Tag: John Kelly

2015 Recruiting Update: January 27, 2015

Left to right: Reuben Jones, Greg Mattison, and Jake Pickard

COMMITMENTS
Albuqerque (NM) Eldorado quarterback Zach Gentry committed to Michigan (LINK).

Lakeland (FL) Lake Gibson defensive end Reuben Jones committed to Michigan (LINK).

West Chester (OH) Lakota West offensive tackle Nolan Ulizio committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Rashard Causey decommitted from Florida Atlantic. Michigan offered almost exactly a year ago, but then he surprisingly committed to FAU in April over some decent offers. The 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect took officials to Wisconsin and Louisville in the meantime, and he decommitted following the Louisville visit. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #50 cornerback, and #517 overall. He’s also a teammate of cornerback Damon Arnette, who visited Michigan two weekends ago but remains committed to South Carolina at this time. Causey transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas – a powerhouse program in Florida – prior to his senior season. Georgia and Tennessee have entered the fray and may be difficult to beat, but Michigan could also throw its hat into the ring once again, as Causey says he is “open to everyone.”

Houston (TX) Cypress Falls cornerback Nate Dalton was offered by Michigan. The 6’2″, 185 lb. prospect scheduled an official visit to Michigan for this past weekend, but he then promptly announced that he would not be taking the visit and committed to Arkansas instead. Dalton is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #90 cornerback, and #1011 overall, but the book appears to be closed on him. File him under “Off the Board.”

Manvel (TX) Manvel cornerback William Lockett was offered by Michigan. Lockett is a 6’0″, 182 lb. prospect who has been committed to UCLA since last August. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #79 cornerback, and #849 overall. Lockett took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend, but he has since said that he’ll stick with his commitment to UCLA. So maybe he should be in the “Off the Board” category.

Hit the jump for a couple more new offers, some commits elsewhere, and some other tidbits.

Omaha (NE) Central defensive end Daishon Neal was offered by Michigan. Neal is a 6’7″, 250 lb. prospect who has been committed to Nebraska since April 2014; he also has offers from Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #36 strongside end, and #674 overall. Neal has said that he has narrowed his choices down to the Cornhuskers or potentially Michigan, and that was before the offer came through on Monday. It’s quite possible that he will visit Ann Arbor officially this coming weekend. As far as talent goes, Neal has some untapped potential. He’s a good athlete with some speed and length, but he plays a little high and doesn’t get off blocks as quickly as he should. I see him more as a 3-4 defensive end than a speed rusher or one-gap guy, so it will be interesting to see how Michigan runs their defense if he comes on board.

Millburn (NJ) Millburn defensive end Jake Pickard was offered by Michigan. Pickard is a 6’6″, 231 lb. prospect who has been committed to Wisconsin since last July; he also has offers from Nebraska, Oregon, Rutgers, and Syracuse, among others. Pickard canceled a potential official visit to Oregon for an official to Michigan this past weekend, and he will be having coaches from Syracuse, Wisconsin, and Michigan in to visit him this week. It was reported that Pickard was told he was the only defensive end Michigan is offering, but that deal seemed to expire on Monday when the coaches officially went after Neal. Pickard is another long, thick guy who is being recruited for the end position, but he could also play tight end, defensive tackle, or even offensive tackle, depending on how his body fills out. He seems to be a high-effort player whose film is full of him getting penetration and batting down passes, which can be be useful assets.

Prattville (AL) Prattville cornerback Keith Washington was offered by Michigan. Washington is a 6’2″, 170 lb. prospect who just committed to Cal on Sunday. He has also taken officials to North Carolina, Indiana, and Louisville – with two remaining – and holds offers from Duke (where he was committed last summer), Kentucky, Miami, Missouri, and TCU, among others. He is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #75 dual-threat quarterback, and #952 overall, but several teams are recruiting him as a defensive back. As a senior this past year, he was 93/162 for 1,718 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions; he also ran for 1,201 yards and 20 scores. He moved from Texas to Alabama prior to his senior year, which is why you might see some highlights wearing two different uniforms.

OFF THE BOARD
Princeton (NC) Princeton running back Johnny Frasier flipped from Florida State to North Carolina State. Frasier immediately becomes the Wolfpack’s top recruit (#76 overall), ranked even higher than former Michigan commit Darian Roseboro. They’re quietly putting together a solid class with #27 overall ranking for 2015.

Oak Park (MI) Oak Park running back John Kelly committed to Tennessee. Kelly was recruited hard by Jim Harbaugh, but Michigan got in on him late and he was friendly with Mike Weber. If the Wolverines had been able to hold onto Weber’s commitment, they might have had a chance. Instead, Weber is committed to Ohio State, and Kelly – who was not offered by the Buckeyes – chose the Volunteers.

Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton linebacker Osa Masina committed to USC. Masina is a 247 Composite 5-star and Michigan got in on him relatively early, but the Wolverines’ poor season seemed to turn him off. Michigan had been consistently in his top four or five schools, but they dropped out of it recently and it was understood they had no chance. Masina spurned the chance to play at Utah with his older brother.

Greenbelt (MD) Eleanor Roosevelt offensive tackle Isaiah Prince committed to Alabama. The Crimson Tide pulled off a minor upset by stealing him away from Maryland.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of last weekend’s official visitors (LINK).

It’s obvious that Michigan wants at least one more cornerback in this class, but options are getting slim now that Dalton committed to Arkansas, Lockett reconfirmed to UCLA, and Long Beach (CA) Poly’s Colin Samuel canceled a hastily planned official visit. Late in the recruiting process, you start to look at lower-rated guys from Michigan or Ohio, places where a childhood affinity for – or awareness of – Michigan’s tradition can play a factor. I’ll throw out a few names to keep an eye on if Michigan continues to be rebuffed:

• Southfield (MI) Southfield wide receiver/defensive back Ja’Mar Antwine is a 6’0″, 181 lb. prospect who committed to Central Michigan last June. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #236 cornerback, and #2682 overall. Antwine looks more like a safety at the next level and is probably an inch or two shorter than 6’0″.
• Grand Rapids (MI) Ottawa Hills wide receiver/cornerback Sam Beal is a 6’2″, 177 lb. prospect who’s committed to Western Michigan. He probably projects best as a wide receiver, but he has good speed and a long frame to work with. He’s a 247 Composite 2-star, the #165 athlete, and #2089 overall.
• Southfield (MI) Southfield wide receiver/cornerback Ray Buford, Jr. is 6’1″, 195 lbs. and committed to Minnesota last July over a bunch of MAC offers. He was a teammate of current Michigan defensive end Lawrence Marshall and Southfield has some decent prospects in the pipeline, too, including 2016 running back Matt Falcon. Buford doesn’t offer a ton of speed, but he has decent size and a solid frame. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #77 athlete, and #978 overall.
• Saline (MI) Saline defensive back Tyrone Miller started off his high school career at Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer and has visited Michigan a few times. He’s 6’1″, 171 lbs. and claims a 4.61 forty. He’s not the quickest kid around, but he is fairly physical and could be a boundary corner, play in the slot, or play safety. Miller held out on committing to MAC schools for a while but committed to Central Michigan in December; however, he recently picked up offers from Kansas and more could be on the way. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #112 cornerback, and #1262 overall.

Over on Recruiting Season, I added/updated profiles on:

• Saline DB Tyrone Miller
• Farmington Hills Harrison LB Michael Ojemudia
• West Bloomfield DT Eddy Wilson II
• Bright TE Alexx Zielinski

Scouting Report: John Kelly

Name: John Kelly
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Running back
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Miami-OH, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Tennessee, Western Michigan . . . Claims a 4.38 forty . . . 37″ vertical . . . ESPN 3-star, 78 grade, #55 running back . . . Rivals 3-star, #28 athlete . . . 247 Sports 3-star, 88 grade, #38 athlete

Strengths: Solidly built . . . Strong lower body and leg churn . . . Runs with good body lean through line of scrimmage . . . Runs like a sprinter, getting more upright in open field . . . Good acceleration in and out of cuts . . . Excellent vision and patience as a runner . . . Very good top-end speed . . . Runs through contact . . . Looks for cutbacks instead of going out of bounds . . . Aggressive blocker both in run and pass game . . . Also an aggressive tackler on defense

Weaknesses: Does not have a great deal of highlights on defense . . . Questionable ball skills . . . Seems to make more plays on offense than defense . . . Gives and takes a pounding, so durability may become an issue

Projection: Running back. I’ve had my eye on Kelly for a couple years now, and while he’s being recruited by some schools to play defense, I just don’t see the playmaking on that side of the ball. He has been dynamic on offense, and the skills I’ve seen displayed translate to running back more than any other position, in my opinion. Other than great size, he has a good dose of everything you want in a running back: speed, vision, strength, toughness, a willingness to block, etc.

Reminds me of: T.J. Yeldon from Alabama. Yeldon is obviously significantly larger, but the way Kelly runs – low through the line, good vision, cutting back to avoid going out of bounds, upright in the open field, etc. – reminds me of the Crimson Tide running back.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Tennessee supposedly leads, but Michigan is a strong possibility, too. Right now Michigan State leads the 247 Sports Crystal Ball with 39% of the votes, followed by 32% for the Wolverines. Right now Kelly has visits set for Tennessee, Minnesota, and Michigan. Things are pretty up in the air.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Maryland

Tampa (FL) Wharton wide receiver Auden Tate

Here’s a list of players who will be visiting Michigan for their game against Maryland this weekend, the final home game of the season.

2015
Jack Dunaway – DE – Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway is committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on defensive end. He’s the son of former Michigan tight end Craig Dunaway.

John Kelly – S – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Kelly is a 5’10”, 194 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #62 athlete, and #656 overall. Michigan offered him after cornerback Garrett Taylor decommitted, but the Wolverines are looking at Kelly as a safety. Kelly averaged 10.7 yards/carry as a senior this year, ending up with 1,321 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Alex Malzone – QB – Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Michigan’s quarterback commit for the 2015 class (LINK), Malzone was 211/325 (65%) for 2,998 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

Grant Newsome – OT – Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School: Newsome committed to Michigan in June (LINK). He’s now rated as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #21 offensive tackle, and #209 overall. This will be his official visit.

Grant Perry – WR – Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Perry is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect with offers from a bunch of MAC schools and is angling for a Michigan offer to follow his quarterback teammate, Malzone. Perry is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #130 wide receiver, and #1047 overall.

Auden Tate – WR – Tampa (FL) Wharton: Tate is a 6’4″, 215 lb. prospect who committed to Florida State in August; he also has offers from Florida, Georgia, and Michigan, among others. It always looked like a Michigan vs. Florida State battle with the Seminoles leading. An official visit, this will be Tate’s first time in Ann Arbor.

Hit the jump for 2016, 2017, and 2018 prospects.

2016
John Fitzgerald – WR – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Fitzgerald is a 6’3″, 210 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Devery Hamilton – OT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: I wrote a fairly comprehensive blurb on Hamilton the other day (LINK) after he was offered by Michigan.

Ellison Jordan – DT – Balitmore (MD) Gilman: Jordan is a 6’0″, 255 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Penn State, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 defensive tackle, and #167 overall.

Jeremy Larkin – RB – Cincinnati (OH) LaSalle:

Dorian Maddox – RB – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Maddox is a 5’11”, 205 lb. prospect with no offers at this point. He could also be a strong safety at the next level.

Brian Manuel – DT – Washington (DC) St. John’s Collegiate: Manuel is a 6’5″, 320 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He is a massive human being who could probably afford to shed a little bit of weight, but he will definitely earn some FBS offers soon.

Shamar Shanks – LB – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Shanks is a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Stephen Spanellis – OG – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: You can read more about Spanellis in the Hamilton link above.

Korey Stevens – CB – Baltimore (MD) Gilman:

Abdullah Yaseen – CB – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Yaseen is a 5’9″, 166 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

2017
Troy Brown – WR – Flint (MI) Beecher: Brown is a 6’1″, 200 lb. prospect with no offers at this point. He plays wide receiver, but he also looks like a pretty physical safety for being just a sophomore. He claims a 4.56 forty, a 215 lb. bench, and a 315 lb. squat.

Carter Dunaway – TE – Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway is the younger brother of Carter Dunaway and a teammate of Malzone and Perry.

Kasim Hill – QB – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Hill is a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State and Syracuse.

Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Malone-Hatcher is a 6’3″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. He has visited Alabama several times and has family connections down there, so an Alabama offer may be difficult to ward off.

Camaron Spence – DT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Spence is a 6’2″, 275 lb. prospect with an offer from Maryland.

2018
Dan Bolden – LB – Cincinnati (OH) Colerain:

Taron Vincent – DT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Vincent is the son of former Wisconsin (and Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles) cornerback Troy Vincent, as well as the brother of Troy, Jr. (North Carolina State), whom Michigan recruited in the class of 2014.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Indiana

John Kelly

2015
John Kelly – S – Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Kelly is a 5’9″, 191 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota, along with some MAC schools. This will be his first post-offer visit to Michigan, since he was just offered earlier this week. Kelly is good friends with running back commit Mike Weber – who will not be at the game – but is probably considered a Michigan State lean at this point.

Tyrone Miller – S – Saline (MI) Saline: Miller is a 6’0″, 178 lb. prospect with offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, and Eastern Michigan. He has yet to receive much big-time interest, but he has visited Michigan several times now, including for a camp this past summer. Miller is the high school teammate of running back coach Fred Jackson’s son, Joshua.

Hit the jump for 2016 and 2017 prospects.

2016
Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King: Corley is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect who has been picking up steam lately. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #33 wide receiver, #2 in-state, and #156 overall. Over the last few weeks, schools like LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin have extended verbal scholarship offers.

David Reese – LB – Farmington (MI) Farmington: Reese is a 6’1″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Akron, Central Michigan, Ohio, Toledo, and Western Michigan. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #16 inside linebacker, #17 in-state, and #520 overall. Reese is a little on the short side, but with the way he moves, I think he might be a defensive end at a smaller program instead of a linebacker.

Prince Simmons – DE – Cincinnati (OH) Hills Christian Academy: Sammons is a 6’8″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, and others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 strongside end, and #65 overall.


2017
Johnathan Berghorst – DE – Zeeland (MI) East: Berghorst is a 6’2″, 217 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He has visited Michigan several times.

Troy Brown – WR – Flint (MI) Northwestern:

2018
Jimmy Bell – OT – Saginaw (MI) Arthur Hill:

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.