Tag: Jacques Patrick

Recruiting Update: October 29, 2014

Oak Park (MI) Oak Park safety John Kelly (image via Scout.com)

DECOMMITMENT
Richmond (VA) St. Christopher’s cornerback Garrett Taylor decommitted from Michigan. Taylor had committed to Michigan (LINK) this past spring, but in recent weeks, he had set official visits to Ohio State and Penn State. Taylor tore his ACL prior to the beginning of his senior season, so he hasn’t played and won’t play this year. However, he is still getting attention from heavy hitters, and he will not be considering Michigan going forward. He’s currently a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 cornerback, and #107 overall.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Oak Park (MI) Oak Park safety John Kelly was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’9″, 191 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Minnesota, and some MAC schools. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #63 athlete, #661 overall, and #9 in-state. Kelly was offered after cornerback Taylor’s decommitment, but Michigan wants Kelly as a safety. He also plays running back in high school. Kelly claims a 4.6 forty and while he’s not a burner, he is a good all-around player. Initial readings have him leaning toward Michigan State, and his comments upon receiving the Michigan offer were not particularly overwhelming in favor of the Wolverines. He may visit this coming weekend for the game against Indiana.

Lawrenceville (GA) Central Gwinnett outside linebacker Adonis Thomas decommitted from Florida. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 outside linebacker, and #171 overall. Thomas has never shown much interest in Michigan, seems to like Alabama, and has scheduled visits to Oregon and LSU.

Hit the jump for players who committed elsewhere and some other miscellaneous tidbits.

OFF THE BOARD
Indianapolis (IN) Ben Davis linebacker Asmar Bilal committed to Notre Dame. At one point he was down to Michigan and the Fighting Irish, but he always seemed to be leaning toward playing in South Bend. The two programs’ diverging trajectories seemed to make the decision pretty clear. Bilal is friends with 2015 Michigan commit Darrin Kirkland, Jr., a fellow Indianan.

Raleigh (NC) Millbrook defensive end Kengera Daniel committed to Kentucky. The Wildcats currently have the #22 recruiting class nationally, based on their relative success (5-3 this year) and second-year head coach Mark Stoops.

Orlando (FL) Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick committed to Florida State. He was generally considered to be an FSU lean, and the one thing seemingly drawing him to consider Michigan was his uncle, who is a coach in Detroit. However, nobody really seemed to believe he had any chance of being a Wolverine.

Missouri City (TX) Ridge Point outside linebacker Cameron Townsend committed to Texas. The Longhorns are traditionally a recruiting powerhouse, but they’re currently Rivals’ #15 class with 18 commitments, 13 of which are just 3-stars. First-year head coach Charlie Strong has been cleaning house in Austin and trying to get his types of guys in there, which might have something to do with the slightly depressed state of their recruiting.

MISCELLANEOUS
Michigan lost one scholarship for the class of 2015 when it was announced that true senior linebacker Desmond Morgan would redshirt and return next season as a fifth year senior. Of course, it’s probably better to have a fifth-year potential captain returning than a freshman who might wash out, so this is a positive for the Wolverines. This means that the 2015 class is scheduled to include 11 players (LINK) instead of 12, although that number will probably grow with some other early departures.

Here’s a list of players who visited East Lansing for the Michigan vs. MSU game (LINK).

Over on Recruiting Season, I updated the profile of Oak Park’s John Kelly and Plymouth’s Michael Jordan.

Visitors: June 13-15, 2014

St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell (image via 247 Sports)

Several of these players will be in Detroit for the Sound Mind Sound Body camp, but these ones in particular are planning trips up I-94 to see Michigan’s football facilities and meet with the coaching staff.

2015
Jashon Cornell – DE – St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham: Cornell is a 6’4″, 260 lb. prospect with a top five of Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #3 weakside end, and #37 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 70 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries (1 returned for a touchdown). Cornell recently named Michigan State his #1, but Michigan has consistently been in his top few schools.

Javaris Davis – CB – Jacksonville (FL) Ed White: Davis is a 5’9″, 173 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 running back, and #611 overall. He also claims a 4.47 forty. His brother Bryan was a safety at Georgia.

Jeffery Holland – LB – Jacksonville (FL) Trinity Christian: Holland is a 6’2″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 outside linebacker, and #40 overall. He’s committed to play in the Under Armour All-American Game. Holland traveled to Michigan with Davis (above).

Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central: Kirkland committed to Michigan in May (LINK).

Jacques Patrick – RB – Orlando (FL) Timber Creek: Patrick is a 6’3″, 233 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, and USC, along with many others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 running back, and #44 overall. As a junior in 2013, he ran the ball 231 times for 2,153 yards and 30 touchdowns. Patrick’s cousin is a coach for Detroit (MI) King whom Jacques visits fairly regularly. The 247 Sports Crystal Ball is 97% in favor of Florida State at this time, and chances are slim that Patrick comes up north to play football.

John Reid – CB – Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s: Reid is a 5’10”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 cornerback, and #109 overall. He claims a 4.43 forty. Reid is also the teammate of 2015 Michigan offensive guard commit Jon Runyan, Jr.

Auden Tate – WR – Tampa (FL) Wharton: Tate is a 6’4″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #38 wide receiver, and #302 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 49 receptions for 815 yards and 5 touchdowns. He recently released a top group “in no particular order” that had Michigan as the team listed first, which may or may not mean anything. Either way, the Wolverines are in the thick of it, and the 247 Sports Crystal Ball has Michigan with a plurality of votes.

D’Andre Walker – DE – Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes: Walker is a 6’2″, 218 lb. defensive end with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, USC, and numerous others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 weakside end, and #161 overall.


2016
Kjetil Cline – WR – St. Paul (MN) East Ridge: Cline is a 6’0″, 193 lb. prospect with offers from Pitt and Western Michigan. He claims a 4.45 forty. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 630 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

K.J. Costello – QB – Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic: Costello is a 6’4″, 213 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, Michigan, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 pro-style quarterback, and #139 overall. Costello is one of five quarterbacks Michigan has offered so far in the 2016 class, and he seems the most likely to choose Michigan at this early juncture.

Dylan Crawford – WR – La Canada Flintridge (CA) St. Francis: Crawford is a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Oregon State, Tennessee, UCLA, and USC, among others. He is good friends and will be traveling with Costello, but seems less enthused about Michigan than some west coast schools.

Jovanny Garcia – DT – St. Paul (MN) East Ridge: Garcia is a 6’3″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State and Minnesota. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #16 defensive tackle, and #118 overall. He’s a teammate of Cline (above) and plays in the same league with Jashon Cornell.

Patrice Rene – S – Ottawa (Ontario) St. Peter: Rene is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Syracuse, among others. He is reportedly moving from Canada to Virginia before his junior year to attend Alexandria (VA) Episcopal. Rene camped at Michigan in 2013.

Naseir Upshur – TE – Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep: Upshur is a 6’3″, 232 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 tight end, and #166 overall. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 8 receptions for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 40 tackles and 12 sacks as a defensive end.

2017
Jonathan Sutherland – WR – Ottowa (Ontario) Pearson: Sutherland is a 5’10”, 175 lb. prospect with an offer from Rutgers.

Luiji Villian – DE – Ottowa (Ontario) Pearson: Villian is a 6’3″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Minnesota and Rutgers. He attended the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp with teammate Sutherland (above).

Craig Yeast II – WR – Fremont (OH) Ross: Yeast is a 5’11”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati and Kentucky. He claims a 4.5 forty, a 36.5″ vertical, a 265 lb. bench, and a 415 lb. squat. Yeast is the son of former Kentucky wide receiver Craig Yeast, who at one time was the SEC’s all-time leader in receptions (208) and second-leading receiving yardage leader (2,899 yards) after teaming up with future #1 draft pick Tim Couch. Yeast went on to be a 3rd round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals and played for the Jets before moving on to the Canadian Football League.

Recruiting Update: June 9, 2014

Warren (OH) Harding center James Daniels (image via 247 Sports)

COMMITMENT
USC transfer Ty Isaac committed to Michigan (LINK). MGoVideo put together a reel of all of Isaac’s touches at USC last year (LINK), and it’s tough not to be impressed with what Isaac brings to the table. He had a better offensive line at USC last year than what Michigan’s backs had in 2013, but he still has a knack for breaking tackles and falling forward.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Corona (CA) Santiago quarterback Blake Barnett decommitted from Notre Dame. The 247 Composite #65 player in the nation is likely to choose Oregon sooner or later.

