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| Michigan prospects on their official visits to Ann Arbor (from left to right): Ohio K Andrew David, Georgia LB Roquan Smith, Florida DE Shelton Johnson, Massachusetts TE Chris Clark, Florida CB Damon Arnette, and Ohio S Tyree Kinnel. |
It looks like it’s a fun official visit weekend in Ann Arbor.
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| Long Beach (CA) Poly cornerback Iman Marshall |
Damon Arnette – CB – Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas: Arnette is a 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect who’s committed to South Carolina. He’s a soft commit with a visit scheduled to Ohio State later this month, too. The 247 Composite rankings show him as a 3-star, the #60 cornerback, and #649 overall. D.J. Durkin called him up when he was hired, and Arnette immediately responded that he wanted to visit. Arnette is a good sized corner who would be good against the run.
Chris Clark – TE – Avon (CT) Old Farms: Clark is a 6’6″, 247 lb. prospect who has been committed to both North Carolina and Michigan in the past. Now he says it’s down to Michigan and UCLA with the Bruins having the lead. Even so, he was enthused about Michigan hiring Jim Harbaugh, and some people think the Wolverines will win out. Clark is also close to quarterback Alex Malzone, who enrolled early this semester and will be on campus. Clark is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 tight end, and #79 overall in the 2015 class.
Andrew David – K – Massillon (OH) Washington: David is a 5’9″, 165 lb. prospect who committed to Michigan in June of 2013. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #7 kicker, and #2031 overall. Michigan’s starting punter and placekicker both graduated after the 2014 season, so he will have a chance to compete for a starting gig right off the bat.
Shelton Johnson – DE – Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic: Johnson is a 6’5″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #16 strongside end, and #351 overall. He visited Virginia Tech in December and has visits remaining to the other schools, with Florida State holding the final shot; right now the Crystal Ball is 100% for the Seminoles (based on 10 votes).
Tyree Kinnel – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel committed to Michigan in August of 2013 (LINK). He is currently a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 safety, and #181 overall. Once Michigan’s coaching situation got rocky, Alabama and Notre Dame both came forward with offers, but Kinnel has remained committed throughout.
Iman Marshall – CB – Long Beach (CA) Poly: Marshall is a 6’1″, 190 lb. prospect with a top group that includes Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC. He is using January officials for the out-of-state schools, and the visit to Ann Arbor will be right on the heels of one to FSU this weekend. So while the rest of these players will be in town over the weekend, Marshall will be there from Monday through Wednesday. Marshall is considered a USC lean (the Trojans are at 98% on the 247 Sports Crystal Ball), but he has expressed interest in playing college ball with his summer workout partner, Michigan sophomore wide receiver Freddy Canteen. Marshall is a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 cornerback, and #4 overall in the class.
Roquan Smith – LB – Montezuma (GA) Macon: Smith is a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who’s considered to be a heavy lean toward the Georgia Bulldogs, but he’s another guy who’s visiting because of D.J. Durkin. Smith is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 outside linebacker, and #49 overall. He had 173 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions as a senior in 2014. He has visited Georgia and USC, and he has visits scheduled for Ole Miss and UCLA.
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| Richmond (VA) St. Christopher’s CB Garrett Taylor |
Here are the initial TTB Ratings for the class of 2015 (ratings explanation).
CB Garrett Taylor – Richmond (VA) St. Christopher’s: 85
Taylor has the makings of being a very good player. He has size, speed, leaping ability, physicality, and is reportedly a quality kid. I’m not sure if I see the coverage instincts to pop him up into the 90’s, but he should be a very good cornerback or perhaps safety in a few years. (Commitment post.)
CB Shaun Crawford – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward: 79
I like Crawford as a prospect. He has great speed, and he is also very physical for someone his size. I do have some questions about whether he can play man coverage, because he doesn’t have a ton of experience doing that in high school. I think a 79 here is a baseline, but if he attends an event like The Opening or the Rivals 5-star Challenge, he could show some of those man coverage skills to sway me upward. (Commitment post.)
