2016 Recruiting Update: April 20, 2015

Tag: Jack Wohlabaugh

20Apr 2015
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2016 Recruiting Update: April 20, 2015

Paramus (NJ) Catholic wide receiver Donald Stewart (image via NorthJersey.com)

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COMMITMENT
Houston transfer quarterback John O’Korn finally got a writeup (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Moultried (GA) Colquitt linebacker Ja’Quain Blakely was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi State, Nebraska, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #34 outside linebacker, and #476 overall. Blakely has some good coverage ability and changes direction well in space. He named Florida his early leader after they offered, although other schools have continued to come in with offers in recent weeks.

Lake Forest (IL) Academy defensive end Daniel Joseph was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 strongside end, and #267 overall. Joseph looks a little passive at times, especially when taking on blockers, but he’s an aggressive tackler. He also shows some impressive athleticism in the linked highlight when he leaps for a one-handed touchdown reception, although he does not consistently show that kind of effort. His two leaders at this time appear to be Iowa and Michigan State.

Hit the jump for a couple guys added to the board, several guys who committed elsewhere, and some random bits.

Savannah (GA) Christian wide receiver Demetris Robertson decommitted from Alabama. Robertson is a 6’1″, 165 lb. prospect who is now considering Georgia, LSU, Stanford, and possibly others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #1 athlete, and #35 overall. He’s blazing fast and claims a 4.38 forty. Robertson was originally recruited by Michigan as a wideout, although he could play several different skill positions in college. The linked highlights say that he touched the ball 25 times in his first four games and scored 10 touchdowns.

Paramus (NJ) Catholic wide receiver Donald Stewart was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #148 wide receiver, and #1030 overall. Stewart has good size and just so-so speed, but where he makes hay is with his precise attention to route running. He attends the alma mater of Jabrill Peppers and Juwann Bushell-Beatty, which is also the former team of recruiting coordinator Chris Partridge. Steve Lorenz of 247 Sports recently put in a Crystal Ball pick for Stewart to Michigan.

OFF THE BOARD
Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg committed to Notre Dame. His affection for Notre Dame was the worst kept secret in the midwest.

Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic quarterback Jarrett Guarantano committed to Tennessee. I had pegged Guarantano for Ohio State initially, but Texas quarterback Tristen Wallace committed to the Buckeyes first. As soon as Guarantano heard, he said he would be announcing that afternoon, and he chose the Volunteers. Michigan was not actively recruiting Guarantano since the Harbaugh hire.

Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei offensive tackle Frank Martin II committed to USC. The Trojans also picked up another big-time tackle this weekend in Nathan Smith, whom Michigan was feeling out but had not yet offered.

Charlotte (NC) Ardrey Kell defensive end Julian Okwara committed to Notre Dame. He had named Michigan to his top five prior to the announcement, but he had never visited Ann Arbor. Okwara’s brother, Romeo, also plays for Notre Dame.

Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei linebacker Curtis Robinson committed to Stanford. A teammate of Martin’s, Robinson was one of the new staff’s first volley of offers in the Golden State. On the bright side, Michigan is going so hard after California kids that not all of them can commit to Stanford, UCLA, and USC. So there’s that.

Flower Mound (TX) Marcus tight end Kaden Smith committed to Stanford. Michigan had made some inroads with Smith since Harbaugh was hired, but it was always going to be a long shot. He had basically written off Michigan altogether when Hoke was still in town.

Copperas Cove (TX) Copperas Cove offensive tackle J.P. Urquidez committed to Baylor. A military son, Urquidez transferred from the Big Ten imprint – at Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha – to Copperas Cove after his junior season was finished. That move paid off for the Golden Bears.

Stow (OH) Walsh Jesuit center Jack Wohlabaugh committed to Ohio State. Wohlabaugh’s offer from Michigan was his best offer up until this past weekend, when he visited Columbus for the Buckeyes’ spring game and was offered. He committed on the spot. Wohlabaugh is the son of former NFL center Dave Wohlabaugh, a Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots.

MISCELLANEOUS
Scout updated their top 300 prospects (LINK).

I posted a scouting report on Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep tight end Naseir Upshur (LINK).

Over on Recruiting Season, I added/updated profiles for Plymouth offensive tackle Michael Jordan and Warren Mott wide receiver Tylen Redding.

23Mar 2015
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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: