Recruiting Update: June 1, 2015

Tag: Calvin Ashley


1Jun 2015
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Recruiting Update: June 1, 2015

Houston (TX) Langham Creek running back Toneil Carter

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Bend (OR) Summit tight end Cameron McCormick, an Oregon commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, UCLA, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #28 tight end, and #625 overall. As a junior in 2014, he caught 35 passes for 491 yards and 8 touchdowns. McCormick is a versatile player who could be an in-line tight end or an H-back, but he’s also a playmaker on defense, where he shows nice speed, a nose for the football, and a willingness to punish quarterbacks and ball carriers. He could feasibly end up on either side of the ball. Michigan probably has no real shot at pulling him away from the Ducks.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Houston (TX) Langham Creek running back Toneil Carter was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 198 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 running back, and #26 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he carried the ball 189 times for 1,382 yards and 19 touchdowns. Carter has a nice combination of power and speed, and he also shows some nice wiggle in the hole.

Sebastian (FL) Sebastian defensive end Jarez Parks was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 245 lb. prospect who also holds an offer from South Florida. He has a large frame that will probably see him grow into a strongside end or maybe even a defensive tackle by the time he’s finished growing.

Hit the jump for some guys who committed elsewhere, some top lists, and some random tidbits.

OFF THE BOARD
Orlando (FL) Dr. Phillips offensive tackle Calvin Ashley committed to Auburn. Ashley is a 6’7″, 307 lb. prospect and the #4 overall player in the 2017 class. He was one of Michigan’s first offers for 2017.

Arlington (TX) Bowie offensive guard Tope Imade committed to Texas. Michigan just offered Imade a little over a week before he committed to the Longhorns, and he was considered a Texas lean all along.

Reading (PA) Exeter Township offensive tackle Michael Menet committed to Penn State. Michigan pushed hard for Menet at a couple junctures, but he never seemed that interested. He recently released a top two that included Duke and Penn State, and despite Duke’s recent success, it wasn’t tough to figure out which way this one would go.

Niceville (FL) Niceville wide receiver Eli Stove committed to Auburn. He did not appear to be interested in his Michigan offer at any point. The Wolverines have also offered his 2016 teammate, safety Romeo Finley, although Finley has also not expressed a great deal of interest.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of visitors from this past weekend (LINK). Do not be surprised if Michigan gets a commit in the near future.

Here’s a list of 2017 prospects visiting this coming Tuesday (LINK).

Here’s my scouting report on 2016 defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr. (LINK).

Oakland (CA) Bishop O’Dowd linebacker Camilo Eifler named a top six that includes Michigan; the other teams on the list are Cal, Oregon, Texas A&M, UCLA, and Washington. He’s the #224 overall player in the 247 Composite. He took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor in early April.

Green Bay (WI) Bay Port offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen named a top four that includes Michigan; the other teams on the list are Iowa, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. He’s the #195 overall player in the 247 Composite. He took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor in early May.

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

12Aug 2014
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247 Sports Top 100 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is the top player in Michigan for 2017

It seems a wee bit early for 2017 recruiting rankings, but 247 Sports went ahead with them anyway. The problem I have with them is that these kids are currently going into their sophomore year, meaning these will mostly be the “prodigies” who played up on varsity as freshmen and had good seasons. Meanwhile, the kids who will hit late growth spurts or change focus from basketball to football will be completely absent. Anyway, here’s the complete list (LINK) and then a breakdown of kids from the ever-expanding Big Ten imprint or players with Michigan connections:

5-stars:
2. A.J. Epenesa – DE – Illinois
3. Josh Myers – OT – Ohio: Offered by Michigan.

4-stars:
6. Calvin Ashley – OT – Florida: Offered by Michigan.
8. D’Andre Swift – RB – Pennsylvania: Teammate of 2015 OG commit Jon Runyan, Jr.
9. Hunter Johnson – QB – Indiana
12. Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR – Michigan: Teammate of 2015 RB commit Michael Weber. Son of former Wolverine Shonte Peoples.
20. Jeff Thomas – WR – Illinois: Offered by Michigan.
30. Emani Mason – OT – Michigan
33. Ty Chandler – RB – Tennessee: Attends alma mater of Michigan OG Blake Bars.
39. Lamont Wade – CB – Pennsylvania
43. Danny Clark – QB – Ohio: Teammate of 2015 K commit Andrew David.
44. Cam Spence – OT – Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan DE Henry Poggi.
50. Josh Ross – LB – Michigan: Offered by Michigan. Brother of Michigan LB James Ross.
57. Jordan Anthony – ATH – Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan CB Blake Countess.
60. Marcus Williamson – CB – Ohio
64. Danny Davis – WR – Ohio
73. Kasim Hill – QB – Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan DE Henry Poggi.
77. Anthony McFarland, Jr. – RB – Maryland
81. Juan Harris – RB – Wisconsin
83. Elvis Hines – ATH – New Jersey
94. R.J. Potts – S – Indiana
96. Ricky Smalling – WR – Illinois

19May 2014
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Recruiting Update: May 19, 2014

Evans (GA) Eastlake safety Rashad Roundtree (the one catching the ball) (image via Columbia County News-Times)


COMMITMENTS

Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central linebacker Darrin Kirkland, Jr. committed to Michigan (LINK).

