Pro Athletes and Their Spawn: 2017 Edition

Tag: Bruce Jordan-Swilling


31Mar 2017
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Pro Athletes and Their Spawn: 2017 Edition

Derrick Brooks (image via Tampa Bay Times)

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In what has become a yearly tradition, I tried to keep track of some noteworthy players’ sons in the 2017 recruiting class. Several former Detroit Lions have sons who are matriculating into the world of college football, and there are many others, too. You can also check out former years’ posts (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

DeCalon Brooks – LB – Tampa (FL) Gaither: Brooks is a 5’11”, 197 lb. outside linebacker who signed with the Florida State Seminoles. He turned down offers from Illinois, Iowa, and Louisville to become a Seminole. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #52 inside linebacker, and #1174 overall. He is the son of former Florida State linebacker Derrick Brooks, who was a 1st round pick (#28 overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995 and played through 2008. He’s now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after making 11 Pro Bowls, 1715 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 25 interceptions, and 7 total touchdowns throughout his career.

Germane Crowell – CB – Winston Salem (NC) Carver: Crowell is a 6’3″, 180-pounder who enrolled early at Virginia. He’s a 3-star, the #41 athlete, and #557 overall, and he spurned offers from the likes of Georgia and Notre Dame to attend his dad’s alma mater. The elder Germane Crowell was a 2nd round pick (#50 overall) of the Detroit Lions in 1998. He caught 184 passes for 2,722 yards and 16 touchdowns during a five-year career with the Lions. He was the head coach at Carver and amassed a 33-18 record over the past several years, but he resigned in December of 2016.

Luther Elliss (image via Detroit Lions)

Christian Elliss – LB – Littleton (CO) Valor Christian: Elliss is a 6’3″, 215 lb. prospect who signed with Idaho. He’s a 2-star, the #207 outside linebacker, and #3067 overall. For more on his bloodlines, see the Noah Elliss entry below.

Noah Elliss – DT – Littleton (CO) Valor Christian: Elliss is a 6’4″, 330 lb. prospect who signed with Mississippi State. He’s a 3-star, the #23 defensive tackle, and #344 overall. Alabama, Auburn, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and USC also offered Elliss, so the choice of Mississippi State was odd. Furthermore, Michigan was in need of defensive tackles, so I thought it was possible that the Wolverines would extend an offer, especially considering where his “dad” spent his NFL career. Luther Elliss played his college ball at Utah before becoming a 1st round pick (#20 overall) of the Detroit Lions in 1995. A two-time Pro Bowler for the Lions, he made 331 tackles and 29 sacks during a ten-year career, the last season of which he played for the Denver Broncos. Noah is actually Luther Elliss’s biological nephew, but Luther adopted him.

Hit the jump for a gaggle of more players and their dads.

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6Sep 2016
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Recruiting Update: September 6, 2016

Henry Ruggs III (image via Lee Generals Athletics)

Since I got so busy with football season and completing the countdown, recruiting updates were something I put on the back burner for a while. So here’s a summative update since last we came together for a recruiting post.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017

Walnut Creek (CA) Berean Christian wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins decommitted from Washington State. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #50 wide receiver, and #352 overall. Oregon and Oregon State are considered the leaders right now.

Hit the jump for more.

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19Apr 2016
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Recruiting Update: April 19, 2016

Sampson Niu 870x

San Diego (CA) Madison LB Sampson Niu

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Salinas (CA) Palma center Drew Dalman was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 265 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Colorado, and Fresno State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #16 center, and #1373 overall. Dalman isn’t an overpowering lineman, but he is quick out of his stance with a low base. He’s the type who fits at center and not anywhere else.

San Antonio (TX) John Jay offensive tackle Matthew Huhn was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Houston, and Iowa State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #81 offensive tackle, and #771 overall. He’s a little heavy-footed and not an ideally athletic prospect, so I would slot him in as a right tackle. Based on the way I expect Michigan to recruit, he’s not on par with what I expect at this juncture, but we’ll see how his recruitment plays out.

