Recruiting Update: March 23, 2015

Tag: David Long Jr.

23Mar 2015
Uncategorized 9 comments

Recruiting Update: March 23, 2015

Mililani (HI) Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai

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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:

28Jan 2015
Uncategorized 4 comments

2016 Recruiting Update: January 28, 2015

Manvel (TX) Manvel safety
Deontay Anderson
(image via 247sports.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Harbor City (CA) Narbonne offensive tackle Alex Akingbulu was offered by Michigan. Akingbulu is a 6’6″, 275 lb. prospect who just finished playing his first year of organized football, and Michigan is his first (and only) offer. Offensive coordinator Tim Drevno is the point man on him, so his west coast connections must have paid off with the little known recruit. Akingbulu does not have much technique at this point, but he is an impressive athlete who moves his feet really well. With a good deal of coaching, he could be pretty special. You might remember his high school from when Michigan was recruiting safety Sean Parker (Washington) in the 2010 class.


Manvel (TX) Manvel safety Deontay Anderson was offered by Michigan. Anderson is a 6’1″, 192 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, and USC, among others. Basically, he can go to school wherever he wants. Michigan recently had a flirtation with his 2015 teammate, cornerback Will Lockett, who ultimately decided to stick to his UCLA pledge. Anderson is an early 247 Composite 5-star, the #2 returner (this is a category now?), and #25 overall in the class. As a junior in 2014, he made 59 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions (1 returned for touchdown), 8 pass breakups, and 1 punt return for a touchdown.



Concord (CA) De La Salle tight end Devin Asiasi

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 was offered by Michigan. Asiasi is a 6’5″, 255 lb. prospect with offers from Nebraska, Oregon, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 weakside end, and #148 overall. He’s a big kid but someone who can be split out at times, and he even takes an occasional direct snap. Former Michigan (and Idaho and New England Patriots) quarterback Matt Gutierrez was from there, and I recently watched When the Game Stands Tall, a decent football movie about the school, which set the national record for consecutive victories.

Hit the jump for a couple more offers, commitments elsewhere, and some random tidbits.

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Huber Heights (OH) Wayne quarterback Messiah DeWeaver decommitted from Michigan on Tuesday night. DeWeaver is a 6’3″, 202 lb. prospect who committed to Michigan in June of 2014. He has picked up offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, and Penn State in the meantime, and he’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 pro-style quarterback, and #306 overall. He held out through the coaching change and met the new staff, but ultimately, he has decided not to remain committed. DeWeaver transferred from Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison – which has sent several players to Michigan over the years – to Huber Heights (OH) Wayne after the football season. Wayne has been somewhat kind to Michigan over the years, too, with 2015 safety commit Tyree Kinnel and then the Talbott brothers several years ago.

Oakland (CA) Bishop O’Dowd linebacker Camilo Eifler was offered by Michigan. Eifler is a 6’2″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Colorado, Duke, and Washington. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 outside linebacker, and #594 overall. Eifler is a speedy, hard-hitting linebacker, and I’m surprised that he doesn’t have more offers at this point. His head coach is Napoleon Kaufman, whom you may remember as a tremendously speedy running back for the Washington Huskies and then the Oakland Radiers.

Los Angeles (CA) Loyola cornerback David Long, Jr. was offered by Michigan. Long is a 6’0″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Miami, Oregon, UCLA, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #34 cornerback, and #329 overall. He claims a 4.5 forty and a 34″ vertical. It’s unclear at this point whether Michigan wants him as a corner or receiver; he looks more engaged playing receiver, but he does have some skills on defense. Long is also friends with quarterback K.J. Costello and wide receiver Dylan Crawford, both Californians in the 2016 class whom Michigan has already offered.

Pompano Beach (CA) Coconut Creek cornerback Trayvon Mullen was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, and Miami, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 cornerback, and #63 overall. He also claims a 4.37 forty. The previous Michigan staff also offered two teammates of Mullen, wide receiver Binjimen Victor and cornerback Malek Young.

OFF THE BOARD
Cincinnati (OH) Moeller tight end Jake Hausmann committed to Ohio State. Hausmann is one of the top few tight end prospects in the country. On the plus side, Michigan has also been pursuing Perry (OH) Perry tight end Luke Farrell, who also had the Buckeyes at or near the top of his list. This may open the door a little bit for Farrell to come up north, although he too has plenty of suitors.

MISCELLANEOUS
Lawrenceville (GA) Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price included Michigan in his top ten, specifically at #2. Price grew up in Grand Rapids, and he has stated that Michigan was his childhood favorite team. Price is a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 offensive tackle, and #65 overall. The 247 Crystal Ball currently has Georgia leading with some votes for Auburn, so there might be some ground to make up if the new staff wants to reel him in.

Egg Harbor (NJ) Cedar Creek safety Ahmir Mitchell included Michigan in his top eight.

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