Tag: Benjamin St-Juste

2017 Recruiting Grades: Defense

Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)

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I posted the 2017 offensive recruiting grades last week (LINK), so here are my thoughts on the defensive side of the ball. Click on the player names below for their commitment posts.

DEFENSIVE END: B+
Commits (4): Deron Irving-Bey, Donovan Jeter, Corey Malone-Hatcher, Kwity Paye, Luiji Vilain
Decommits (0): N/A
Why? Michigan went after some elite rush ends (Jaelan Phillips, K’Lavon Chaisson, etc.) in this cycle, but none showed much interest. Instead, Michigan got home-stater Malone-Hatcher, Boston College decommit Paye, and Canada native Vilain as weakside end types. I thought Vilain improved significantly over the last couple years since moving from Ontario to Virginia. On the strong side, Michigan got Irving-Bey and Jeter, both of whom could end up as a 3-technique tackles. I don’t see dominant players here, but it is a solid group and they’ll get high-quality coaching.

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Final Rivals 250 for 2017 released

Dylan McCaffrey

Yesterday I put up a post about the final Rivals 100 (LINK). Today the final Rivals 250 was released (LINK). Here’s a link to the initial Rivals 100 (LINK) and 250 (LINK) for a reference point. Movement for Michigan commits:

• Dylan McCaffrey dropped from #100 to #131
• Ambry Thomas dropped from #133 to #146
• Chuck Filiaga appears at #175
• Joshua Ross dropped from #166 to #222
• Benjamin St-Juste appears at #229
• James Hudson appears at #240
• Kai-Leon Herbert appears at #250
• Corey Malone-Hatcher dropped from #223 to off the list

Hit the jump for the rest of Michigan’s targets.

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Visitors: Michigan vs. Maryland

Pinson (AL) Clay-Chalkville WR Nico Collins

2017

Aaron Banks – OT – El Cerrito (CA) El Cerrito: Banks is a 6’7″, 315 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 offensive tackle, and #163 overall. He has been thought to be leaning toward USC. This is his official visit.

Mekhi Becton – OT – Highland Springs (VA) Highland Springs: Becton is a 6’7″, 345 lb. prospect with offers from Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #41 offensive tackle, and #381 overall. He has been under the radar a bit as Michigan has been recruiting a lot of higher-profile linemen. This is his official visit.

Eddie Brecht – OT – Lapeer (MI) East:

Nico Collins – WR – Pinson (AL) Clay Chalkville: Collins is a 6’5″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, and Michigan, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 wide receiver, and #189 overall. Currently, 64% of the Crystal Balls – including mine – are on Michigan. This is his official visit.

Hit the jump for several more visitors.

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2017 Recruiting Update: July 11, 2016

COMMITMENT

Plantation (FL) American Heritage offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert committed to Michigan (LINK).

OFF THE BOARD

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy defensive end Robert Beal committed to Georgia. Beal was a one-time Notre Dame commit who decommitted several months ago. He’s one of several top prospects and Michigan targets to have transferred to IMG Academy for his senior season, though the Wolverines were out of the picture for him.

Murrieta (CA) Valley wide receiver Maurice Bell committed to Colorado. Not to be confused with New Jersey wide receiver Markquese Bell, Maurice talked about being strongly interested in the Wolverines, but nothing ever came close to happening between the two parties.

Houston (TX) Langham Creek running back Toneil Carter committed to Georgia. The #5 running back and #107 player in the country was one of my biggest wants in the 2017 class, but Michigan was never really involved.

Hit the jump for several more guys who made commitments this week, plus some random bits on The Opening and other news items.

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The Opening 2016 roster

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones won the SPARQ national championship as an underclassman in 2015

Nike’s The Opening is taking place this coming weekend in Oregon. Lots of Michigan targets and commits are participating. Here’s a look at the Michigan targets to watch during the televised portions and 7-on-7 tournament, along with updates on Twitter and recruiting sites.

Hit the jump.

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