Tag: Chris Clark

2015 Under Armour All-American Game Rosters

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole will be Michigan’s only commit in the UA All-American Game

ESPN chose the teams for the 2015 Under Armour All-American Game (LINK). It will be played on January 2, 2015, in St. Petersburg, FL and aired on ESPN at 4:00 p.m. Included in the game will be one current Michigan commit,  four guys who decommitted from Michigan, and a lot of Michigan offerees.

TEAM HIGHLIGHT (WHITE)
Blake Barnett – QB – Texas (Alabama)
Deondre Francois – QB – Florida (Florida State)
Jarrett Stidham – QB – Texas (Texas Tech)
Damien Harris – RB – Kentucky*
Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas
Ray-Ray McCloud III – RB – Florida (Clemson)
George Campbell – WR – Florida (Florida State)*
Brian Cole – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri (Alabama)
Abdul Bello – OL – Florida (Florida State)
Christian Pellage – OL – Florida (South Carolina)
Drew Richmond – OL – Tennessee (Ole Miss)
Keenan Walker – OL – Arizona (Arizona)
Clelin Ferrell – DE – Virginia (Clemson)
Terry Beckner, Jr. – DT – Illinois
Tim Settle – DT – Virginia
Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas (Texas)
Anthony Wheeler – LB – Texas
Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Notre Dame)*
Iman Marshall – CB – California
Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas

TEAM ARMOUR (BLACK)
Josh Rosen – QB – California (UCLA)**
Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida (Florida State)
Tyron Johnson – WR – Louisiana
Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona (Texas A&M)
DaMarkus Lodge – WR – Texas
Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut*
Ryan Bates – OL – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Sterling Jenkins – OL – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Tyler Jordan – OL – Florida (Florida)
Jalen Dalton – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina)
Josh Sweat – DE – Virginia (Florida State)**
Shy Tuttle – DT – North Carolina (Tennessee)
Jeffery Holland – LB – Florida
Joshua McMillon – LB – Tennessee (Alabama)
Adonis Thomas – LB – Georgia (Alabama)
Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)
Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia (Georgia)

*Decommitted from Michigan
**Will not play due to injury

Recruiting Update: December 4, 2014

Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (image via 247Sports.com)

Even though head coach Brady Hoke was let go on Tuesday, the recruiting must go on. Michigan has about two months before National Signing Day, and they have just six commits in the class of 2015. It will be a small class, so it is still salvageable with a good hire. Former Michigan offensive coordinator (and Central Michigan head coach) Mike DeBord is handling day-to-day activities of the head football coach, and the rest of the staff has been told to stop contacting recruits. Mattison is nearing retirement age and repeatedly said that he only came back to Michigan to work with Hoke, so it’s not a surprise that he would be headed out the door. It’s unclear whether the other staff members will be asked to interview for the new regime or not.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark decommitted from Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic quarterback Jarrett Guarantano was offered by Michigan, according to Rivals. He’s a 6’4″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 pro-style quarterback, and #108 overall. As a junior in 2014, he was 97/153 for 1,163 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus he had 547 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground. Despite being rated as a pro-style guy, he’s a decent – but not dynamic – runner, and Ohio State appears to be the frontrunner right now.

Hit the jump for some commitments elsewhere and some miscellaneous tidbits.

OFF THE BOARD
Richmond (VA) St. Christopher’s cornerback Garrett Taylor committed to Penn State. Taylor originally committed to Michigan, but he decommitted in the midst of Michigan’s disappointing season and the swirling rumors about Brady Hoke’s job insecurity. Taylor tore his ACL prior to the season and did not play at all during his senior year, but he’s still the #114 overall player according to the 247 Composite rankings.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s the updated Rivals 100 (LINK) and Rivals 250 (LINK).

Although Brady Hoke was fired on Tuesday, Michigan had several underclassman prospects visit campus on Wednesday:

• Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer RB/LB Antjuan Simmons 
• Detroit (MI) King CB Dontre Boyd
• Detroit (MI) King WR Donnie Corley
• Detroit (MI) King QB Mikale Washington
• Detroit (MI) King CB Ambry Thomas

Chris Clark, Ex-Wolverine

Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark

Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark decommitted from Michigan on Tuesday evening after head coach Brady Hoke was fired. Clark originally committed to the Wolverines in June (LINK).

