8Apr 2014
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| Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy wide receiver Freddy Canteen |
November 1, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy lost to Lakewood (OH) St. Edward by a score of 41-40. ECA is now 7-2.
October 18, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy beat Phoenixville (PA) Renaissance Christian by a score of 34-0. ECA is now 7-1.
October 11, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy beat Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius by a score of 32-29. Canteen had 5 receptions for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. Watson had 4 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup. ECA is now 6-1 on the year.
October 4, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy beat Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Charter by a score of 36-28. Canteen had 2 catches for 45 yards. Watson had 3 tackles and 1 interception, which gives him 21 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown on the year. Eastern Christian Academy is now 5-1.
September 27, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy beat Nashville (TN) Maplewood by a score of 60-20. Canteen had 5 receptions for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Watson had 4 tackles on defense. ECA is now 4-1.
September 13, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy lost to Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep by a score of 35-32. Canteen had a 48-yard touchdown reception and a 10-yard touchdown. Watson had 3 tackles and 1 interception returned for 30 yards in the loss. St. Peter’s features 2014 Michigan running back offeree (and Rutgers commit) Jonathan Hilliman, who had 204 yards and 4 touchdowns. Watson has 14 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown. ECA is now 3-1.
September 6, 2013: ECA beat Madison (FL) Madison by a score of 36-6. Canteen had 2 receptions. Watson had 6 tackles and now has 11 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown. ECA is now 3-0.
August 29, 2013: ECA beat College Park (GA) Banneker by a score of 56-13. Watson had a 3-yard fumble return for a touchdown. ECA is now 2-0.
August 24, 2013: Eastern Christian Academy beat Hialeah (FL) Champagnat Catholic by a score of 40-6. Canteen had 5 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. ECA is 1-0 on the season.
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| Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy cornerback Brandon Watson (image via The M Block) |
Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy cornerback Brandon Watson committed to Michigan on Saturday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Boston College, Connecticut, and Rutgers, among others.
He’s a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect. I have been unable to find stats for him (or teammate Freddy Canteen), but ECA played just three games last year, so they probably wouldn’t be very impressive, anyway.
RATINGS
ESPN: N/A
Rivals: 3-star, #56 CB
Scout: N/A
247 Sports: 2-star, 79 grade, #120 CB
Watson was offered by Michigan when he camped in Ann Arbor two weeks ago. He sat on the offer for a little bit, and it sounded like a USC offer would have surpassed Michigan’s, but the Trojans haven’t stepped forward and may not. If they do, it may be a battle to keep Watson committed.
I have not been able to find any film on Watson, so I have no analysis of his skills to offer. However, he was the #1 performer at the Pennsylvania SWAG 7-on-7 tournament in April, a tournament that included Canteen, WR Chris Godwin (Penn State commit), S Montae Nicholson (Michigan offer), WR Chris Samuel (Notre Dame, Ohio State offers), QB David Sills (USC commit), CB Daquan Worley (Penn State commit), and WR K.J. Williams (Michigan offer). Here’s what Rivals had to say about him in the tournament:
Whenever the football was in the vicinity of Watson, it was either getting intercepted or it was going to be an incompletion. As Flash Training worked toward another 7 on 7 title, Watson was dominant in coverage. He consistently got a good punch at the line of scrimmage in man coverage, and when playing off he closed quickly on the football. As receivers attempted double moves, Watson ran with the opposition step for step, showing great change of direction. The most impressive part of Watson’s day was successfully defending a number of jump balls in the end zone against taller receivers.
So take that however you want.
Michigan now has thirteen commitments in the 2014 class, and Watson is the second corner committed, joining Jabrill Peppers. Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook cornerback Parrker Westphal, Monroeville (PA) Gateway safety Montae Nicholson, and Long Beach (CA) Poly safety John “Juju” Smith are still potential options in the defensive backfield. I think Westphal is the most likely of that trio to fall off Michigan’s radar, since he’s been recruited as a nickel corner and may not have the coaches’ confidence to play safety. Nicholson is a safety and Smith is being recruited mostly as a safety, though the coaches have said that they might work him in at receiver, too.
TTB Rating: N/A
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| Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s offensive tackle Jon Runyan, Jr. |
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian wide receiver Freddy Canteen was offered by Michigan at camp last week. He’s a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Rutgers, and Tennessee, among others. 247 Sports’ Composite ranking places him as a 3-star, the #69 wide receiver, and #551 player overall. He’s teammates with Brandon Watson (see below) and catches passes from quarterback David Sills, who committed to USC as a seventh-grader several years ago. Canteen is known for his impressive route running, but he’s not the most explosive athlete you’ll see.
Plantation (FL) American Heritage wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’8″, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Rutgers, and West Virginia, among others; he named Notre Dame his leader recently. As a junior in 2012, he had 30 receptions for 842 yards and 15 touchdowns. 247’s Composite ranking places him as a 3-star and the #148 wide receiver in the country.
Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian cornerback Brandon Watson was offered by Michigan at camp last week. He’s a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Connecticut and Rutgers, along with a couple others. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 3-star and the #115 cornerback in the class.
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s Prep offensive guard Jon Runyan, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 250 lb. prospect with no other offers. According to 247 Sports, he’s a 3-star and the #37 offensive tackle in the class. His father was an All-Big Ten offensive tackle at Michigan in the early/mid-1990s and went on to be a fourth round pick of the Houston Oilers, who turned into the Tennessee Titans; he also played for the Philadelphia Eagles. The elder Runyan is now a Congressman in New Jersey, and the younger Runyan has said he will most likely commit to Michigan. He could very possibly be the first commit for the 2015 class.
OFF THE BOARD
Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna defensive tackle Khairi Clark committed to Florida. Michigan never really had a shot at Clark.
Lithonia (GA) Martin Luther King cornerback Wesley Green committed to South Carolina. Green never showed much interest in his Michigan offer.
Orange Park (FL) Oakleaf linebacker Darrion Owens committed to Miami. Owens, who played strong safety last year, was being recruited for the SAM linebacker position. Georgia seemed to be the front-runner with Michigan and Miami in the next tier, so it’s a bit of a surprise that he picked the Hurricanes. In my opinion, Owens was the best SAM prospect on the board if Michigan wants another in 2014.
Wylie (TX) Wylie safety T’Kevian Rockwell committed to Baylor. This would have been a fun name for Michigan fans to say over the next several years, but it was not meant to be.
Gilbert (AZ) Chandler wide receiver Dionte Sykes committed to UCLA. Sykes visited Michigan and voiced strong interest early, but he’s more of a big possession receiver, and the Wolverines have plenty of those in the fold for the next few years.
Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy offensive tackle Denzel Ward committed to Purdue. Ward almost committed to Purdue when they were his first offer, and then he almost immediately jumped on his Michigan offer. He moved to Florida without telling the coaching staff – which is a little odd – and hoped for bigger offers while training with IMG Academy, a high school campus renowned for getting athletes ready for the next level. After all that . . . he went ahead and committed to the Boilermakers.
