Recruiting Update: July 7, 2014

Tag: Jalen Wilkerson

7Jul 2014
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Recruiting Update: July 7, 2014

Glen St. Mary (FL) Baker defensive end CeCe Jefferson (#7)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Glen St. Mary (FL) Baker defensive end CeCe Jefferson was offered by Michigan at some point in the past. He’s a 6’2″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 strongside end, and #4 overall. Michigan apparently offered him a while ago, but it was not made public until recently. Obviously, that does not bode well because Jefferson clearly hasn’t publicized his interest. Meanwhile, he appears ticketed for Florida.

Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy quarterback David Sills decommitted from USC. I can’t help feeling a little badly for Sills, who made national news for committing to the Trojans as a seventh grader when Lane Kiffin offered him. It underlines the uncertainty of early recruiting, but Sills watched two coaching changes at USC, saw current coach Steve Sarkisian grab Ricky Town from Alabama, and now finds himself searching for a lower-tier home, which seems likely to be West Virginia at this point.

OFF THE BOARD
New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic wide receiver Miles Boykin committed to Notre Dame. Michigan thought they might have a chance after he visited for the spring game and was offered shortly thereafter, but things had been trending toward Notre Dame for a few weeks. The Wolverines ended up finishing third behind the Fighting Irish and Michigan State.

St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end Jashon Cornell committed to Ohio State. I have noted all along that Cornell was overrated as a defensive end, and Michigan’s coaches apparently saw him more as a defensive tackle as he added weight. They were reportedly not pursuing him very hard toward the end of his recruitment, although it likely would not have mattered either way.

Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier linebacker Justin Hilliard also committed to Ohio State. I wrote a scouting report on Hilliard last November (LINK), and I do think he will be a force to reckon with as a Buckeye. In my opinion, he’s the best prospect to come out of Ohio in the last few years.

Douglasville (GA) Alexander running back Mikell Lands-Davis committed to Georgia Tech. Lands-Davis is a sturdy back with good balance, and I can picture him making a good triple-option fullback for the Yellowjackets.

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne wide receiver A.D. Miller committed to Illinois. I considered Miller one of the top three receivers likely to commit to Michigan in the 2015 class, so now the Wolverines are down to two (Brian Cole and Auden Tate) unless they extend more offers.

Orange Park (FL) Oakleaf linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, a 2016 prospect, committed to Miami. His teammate was linebacker Darrion Owens, who also held a Michigan offer and chose Miami in the 2014 class.

Douglas (GA) Coffee tight end Jalen Wilkerson committed to Florida State. Michigan never had much of a chance, and his highlight reel entitled “The Chosen One” made me not want him in Ann Arbor, anyway.

MISCELLANEOUS
I posted a list of players planning to attend the 2014 BBQ at the Big House (LINK).

I also posted a list of participants in Nike’s The Opening (LINK).

Last week on Recruiting Season, I profiled Orchard Lake St. Mary’s linebacker Joshua Ross, Detroit Cass Tech’s Demetric Vance and Donovan Peoples-Jones, Brighton’s Alexx Zielinski, and Traverse City West’s duo of Jacob Cerny and Tommy Roush.

3Feb 2014
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Recruiting Update: February 3, 2014

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Devante Peete

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Warminster (PA) Archbishop Wood offensive tackle Ryan Bates was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #21 offensive tackle, and #225 overall. Bates looks to me like a right tackle or perhaps a guy who can slide inside to play guard. The in-state Nittany Lions seem to be a likely destination.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) American Heritage cornerback Rashard Causey was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame, and UCLA, among others. He’s also a 247 Composite 3-star, the #34 cornerback, and #443 overall, but he has only been rated by 247 so far.

Avon (CT) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 247 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #15 tight end, and the #422 player overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 39 catches for 417 yards and 6 touchdowns. Physically, he’s well developed, and that might be because he’s 18 years and 5 months old already, according to 247. He appears to be a solid prospect who won’t amaze anyone with his speed or athleticism but would come in ready to play early. Perhaps most importantly, Clark attends the alma mater of blog favorite Michael Cox, who played at Michigan from 2008-2011.

Jefferson City (MO) Helias tight end Hale Hentges was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Florida State, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 tight end, and the #203 prospect overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 61 receptions for 945 yards and 9 touchdowns. He plans to visit Michigan for a spring practice. I have not seen video of Hentges to gauge whether I think he’s better suited to play defense, but as a defensive end during his sophomore year, he had 62 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks.

Houston (TX) Cypress Falls defensive tackle Du’Vonta Lampkin was offered by Michigan, despite being committed to Oklahoma since November 2013. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #23 defensive tackle, and the #346 player overall. Michigan has recruited Cypress Falls in the past with 2014 LB Otaro Alaka (Texas A&M), but it’s tough to pull kids out of Texas in general.

Lawrenceville (NJ) Prep offensive tackle Grant Newsome was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, North Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, and Virginia, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #23 offensive tackle, and #235 overall. Newsome is agile and strong, and I think he looks like a left tackle at the next level.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Devante Peete was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, and Ohio State, among many others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 wide receiver, and the #119 player overall in the 2015 class. As a junior in 2013, he had just 17 receptions but totaled 387 yards and 5 touchdowns. Peete is obviously a large target, but he lacks the leaping ability that I would expect from such an advanced prospect and does not run with the strength that one would expect from someone his size. However, he does have good speed, and perhaps at 6’6″, a lack of leaping ability isn’t a big issue. St. Thomas Aquinas has produced several Michigan targets – and successful college athletes – in recent years, including 2014 WR Corey Holmes (Notre Dame), 2013 DE Joey Bosa (Ohio State), 2011 OG Bobby Hart (Florida State), and 2010 DB Lamarcus Joyner (Florida State).

Memphis (TN) University School offensive tackle Drew Richmond was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 315 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, UCLA, and Vanderbilt, among many others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 offensive tackle, and #79 overall. He already looks like a college lineman, and I would peg him for right tackle or a guard position.

Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Marshall cornerback Kendall Sheffield was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 165 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Baylor, Florida, LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #2 cornerback, and the #12 overall player in the 2015 class. Sheffield claims a 4.4 forty and looks like a smooth cover man. Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier recruited Sheffield at Alabama and had extended the Tide’s offer.

Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral offensive tackle Keenan Walker was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State, Texas A&M, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 offensive tackle, and the #102 player overall. Walker attends the alma mater of former Michigan players Taylor Lewan and Craig Roh. In case you’re wondering, the definition of “chaparral” is “vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.” I had not heard the word other than in regard to recruiting until I read a GQ article about the Granite Mountain Hotshots’ demise in an Arizona wildfire. The more you know.

Douglas (GA) Coffey tight end Jalen Wilkerson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 227 lb. prospect with offers from Miami and Minnesota. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 tight end, and the #175 player overall. He has the build and skills of an H-back type of player, and his highlight film on Hudl is titled “The Chosen One,” so at least we know he’s being surrounded with humility.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Miami (FL) Gulliver Prep defensive end Joseph Jackson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Pitt, and UCF, among others. Jackson is a very raw prospect on both sides of the ball, but his athleticism is apparent. I think he could play tight end or defensive end at the next level.