2016 Recruiting Wish List

Tag: David Long Jr.


25Dec 2015
Blog, homepage 14 comments

2016 Recruiting Wish List

Dontavious Jackson

Michigan has 23 commitments in the 2016 class, which is expected to reach a size of 27. That leaves room for four more prospects (and perhaps more if there are other departures from the commit list). So here on Christmas Day 2015 is my wish list to fill out the four remaining spots. I only included players who seem to still have some interest in coming to Michigan, plus Michigan’s latest offer who has yet to indicate much about his interest level.

  1. Rashan Gary – DT – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: Gary is a tackle/end tweener. While the position itself does not seem like a huge need because of all of Michigan’s returning talent on the defensive line, it’s actually a pretty big gap to fill. Michigan did not take any tackles in 2015 and has just one in the 2016 class so far (Jordan Elliott). The Wolverines have a couple weakside end prospects lined up in this class, but Rashad Weaver is the only SDE/DT prospect, and he has been poking around other schools. If Michigan wants to stay strong up front in 2017 and beyond, they need contributors in the 2016 class. Gary is the top target and perhaps some assume that he will end up signing with Michigan, but I think the Wolverines might be scrambling to fill his spot if they get stiffed at the end.
  2. David Long, Jr. – CB – Los Angeles (CA) Loyola: Long is a true cornerback prospect who has the skills to be elite, and not just another guy. Long is physical and speedy, and he can do some things with the ball in his hands, too. He could be a guy who plays slot receiver and returns kicks along with his defensive duties. Michigan does not have any super-athletic corners available after Jourdan Lewis leaves, except maybe the unproven, position-switching Keith Washington, who redshirted this past season.
  3. Dontavious Jackson – LB – Houston (TX) Alief Elsik: Michigan has a shortage of linebackers available next year, and they got their small-ish, quick space player in the form of Devin Bush, Jr. a week ago. Now it would be nice if the Wolverines could pull in a true, thumping middle linebacker to stuff the run. Jackson could certainly be that guy, and he’s someone who could play as a freshman.
  4. Jean Delance – OT – Mesquite (TX) North: You can never have enough athletic left tackle prospects on a roster, and Delance is someone who could fill that role. A top-100 prospect, he has some filling out to do. He probably won’t be needed in 2016, but he could slide right in when Michigan loses several seniors going into 2017.

Other players considered: TE Chase Allen, WR Dylan Crawford, OG Terrance Davis, ATH Jordan Fuller, ATH Khaleke Hudson, TE Jacob Mathis, TE Isaac Nauta, DE Levi Onwuzurike, C/DT Boss Tagaloa, DE Joshua Uche (the newest 2016 offer)

21Dec 2015
Blog, homepage 14 comments

Recruiting Update: December 21, 2015

Los Angeles (CA) Loyola CB David Long, Jr.

Consider doing some shopping at Amazon to help out the blog (LINK).

COMMITMENTS

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. committed to Michigan (LINK).

Wayne (NJ) De Paul Catholic running back Kareem Walker committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Los Angeles (CA) Loyola cornerback David Long, Jr. decommitted from Stanford. Long is a 6’0″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 cornerback, and #65 overall. Long took an official visit to Michigan for the Michigan State game in October, and he has an official visit scheduled to Washington for mid-January; those are his top two schools. Michigan has been recruiting Long hard for the entire recruiting cycle, telling him that he’s their #1 target at the cornerback position. They have also told him that they want to use him like Jabrill Peppers, as a defensive back, receiver, and special teams player.

Hit the jump for some guys who went off the board and some random bits.

read more

14Oct 2015
Blog, homepage no comments

Visitors: Michigan vs. Michigan State

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy tight end Isaac Nauta is one of many elite players scheduled to be in town.

I have shortened down some of the writeups this week for the sheer number of prospects visiting. It’s a huge recruiting opportunity for Michigan.

2016
Korey Banks – WR – Tyrone (GA) Sandy Creek: Banks committed to North Carolina in July after being offered by the Wolverines. He unofficially visited in the spring and reportedly had a great visit, but the Tarheels pulled him in, anyway. Michigan was initially recruiting him as a wide receiver, although he could also play cornerback.

Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King: Corley said he will probably make it. He is strongly considering both Michigan and Michigan State, so it would make sense for him to check out the game.

Dylan Crawford – WR – Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic: This is Crawford’s official visit.

Hit the jump for lots and lots more visitors.

read more

15Jun 2015
Uncategorized 4 comments

2016 Recruiting Update: June 15, 2015

Norco (CA) Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes (image via Press Enterprise)

If you would like to donate to the site redesign drive, please use Paypal (on the left sidebar) or do some shopping on Amazon (LINK). Thanks for your support!
—————
COMMITMENTS
Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic cornerback Antwaine Richardson committed to Michigan on Friday (LINK).

Cooper City (FL) Cooper City defensive end Rashad Weaver committed to Michigan on Sunday (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Carson (CA) Calabasas safety Marquel Dismuke decommitted from Cal. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan and Nebraska, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 safety, and #246 overall. Dismuke was an early offer by the Jim Harbaugh staff, and he committed to Cal surprisingly early when Michigan thought they had a chance. The Wolverines still might be able to pull him in, but the decommitment came a couple weeks after Nebraska offered, and the Cornhuskers have 89% of the Crystal Ball votes.

Norco (CA) Norco safety Troy Dye was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Colorado and Oregon, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #41 safety, and #634 overall. He earned his offer at the satellite camp in Mission Viejo. Listed as a safety, he moves like a linebacker and should probably be reclassified by 247 Sports. Regardless, he has some upside as an outside linebacker and still probably slots in as a 3-star prospect. Michigan was his favorite school growing up. His father was born in Michigan and played football at San Jose State (so why not go play for Al Borges and Greg Robinson?), where he also had a baseball career that led to the Houston Astros organization.

Cartersville (GA) Cartersville tight end Miller Forristall was offered by Michigan and then committed to Alabama. He’s a 6’5″, 220 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #20 tight end, and #486 overall. As a junior in 2014, he caught 32 passes for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns. The home state Bulldogs never stepped forward with an offer.

Hit the jump for a couple more 2016 offers, some guys who committed elsewhere, and some random bits and pieces.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety/linebacker Devin Gil decommitted from Miami. He’s a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who also holds offers from Colorado, Louisville, and South Florida, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #63 safety, and #941 overall. Gil visited Michigan with a couple teammates this past weekend, and he decommitted from the Hurricanes during the visit, saying he wanted to see who else would show interest in him. He plays safety and that’s where 247 Sports has him pegged, but he looks like he’ll be a linebacker at the next level. His Crystal Ball is 100% in favor of Michigan right now.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Josh Metellus decommitted from Georgia Southern. He’s a 6’0″, 187 lb. prospect with offers from Florida International, Miami-OH, Middle Tennessee State, and South Alabama. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #139 safety, and #1957 overall. He is a teammate of Gil and 2016 linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. and visited Michigan this past weekend.

Norco (CA) Norco quarterback Victor Viramontes was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Colorado, Nebraska, Washington State, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #48 athlete, and #676 overall. A teammate of Dye’s, Viramontes attended the second California satellite camp, in Fresno, and earned his offer after Harbaugh saw him run and throw. As a junior in 2014, he was 123/228 passing (53.9%) for 1,784 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; more impressively, he ran the ball 214 times for 1,757 yards (8.2 yards/carry) and 18 touchdowns. Even better is that his nickname is “Vicious Vic,” so if he ever decides to pursue MMA, he’s got a pretty nice, alliterative name for it: Vicious Vic Viramontes. (You can hear Michael Buffer saying that name, can’t you?) Anyway, Viramontes is a veritable virtuoso on the field who has various valuable skills, like vision and a vibrant arm, to victimize a defense on his way to taking a viselike, victorious grip on a quarterback job. (That’s my way of saying that Vicious Vic can probably go somewhere and be The Man at quarterback in this class, rather than possibly playing second violin fiddle to Brandon Peters.) If quarterback doesn’t work out for him, he could probably play running back, fullback, H-back, linebacker, or maybe strong safety at the college level.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Cooper City tight end Rashad Weaver was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 245 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois and Syracuse, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #112 defensive tackle, and #1803 overall. He claims a 4.9 forty. Weaver has decent speed but has a lot of technical holes in his game; he’s also a big body who could project anywhere from tight end to defensive end to defensive tackle to perhaps even offensive tackle. He reminds me of New Jersey athlete Jake Pickard from the 2015 class, who was committed to Wisconsin, earned a late offer from Michigan, and ended up signing with Syracuse. Weaver almost immediately named Michigan his top school. The Wolverines are recruiting him as an “athlete” but saying he can play tight end to start his career.

