Recruiting Update: March 30, 2015

Tag: Demetric Felton


30Mar 2015
Uncategorized 10 comments

Recruiting Update: March 30, 2015

Hallandale (FL) Hallandale wide receiver Joshua Hammond (image via MiamiHerald.com)

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COMMITMENT
Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich confirmed that Wayne Lyons will be joining the team this season, so I wrote up a commitment post (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015(?)
Concord (CA) De La Salle safety Je’Vari Anderson is still a possibility to join Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 200 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #63 safety, and #902 overall. I talked about him a couple weeks ago as a guy who was talking about joining the Wolverines but needs a qualifying test score. He has listed offers from Cal, Oregon State, and Utah, but his Twitter account still says “THE MISSION IS GOO!! BLUE!!” with a giant picture of the Michigan banner (LINK). I mention him again this week because the deadline to sign a National Letter of Intent is Wednesday, April 1. He could still end up playing for Michigan without the NLI, but he would not be able to practice with the team until the first day of classes. For his sake – and for the team’s, since I think he’s a better prospect than his rankings/offers indicate – I hope he gets good results and can fax in his NLI before the deadline. It might also help with Michigan’s recruitment of two of Anderson’s 2016 teammates, tight end Devin Asiasi and center Boss Tagaloa.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Tyrone (GA) Sandy Creek wide receiver Korey Banks, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, and Western Michigan, among others. He visited this past weekend with a couple Lawrenceville (GA) Archer prospects for 2017, Isaiah Pryor and Jamyest Williams, who already held Michigan offers. Banks claims a 4.26 forty and is a track guy. Some teams are looking at him as a corner, but Jedd Fisch was the one to offer him, which implies that Michigan wants him at receiver.

Hit the jump for several more 2016 prospects, some 2017 prospects, an offer for 2018, and some miscellaneous bits.

Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Los Osos offensive tackle Cohl Cabral was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Cal, Utah, and Washington State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 offensive tackle, and #203 overall. Cabral has good feet and could play either tackle or guard at the next level. He has also been recruited by some schools as a defensive end, although I think that’s a stretch unless he would be in a 3-4 system.

Gordo (AL) Gordo linebacker Ben Davis was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, and numerous others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #4 outside linebacker, and #22 overall. He claims a 4.6 forty. He is widely expected to attend Alabama.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Devin Gil, a Miami commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who also has offers from Louisville and Marshall, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #76 safety, and #1202 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 64 tackles and 3 interceptions. Depending on how his body develops, he could end up as an outside linebacker at the next level. He is a teammate of fellow offeree Devin Bush, Jr., who visited Michigan this past weekend, although Gil was not on campus. Gil committed to Miami back in January, but he is still open to being courted by other schools, so there’s a chance to pull him away.

Hallandale (FL) Hallandale wide receiver Joshua Hammond was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #59 wide receiver, and #343 overall. As a junior in 2014, he caught 25 passes for 413 yards and 6 touchdowns. He received an offer early in the week and immediately scheduled an unofficial visit, since he was going to be in the midwest visiting Notre Dame and Ohio State, anyway.

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s offensive guard Cameron Kolwich was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan and Missouri, among others. He is currently unranked. Back in February I ranked him as the #13 prospect in the state (LINK), which was higher than several prospects with more offers. He plays tackle in high school, but he projects to offensive guard, where I think he has the potential to be a pretty solid lineman at the BCS level. He’s a teammate of 2017 linebacker Joshua Ross, who also has a Michigan offer.

Farmington (MI) Farmington linebacker David Reese, a Louisville commit, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 235 lb. prospect whose other offers are from Indiana, Pitt, and some MAC schools. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #23 inside linebacker, and #685 overall. I was not expecting Reese to get an offer from Michigan, at least not this early. There has been some chatter about him moving to defensive end in college, since some think he might not have the quickness to remain at linebacker; however, it’s not often that 6’1″ defensive ends make an impact in college. There is a possibility that he is being recruited for the fullback position, since Michigan loses two fullbacks after this season (Joe Kerridge, Sione Houma) and does not have any other experienced players at the position. Reese is a teammate of fellow Michigan offeree (and Louisville commit) Desmond Fitzpatrick, a wide receiver. Both have visited Michigan numerous times, and it would be somewhat surprising if they did not choose to stay home.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Mansfield (OH) Madison safety Tyrell Ajian was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Miami-OH and Toledo. He claims a 4.4 forty and a 35″ vertical. Also a standout receiver, Michigan wants him to play free safety. Ajian does have very good speed and will certainly pick up some other big-time offers before long.

Paramus (NJ) Catholic defensive end Corey Bolds was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 260 lb. prospect whose only other offer so far came from Rutgers. He does not have particularly impressive film, so this offer surprises me a little bit so early in the process. Bolds is the teammate of 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, and both of them visited this weekend (see below for visitors list). Their former high school coach, Chris Partridge, is now a recruiting coordinator for Michigan.

Stafford (TX) Stafford wide receiver Hezekiah Jones was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, TCU, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #11 wide receiver, and #61 overall. As a sophomore in 2014, he caught 28 passes for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus a kickoff return score. He claims a 4.4 forty and a 32″ vertical. Jones is a crafty runner who does a good job of breaking tackles, catches passes while defensive backs interfere, and has good speed in the open field.

Akron (OH) Hoban running back Todd Sibley, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky and Ohio State. He claims a 4.51 forty. As a sophomore in 2014, he averaged 8.2 yards/carry on his way to 1,576 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s not a true blazer, but he has the stout build of Michigan State’s recent running back standouts, guys who are built low to the ground and are tough to take down. Hoban’s quarterback, 2017 prospect Danny Clark, used to attend Massillon (OH) Washington with Michigan freshman kicker Andrew David; Clark is now committed to Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are at the top of Sibley’s list.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Indianapolis (IN) Cathedral offensive guard Emil Ekiyor was given his first offer by Michigan. Ekiyor is a 6’3″, 285 lb. prospect who claims a 5.1 forty. He is the son of Emil Ekiyor, a Nigerian immigrant who played defensive end at Central Florida and then in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons.

OFF THE BOARD
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Rancho Santa Margarita quarterback K.J. Costello committed to Stanford. The writing was on the wall that he would pick Stanford or perhaps USC over Michigan once his repeated promises to visit Michigan fell through. He had visited Michigan last summer and was reportedly close to committing at the time, but Brady Hoke convinced him to take his time, allowing Messiah DeWeaver to commit first.

Temecula (CA) Great Oak running back Demetric Felton committed to UCLA. Felton is a very speedy, surprisingly tough runner who could also play receiver at the next level. He expressed initial interest in visiting Michigan but never planned a visit.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy defensive end Rahshaun Smith committed to Clemson. Smith is originally from Maryland and initially had Michigan high on his list, but a mid-year transfer to Florida seemed to alter his recruitment a little bit. By the time he was ready to commit, Michigan was no longer on his list.

MISCELLANEOUS
I posted a huge list of visitors from this past week/weekend (LINK).

I also posted an early spring game visitors list (LINK). And speaking of the spring game, I also did a mock draft of the two teams (LINK).

Notre Dame center Matt Hegarty has been granted a full release from the program to transfer as a fifth-year graduate. There have not been strong indications that Michigan is in the mix, but it’s a possibility for a team that lost its starting center (Jack Miller) and whose backup (Graham Glasgow) is going through some legal issues. Hegarty visited Florida State last weekend, and the Seminoles are in a better scholarship situation (80 right now, whereas Michigan is at the limit of 85). The Wolverines recruited Hegarty as part of the 2011 class out of Aztec (NM) Aztec, where he was a Rivals 4-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and #70 overall.

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

10Feb 2015
Uncategorized 11 comments

Recruiting Update: February 10, 2015

Avon (IN) Avon quarterback Brandon Peters (image via IndyStar.com)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Lee’s Summit (MO) Lee’s Summit quarterback Drew Lock was offered by Michigan late in the 2015 recruiting cycle. A Missouri commit who signed with the Tigers, it appears Jim Harbaugh really tried to pull him away from Missouri, but Lock turned him down. He was the 247 Composite #7 pro-style quarterback and #96 overall in the class.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Wayne (NJ) DePaul defensive end Quayshon Alexander was offered by Michigan. Alexander is a 6’3″, 222 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Pitt, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #18 weakside end, and #350 overall. Alexander is a pretty versatile athlete who could end up being a rush linebacker, a weakside end, or a tight end at the next level. Right now he’s a lithe athlete who shows good speed and some smooth route running. Alexander is the teammate of the #1 running back in the class, Kareem Walker, whom Michigan has offered but is committed to Ohio State.

Phenix City (AL) Central cornerback John Broussard was offered by Michigan. Broussard is a 6’0″, 164 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Mississippi State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 cornerback, and #55 overall. Broussard is a speedy guy who shows an ability to break on the ball, but players in the deep south are notoriously difficult to pull out of the south when those big-time schools down there come calling.

Houston (TX) Alief Elsik safety Chris Brown was offered by Michigan, his first and only one so far. Brown is a 6’0″, 183 lb. prospect who’s unranked by the recruiting services. As a junior in 2014, he made 43 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 pass breakups. Brown is a hard-hitting, ball-hawking safety who is a teammate of linebacker Dontavious Jackson, another Michigan offeree in the class.

Hit the jump for a ton more 2016 prospects, a new 2017 offer, and some miscellaneous bits.

Edmond (TX) Santa Fe linebacker Calvin Bundage was offered by Michigan. I had to do a double-take at first after immediately thinking of former Michigan basketball player Carlton Brundidge. Bundage the football player is a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #37 safety, and #557 overall. I don’t see any way he stays at safety in college, so he should probably be rated as a linebacker. Do yourself a favor and watch his highlights, because you won’t see many more violent hitters.

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. was offered by Michigan. Bush is a 6’0″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #23 outside linebacker, and #293 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 67 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He’s a shortish guy with good instincts and he’s a very good tackler. His father, Devin Bush Sr., was a first round pick as a safety out of Florida State in 1995, getting drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. Bush Sr. also played for the Rams and Browns before his career ended in 2002. He is now the head football coach at Flanagan.

Waco (TX) Waco cornerback Eric Cuffee was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 187 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Stanford, and Tennesee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #33 cornerback, and #316 overall. He claims a 4.47 forty, a 38″ vertical, and a 4.1 shuttle. Cuffee is a physical corner who excels at press coverage. Cuffee is the cousin of 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox, who played for Harbaugh and defensive backs coach Greg Jackson in San Francisco.

Prattville (AL) Prattville running back Kingston Davis was offered by Michigan. Davis is a 6’1″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Louisville and Mississippi State, among others. He’s unranked as a fullback by 247 Sports, but I believe he has the necessary athleticism to be a jumbo tailback. As a junior in 2014, he rushed for 1,407 yards and 17 touchdowns in a backfield with 2015 Michigan signee Keith Washington, who was the quarterback for the team. The teammates led Prattville to a state championship. He claims a 4.5 forty, a 300 lb. bench, and a 615 lb. squat.

Norfolk (VA) Lake Taylor cornerback Wayne Davis was offered by Michigan. Davis is a 5’11”, 177 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State, Tennesee, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 cornerback, and #430 overall. Davis is a solid tackler with good speed and ball skills.

Compton (CA) Dominguez safety Marquel Dismuke was offered by Michigan. Dismuke is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Cal, and Mississippi State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 safety, and #149 overall. Dismuke is a heavy-hitting center fielder with good ball skills and nice speed.

Temecula (CA) Great Oak wide receiver Demetric Felton was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 170 lb. speedster whose lone other offer came from Utah. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #33 athlete, and #513 overall. Felton could play several positions in college, including wide receiver, running back, cornerback, or kick returner. He has very good speed and some impressive strength for such a small kid. In my opinion, this is a very underrated player.

Manor (TX) Manor outside linebacker Erick Fowler was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 weakside end, and #95 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 75 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Fowler looks like the type of player who would be a rush linebacker in D.J. Durkin’s defense with a good combination of size and athleticism.

Westwood (NJ) Old Tappan wide receiver Jordan Fuller was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 athlete, and #136 overall. This Fuller is a quarterback/wide receiver who could follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Devin, who is a similar athlete and plays wide receiver at UCLA.

Washington (DC) St. John’s defensive end Terrell Hall was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 218 lb. prospect with offers from LSU, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #16 weakside end, and #343 overall. Hall is a big kid who looks like he’ll grow into a strongside end by the time all is said and done.

Orlando (FL) Oak Ridge linebacker Jonathan Jones was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Duke, Miami, South Florida, and UCF, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #44 outside linebacker, and #591 overall. Despite being ranked as an outside linebacker, he looks like an inside guy through and through, a heavy hitter who makes quick reads and can take on lead blockers.

Monroe (LA) Wossmann safety Cameron Lewis was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from LSU and others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 safety, and #248 overall. In addition to being a ballhawking safety, Lewis is also a pretty dynamic quarterback with excellent running skills. He’ll play safety or maybe even linebacker in college, but he’ll be dangerous if he gets the ball in his hands. He is very likely to commit to LSU soon.

Allen (TX) Allen defensive end Levi Onwuzurike was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 243 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 weakside end, and #297 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 67 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He’s teammates with #1 overall prospect Gregory Little, an offensive tackle who’s committed to Texas A&M.

Avon (IN) Avon quarterback Brandon Peters was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Indiana, Iowa, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 pro-style quarterback, and #306 overall. As a junior in 2014, he went 148/263 for 1,876 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He also ran for 244 yards and 6 scores. Peters has a cannon for an arm when he can step into his throws, and he has some surprisingly nifty feet when he’s on the move, although he does not have great speed. It sounds like Peters was very intrigued by the Michigan offer and could be one to watch for a commitment at some point.

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra safety C.J. Pollard was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, USC, Utah, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 safety, and #271 overall. He claims a 4.5 forty and looks like a true safety prospect with good fundamentals and athleticism. Junipero Serra is the same school that has produced DT Rasheem Green (USC), WR Deontay Burnett (USC), CB Adoree’ Jackson (USC), and LB Dwight Williams (UCLA) in the past couple classes, all of whom were Michigan targets. It’s very tough to pull these kids away from southern California, although Pollard already said he would take an official visit to Michigan. Those early promises don’t always stick, but that’s a positive sign.

Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei linebacker Curtis Robinson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, USC, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 outside linebacker, and #255 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 40 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 interception. Robinson is a long, athletic kid who looks like a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Killeen (TX) Shoemaker defensive end Rahssan Thornton was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 220 lb. prospect with an offer from Cal. He’s not ranked right now by the major recruiting services, so not a whole lot of information is available. Thornton is skinny and raw according to his junior film, but he has some impressive athletic skills that should earn him a lot more offers.

Orangeburg (SC) Orangeburg-Wilkinson cornerback James Valdez, a North Carolina State commit, was offered by Michigan. Valdez is a 5’10”, 175 lb. prospect who also holds offers from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #34 cornerback, and #337 overall. He committed to the Wolfpack in late January after being offered in April of 2014, but he does seem interested in some of the other offers he’s receiving.

St. Petersburg (FL) Gibbs safety Craig Watts was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Miami, Mississippi State, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 safety, and #274 overall. He claims a 4.4 forty. Watts named a top nine back in the fall that obviously did not include Michigan, but he has received lots of new interest since then. He also said that distance will not be a factor in his college decision, although Florida appears to be the early leader.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Lawrenceville (GA) Archer safety Isaiah Pryor was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 safety, and #70 overall. He claims a 4.5 forty. He’s a big kid who may even grow into an outside linebacker by the time he hits college. Pryor is the teammate of 2017 cornerback offeree Jamyest Williams as well as 2016 offensive tackle E.J. Price, who reportedly has Michigan in his top two with Auburn.

OFF THE BOARD
Brandenton (FL) IMG Academy wide receiver Tavares “T.J.” Chase committed to Clemson. The #28 wide receiver and #121 overall player holds offers from lots of powerhouse schools, but it’s hard to argue with the job Clemson has done producing players at the position.

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Lavert Hill committed to Penn State on an unofficial visit. The younger brother of Michigan safety Delano Hill, Lavert is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #21 cornerback, and #214 overall. He recently transferred from Cass Tech to King, and Michigan will likely stay on his trail, but this is a fairly significant early recruiting loss for Michigan, which needs corners badly in the 2016 class.

MISCELLANEOUS
I gave an update on the 247 Sports Top 247 for 2016 (LINK).

I posted recruiting awards for Michigan’s 2015 class (LINK) and recruiting grades for the offense (LINK). My grades for the defense will be coming tomorrow morning.

Over on Recruiting Season, I updated profiles for: