Recruiting Update: January 23, 2012

Tag: Gunner Kiel


23Jan 2012
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Recruiting Update: January 23, 2012

Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s TE Sam Grant could be Michigan’s
next commitment for the 2012 class

ADDED TO THE BOARDS (2012, 2013)
Dadeville (AL) Dadeville defensive tackle Rod Crayton was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’2″, 290 lb. nose tackle type with offers from Auburn, LSU, Penn State, and several others.  Kids from the deep south rarely escape the gravitational pull of SEC schools, so don’t get your hopes up.

Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s tight end Sam Grant decommitted from Boston College.  He was committed in only the loosest of terms, since virtually everyone knew that he was looking for better options.  But when you’re a program like BC, you have to let your higher level prospects have a little bit of freedom to explore other schools.  The 6’4″, 240 lb. tight end has shown interest in Arkansas and Oklahoma – and visited both – but most recruiting gurus expect him to choose Michigan in the very near future.

West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial cornerback Armani Reeves decommitted from Penn State.  The 5’9″, 185 lb. Reeves had been committed to the Nittany Lions for several months, along with teammate and best friend Camren Williams, a linebacker.  Williams committed to Ohio State a few days ago, and now Reeves will choose between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.  Head coach Brady Hoke made an in-home visit to Reeves on Sunday night, OSU head coach Urban Meyer will visit on Monday night, and Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison will visit Reeves on Tuesday evening.

OFF THE BOARD
Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison cornerback Cam Burrows, a 2013 prospect, committed to Ohio State on Thursday.  The 6’1″, 195 lb. defensive back had long been considered a lock for the Buckeyes.  Burrows is in the early running to be the top player in the state of Ohio.

Washington (D.C.) H.D. Woodson cornerback Kenneth Crawley committed to Colorado on Sunday.  Crawley had previously been committed to Tennessee, but decommitted a few weeks ago.  He briefly flirted with the idea of visiting Michigan.

Waco (TX) Waco cornerback Will Hines decommitted from Missouri.  And then he committed to Arkansas.

Columbus (IN) East quarterback Gunner Kiel switched his commitment from LSU to Notre Dame.  The 6’4″, 220 lb. Kiel probably made a smart move here, because his pledge to LSU was confusing from the beginning.  LSU is a run-oriented offense with a coach not known for developing quarterbacks.  Meanwhile, Notre Dame has produced several solid quarterbacks over the years, including Joe Montana and Joe Theismann.  Unfortunately for Kiel and Notre Dame, the more recent products have been solid college quarterbacks who have turned into NFL busts.

Monrovia (CA) Monrovia defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy switched his commitment from Cal to UCLA.  He had just committed to Cal at the beginning of January, but beloved recruiter Tosh Lupoi left Cal to coach at Washington, which obviously upset several Cal recruits.  UCLA has sucked for a long time, so this seems like a bad move on McCarthy’s part.

South Bend (IN) Washington running back David Perkins committed to Ohio State.  He had previously been committed to Notre Dame.  Perkins was considered to be an option for Michigan at running back when Bri’onte Dunn re-committed to Ohio State, and now both targets are in Columbus.  The 6’2″, 225. lb athlete will likely compete at linebacker for the Buckeyes.

Cincinnati (OH) Oak Hills offensive lineman Caleb Stacey changed his commitment from Michigan to Cincinnati.  Stacey is a 6’4″, 280 lb. guard/center and his stated reason for flipping to Cincinnati is a desire to play closer to home.

4Jan 2012
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Recruiting Update: January 4, 2012

Louisville (KY) Trinity DE Jason Hatcher
(image via Voice-Tribune)



ADDED TO THE BOARDS (2012, 2013, 2014)
Miami (OH) Norland inside linebacker Keith Brown de-committed from Illinois.  He had previously been committed to Miami, flipped to Illinois before Ron Zook was fired, and now will announce his commitment during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this weekend.  He is expected to choose between Illinois, Louisville, and Miami, so Michigan is still out of the running.

Louisville (KY) Trinity defensive end Jason Hatcher, a 2013 prospect, received an offer from the Wolverines last week.  He’s a 6’1″, 231 lb. athlete with offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.  247 Sports ranks him at #140 overall for 2013 and the #7 weakside end.  Hatcher had 40 tackles and 12 sacks as a junior.

Salt Lake City (UT) Highland defensive tackle Bryan Mone, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  Mone is the first 2014 prospect to be offered by the Wolverines and is the teammate of incoming fullback Sione Houma.  The 6’3″, 255 lb. Mone also has offers from Utah and Utah State.  The 2014 Offer Board has been unveiled!

Louisville (KY) Trinity wide receiver James Quick, a 2013 prospect, has been offered by Michigan.  He’s the teammate of Hatcher, obviously.  Quick is a 6’1″, 180-pounder with a reported 4.41 forty time.  He has offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, and others.  This past season he had 82 receptions, 1434 yards, and 21 touchdowns, which was good enough to earn him the #42 overall spot for 247 Sports’ 2013 rankings.  He’s also their #3 wide receiver and the top player in Kentucky.





OFF THE BOARD
Lyndhurst (OH) Brush tight end Pharaoh Brown committed to Oregon.  This was not a surprise, since he went out to Oregon while he was committed to Michigan . . . without telling Michigan’s coaches.  Michigan promptly dropped him from their recruiting board.  I was not impressed with Brown’s attitude at various points throughout the recruiting process, so perhaps this is for the best.

Erie (PA) McDowell running back Greg Garmon committed to Iowa during the Semper Fidelis All American Bowl.  Garmon is a 6’2″, 195 lb. runner with good speed and physicality who will likely present a problem for Michigan in the coming years.  Outside of starter Marcus Coker, there is a huge void at running back for the Hawkeyes (backup Mika’il McCall announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the program), so Garmon’s choice makes sense.  He will likely be able to play immediately as a freshman in 2012.

Columbus (IN) East quarterback Gunner Kiel committed to LSU.  Kiel is widely considered to be the #1 quarterback prospect in the nation.  There was a time back in the spring when people thought he might end up at Michigan, but that flirtation ended a long time ago.  At one point Kiel had committed to Indiana, but the fact that the Hoosiers went 1-11 might have had something to do with him changing his mind.

San Diego (CA) Westview tight end Taylor McNamara committed to Oklahoma.  This is clearly a better option than the school he was previously committed to, which was Arizona.  The new Arizona coach is Rich Rodriguez, obviously, and Rodriguez doesn’t get the ball to his tight ends very much.  Meanwhile, Oklahoma traditionally has a strong passing attack, and McNamara should fit in well there.

Olney (MD) Good Counsel defensive end Ryan Watson committed to Purdue.  The 6’3″, 270-pounder is the former teammate of Blake Countess and the current teammate of Wes Brown (2012), Stefon Diggs (2012), Kendall Fuller (2013), and Dorian O’Daniel (2013), all of whom have Michigan offers.  As one might expect from a kid with his size, the Boilermakers want him to play defensive tackle.

23Oct 2011
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Recruiting Update: October 23, 2011

Arik Armstead sitting down.  Because that’s the only way you can fit him in the frame.



ADDED TO THE BOARD

Elk Grove (CA) Pleasant Grove DE Arik Armstead decommitted from USC.  His older brother, Armond, has had some shady dealings at USC and the Armstead family seems pretty peeved at the coaches and administration.  Despite being 6’8″, which is almost unheard of for a defensive player, Armstead wants to play defense in college.  It seems he would be better suited to play offensive tackle in college, where his length would be a positive.  Regardless, there’s very little chance that Armstead comes to Michigan.  Alabama, Cal, Notre Dame, and Texas look like strong contenders.

Wheaton (IL) St. Francis OT Kyle Bosch, a 2013 prospect, received a verbal offer from Michigan this week.  Bosch is a 6’5″, 275 lb. lineman with offers from Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Stanford, and West Virginia, among others.  Rivals’ midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt named Bosch one of the top seven prospects he’s scouted so far this year, in the same company as LB Joe Bolden (Michigan), WR Aaron Burbridge (Michigan State), 2013 CB Cam Burrows, and DE Adolphus Washington.  Bosch visited Michigan back in August and again for the Notre Dame victory in mid-September, so the interest level on his end is pretty high.

Columbus (IN) East QB Gunner Kiel is exploring his options.  Kiel is regarded by many as the #1 quarterback in the class of 2012, and he surprised many by picking the home state Indiana Hoosiers back in July.  That decision seemed largely based on the chance to play with his older brother Dusty, also a quarterback.  Indiana is 1-7 on the year under new head coach Kevin Wilson, with that lone victory coming against FCS team South Carolina State.  More recently, though, the Hoosiers have been losing in blowout fashion to Big Ten teams; they have been outscored 131-61 in their four Big Ten contests.  The 6’4″, 220 lb. signal caller was rumored to have strong interest in Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma before committing to Indiana.

San Diego (CA) Westview TE Taylor McNamara decommitted from Arizona this past week.  Alabama, California, Colorado, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Stanford were also high on his list before committing to the Wildcats, who fired head coach Mike Stoops and caused some of their commits to go looking elsewhere.  McNamara showed some early, passing interest in the Wolverines, but nothing strong enough to suggest that Michigan will get a second look now.

NEW ESPN 150 RELEASED

Just in case you missed it, I broke down the new ESPN 150 for the class of 2012 that was released last week.