OFF THE BOARD
Manor (TX) Manor defensive end Erick Fowler committed to LSU. He initially showed some interest in the Wolverines, but nothing had transpired in recent weeks between the two parties.

Cranford (NJ) Cranford offensive tackle Will Fries committed to Penn State. He had recently visited Michigan and put the Wolverines in his top group, but that seemed like a formality before a looming commitment to the Nittany Lions.

Mechanicsville (VA) Atlee safety Jaqui “J.J.” Givens committed to South Carolina. The co-defensive coordinator at South Carolina is Jon Hoke, the older brother of former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke.

Converse (TX) Judson defensive end Alton Robinson committed to Texas A&M.

Byesville (OH) Meadowbrook offensive guard Josh Sills committed to West Virginia.

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin tight end Irvin Smith committed to Texas A&M on an unofficial visit. He is the son of former Notre Dame and NFL tight end Irv Smith. He is also a teammate of 2016 tight end Peyton Aucoin and 2017 linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling, both of whom have Michigan offers.

Chesapeake (VA) Indian River linebacker Jaquan Yulee committed to Alabama. Despite listing Michigan early as one of his top schools, he never visited. Recently, the Wolverines dropped out of his top five, and then he became a Crimson Tide. Which sounds weird.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of some (but not nearly all) of the participants in Michigan’s Exposure U camp (LINK).

Here are the notable prospects who took part in Michigan’s 2015 Summer Swarm tour, which ended last week (LINK).

Here’s yet another list, this one of visitors from this past weekend and Sound Mind Sound Body campers (LINK).

Scout released a new top 300 for 2016 (LINK).

Houston (TX) Aldine MacArthur defensive end Isaiah Chambers named Michigan to his top ten.

Abbotsford (BC) Abbotsford tight end Chase Claypool named Michigan to his top three.

Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Rancho Santa Margarita wide receiver Dylan Crawford named Michigan to his top ten.

Los Angeles (CA) Loyola cornerback David Long, Jr. named Michigan to his top ten. The guys at 247 Sports have said at times that Long is the staff’s top cornerback target.

Avon (IN) Avon quarterback Brandon Peters, a Michigan commit, was named a finalist for the 2015 Elite 11.

Florence (AL) Florence fullback/linebacker Erroll Thompson named Michigan to his top five. Michigan is recruiting him to play both positions. He is believed to be a strong Alabama lean, however.

Over on Recruiting Season, I updated profiles for:

23Mar 2015
Uncategorized 9 comments

Recruiting Update: March 23, 2015

Mililani (HI) Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai

Thanks to Robert for your donation yesterday! If you would like to contribute to the $3,000 goal for an overhaul of TTB, please use Paypal (on the left sidebar) or do some shopping on Amazon (LINK). Thanks!
—————

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Montgomery (AL) Carver defensive end Marlon Davidson was offered by Michigan. Davidson is a 6’4″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, and Georgia, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 strongside end, and #27 overall. He claims a 4.9 forty. Davidson looks like a 3-4 defensive end or perhaps a defensive tackle at the next level. His technique is inconsistent, but he’s a big boy who can run and shows some good aggression. His brother, Kenneth Carter, was a former defensive tackle at Auburn from 2010-2013, and Davidson is widely considered to be a shoo-in for the Tigers.

Camden (NJ) Camden defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #17 weakside end, and #270 overall. He claims a 4.6 forty. Johnson is a kid who shows a really good motor and some good athleticism. A teammate of wide receiver Brad Hawkins, who already held a Michigan offer, the two visited Michigan this past weekend, but Johnson got news of the offer a couple days before making the trip.