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone committed to Michigan. Later last week, Rivals released an article that placed Malzone as the #6 quarterback they saw on the Rivals Camp Series.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Huh? Why does this say 2013? Well, it’s because former Michigan target Ty Isaac, a running back who spent last year at USC, is transferring closer to his hometown in Illinois. I wrote a full piece on him on Friday (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Jacksonville (FL) Ed White cornerback Javaris Davis was offered by Michigan. You may also see him listed as “Javarius” but his Hudl profile says “Javaris,” so I’m inclined to trust that, since it’s posted by his own school. He’s a 5’9″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Pitt, South Florida, and Wisconsin, along with several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #46 running back, and #588 overall. Davis could play running back at the next level, but he does not appear to fit what Michigan wants from that position; Davis is more of a small, speed guy, whereas Michigan has preferred bigger backs in recent years. The coaches weren’t specific about position and said they wanted him as an “athlete.” Because the offer went out around the same time that news broke about Shaun Crawford visiting other schools, I’m inclined to believe they see him as a potential replacement for Crawford at corner in the class.

Lithonia (GA) Hapeville defensive end Arden Key was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 221 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 weakside end, and #125 overall. He has a top five consisting of southern schools and Oregon, and I think it would be very difficult for Michigan to sway him.

Evans (GA) Eastlake safety Rashad Roundtree was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 safety, and #63 overall for 2015. Roundtree (no relation to former Michigan receiver Roy Roundtree, as far as I know) claims a 4.65 forty and is a big hitter with good ball skills. Georgia is far and away the leader, so I expect to see him become a Bulldog sooner or later.

Coppell (TX) Coppell offensive lineman Connor Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 275 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, and UCLA, along with several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #8 center, and #609 overall. Williams is a very interesting prospect because, based on his junior film, I think he could play any position on the line, including tight end. I don’t know that I’ve been able to say that about any other prospects. He plays tight end in high school and has the quickness to play the position, albeit as a blocking sort. He also has the feet to play tackle, the quickness to play center, and the pad level to be effective at center or guard. Of course, that doesn’t mean he will be great at any or all of those positions, but the versatility is impressive. Williams immediately placed Michigan his top five but has not made plans to visit. If his high school sounds familiar, he was the teammate of 2014 defensive end Solomon Thomas (Stanford), whom Michigan also recruited.

This is a long update, so hit the jump for 2016 and 2017 prospects, along with miscellaneous tidbits.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Cincinnati (OH) Moeller tight end Jake Hausmann was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee, along with several others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 tight end, and #183 overall. Hausmann’s parents went to Ohio State, his sister is a sophomore Buckeye, and former teammate Sam Hubbard – who also held a Michigan offer – is headed to Columbus. Odds are that he ends up wearing scarlet and gray.

Suwanee (GA) North Gwinnett wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 202 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and Vanderbilt, along with a couple others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #36 wide receiver, and #211 overall. Imatorbhebhe has a 4.1 grade point average and is attracted to the Wolverines in part because of the academic reputation, which is the same reason Vanderbilt is on his radar.

San Jose (CA) Valley Christian wide receiver Collin Johnson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 180 lb. prospect who committed to Texas approximately a month ago; he also has offers from Oregon State, TCU, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #16 wide receiver, and #85 overall.  Johnson isn’t particularly fast, but he has good leaping ability, body control, and hands.

Killeen (TX) Shoemaker defensive tackle Kendell Jones was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 295 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M. He’s a 247 Sports 5-star, the #5 defensive tackle, and #21 overall. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 22 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. I expected to see more quickness out of Jones, but he mainly looks like a space eating nose tackle.

Cleveland (OH) Benedictine wide receiver Justin Layne was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 173 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Michigan State, Pitt, and West Virginia. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #88 overall. (Is it stupid to anyone else that there are 18 wide receivers among the top 88 players in the country? That’s roughly the same number of scholarships on a football team, so imagine having 17 or 18 wideouts on one team.) Layne is a teammate of 2015 linebacker Jerome Baker, whom Michigan is recruiting but will likely end up elsewhere, probably at Ohio State. While Baker has had several visits fall through, Layne is planning to visit Michigan for a basketball camp in early June.

Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal defensive tackle Michael Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and UCLA, among others. As a sophomore in 2013, he made 60 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble. Williams is a little quicker than Jones but not as powerful.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Orlando (FL) Dr. Phillips offensive tackle Calvin Ashley was offered by Michigan. He was offered in April but it only came out recently. He’s a 6’7″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Ole Miss, and South Carolina, among others. In case you don’t remember, Michigan recruited Dr. Phillips heavily in the Rodriguez years when they pursued Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Alabama), Demetrius Hart (Alabama), LaQuentin Smith (Pitt), and Kenny Shaw (Florida State), plus Ricardo Miller, who transferred to Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer for his senior year, attended Michigan, and then transferred to UMass.

OFF THE BOARD
Augusta (GA) Christian offensive guard Zach Giella committed to Clemson. Giella is the third Michigan-offered offensive lineman to commit to Clemson, joining fellow Georgian Mitch Hyatt and then Floridian Jake Fruhmorgen.

MISCELLANEOUS
Last week on Recruiting Season, I profiled Traverse City St. Francis TE Matt Seybert, St. Clair Shores South Lake RB Martell Pettaway, Livonia Churchill QB Brian Alsobrooks, West Bloomfield WR Obbie Jackson, and Muskegon Mona Shores QB Tyree Jackson.

Here’s a list of players Michigan has been visiting this month (LINK).

Here’s a bit on Darrin Kirkland, Jr., who visited Michigan this weekend (LINK).