Alexandria (VA) Episcopal: Gaines is a 6’3″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Duke, Pitt, and Purdue. Despite his listed size (which might be exaggerated) he moves extremely well and could stick at corner in college. Episcopal is the alma mater of Michigan defensive end Luiji Vilain.

Jahmyr Gibbs – RB – Dalton (GA) Dalton: Gibbs is a 5’11”, 180-pounder with offers from Iowa State, Louisville, and Texas A&M. As a junior in 2018, he ran the ball 163 times for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Dontae Manning – CB – Kansas City (MO) Raytown: Manning is a 6’0″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #45 cornerback, and #625 overall.

Jonah Monheim – OT – Moorpark (CA) Moorpark: Monheim is a 6’5″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Cal and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star, the #63 offensive tackle, and #562 overall.

Omari Porter – CB – Auburn (AL) Auburn: Porter is a 6’1″, 175-pounder with offers from Indiana, Iowa, and Vanderbilt, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #30 cornerback, and #464 overall.

Ethan Pouncey – CB – Winter Park (FL) Winter Park: Pouncey is a 6’1″, 160-pounder with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Florida State, among others. He’s a dynamic athlete who could play receiver or corner at the next level.

Kobe Pryor – RB – Cedartown (GA) Cedartown: Pryor is a 6’0″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Texas, and West Virginia, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #47 running back, and #611 overall. He attends the alma mater of former Georgia (and currently Cleveland Browns) running back Nick Chubb.

Kole Taylor – TE – Grand Junction (CO) Central: Taylor is a 6’6″, 230-pounder with offers from Arkansas, Colorado, and Missouri, among others. Michigan is sending out a lot of offers in the state of Colorado during this 2020 cycle.

Chantz Williams – DE – Orange Park (FL) Oakleaf: Williams is a 6’4″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, and Miami. He’s a 4-star, the #8 weakside end, and #129 overall. He claims a 4.78 forty and a 4.69 shuttle.

Dazalin Worsham – WR – Trussville (AL) Hewitt-Trussville: Worsham is a 6’0″, 169-pounder with offers from Auburn and Clemson . . . and the school he committed to in April of 2018, Alabama. Quarterback Paul Tyson and offensive tackle Pierce Quick are two 2019 guys from Hewitt-Trussville who signed with Alabama, so it’s a pipeline for the Crimson Tide. I don’t imagine a Michigan offer will do much here.

OFF THE BOARD

Aidan Keanaaina – DT – Denver (CO) Mullen: Keanaaina committed to Notre Dame.

Kevin Pyne – OT – Milford (MA) Milford: Pyne committed to Boston College, which is odd for a top-100 prospect.

MISCELLANEY

Here’s a list of visitors for this coming weekend, including a bunch of 2020 guys (LINK).

Eastern Michigan signed 2019 Columbus (OH) Northland running back John Branham, the brother of 2020 Michigan wide receiver commit Kalil Branham (LINK). That could be a good development in order to keep Kalil committed, since the brothers will be playing FBS ball in neighboring cities.

Sav’ell Smalls – DE – Seattle (WA) Garfield: Smalls is a 6’3″, 230 lb. prospect who’s a 5-star, the #1 outside linebacker, and #4 overall. He left Michigan out of his top 12.

All glory to God ?.. #Top12 pic.twitter.com/7cPalmgg9p

— Sav’ell Smalls? (@SavvySmalls_9) February 10, 2019

2020 Recruiting Needs

Michigan landed a pretty good recruiting class in 2019, ending up at #8 in the 247 Composite rankings. They addressed a lot of needs – especially on the offensive line – and landed a few elite prospects, like Zach Charbonnet, Daxton Hill, and Chris Hinton, Jr.

But recruiting never stops, and now we turn our eyes to the 2020 class. Today I’ll look at the top five positions that need to be addressed. Keep in mind that I am not including players already committed in 2020, because we all know how fleeting and temporary commitments can be.

QUARTERBACK
2019 Depth Chart: Shea Patterson (Sr.), Dylan McCaffrey (RS So.), Joe Milton (RS Fr.), Brandon Peters (RS Jr.), Cade McNamara (Fr.)
What they need: 2. Patterson will be out of eligibility after the 2019 season, and with Peters aging and seemingly low on the depth chart, he is unlikely to be around in 2020. That would leave McCaffrey, Milton, and McNamara on the roster with presumed starter McCaffrey a redshirt junior at that point. Michigan has landed a commitment from J.D. Johnson in the 2020 class, but you probably want to have approximately five quarterbacks on the roster with the understanding that one guy is likely to depart soon for one reason or another.

RUNNING BACK
2019 Depth Chart: Chris Evans (Sr.), Tru Wilson (Sr.), Zach Charbonnet (Fr.), Christian Turner (RS Fr.), Hassan Haskins (RS Fr.)
What they need: 3. Running back will be a very interesting position going forward, for many reasons. Two of the players listed above are seniors, but Evans’s status is up in the air right now as he is currently suspended from the team. There is a possibility that he could sit out 2019 and return in 2020 as a fifth year senior…or he might play in 2019 and run out of eligibility…or he might declare for the NFL’s supplementary draft…or he might transfer. Who knows? Charbonnet projects as a good player, and Turner showed flashes this season, but Haskins has spent some time practicing at linebacker, so this is a very thin depth chart in 2019, let alone 2020.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
2019 Depth Chart: Michael Dwumfour (RS Jr.), Carlo Kemp (RS Jr.), Donovan Jeter (RS So.), Chris Hinton (Fr.), Mazi Smith (Fr.), Carl Myers (Sr.)
What they need: 3. This is a very thin depth chart, considering it’s both defensive tackle spots and I had to squeeze in some people who might not belong. First of all, Hinton might be a strongside end instead of a tackle, and Myers is a walk-on. Kemp started his career as a linebacker, moved to defensive end, and bulked up in 2018 to play defensive tackle because he wasn’t going to play much at end. With the top two guys at each spot already redshirt juniors, Michigan needs an influx of players immediately, which is why they’re exploring grad transfer options for 2019. There is a chance that some of the 2019 recruits could eventually play defensive tackle, such as Michael Morris and David Ojabo, but the need is still there.

LEFT TACKLE
2019 Depth Chart: Jon Runyan, Jr. (RS Sr.), Jalen Mayfield (RS Fr.), Trente Jones (Fr.)
What they need: 2. My philosophy on tackles is to recruit tackles non-stop and turn the failed ones into guards. Michigan has been guard-heavy at times, and even now starts a non-prototype (Runyan) at left tackle, even though he won some awards in 2018. Runyan will graduate, leaving Mayfield and Jones. I expect Mayfield to get some experience in 2019, but he’s a guy who could take over at right tackle moving forward, too. Get some tackles in the fold and let things filter out by getting the best five guys on the field.

TIGHT END
2019 Depth Chart: Sean McKeon (Sr.), Nick Eubanks (RS Jr.), Mustapha Muhammad (RS Fr.), Luke Schoonmaker (RS Fr.), Erick All (Fr.)
What they need: 2. I say this is a need more for talent than numbers. McKeon will graduate, and it will be interesting to see whether Eubanks returns for a fifth year. Meanwhile, the other players in the pipeline are solid, but they may not be what Michigan wants. New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is more of a spread guy, and it would be nice to land a matchup problem type of athlete. Shea Patterson’s brother, Nick, is already committed in 2020, but he’s not a matchup issue.

2020 Recruiting Capsule: Southfield A&T DT Bryce Austin

Name: Bryce Austin
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) A&T
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: 2020
Offers: Akron, Ball State, Boston College, Buffalo, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse
Commitment: Undecided

Notes: Claims a 4.7 forty…315 lb. bench press…455 lb. squat…27″ vertical…Teammate of 2020 QB Anthony Romphf…247 Sports 3-star, #23 DT, #10 in-state, #320 overall as of 2/7/19

Stats: N/A

Strengths: Above average first step explosiveness…Solid frame to add weight…Good quickness and speed…Changes direction well…Very solid roll tackler…Loose in hips with good bend…Flashes good motor when chasing plays down from behind

Weaknesses: Inconsistent hand strike coming off ball…Can get overpowered at times…Tentative at times when tackling in traffic…Limited height puts a cap on overall mass

Overall: I see a player similar overall to former Michigan defensive end/defensive tackle Jibreel Black. Black was a tweener who played some at both positions, but was never a real standout at either spot. It will be interesting to see how Austin’s body develops, because he could be anywhere from a strongside end to a 3-tech tackle or even a one-gap nose tackle.

2020 Recruiting Update: February 7, 2019

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2020

Ashton Allen – S – Potomac (MD) Bullis: Allen is a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College and Maryland. He attends the alma mater of former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was committed to Maryland at one time.

Kedrick Bingley-Jones – DE – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day School: Bingley-Jones is a 6’4″, 266-pounder with offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #11 strongside end, and #202 overall. He claims a 5.21 forty, a 4.88 shuttle, and a 31.5″ vertical.

Itayvion Brown – LB – St. Louis (MO) Lutheran North: Brown is a 6’3″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, LSU, Missouri, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #36 athlete, and #455 overall. While he plays quite a bit of wide receiver in high school, I think he’s too stiff to remain at that position and will probably end up at linebacker or defensive end in college.

Hit the jump for more.

read more

2020 Recruiting Capsule: Flint Beecher WR/S Earnest Sanders

Flint (MI) Beecher WR/S Earnest Sanders (#11, image via Endless Motor)

Name: Earnest Sanders
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Flint (MI) Beecher
Position: Wide receiver/safety
Class: 2020
Offers: Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kentucky, Toledo
Commitment: Undecided

Notes: 247 Sports 3-star, #62 WR, #8 in-state, #315 overall…Also a high-level basketball player with hoops offers from Oakland and Southern Mississippi

Stats: N/A

Strengths: Catches ball well with hands away from body…Very good straight-line speed…Good size with solid frame…Strong runner…Shows ability to plant foot and make 90-degree cuts…Takes short, choppy steps with good change-of-direction skills

Weaknesses: Does not come off ball hard on every play…Needs to improve route running

Overall: I had seen Sanders’s name come across on Twitter and a couple websites, but I had not checked out his film previously. After having checked it out, though, I came away extremely impressed. Sanders has physical skills on par with almost any receiver to come out of the state of Michigan in years, and yes, I’m including Donovan Peoples-Jones. He is not as refined as Peoples-Jones, but they have similar size, and I would give Sanders the edge in short-area quickness. It will be interesting to see how his recruitment develops and whether he leans toward basketball or football. I also like Sanders as a safety prospect and think he has the frame to bulk up to play that position in college, as well.

Highlights: