Tag: James Ross

Recruiting Update: October 19, 2011

California WR Jordan Payton

OFF THE BOARD

This guy was already off the board, but Fairless Hills (PA) Pennsbury OT J.J. Denman flipped his commitment from Penn State to Wisconsin.  The 6’6″, 305 lb. lineman would appear to fit in well at Wisconsin.  Frankly, I can’t think of a single reason for an offensive lineman not to choose to attend Wisconsin right now.  The Badgers have churned out solid offensive linemen over the last several years, including first round picks Joe Thomas (Cleveland Browns) and Gabe Carimi (Chicago Bears); they win all the time and put up all kinds of points; and they get to eat whatever they want.  What’s not to like?

POTENTIAL COMMITMENT

Westlake Village (CA) Oaks Christian WR Jordan Payton has set his announcement date for next Tuesday, October 25th.  Payton was formerly committed to USC, and has since been rumored to be a Cal or Michigan lean.  Most recent reports have him leaning toward Michigan.  The 6’2″, 199 lb. wideout will be visiting Notre Dame this coming weekend, but the fact that he set his announcement date for immediately following his visit to South Bend suggests that he has already made his decision.  Payton has decent speed, but perhaps more importantly, he knows how to catch the ball and get upfield.  He understands body positioning and body lean and will get every inch that’s available to him.  He probably won’t be a superstar at the next level, but he could be a very good #2 receiver.

ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL ROSTERS

Since the first waves of offers from the new coaching staff were sent out earlier this year, I noticed that Coach Hoke and Co. seemed to be offering elite players in higher quantities.  That observation has been borne out in numerous ways so far, including the Rivals 250, the Scout 300, the 24/7 Top 247, etc.  To add to the mounting list of evidence, I submit more data for the argument that Michigan is targeting higher quality players than they were under Rich Rodriguez:

Last year 25 of the Army All-American Bowl players sported Michigan offers.  While the 2012 game’s rosters have yet to be completed, 50 of the planned participants have offers to play football in Ann Arbor.  Only five of those 50 have committed to Michigan at this point (OG Kyle Kalis, OT Erik Magnuson, LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, LB James Ross, and DT Ondre Pipkins), but if AAB rosters are any indication of elite talent, then Michigan’s going after it in spades.

Aside from the four aforementioned players, Michigan still has a good shot at landing the following participants:

• OT Zach Banner
• WR Jordan Payton
• CB Yuri Wright

Recruit Tracker (updated)

Dymonte Thomas (#1) had a monster game with 4 touchdowns against Carrollton on Friday night (image via The Alliance Review)

OL Blake Bars and Montgomery Bell Academy (3-4) beat Father Ryan by a score of 17-14.

New Rivals 250 Released for 2012

James Ross is the #158 prospect in the nation

The new Rivals 250 was released on Tuesday.

Here’s what the rankings looked like back in mid-May.

Since then, here’s what happened for Michigan recruits:

– James Ross dropped from #143 to #158

– Joe Bolden dropped from #167 to #184

– Terry Richardson dropped from #195 to #214

– Tom Strobel dropped from #231 to outside the top 250

The following players have been offered by Michigan:

101. Keith Brown – LB – Florida (Miami)
103. Dillon Lee – LB – Georgia (Alabama)
104. Zeke Pike – QB – Kentucky (Auburn)
106. Greg McMullen – DE – Ohio (Nebraska)
111. JaQuay Williams – WR – Georgia (Auburn)
113. Vince Biegel – LB – Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
118. Jordan Payton – WR – California
120. Faith Ekakitie – DE – Illinois
121. Peter Jinkens – LB – Texas (Texas)
122. Max Tuerk – OT – California (USC)
125. LaDarrell McNeil – S – Texas (Tennessee)
127. Drae Bowles – WR – Tennessee (Tennessee)
129. Elijah Shumate – S – New Jersey
132. Ty Darlington – C – Florida (Oklahoma)
141. Bri’onte Dunn – RB – Ohio (Ohio State)
143. Raphael Kirby – LB – Georgia (Miami)
145. Dalvin Tomlinson – DT – Georgia
146. Evan Boehm – OG – Missouri (Missouri)
148. Jake Rodrigues – QB – California (Oregon)
149. Aaron Burbridge – WR – Michigan (Michigan State)
151. Paul Thurston – OT – Colorado (Nebraska)
154. Danny O’Brien – DT – Michigan
155. Jaleel Johnson – DT – Illinois (Iowa)
158. James Ross – LB – Michigan (Michigan)
161. Devonte Fields – DE – Texas (TCU)
162. Michael Starts – DE – Texas (Texas Tech)
163. Dwayne Stanford – WR – Ohio
165. Deontay McManus – WR – Maryland (West Virginia)
168. Kyle Dodson – OG – Ohio (Wisconsin)
169. Dan Voltz – OT – Illinois (Wisconsin)
170. Kwon Alexander – LB – Alabama
172. Brent Wilkerson – DE – Maryland (Penn State)
173. Cyrus Jones – CB – Maryland
174. Connor Brewer – QB – Arizona (Texas)
175. Matt Jones – RB – Florida (Florida)
180. Sean Price – TE – Florida (South Florida)
183. Brock Stadnik – OT – North Carolina (South Carolina)
184. Joe Bolden – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
188. Jonathan Williams – RB – Texas (Missouri)
196. Michael Moore – DE – Maryland (Virginia)
197. Derek Edinburgh – OT – Louisiana (LSU)
198. Adam Bisnowaty – OT – Pennsylvania
203. Ken Ekanem – DE – Virginia
204. Armani Reeves – CB – Massachusetts (Penn State)
205. Martin Aiken – DE – South Carolina (Clemson)
206. Shane Callahan – OT – Colorado
207. Ryan Watson – DE – Maryland
209. Jarontay Jones – DE – Georgia (Virginia Tech)
211. Amara Darboh – WR – Iowa
212. Latroy Pittman – WR – Florida (Florida)
214. Terry Richardson – CB – Michigan (Michigan)
226. Jordan Diamond – OT – Illinois
227. Jody Fuller – WR – North Carolina (South Carolina)
229. Leonte Carroo – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
230. Warren Ball – RB – Ohio (Ohio State)
233. Reginald Davis – WR – Texas (Texas Tech)
234. Troy Hinds – DE – Utah (BYU)
240. I’Tavius Mathers – RB – Tennessee (Mississippi)
246. Darius Powe – WR – California

Recruit Tracker

Jeremy Clark (#2) had a punt return for a touchdown on Friday night.

Blake Bars of Montgomery Bell Academy lost against Trninity High 66-21.

Joe Bolden played this afternoon on ESPN and won by a score of 17-7 over Cocoa.  He had 12 tackles and a 38-yard pass on a fake punt.  He also averaged 36.8 yards punting the ball.

Ben Braden’s team the Rockford Rams were defeated by the Lowell Red Arrows 28-7.

Pharaoh Brown’s team the Brush Arc’s were defeated by Eastlake North 51-20.  Brown had 2 receptions.

Jeremy Clark and North Hopkins defeated Graves County by a score of 42-13.  Clark had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown to go along with 12 tackles and 1 interception.

Devin Funchess had 3 receptions for 70 yards, plus an interception, in a 43-7 victory over Detroit Cass Tech.

Allen Gant played on both sides of the ball as his team the Southview Cougars won 26-24 over the St. Francis de Sales Knights at The Glassbowl, which is home to the Toledo Rockets.  He had 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup, 1 carry for 6 yards, and 1 reception for 5 yards.

Matt Godin of Detroit Catholic Central registered two tackles before sitting out the second half due to a concussion. DCC won 42-0 over Dearborn Fordson.

Sione Houma’s team the Highland Rams won 41-7 over the Cedar Reds.

Royce Jenkins-Stone had 4 tackles to go along with 2 receptions for 3 yards and 5 carries for 4 yards in a 43-7 loss to Farmington Hills Harrison.

Kyle Kalis of the 2010 Division 1 state champion Lakewood-St. Edward’s Eagles did not play in a 17-14 victory over Cleveland Glenville.  He sat out the game with a knee injury suffered in last week’s scrimmage.

Erik Magnuson’s team the La Costa Canyon Mavericks open next week.

Shane Morris of Warren De La Salle went 12/15 for 233 yards and 1 touchdown. His team beat Ann Arbor Pioneer 43-28.

Mario Ojemudia had 4 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1/2 a sack, and 6 quarterback hurries in a 43-7 win over Detroit Cass Tech.

Ondre Pipkins’ of the Park Hill Trojans won 13-7 over Liberty.  Pipkins had 8 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

Terry Richardson had 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup in a 46-6 loss to Farmington Hills Harrison.  He also returned 3 kicks for 70 yards and had 1 reception for 11 yards.

Kaleb Ringer was held out of yesterday’s contest against Hamilton due to a broken hand.

James Ross of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s reportedly did a lot of stretching, bike riding and warm-ups while his team took care of Grand Rapids West Catholic 35-0.  Ross had 7 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.

Anthony Standifer’s Crete-Monee team defeated T.F. South by a score of 32-8.

Tom Strobel had 5 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries in a 49-21 victory over Euclid.

Jarrod Wilson had 6.5 tackles in a 31-6 loss to Massillon Washington.

Christopher Wormley’s team the Whitmer Panthers defeated the Start Spartans 42-6.  Wormley had 2 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 quarterback hurry.

247 Sports’ Top 100

Michigan commit Kyle Kalis is the #40 player in the nation.

247 Sports re-ranked their top 100 recently, and there are some changes to note (find previous rankings here):

– Michigan commit CB Terry Richardson dropped from #31 out of the top 100.

– Michigan commit (and former Ohio State commit) moved up from #52 to #40.

– Michigan commit LB James Ross dropped from #84 to #100.

– Michigan commit OT Erik Magnuson jumped from #85 to #63.

– Michigan commit DT Ondre Pipkins jumped from #149 to #88.

The new ratings of Michigan offerees:

5-stars
1. Arik Armstead – OT – California (USC)
2. Dorial Green-Beckham – WR – Missouri
3. Eddie Goldman – DT – Washington, DC
5. Andrus Peat – OT – Arizona
7. Kyle Murphy – OT – California
8. John Theus – OT – Florida (Georgia)
9. Keith Marshall – RB – North Carolina
10. Stefon Diggs – WR – Maryland
12. Gunner Kiel – QB – Indiana (Indiana)
14. D.J. Humphries – OT – North Carolina (Florida)
15. Mario Edwards – DE – Texas (Florida State)
16. Noah Spence – DE – Pennsylvania
18. Yuri Wright – CB – New Jersey
20. Devin Fuller – QB – New Jersey
22. Darius Hamilton – DE – New Jersey
23. Jarron Jones – DT – New York

4-stars
24. Nelson Agholor – S – Florida
26. Jordan Jenkins – DE – Georgia
28. Ellis McCarthy – DT – California
30. Dan Voltz – OT – Illinois (Wisconsin)
32. Geno Smith – CB – Georgia
34. Eli Harold – DE – Virginia (Virginia)
39. Joshua Garnett – OG – Washington
40. Kyle Kalis – OG – Ohio (Michigan)
45. Javonte Magee – DE – Texas
46. Tee Shepard – CB – California (Notre Dame)
49. Ifeadi Odenigbo – DE – Ohio
54. Dillon Lee – LB – Georgia (Alabama)
56. Chris Wormley – DE – Ohio (Michigan)
58. Kwon Alexander – LB – Alabama
59. Armani Reeves – CB – Massachusetts
60. Jordan Diamond – OT – Illinois
63. Erik Magnuson – OT – California (Michigan)
64. Jonathan Taylor – DT – Georgia (Georgia)
66. Ronald Darby – CB – Maryland (Notre Dame)
70. Zach Kline – QB – California (Cal)
72. Brock Stadnik – OT – North Carolina (South Carolina)
73. Sheldon Day – DT – Indiana (Notre Dame)
74. Durron Neal – WR – Missouri (Oklahoma)
77. Jabari Ruffin – LB – California (USC)
78. Elijah Shumate – S – New Jersey
80. Connor Brewer – QB – Arizona (Texas)
81. Dominique Wheeler – WR – Texas (Texas Tech)
87. Aaron Burbridge – WR – Michigan (Michigan State)
88. Ondre Pipkins – DT – Missouri (Michigan)
89. Cyrus Jones – CB – Maryland
90. Jordan Simmons – OG – California
92. LaDarrell McNeill – S – Texas
93. Tommy Schutt – DT – Illinois (Penn State)
96. Drew Harris – RB – Pennsylvania
98. Zeke Pike – QB – Kentucky (Auburn)
99. Bryce Treggs – WR – California
100. James Ross – LB – Michigan (Michigan)