Recruiting Snapshot: Iowa

Tag: AJ Epenesa


11Mar 2017
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Recruiting Snapshot: Iowa

Edwardsville (IL) Edwardsville DE A.J. Epenesa (image via Twitter)

2017 Team Ranking: #41. Iowa signed one 5-star, one 4-star, eighteen 3-stars, and two 2-stars.

Cream of the 2017 Crop: The Hawkeyes landed their to player very early in the process with Edwardsville (IL) Edwardsville defensive end A.J. Epenesa in January of 2016. The 5-star, #2 strongside end, and #29 overall player went on to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Despite a bunch of powerhouse teams trying to pull Epenesa away, the Iowa legacy stayed committed. Mt. Vernon (IA) Mt. Vernon offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, another Army Bowl participant, is a 4-star, the #31 offensive tackle, and #327 overall. He did impress during Army week, but he’s Iowa’s only other player above a 3-star ranking.

2018 Team Ranking: #46. Two 3-stars are committed to the Hawkeyes.

Cream of the 2018 Crop: The cream hasn’t really risen to the top. Both of Iowa’s commits are ranked in the 900s. One is Crystal Lake (IL) Prairie Ridge offensive guard Jeffrey Jenkins, and the other is Thiensville (WI) Homestead linebacker Mike Bruner.

18Jan 2016
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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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9Mar 2015
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Rivals 100 to Watch for 2017

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones

Rivals released their early top 100 prospects to watch for 2017 (LINK); while the players are not listed numerically, they have been given star ratings. Below is a list of the players Michigan has offered:

5-stars:
Calvin Ashley – OT – Florida
Najee Harris – RB – California
Darnay Holmes – CB – California
Devon Hunter – S – Virginia
Josh Myers – OT – Ohio (Ohio State)

4-stars:
A.J. Epenesa – DE – Illinois
Darnell Ewell – OT – Virginia
Paris Ford – ATH – Pennsylvania
Anthony Hines – LB – Texas
Dylan McCaffrey – QB – Colorado
Jake Moretti – OT – Colorado
Jeffrey Okudah – ATH – Texas
Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR – Michigan
Stanford Samuels III – ATH – Florida
Jeff Thomas – WR – Illinois
Shaun Wade – CB – Florida (Ohio State)
Jamyest Williams – ATH – Georgia
Marcus Williamson – CB – Ohio

2Mar 2015
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Recruiting Update: March 2, 2015

Edwardsville (IL) Edwardsville defensive end A.J. Epenesa (image via 247Sports.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Livonia (LA) Livonia defensive end Willie Baker was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #33 weakside end, and #523 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 112 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles. I do not see Baker as a weakside end at all, and in fact, he looks like a 3-4 defensive end, a strongside end, or even a defensive tackle after he adds weight. He is somewhat stiff and does not use his hands well, but he is very physical and likes to hit.

Kentwood (LA) Kentwood cornerback Shyheim Carter, an Alabama commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and Mississippi State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 cornerback, and #33 overall. He claims a 4.38 forty. Chances are slim that Michigan will be able to flip Carter out of the deep south, so this is more likely a case of the coaches trying to build relationships in the area.

Elk Grove (CA) Franklin cornerback Lamar Jackson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Boise State, Colorado, and UCLA. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #32 cornerback, and #328 overall. He claims a 4.46 forty. Jackson is a jack-of-all-trades type of player for his high school, where he also plays some quarterback. At his size he is probably most likely to play safety, wide receiver, or maybe even linebacker eventually.

Charlotte (NC) Victory Christian tight end Thaddeus Moss was offered by Michigan. Moss is a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College, Duke, Marshall, and Wake Forest, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #24 tight end, and #686 overall. He is also the son of former all-world wide receiver Randy Moss, who grew up in West Virginia, attended Marshall, and went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots, among other teams. The younger Moss is not the physical freak that his dad was, but he seems to have a high football IQ and makes some excellent plays in his own right. Thaddeus is a bit of a lumbering tight end, but he knows how to release from the line and can make some acrobatic catches. He also flashes some talent as a defensive end, where he makes some nice hustle plays, picks off a couple passes, etc. I don’t see a huge talent difference between him and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. – who was ranked higher – except for the fact that Wheatley is a couple inches taller and 20-30 lbs. heavier.