S Tyree Kinnel – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: 74
When I look at Kinnel, I see a high school version of Thomas Gordon. He doesn’t wow me with his athletic skills, but he comes up with some solid tackles and seems to be in the right place at the right time. He looks like a solid safety prospect but does not appear to be a star. (Commitment post.)
OG Jon Runyan, Jr. – Natrona Heights (PA) St. Joseph’s: 73
Runyan is a decent athlete, but for being the son of a former NFL player, I think he’s lacking somewhat in football instincts. He comes out of his stance a little high, doesn’t seem to have a great deal of power, and gets overextended at times. As a legacy player, he seems like someone who would stick around, so he would have a while to develop. He’s not a player who leaps off the screen, though. (Commitment post.)
K Andrew David – Massillon (OH) Washington: N/A
I don’t really know enough about kickers to evaluate them. (Commitment post.)
September 20, 2013: Washington beat Mentor Lake (OH) Catholic by a score of 35-6. David was 0/1 on field goal attempts, punted 2 times for 86 yards, and kicked off 6 times for 337 yards and 4 touchbacks. Washington is now 4-0.
September 13, 2013: Washington beat Warren (OH) Harding by a score of 35-14. David was 5/5 on extra points, punted 3 times for 120 yards (40 yards/punt), and kicked off 6 times for 351 yards, including 4 touchbacks. Washington is now 3-0.
September 5, 2013: Washington beat Canton (OH) GlenOak by a score of 23-20 in overtime. David punted 2 times for 84 yards, missed 3 field goals (33, 33, 45), and made the game-winner from 20 yards out. He also had 3 kickoffs for 171 yards and 1 touchback. Altogether, he’s 1/4 on field goals, has punted 5 times for 171 yards (37 yards/attempt), and kicked off 6 times for 351 yards (58.5 yards/kick). Washington is 2-0 on the season.
August 29, 2013: David’s Massillon (OH) Washington team beat Perry by a score of 35-7. David was 7/10 passing for 59 yards and 1 touchdown, and he also had 3 carries for 19 yards. He punted 3 times for 87 yards (29 yards/attempt) and sent all 3 of his kickoffs into the endzone for touchbacks. Washington is 1-0 on the year.
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| Massillon (OH) Washington kicker Andrew David (#5, image via Friday Night Ohio) |
Massillon (OH) Washington placekicker Andrew David committed to Michigan on Monday night. He was just offered yesterday, and it was his first and only offer. David is the first member of the 2015 class.
David stands 5’9″, 160 lbs., and has been the varsity team’s kicker since his freshman season. In that time he has gone 6/11 on kicks from 40+ yards. Altogether, he’s 13/24 on field goals and 88/95 on extra points in his high school career, and 31/74 of his kickoffs went for touchbacks last year. While those stats aren’t particularly impressive in the context of college and professional kickers, they are more so for a high schooler. High school long snappers, holders, and protection units can be subpar, and a kicker’s timing can easily be affected by a bad snap or a bad hold.
RATINGS
ESPN, Rivals, Scout, 247 Sports: Unranked
Chris Sailer: 4.5 stars, #6 kicker
As mentioned above, this was David’s first offer, but he said that this is his dream offer and where he pictured himself playing as he grew up. Chances appear to be slim that he would decommit. He attends the alma mater of 2013 cornerback Gareon Conley, who was once committed to Michigan before choosing Ohio State. If he does indeed sign with Michigan, he will be the first signee from Washington since 2009 cornerback Justin Turner.
The 2015 kicker looks like the replacement for current junior kicker Matt Wile, who will graduate after the 2014 season. Brendan Gibbons is a fifth year senior this year. For the past couple seasons, Michigan has carried three scholarship kicking specialists (kicker Gibbons, punter Will Hagerup, and combo guy Wile) and will have a scholarship long snapper this year in the form of Scott Sypniewski, so perhaps this will open an additional roster spot for a position guy. As of now, the 2015 class is only scheduled to consist of 12 players, but that number will increase as always.
TTB Rating: N/A. I won’t give TTB Ratings for 2015 kids until the 2014 class wraps.