Sandy Hook (CT) Newtown linebacker Ben Mason was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 247 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College, Cal, Duke, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #35 inside linebacker, and #878 overall. Unfortunately, the only reason many of us – including me – have heard of Sandy Hook before is the elementary school shooting that took place there in December of 2012, in which 28 total people were killed. Anyway, he plays linebacker and fullback for his high school team, but Michigan is looking at him probably as a fullback or a defensive end. He is an underwhelming linebacker prospect, in my opinion.

San Diego (CA) Madison linebacker Sampson Niu was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 217 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Notre Dame, Oregon, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #18 inside linebacker, and #476 overall. As a junior in 2015, he made 90 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He does a very good job of staying low and tackles like a wrestler, but he needs to add weight and strength, as he lacks the necessary bulk and strength to hold up against some of the linemen, fullbacks, and running backs he’ll meet at the next level. He is generally expected to end up at USC.

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Highstown (NJ) Peddie WR Jahan Dotson

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Highstown (NJ) Peddie wide receiver Jahan Dotson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 wide receiver, and #84 overall. As a junior at Nazareth (PA) Nazareth in 2015, he caught 66 passes for 1,179 yards and 16 touchdowns, plus 1 kickoff return TD and 1 punt return TD. He claims a 4.46 forty. Michigan offers so many prospects that I won’t always suggest you watch every highlight film . . . but this is one you’ll want to watch:

Houston (TX) Dekaney tight end Malcolm Epps, who committed to Alabama in February, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 tight end, and #82 overall. He’s listed at 6’6″, 214 lbs. and also has offers from Florida State, LSU, and Texas, among others. Right now Epps is a tall, lanky wide receiver, but his body will fill out and he’ll end up as a tight end. Right now there is no indication that he’ll waver from his Alabama commitment.

Seffner (FL) Armwood running back Brian Snead was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 running back, and #54 overall. As a sophomore in 2015, he ran 174 times for 1,227 yards (7.1 yards/carry) and 17 TDs. He’s a strong runner with good speed. Armwood is traditionally a school that churns out talent, but it has not been kind to Michigan over the years.

Max Williams 872x

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra CB Max Williams

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2019
Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra cornerback Max Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College, Florida State, and LSU, among others. He visited with a bunch of other California prospects last weekend (see below for the link to the visitors list), but Serra is another program that has not been kind to Michigan over the last several years.

OFF THE BOARD
Anaham (CA) Servite wide receiver Terrell Bynum committed to Washington. Michigan was always on the periphery of his recruitment, so this was not much of a surprise.

Owings Mills (MD) McDonough offensive tackle Jordan McNair committed to Maryland. Even with the hometown discount, this was a bit of a surprise because McNair is a high-level prospect with a lot of suitors, and Maryland’s offensive line development has not been particularly good over the past several years. He might be one to watch down the road, though the Terrapins have a very easy schedule this year, so they might gain some momentum once the season gets underway.

Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek running back Bo Melton committed to Rutgers. Melton was a teammate of Michigan early enrollee wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell, so I thought the Wolverines would have a good shot here. He was one of my most wanted prospects in the class because I think he has some big-play potential, though he might end up playing wide receiver or possibly in the defensive backfield, too.

Redlands (CA) East Valley defensive end Jaelan Phillips committed to UCLA. Similar to Bynum, Michigan was not heavily involved in his recruitment, and UCLA appeared to be the favorite for a while.

Indpendence (OR) Central defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu committed to Washington. This commitment was a bit of a surprise because he seemed to want to let things play out a bit more, so it will be interesting to see whether he follows through with taking visits elsewhere or not. Michigan has seemingly picked up their pursuit of players with Pacific Islander descent now that Tony Tuioti has been hired as a player personnel guy.

MISCELLANEY
Here’s a list of visitors from this past weekend (LINK).

Holmdel (NJ) Vianney offensive tackle Micah Clark named a top five that includes Michigan at #2, right behind Rutgers.

Brunswick (GA) Glynn Academy cornerback DeeJay Dallas named Michigan to a final ten list of schools. It’s an array of ACC, SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten schools that also includes the school that he was previously pledged to in the form of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s running back D’Andre Swift named Michigan to a top ten.

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling named a top ten that does not include Michigan. I did not expect him to pick a school outside of ACC/SEC country, but I held on to a sliver of hope since he’s the son of former New Orleans Saint and Detroit Lion outside linebacker Pat Swilling.

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

16Jun 2015
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Recruiting Update: June 16, 2015

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling

COMMITMENT
Dudley (MA) Shepherd Hill tight end Sean McKeon committed to Michigan (LINK).

Norco (CA) Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Tampa (FL) Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Daquon Green was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 183 lb. prospect who has offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #33 wide receiver, and #210 overall. He earned his offer after the satellite camp in Florida, and he also attended the Sound Mind Sound Body camp this past weekend. He’s a speed player who can go get the ball and run after the catch.

Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton running back Sione Heimuli-Lund was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, BYU, Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Utah, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 running back, and #160 overall. Lund is a somewhat squat running back who might turn into a fullback or a linebacker in college. He is a teammate of 2016 wide receiver and Michigan target Simi Fehoko, as well as 2015 linebacker Osa Masina (USC). The Wolverines have two Salt Lake City natives currently on the team, though they went to Highland: fullback Sione Houma and defensive tackle Bryan Mone.

Baltimore (MD) Our Lady of Mt. Carmel defensive end Joshua Kaindoh was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 weakside end, and #53 overall. Kaindoh is a long and lanky end or even outside linebacker, but the early favorite appears to be Ohio State.

Hit the jump for several more 2017 offers, a new 2018 offer, and some random bits and pieces.


Bellaire (TX) Episcopal offensive tackle Walker Little was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 301 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 3-star, the #30 offensive tackle, and #302 overall. He’s a huge human being who looks like a college player already. Little is a teammate of 2017 defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, who has Michigan in his top five.

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, LSU, Miami, and Oklahoma. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 outside linebacker, and #88 overall. Jordan-Swilling is also a standout running back, although his future is probably on defense. He is the son of former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl linebacker Pat Swilling. Michigan has also offered two of Bruce’s 2016 teammates, tight ends Peyton Aucoin and and Irvin Smith, the latter of whom is also the son of a former NFLer. Also as an aside, Brother Martin also boasts Bruce’s twin brother (a cornerback who is somewhat less heralded) and another running back named Jordan Bruce. So Jordan Bruce, Bruce Jordan-Swilling, and Tre Swilling are all on the same team. “Hey, Bruce, get over here! No, not you, Jordan. I mean Swilling, get over here! No no no, not you, Tre. Dammit, Bruce Jordan-Swilling, GET OVER HERE! Finally. So…can you get me a water bottle? I’m parched. Thanks.”

Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, Utah, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 dual-threat quarterback, and #25 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he completed 124/200 passes for 2,537 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; he also ran 73 times for 433 yards and 5 touchdowns. He claims a 4.62 forty. Despite his slight frame, Martell has a cannon of an arm, throws a nice ball, displays good accuracy, and can escape pressure.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Dillard wide receiver Jordan Merrell, a Cincinnati commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 176 lb. prospect who earned his offer at the Florida satellite camp. Merrell plays some running back and could end up at either position in college.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Joshua Palmer was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect who also has an offer from Temple. Palmer transferred from a school in Canada to St. Thomas Aquinas this offseason, to this coming year will be his first year of playing football in America. He did play in the International Bowl against the United States, where he made a few nice plays. Michigan is recruiting several other plays at St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2017 and 2018 classes.

Memphis (TN) Trezevant running back Cordarrian Richardson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #21 running back, and #266 overall. Richardson attended the Sound Mind Sound Body camp at Macomb (MI) Dakota this past weekend and also made a stop at Michigan’s campus, where he was offered.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Oak Park (MI) Oak Park offensive guard Marquan McCall was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 280 lb. prospect whose only other offer comes from Akron. McCall worked out at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp in front of Michigan’s coaches, and they offered him shortly thereafter. He is a teammate of 2017 offensive tackle Ja’Raymond Hall, who also holds a Michigan offer and seems likely to drop for Michigan at some point.

MISCELLANEOUS
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell named Michigan his leader. After observing him at the Sound Mind Sound Body camp late last week, the coaches say he could play either cornerback or safety for them.

Warren (MI) De La Salle running back Allen Stritzinger also named Michigan his leader. Stritzinger’s next biggest offer is from Cincinnati, so that’s not much of a surprise. Stritzinger is a guy who could play running back, wide receiver, cornerback, or safety at the next level.

Over on Recruiting Season: