Michael Weber, Ex-Wolverine
Michael Weber |
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech running back Michael Weber decommitted from Michigan on Saturday afternoon. Or at least he made it public, via his Twitter account. Weber is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 running back, and #113 overall in the 2015 class. As a senior this season, he ran for over 2,000 yards during Cass Tech’s run to the state semifinals.
Weber had committed to the Wolverines back in August over offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. Almost immediately he mentioned that he still wanted to visit other schools, and I have been saying all along that I did not trust his commitment. Of course, Michigan fans shouldn’t hold it against a kid when he sees the coach who recruited him sitting on the hottest of hot seats. It’s practically a foregone conclusion that head coach Brady Hoke will be replaced sometime in the coming weeks, so it’s understandable that he would want to explore his options.
Hit the jump for thoughts on the position going forward.
This leaves Michigan in a somewhat precarious position. Destined to be a small class, anyway (Hoke said the biggest he thought it would get is 16, but that seemed high), the Wolverines are down to seven commitments for 2015. Weber is also the seventh 2015 recruit to renounce his commitment to Michigan, which is an absurdly high number. Furthermore, he is the second consecutive running back recruit to decommit, following Kentucky’s Damien Harris. Michigan does have decent numbers at running back with five guys there (Justice Hayes, Drake Johnson, De’Veon Smith, Derrick Green, and Ty Isaac) and a few others (Ross Douglas, Dennis Norfleet, Wyatt Shallman) who could fill a role. Michigan doesn’t absolutely need a running back in the class, but Hoke has said previously that he wants to take “a couple” backs in every class; you generally want those types of players because they can sometimes play receiver, safety, linebacker, cornerback, and special teams. If they do not take one in 2015, then that makes the running back position a priority in 2016.
Late in the class, the easiest guys to pull in are lower rated guys from within the state, or at least within the region. We have seen Michigan do that in recent years when they nabbed Thomas Rawls in 2011 and Dennis Norfleet in 2012. Unfortunately, there are few options in the 2015 class. Oak Park (MI) Oak Park’s John Kelly played running back in high school and has been offered by Michigan as a defensive back, but he was leaning toward Michigan State or Minnesota, and he is good friends with Weber. Auburn Hills (MI) Avondale’s Joshuwa Holloman is a genuine speedster committed to Cincinnati, but he lacks great running instincts. Other options include 247 Composite 2-stars Romello Ross (committed to CMU), Alex Grace (WMU), and Bobby Banks (CMU).