Tag: J.P. Holtz

Recruiting Update: January 30, 2012

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen (#85) (image via The Roundup)

ADDED TO THE BOARD (2012, 2013, 2014)
Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen, a 2013 prospect, received a Michigan offer last week.  Allen is a 6’1″, 190 lb. wideout who claims 4.5 speed but appears not to be a huge breakaway threat.  However, he’s an excellent route runner, shifty enough to make somebody miss here or there, and a very good blocker for a wide receiver.  As a junior, he had 44 receptions for 844 yards and 17 touchdowns and 26 carries for 228 yards.  He also holds offers from Arizona (where he’s being recruited by former Michigan coach Tony Dews), Arizona State, Oregon State, Purdue, Stanford, and a few others.

Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge defensive end Da’Shawn Hand, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  Hand is 6’5″, 245 lbs. as a high school sophomore, so it’s likely that he grows into a defensive tackle by the time he finishes high school.  He had 84 tackles and 21 sacks during his sophomore season.

Cleveland (OH) Glenville defensive tackle Willie Henry visited Michigan’s campus this past weekend and received a Michigan offer.  He’s a 6’2″, 270 lb. athlete with offers from Hawaii, Illinois, Louisville, Pitt, and a bunch of MAC (or MAC-level) schools.  You can see in Henry’s film that he’s an athletic kid with a pretty good motor (witness him chasing down running plays on defense and sprinting downfield to throw blocks on offense).  However, he’s a little light, needs to add some strength, and really  needs to learn the fundamentals of defeating blocks.

Bealeton (VA) Liberty defensive end Wyatt Teller, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week.  He’s a 6’5″, 250 lb. kid with offers from Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and several other programs.  He also claims a 325 lb. bench and a 400 lb. squat, which are pretty good measurables for a high school junior.



OFF THE BOARD
Elk Grove (CA) Pleasant Grove jumbo athlete Arik Armstead committed to Oregon.  The 6’8″, 280 lb. Armstead was originally committed to USC, but his older brother Armond, who was on USC’s roster, was upset about some issues with the program.  Arik decommitted and has gone on a months long journey looking for another school.  As the season and all-star games wore on, scouts’ feelings on Arik started to wane because he insisted on a desire to play defensive end.  At his size he looks like nothing other than an offensive tackle.

Fairless Hills (PA) Pennsbury offensive tackle J.J. Denman changed his commitment from Wisconsin to Rutgers.  Denman had previously been committed to Penn State.  He’s 6’7″, 305 lbs. and extremely indecisive, apparently, which makes him potentially dangerous if you ever run into him on the street.  My advice: Don’t run into him on the street.

Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro running back/wide receiver D.J. Foster committed to Arizona State on Friday.  As a senior in 2011, he had over 3,000 yards rushing and 60 touchdowns, including 508 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in one playoff game.  Saguaro is the alma mater of David Spade, who was born in Michigan.

Old Tappan (NJ) Old Tappan QB/ATH Devin Fuller committed to UCLA on Sunday.  The 6’0″, 185 lb. Fuller was being recruited by Michigan to play quarterback at the beginning of the cycle, but then the Wolverines started trying to reel him in as a defensive back.  Fuller, who wants to play quarterback in college, was considered to be Rutgers lean until Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano jumped ship for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  New Bruins head coach Jim Mora must have convinced Fuller he could be the next Michael Vick, despite the fact that Vick wasn’t a very good quarterback when he was with Mora’s Atlanta Falcons.

Puyallup (WA) Puyallup offensive guard Joshua Garnett committed to Stanford on Thursday.  Garnett was down to Stanford and Michigan, and lots of people thought Garnett would choose Michigan.  Unfortunately, his connections to Michigan – and especially Erik Magnuson – just weren’t quite strong enough.  Approximately 83% of voters on this here blog said Garnett would pick Michigan, so you guys are boogers.

Shaler (PA) Shaler Area tight end J.P. Holtz committed to Pitt.  He was once committed to Penn State, but . . . well . . . strange things happened there.  Holtz appeared on Michigan’s radar when Lyndhurst (OH) Brush tight end Pharaoh Brown decommitted from Michigan in favor of Oregon, but it was a fleeting romance.

Castle Rock (CO) Valor offensive guard/center Alex Kozan committed to Iowa, according to Sam Webb.  Kozan is a 6’4″, 295-pounder who could have filled the hole left by Caleb Stacey’s decommitment and played center.  Now Michigan is down to fifth year senior Rocko Khoury, redshirt freshman Jack Miller, and position changers to play center in the fall, with very little depth for 2013.

Cincinnati (OH) Moeller wide receiver Monty Madaris committed to Michigan State.  The 6’2″, 190 lb. wideout eliminated Michigan a while ago and was down to the Spartans and Cincinnati.  He had 56 receptions for 1,137 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior.