Wichita (KS) East defensive end Xavier Kelly decommitted from Kansas State. The 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect committed to the Wildcats last November, but offers from Arkansas and Michigan in recent weeks have caused him to reopen his recruitment. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 weakside end, and #326 overall.

Mililani (HI) Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #53 running back, and #731 overall. He claims a 4.44 forty. As a junior in 2014, he had 1,337 rushing yards, 205 receiving yards, and 24 total touchdowns. Hawaii doesn’t have the best competition in the country, so highlights should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Malepeai does have some impressive vision, an innate ability to slither out of tackles, and decent speed. He does a really good job of following his blockers, staying right on their hip for the added protection. He is the cousin of Michigan offeree Boss Tagaloa and is coached by former NFL special teamer Maa Tanuvasa. Michigan has only had two players from Hawaii in the history of the program (in 1925 and 1945), and the program only makes rare forays into the state for offers. The last time they went after an Aloha State player was in 2013 for defensive tackle Scott Pagano (Clemson).

Montgomery (AL) Carver linebacker Lyndell Wilson was offered by Michigan. Wilson is a 6’2″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #2 outside linebacker, and #8 overall. He claims a 4.64 forty. As a junior in 2014, he made 86 tackles, 9 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown). Do yourself a favor and watch his highlights, because he has one of the most impressive highlight reels I’ve seen in the 2016 recruiting class. You’ll even see a couple highlights against incoming freshman Keith Washington and 2016 running back offeree Kingston Davis. Unfortunately for Michigan, it looks like an Alabama vs. Auburn battle for Wilson.

Cuyahoga Falls (OH) Walsh Jesuit center Jack Wohlabaugh was offered by Michigan. Wohlabaugh is a 6’3″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Purdue, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 offensive guard, and #334 overall. He is also the son of Dave Wohlabaugh, who played center for Syracuse before moving on to the NFL to play for the Patriots, Browns, and Rams. Jack plays left guard for his high school team, and he shows quick feet with a good initial punch. However, with his size, pedigree, and quickness, he probably projects to center at the next level.

Hit the jump for lots of miscellaneous bits.

MISCELLANEOUS
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Rancho Santa Margarita quarterback K.J. Costello announced he will be announcing his college decision on the afternoon of Thursday, March 26. He visited Michigan last summer and was thinking about committing at the time, but despite saying he’s down to Michigan, Stanford, and USC now, it looks like it will be one of the two California schools. Costello had been saying that he would visit Michigan this spring, but that visit never materialized. At one time it was thought he and a small group of Californians might come to Michigan (though package deals, especially of more than two players, are always huge long shots), but wide receiver Theo Howard already committed to Oregon. Costello’s teammate, wide receiver Dylan Crawford, is probably a long shot for Michigan now, and cornerback David Long, Jr. is also part of that group of friends.

Weber State punter Blake O’Neill from Weber State has spurred Sam Webb into announcing a gut feeling for Michigan. O’Neill is a graduate transfer prospect. Last year for Weber State, he averaged 44.1 yards/punt. Out of his 62 punts, 25 of them landed inside the 20-yard line and 18 of them were 50+ yards. Michigan lost both specialists last year in the forms of kicker Matt Wile (who had punted at times in his career) and Will Hagerup. Class of 2015 signee Andrew David is not expected to factor into the punting duties, so Michigan is looking at O’Neill or walk-on Kenny Allen to be the punter this season.

Lawrenceville (GA) Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price named Michigan his leader. The coaches are pitching early playing time for him, which makes sense considering Michigan’s lack of a solidified pecking order at offensive tackle. Price grew up in the Grand Rapids area. Two of his offered teammates – cornerback Jamyest Williams and safety Isaiah Pryor – are 2017 prospects who will be visiting Michigan this coming weekend, although Price will not be with them.

Huntersville (NC) Southlake Christian running back Robert Washington named Michigan to his final six schools. The former Mississippi State commit has visited Michigan four times, all during the Brady Hoke era. He will decide in April, and the Bulldogs are not part of the final group.

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

Michigan picked up a couple preferred walk-ons this past week:

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