Hit the jump for a few more 2016 offers, some 2017 offers, a commit elsewhere, and a few miscellaneous bits.

Cornelius (NC) Hough cornerback Marquill Osborne, a Tennessee commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 185 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Duke, LSU, and North Carolina State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #23 cornerback, and #239 overall. Osborne is a speedy corner with good hips, and I think he’s deserving of his ranking. I do not think Michigan has much of a chance to flip him, although I would not be surprised if he signs with someone other than the Volunteers.

Laurinburg (NC) Scotland linebacker Jonathan Smith was offered by Michigan. Smith is a 6’1″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #31 linebacker, and #397 overall. He claims a 315 lb. bench press. Smith is probably strictly an inside linebacker at the next level because of some size and speed limitations, but he seems to make quick reads and is a solid hitter.

Eden Prairie (MN) Eden Prairie cornerback J.D. Spielman was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 175 lb. prospect whose lone offer comes from the Wolverines. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #80 athlete, and #1003 overall. He claims a 4.45 forty. Spielman is the adopted son of Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who is Chris Spielman’s brother. J.D. has decent speed and is a pretty solid tackler for his size, but he does not have the outstanding burst you ideally look for in a return man.

Florence (AL) Florence linebacker Erroll Thompson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Louisville, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #30 inside linebacker, and #911 overall. Thompson is a hulking inside linebacker prospect with NFL size already, and he’s a very good hitter and tackler. Michigan has told him he might also be able to play both ways as a fullback/linebacker. It’s notoriously difficult to pull players out of the deep south, but he does not hold offers from home-state Alabama or Auburn yet.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Edwardsville (IL) Edwardsville defensive end A.J. Epenesa was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Iowa, Michigan State, Missour, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 5-star, the #1 strongside end, and #2 overall. There does not appear to be much film out there on Epenesa, but obviously he is considered a top prospect. From what I have seen out of his sophomore clips, he looks like a sure-fire strongside end who already does a good job of playing with leverage.

Pittsburgh (PA) Seton-La Salle safety Paris Ford was offered by Michigan. Ford is a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Penn State, Pitt, and West Virginia, among others. As a sophomore in 2014, he caught 29 passes for 537 yards and 11 touchdowns while also making 56 tackles and 4 interceptions. Ford’s brother is Darrin Walls, whom Michigan offered before he went on to play for Notre Dame and is now a corner for the New York Jets. Ford said his three favorite schools growing up were Michigan, Penn State, and Pitt. He’s a solid tackling safety who also shows some nice ball skills and running skills, and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said there’s a possibility he could play both sides of the ball at Michigan.

Hollywood (FL) Flanagan cornerback Stanford Samuels III was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 cornerback, and #25 overall. He’s a solid-hitting corner with good speed, hips, and ball skills, and he’s very physical in press coverage. He is the son of former Florida State cornerback Stanford Samuels, who went to play for a few years in the CFL.

Westerville (OH) South cornerback Marcus Williamson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 178 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 cornerback, and #67 overall. Williamson has good quickness and is decently physical, and he reminds me somewhat of fifth year senior corner Blake Countess.

OFF THE BOARD
Carson (CA) Calabasas safety Marquel Dismuke committed to Cal. Dismuke expressed strong interest in visiting Michigan right after he was offered, but he took a visit to Cal and committed immediately. There’s still time for things to change, but this is why those offer reaction reports are overrated.

MISCELLANEOUS
I posted a scouting report on Southfield (MI) Southfield running back Matt Falcon (LINK).

Orlando (FL) Oak Ridge inside linebacker Jonathan Jones set an official visit date for September 25, which is the game against BYU. Despite receiving several new offers, he maintains that Michigan is #1 on his list.

Fresno (CA) Clovis West outside linebacker Caleb Kelly set an unofficial visit date for March 13. Kelly, who holds a Michigan offer, is the 247 Composite #14 player in the country and #1 in California.

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