Clark has had an up-and-down recruitment. He originally committed to North Carolina, then took a bunch of visits, then committed to Michigan, then expressed interest in visiting elsewhere. I always viewed his commitment as being lukewarm because of how often he changed his mind, so this was not a surprise at all, especially because he had stated that his commitment was mostly contingent on Hoke and tight ends coach Dan Ferrigno remaining on staff.

Clark quickly tweeted out that he would only be considering five schools going forward – Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, UCLA, and USC. If Michigan brings in someone known for using the tight end, like . . . say . . . Jim Harbaugh, I think there’s at least a decent chance that Clark re-enters the fold. On the other hand, if Michigan brings in a spread guru like Rich Rodriguez – who barely recruited the tight end position – then Clark is bound to land elsewhere.

The only other offered prospects at the tight end position are Floridian Devonaire Clarington (no chance) and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. Wheatley did not react well to the firing of Hoke, so some fences may need to be mended there. He could also play offensive tackle or defensive end at the next level. For what it’s worth, Josh Helmholdt from Rivals believes that Tyrone Wheatley, Sr. might be willing to coach at Michigan if presented with an offer; he’s currently the running backs coach for the Buffalo Bills. It’s unlikely, but a hiring of Wheatley, Sr. would virtually cement a commitment from Wheatley, Jr.

Rivals 100 for 2015 updated

Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark (image via DetroitNews.com)

Rivals released their updated top 100 prospects for the class of 2015 (LINK). Here’s what it looked like back in August (LINK).

Movement for Michigan commits:

– Chris Clark fell from #54 to #67
– Brian Cole fell from #89 to #91

5-stars:
1. Josh Rosen – QB – California (UCLA)
4. Iman Marshall – CB – California
10. Blake Barnett – QB – California (Alabama)
11. Damien Harris – RB – Kentucky
12. Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida (Florida State)
13. Cece Jefferson – DE – Florida
14. Tyron Johnson – WR – Louisiana
15. Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
16. Mitch Hyatt – OT – Georgia (Clemson)
17. Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
18. Ray-Ray McCloud III – ATH – Florida (Clemson)
22. Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas
25. Rasheem Green – DT – California
28. Drew Richmond – OT – Tennessee (Ole Miss)
29. Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona
30. Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)
31. Josh Sweat – DE – Virginia
32. Keisean Lucier-South – DE – California (UCLA)
33. Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia (Georgia)

4-stars:
35. George Campbell – WR – Florida (Florida State)
39. Darian Roseboro – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina State)
40. Terry Beckner, Jr. – DT – Illinois
41. Jerome Baker – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
44. Isaiah Prince – OT – Maryland
45. Justin Hilliard – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
46. Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas
49. DaMarkus Lodge – WR – Texas
50. Osa Masina – LB – Utah
55. Shy Tuttle – DT – North Carolina (Tennessee)
57. Jarrett Stidham – QB – Texas (Texas Tech)
63. Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Notre Dame)
67. Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut (Michigan)
69. Jalen Dalton – DE – North Carolina (North Carolina)
71. Michael Weber – RB – Michigan
75. Deondre Francois – QB – Florida (Florida State)
78. Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
79. Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas (Oklahoma State)
86. Garrett Taylor – CB – Virginia (Penn State)
89. Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Florida (Alabama)
90. Jordan Whitehead – CB – Pennsylvania (Pitt)
91. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan (Michigan)
93. Marcus Lewis – CB – Washington, D.C.

ESPN 300 for 2015 updated

Saginaw (MI) Heritage wide receiver Brian Cole is the #139 player in the country.

ESPN released their updated top 300 players for 2015. Here’s what it looked like back in June (LINK). Movement for Michigan commits:

– Chris Clark drops from #108 to #109
– Garrett Taylor drops from #110 to #111
– Brian Cole drops from #137 to #139
– Tyree Kinnel drops from #188 to #192
– Grant Newsome drops from #240 to #242
– Darrin Kirkland, Jr. drops from #263 to #266

5-stars:
1. Josh Sweat – DE – Virginia
4. Terry Beckner, Jr. – DE – Illinois
5. Kevin Toliver II – CB – Florida (LSU)
7. CeCe Jefferson – DE – Florida
8. Iman Marshall – CB – California
9. Kendall Sheffield – CB – Texas
10. George Campbell – ATH – Florida
11. Justin Hilliard – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
15. Tim Settle – DT – Virginia
16. Blake Barnett – QB – California (Alabama)
17. Mitch Hyatt – OT – Georgia (Clemson)
18. Jashon Cornell – DE – Minnesota (Ohio State)

4-stars:
19. Josh Rosen – QB – California (UCLA)
22. Rasheem Greene – DT – California
27. Minkah Fitzpatrick – CB – New Jersey (Alabama)
28. Keisean Lucier-South – DE – California
30. Damien Harris – RB – Kentucky
31. Shy Tuttle – DT – North Carolina
32. Soso Jamabo – RB – Texas
33. Preston Williams – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
36. Christian Kirk – WR – Arizona
38. Jarrett Stidham – QB – Texas (Texas Tech)
39. Malik Jefferson – LB – Texas
41. Jeffery Holland – LB – Florida
45. Keenan Walker – OT – Arizona (Arizona)
46. Jacques Patrick – RB – Florida
54. Arden Key – DE – Georgia
55. Deondre Francois – QB – Florida
58. Ronald Jones II – RB – Texas (Oklahoma State)
61. Matt Burrell, Jr. – OT – Virginia
63. Adonis Thomas – LB – Georgia
64. Drew Richmond – OT – Tennessee
69. Abdul Bello – OT – Florida (Florida State)
70. DaMarkus Lodge – WR – Texas (Texas A&M)
72. Jerome Baker – ATH – Ohio (Florida)
73. Hale Hentges – TE – Missouri (Alabama)
75. Devonaire Clarington – TE – Florida
79. Jaylon Lane – CB – Texas (Oklahoma State)
80. Rashad Roundtree – S – Georgia
82. Anthony Wheeler – LB – Texas
84. Dexter Williams – RB – Florida (Miami)
86. Johnny Frasier – RB – North Carolina
90. Jalen Dalton – DE – North Carolina
95. Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Florida (Clemson)
98. Christian Pellage – OT – Florida
99. Hjalte Froholdt – DT – Florida
103. Sterling Jenkins – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
105. Ryan Bates – OT – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
106. Clelin Ferrell – DE – Virginia (Clemson)
108. Tyler Jordan – OG – Florida (Florida)
109. Chris Clark – TE – Connecticut (Michigan)
111. Garrett Taylor – CB – Virginia (Michigan)
124. Osa Masina – LB – Utah
135. Ty’Son Williams – RB – South Carolina
136. Kirk Merritt – ATH – Louisiana
138. Jordan Whitehead – CB – Pennsylvania
139. Brian Cole – ATH – Michigan (Michigan)
141. Devante Peete – WR – Florida
150. Ray-Ray McCloud III – ATH – Florida (Clemson)
152. Marcus Lewis – CB – Washington, D.C.
161. Shaun Crawford – CB – Ohio (Notre Dame)
163. Joshua McMillon – LB – Tennessee
165. Darian Roseboro – DE – North Carolina
168. John Reid – CB – Pennsylvania
169. Michael Weber – RB – Michigan
191. Juwan Johnson – WR – New Jersey (Penn State)
192. Tyree Kinnel – S – Ohio (Michigan)
227. Rashard Causey, Jr. – CB – Florida (Florida Atlantic)
236. Isaiah Prince – OT – Maryland
238. Pat Allen – OT – Maryland
242. Grant Newsome – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
256. Cameron Townsend – LB – Texas
259. Cameron Ordway – CB – Tennessee
266. Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indiana (Michigan)