With the early signing day approaching tomorrow, December 15, it certainly seems like things have gone wacky. Gone are the days when teams lost and hired new coaches around the New Year, giving those staffs five or six weeks to come together and sign players in early February. Welcome to the days of coaches being fired or jumping ship so the school can have someone in place to try to salvage recruiting classes for mid-December. I won’t say it’s an unforeseen problem – plenty of us talked about it – but it has put fans, players, coaches, and schools in positions we’ve never seen.
Olu Oluwatimi – C – Virginia: Virginia center Olu Oluwatimi is visiting Michigan this weekend as a grad transfer. He’s a 6’3″, 310 lb. player who is a three-year starter for the Cavaliers. After redshirting at Air Force in 2017 and sitting out 2018 to transfer, Oluwatimi turned into one of the top three centers in the country, according to Rimington Award voters and Pro Football Focus. Michigan loses sixth year senior Andrew Vastardis at the position, so there’s an opening with only unproven players (Greg Crippen, Raheem Anderson, Reece Atteberry) in the pipeline at the position.
DeaMonte Trayanum – RB – Arizona State: Trayanum is a 5’11”, 235 lb. back who played his high school ball at Akron (OH) Hoban, where he was offered by Michigan and was a teammate of former Michigan offensive lineman Nolan Rumler (who is in the transfer portal). Trayanum had 78 carries for 401 yards (5.1 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns this season. He’s a power back without much top-end speed.
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Darrius Clemons – WR – Portland (OR) Westview: Clemons is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect who took an official visit to Michigan in June. He has been all over the place and seemed to be headed to Michigan, Penn State, Auburn, and Oregon at various times. He’s a 4-star, the #30 wide receiver, and #171 overall. This is going to be an unofficial visit, so that seems to be noteworthy if the visit actually happens.
Derrick Moore – DE – Baltimore (MD) St. Frances: Moore is a 6’4″, 250-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, and Oklahoma, among others. He was committed to Oklahoma until Lincoln Riley took the head coaching job at USC. He’s a 4-star, the #16 defensive lineman, and #106 overall. I was under the impression that Michigan would not be able to recruit Moore because his former head coach at St. Frances, Biff Poggi, now has an off-the-field position at Michigan; I guess I must be mistaken, but I will try to get more information on that situation.
Alex Orji – QB – Sachse (TX) Sachse: Orji is a 6’2″, 226 lb. prospect who is committed to Virginia Tech; he also has offers from Baylor, Houston, and Michigan, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #28 quarterback, and #417 overall. Orji accounted for 3,200 yards (2,000 passing and 1,200 rushing) and 52 touchdowns (28 passing, 24 rushing) as a senior. Orji is more strong and tough to bring down than quick, but he has a nice, strong arm and throws a pretty good deep ball. Virginia Tech just fired Justin Fuente and hired Brent Pry
Deone Walker – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Walker is a 6’6″, 350-pounder with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Michigan, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #30 defensive lineman, and #243 overall. A guy who seemed like an early Michigan lean, Walker lately seems to have more buzz surrounding Kentucky. Almost 92% of his crystal ball picks are in favor of the Wolverines, but I don’t think those pickers are very confident. This is a mid-week official visit, as he will be officially visiting Kentucky this coming weekend.
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Jayden Limar – RB – Lake Stevens (WA) Lake Stevens: Limar is a 5’11”, 190 lb. back with offers from Arizona State, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Washington, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #14 running back, and #230 overall.
Alabaster (AL) Thompson QB Conner Harrell (image via AL.com)
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Ja’Kobi Albert – CB – Fairfield (AL) Fairfield Prep: Albert is a 6’0″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #23 athlete, and #363 overall. I think his best fit might be at safety, but even though he’s already a borderline 4-star prospect, I think he’s underrated. This is an official visit.
Jacob Bostick – WR – Palatine (IL) Palatine: Bostick is a 6’3″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, and Pitt. He’s a 3-star, the #83 WR, and #620 overall.
Sebastian Cheeks – LB – Evanston (IL) Evanston: Cheeks is a 6’3″, 210-pounder with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Texas, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #10 linebacker, and #127 overall. So far 89% of the crystal ball picks are for Notre Dame. This is an official visit.
Darrius Clemons – WR – Portland (OR) Westview: Clemons is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #20 wide receiver, and #151 overall. He’s a little bit stiff in his movements, but he could be a good outside receiver to take the top off the defense. This is an official visit. UPDATE: Clemons has canceled his visit.
Jahlil Florence – CB – San Diego (CA) Lincoln: Florence is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Michigan, and Syracuse, among others. He’s a 3-star, the #37 cornerback, and #386 overall. This is an official visit that was supposed to happen two weeks prior, but it was postponed.
Portland (OR) Westview WR Darrius Clemons (image via SI)
Michigan offered Portland (OR) Westview wide receiver Darrius Clemons on Monday. He’s a 6’3″, 195-pounder with offers from Arizona State, Oregon, and Oregon State, among others. He ranks as a 247 Sports 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #140 overall.
He claims a 4.51 forty and caught 42 passes for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019. He’s also a teammate of defensive end Patrick Hisatake, who was offered by the Wolverines recently.