Warren (OH) Harding center James Daniels was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 282 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #9 center, and #584 overall. Daniels is that rare center prospect who actually plays center in high school, and he looks like a good one for Michigan’s style of offense. His brother, Leshun Daniels II, is a running back for the Hawkeyes, and James’s father played for Iowa, too. Despite Michigan having a good amount of success at Harding (Mario Manningham, Prescott Burgess, Carl Diggs), it looks like James will pick the Buckeyes or Hawkeyes.

Sacramento (CA) Grant Union offensive guard Darrin Paulo was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 344 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #41 offensive guard, and #593 overall. Paulo plays tackle in high school, but several schools see him as a guard, which is where I also think he fits best. He has stated that he wants to stay close to home, so Michigan’s chances are slim.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist quarterback Shea Patterson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect who committed to Arizona in December 2012; he now has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 pro-style quarterback, and #57 overall in his class. As a sophomore in 2013, he completed 138/223 passes for 2,655 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions while running 74 times for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. Patterson plays in a spread offense that emphasizes his passing skills, which include good arm strength and very good accuracy. He’s not a great runner, but he’s athletic enough to move the chains when necessary. Patterson plans to visit Michigan this summer and seems excited about the offer. Where he ends up is anybody’s guess, but I do not believe he will remain committed to Arizona.

Virginia Beach (VA) Ocean Lakes cornerback Levonta Taylor was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 cornerback, and #46 overall. He claims a 4.32 forty, a 40″ vertical, a 4.09 shuttle, a 275 lb. bench, a 520 lb. deadlift, a 405 lb. squat, and a 10’6″ broad jump, all of which add up to make him quite an impressive athlete if those numbers are close to being true. As a sophomore in 2013, he made 48 tackles, 7 interceptions (1 touchdown), 10 pass breakups, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble. On film Taylor is a blazer with good ball skills and hitting ability.

Suffolk (VA) Lakeland linebacker Jaquan Yulee was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 258 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 outside linebacker, and #142 overall. He claims a 4.92 forty, a 275 lb. bench, and a 500 lb. squat. Yulee played inside linebacker for his high school team last year, but he looks to me like a LaMarr Woodley or Brandon Graham type of player who will transition to defensive end in college.

OFF THE BOARD
Richmond (VA) Benedictine defensive end Clelin Ferrell committed to Clemson. This is a bit of a blow to Michigan’s recruit efforts as they have developed a foothold in Virginia over the past couple years, including guys like Derrick Green, Wilton Speight, and Garrett Taylor. The Wolverines are also in need of weakside end types unless they plan to put Noah Furbush there, because Frank Clark graduates after the upcoming season, leaving just Mario Ojemudia (a senior in 2015) and Lawrence Marshall (sophomore or redshirt freshman) at the position. Ferrell is also a teammate of 2016 wide receiver Scott Bracey, who holds a Michigan offer.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of visitors from this past week (LINK).

The Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge took place in Baltimore this past weekend (LINK).

Orlando (FL) Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick is in town for the week leading up to the Sound Mind Sound Body camp next week. Patrick’s cousin is a coach at Detroit (MI) King and perhaps the biggest reason that Michigan might have a shot at Jacques, who is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 running back, and #44 overall in the 2015 class. As a junior in 2013, he carried the ball 231 times for 2,153 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Damien Harris, ex-Wolverine

Berea (KY) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris officially decommitted from Michigan yesterday, which is the second huge decommitment from Michigan’s 2015 class, following Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake wide receiver George Campbell. He originally committed to the Wolverines last August after being offered in the summer of 2012 when he camped in Ann Arbor. In fact, he was the first player to be offered by Michigan in the 2015 class. While no definitive reason has been stated for rescinding his pledge, his family was apparently fond of former offensive coordinator Al Borges; with Borges out the door and Michigan’s 15-11 record over the past two seasons, it’s somewhat understandable that the 247 Composite #2 running back would have second thoughts. However, it’s still disappointing for a Michigan fan base who expected that Harris’s love for his childhood favorite would carry him through to National Signing Day in February 2015.

New offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and running backs coach Fred Jackson visited Harris in his hometown recently, and obviously, Harris wasn’t 100% comfortable with the situation. His mother has told recruiting outlets that the Wolverines are still #1 on Harris’s list, but the vast majority of kids who decommit end up choosing another school.

Michigan has a few options at this point. They immediately responded by offering Princeton (NJ) Princeton 3-star running back Johnny Frasier, who holds a middling offer list. Detroit (MI) Cass Tech runner Mike Weber has had an offer for a while, but he has stated that Michigan wasn’t recruiting him very hard, so it might be hard to get back in the race with him after teams like Michigan State and Tennessee have worked on him. Orlando (FL) Timber Creek’s Jacques Patrick has a cousin who coaches in Detroit, and Plano (TX) West’s Soso Jamabo holds an offer as well, but both of those players seem like longshots.

Despite a couple mediocre seasons, Michigan still has the brand name and the television presence to pull kids in from around the country. Nussmeier has some different connections and some different philosophies, so it will be interesting to see which players get offered next. Two names I plan to keep an eye on are Hubbard (OH) Hubbard’s Larry Scott and East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis running back Natereace Strong, a teammate of linebacker Kyron Watson, a Kansas commit who was offered in the 2014 class.

For other news on ex-Wolverines, you can check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Visitors: Second week of June 2013

Orlando (FL) Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick

With school ending at various times around the country, visits won’t really be limited to being on the weekends. These are a few players who have visited in the last couple days or will visit in the next week.

Kalen Ballage – RB – Peyton (CO) Falcon: I wrote up a scouting report on Ballage last week. UPDATE: Ballage canceled his visit due to the wildfires taking place in Colorado.

Dre Brown – RB – DeKalb (IL) DeKalb: Brown is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Illinois and Northern Illinois. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 108 carries for 759 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also plays cornerback for his high school, which may be his position when he reaches college.

Jalen Brown – WR – Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe: The 6’2″, 170 lb. wideout has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, and numerous others.  He was named Gatorade’s Player of the Year in Arizona after a junior season in which he had 67 catches for 1,235 yards and 18 touchdowns, to go along with his 26 tackles, 5 interceptions (1 of which was returned for a touchdown), and 1 fumble recovery. Michigan is looking for a slot receiver to complement the two bigger receivers (Drake Harris, Maurice Ways) who are already committed.

Jashon Cornell – DE – St. Paul (MN) Cretin Derham Hall: Cornell is a 6’4″, 230 lb. weakside end prospect with offers from Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, and lots of others. According to 247 Sports, he’s a 4-star, the #2 outside linebacker, and the #18 overall prospect for 2015.

Noah Furbush – LB – Kenton (OH) Kenton: Furbush is a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, and Tennessee, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 115 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  He is unranked by ESPN, Rivals, and Scout, but he’s a 3-star and the #52 OLB to 247 Sports.  This is his second visit to Michigan.  Personally, I think Furbush looks more like a future weakside end, but he’s being recruited as a SAM linebacker.

Jamarco Jones – OG – Chicago (IL) De La Salle: Jones is a 6’5″, 290 lb. prospect who has narrowed things down to Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 4-star, the #4 offensive tackle, and the #49 overall player for 2014. Most projections have him going to Ohio State, but there are some rumblings that Michigan is making a late push. He has set an announcement date for June 27.

Jeff Jones – RB – Minneapolis (MN) Washburn: Jones is a 6’0″, 194 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, among others; he has been committed to Minnesota since March, but is considering other options. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 4-star, the #9 running back, and the #144 overall prospect. As a junior in 2012, he had 110 carries for 1,002 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Stanley Norman – WR – Culver City (CA) Culver City: Norman is a 5’11”, 170 lb. prospect with offers from UCLA, Utah, and a few others. To 247 Sports he’s a 4-star, the #15 wide receiver, and the #157 player overall for 2015.

Jacques Patrick – RB – Orlando (FL) Timber Creek: Patrick is a 6’1″, 213 lb. back with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC, along with many others. The class of 2015 prospect claims a 4.6 forty and had 231 carries for 2,032 yards and 29 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2012.  Patrick is making a swing through the midwest to see Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, and his cousin Terel Patrick coaches at Detroit (MI) King – which sent Dennis Norfleet to Michigan recently.

Frank Ragnow – OT – Chanhassen (MN) Chanhassen: Ragnow is a 6’6″, 271 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Cal, Florida State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and several others. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 3-star, the #41 offensive tackle, and the #527 overall player.

Reno Rosene – OT – Thousand Oaks (CA) Oaks Christian: Rosene is a 6’7″, 310 lb. prospect for 2015 with an offer from Notre Dame.  According to 247 Sports, he’s a 4-star, the #14 OT, and the #164 player overall for his class.