West Roxbury (MA) Catholic Memorial cornerback Armani Reeves committed to Ohio State.  The 5’9″, 185 lb. defensive back followed his best friend, linebacker Camren Williams, in becoming a Buckeye.  The Williams family has essentially adopted Reeves, so it was difficult to see this going in any direction other than toward Columbus.

Van (TX) Van linebacker Dalton Santos changed his commitment from Tennessee to Texas.  Several months ago, I mistakenly typed “Texas” on Twitter instead of “Tennessee” and everyone was like “YOU MEAN TENNESSEE, YOU MORON!!!”  Well . . . who’s laughing now?  I was just predicting the future. Santos originally committed to Oklahoma State before flipping to Tennessee, so what I’m taking away from this is . . . he really likes the color orange.

Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep cornerback Yuri Wright committed to Colorado.  The Buffaloes seemed to be his third or fourth choice behind Michigan and Notre Dame, but his tweets about wanting to get laid got him expelled from his private school and dropped by some schools, including Michigan.

Recruiting Update: December 19, 2011

Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge DE Jonathan Allen (#93)

ADDED TO THE BOARD
Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge DE Jonathan Allen, a 2013 prospect, received an offer from Michigan last week.  Allen is 6’3″, 225 lbs. and listed as a strongside end, although I think he could fit at weakside end as well.  He plays a lot like 2012 commit Mario Ojemudia, although I think Ojemudia might be a little quicker.  Allen comes up too high out of his stance and doesn’t use his hands extremely well to shed blockers, but the physical talent is there to be a very good player.  Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Virginia, and others have also extended offers.

Pittsburgh (PA) Shaler Area TE J.P. Holtz was offered by Michigan, but it might be too late for the Wolverines.  The 6’4″, 240-pounder has already announced a top three of Michigan State, Pitt, and Purdue.  He took a recent official visit to Pitt and reportedly enjoyed it, but the coaching situation might be a negative.  Holtz said that he would like to be done with visits and has yet to make it to Ann Arbor, so chances are slim that he ends up wearing a winged helmet.  Regardless, Holtz is a well rounded athlete who has played running back in high school, so he has running skills that some other tight ends don’t possess.  He could be an interesting pass-catching tight end to go along with the receiving skills of Devin Funchess and blocking of A.J. Williams.

South Bend (IN) Washington RB David Perkins has a Michigan offer, at least according to Scout (Rivals insists he doesn’t).  The 6’2″, 209 lb. athlete was committed to Notre Dame at one point, but decommitted at the end of October for reasons that are somewhat unclear.  Perkins has offers from LSU, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, and Tennessee, all of which he has visited or has scheduled a visit.  Michigan’s coaches are recruiting Perkins for running back now that Bri’onte Dunn appears to be off the table, and Perkins has discussed trying to set up a visit to Ann Arbor for January; that would likely cause him to have to cancel a trip to Ohio State, LSU, or Tennessee.  Various schools are recruiting Perkins for various positions, including running back, wide receiver, and linebacker.  He has a reported 4.43 forty yard dash and a 36″ vertical leap, but he’s kind of a raw athlete and reminds me of Josh Furman in some respects.

Peoria (IL) Manual OT Logan Tuley-Tillman, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week.  Tuley-Tillman is a 6’7″, 280-pounder with a nasty streak.  He’s somewhat raw to be garnering such major offers, but he is a plus athlete.  Unless he improves his technique and footwork significantly as a senior in high school, whichever college gets him will be getting a project.  He also holds offers from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio State.

OFF THE BOARD
Canton (OH) McKinley DE Se’von Pittman changed his allegiance from Michigan State to Ohio State.  I can’t say that I blame him, since MSU if full of criminals.  Oh, wait.  So is Ohio State.  Pittman’s heart never seemed to be in East Lansing, but academics were rumored to be an issue with Michigan and the impending sanctions seemed to push him away from OSU.  I guess the hiring of Urban Meyer and the hope of winning a national championship was too much.  If the NCAA ever gets around to sanctioning Ohio State, we’ll see if their recruiting mojo remains.

Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West DT Tommy Schutt jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire last week, switching his future destination from Penn State to Ohio State.  I guess we’ll see in the next few years whether it was a good idea or not for Michigan to shun Schutt when he wanted to visit Ann Arbor, but my stance right now is that Schutt is going to be a load to deal with for the next several years.  Meanwhile, Michigan might be a little thin on the interior.

Harrisburg (PA) Bishop McDevitt DE Noah Spence committed to Ohio State on Sunday.  It sure was a boon for Ohio State to get Urban Meyer as coach, because kids don’t even care that the school is about to (or, well, should) get hit with NCAA sanctions.  The 6’4″, 245 lb. Spence is considered by many to be the nation’s top defensive end.  Michigan was never a viable option for Spence, but for a long time, it seemed OSU was out of the running, too.