Recruiting Snapshot: Maryland

Tag: Jordan McNair


30Mar 2017
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Recruiting Snapshot: Maryland

Anthony McFarland, Jr.

Anthony McFarland, Jr. (image via 247 Sports)

2017 Team Ranking: #18. Maryland signed eight 4-stars and twenty 3-stars.

Cream of the 2017 Crop: Is it possible that anyone’s better than wide receiver/cornerback Fofie Bazzie? I think not. It’s not often this can be said, but it’s hard to determine which player is the crown jewel of Maryland’s class because there are so many good options. The highest ranked player is Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha’s Anthony McFarland, Jr., a running back who missed most of his senior year with a leg injury. He’s the #100 overall player in the class and has some big-play ability. The Terps also landed Oxon Hill (MD) Potomac cornerback Deon Jones (#175 overall), Bridgeton (NJ) Bridgeton safety Markquese Bell (#191 overall), and Washington (DC) St. John’s quarterback Kasim Hill (#240 overall), all skill guys who could be difference-makers at the next level. In addition, Maryland has really struggled in the trenches in recent years, but they signed DeMatha offensive guard Marcus Minor (#225 overall) and Owings Mills (MD) McDonough offensive tackle Jordan McNair (#285 overall). Hill is a guy who looked pretty good, especially as a runner, in the Under Armour All-American Game:

Hit the jump for a look at the 2018 class.

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19Apr 2016
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Recruiting Update: April 19, 2016

Sampson Niu 870x

San Diego (CA) Madison LB Sampson Niu

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Salinas (CA) Palma center Drew Dalman was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 265 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Colorado, and Fresno State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #16 center, and #1373 overall. Dalman isn’t an overpowering lineman, but he is quick out of his stance with a low base. He’s the type who fits at center and not anywhere else.

San Antonio (TX) John Jay offensive tackle Matthew Huhn was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’7″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Houston, and Iowa State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #81 offensive tackle, and #771 overall. He’s a little heavy-footed and not an ideally athletic prospect, so I would slot him in as a right tackle. Based on the way I expect Michigan to recruit, he’s not on par with what I expect at this juncture, but we’ll see how his recruitment plays out.

Sandy Hook (CT) Newtown linebacker Ben Mason was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 247 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College, Cal, Duke, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #35 inside linebacker, and #878 overall. Unfortunately, the only reason many of us – including me – have heard of Sandy Hook before is the elementary school shooting that took place there in December of 2012, in which 28 total people were killed. Anyway, he plays linebacker and fullback for his high school team, but Michigan is looking at him probably as a fullback or a defensive end. He is an underwhelming linebacker prospect, in my opinion.

San Diego (CA) Madison linebacker Sampson Niu was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 217 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Notre Dame, Oregon, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #18 inside linebacker, and #476 overall. As a junior in 2015, he made 90 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He does a very good job of staying low and tackles like a wrestler, but he needs to add weight and strength, as he lacks the necessary bulk and strength to hold up against some of the linemen, fullbacks, and running backs he’ll meet at the next level. He is generally expected to end up at USC.

Jahan Dotson 871x

Highstown (NJ) Peddie WR Jahan Dotson

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Highstown (NJ) Peddie wide receiver Jahan Dotson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #6 wide receiver, and #84 overall. As a junior at Nazareth (PA) Nazareth in 2015, he caught 66 passes for 1,179 yards and 16 touchdowns, plus 1 kickoff return TD and 1 punt return TD. He claims a 4.46 forty. Michigan offers so many prospects that I won’t always suggest you watch every highlight film . . . but this is one you’ll want to watch:

Houston (TX) Dekaney tight end Malcolm Epps, who committed to Alabama in February, was offered by Michigan. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 tight end, and #82 overall. He’s listed at 6’6″, 214 lbs. and also has offers from Florida State, LSU, and Texas, among others. Right now Epps is a tall, lanky wide receiver, but his body will fill out and he’ll end up as a tight end. Right now there is no indication that he’ll waver from his Alabama commitment.

Seffner (FL) Armwood running back Brian Snead was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 running back, and #54 overall. As a sophomore in 2015, he ran 174 times for 1,227 yards (7.1 yards/carry) and 17 TDs. He’s a strong runner with good speed. Armwood is traditionally a school that churns out talent, but it has not been kind to Michigan over the years.

Max Williams 872x

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra CB Max Williams

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2019
Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra cornerback Max Williams was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Boston College, Florida State, and LSU, among others. He visited with a bunch of other California prospects last weekend (see below for the link to the visitors list), but Serra is another program that has not been kind to Michigan over the last several years.

OFF THE BOARD
Anaham (CA) Servite wide receiver Terrell Bynum committed to Washington. Michigan was always on the periphery of his recruitment, so this was not much of a surprise.

Owings Mills (MD) McDonough offensive tackle Jordan McNair committed to Maryland. Even with the hometown discount, this was a bit of a surprise because McNair is a high-level prospect with a lot of suitors, and Maryland’s offensive line development has not been particularly good over the past several years. He might be one to watch down the road, though the Terrapins have a very easy schedule this year, so they might gain some momentum once the season gets underway.

Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek running back Bo Melton committed to Rutgers. Melton was a teammate of Michigan early enrollee wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell, so I thought the Wolverines would have a good shot here. He was one of my most wanted prospects in the class because I think he has some big-play potential, though he might end up playing wide receiver or possibly in the defensive backfield, too.

Redlands (CA) East Valley defensive end Jaelan Phillips committed to UCLA. Similar to Bynum, Michigan was not heavily involved in his recruitment, and UCLA appeared to be the favorite for a while.

Indpendence (OR) Central defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu committed to Washington. This commitment was a bit of a surprise because he seemed to want to let things play out a bit more, so it will be interesting to see whether he follows through with taking visits elsewhere or not. Michigan has seemingly picked up their pursuit of players with Pacific Islander descent now that Tony Tuioti has been hired as a player personnel guy.

MISCELLANEY
Here’s a list of visitors from this past weekend (LINK).

Holmdel (NJ) Vianney offensive tackle Micah Clark named a top five that includes Michigan at #2, right behind Rutgers.

Brunswick (GA) Glynn Academy cornerback DeeJay Dallas named Michigan to a final ten list of schools. It’s an array of ACC, SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten schools that also includes the school that he was previously pledged to in the form of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s running back D’Andre Swift named Michigan to a top ten.

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling named a top ten that does not include Michigan. I did not expect him to pick a school outside of ACC/SEC country, but I held on to a sliver of hope since he’s the son of former New Orleans Saint and Detroit Lion outside linebacker Pat Swilling.

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

19Nov 2015
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Visitors: Michigan at Penn State

Brooklyn (NY) Poly OT Isaiah Wilson

With Michigan hitting the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Maryland areas hard in recruiting, many of the Wolverines’ targets will be at Penn State this Saturday for the game. I won’t give a writeup on all of those players since I usually reserve that for home games, but here’s a list of players who will see Michigan win (or lose) against Penn State.

Offered players are denoted with an asterisk.

2016
Quinn Nordin – P/K – Rockford (MI) Rockford (Penn State)*
Miles Sanders – RB – Pittsburgh (PA) Woodland Hills (Penn State)*
Joejuan Williams – CB – Hendersonville (NC) Hendersonville

2017
Jordan Anthony – LB – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy*
Micah Clark – OT – Holmdel (NJ) Vianney*
Robert Hainsey – OG – Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy*
Devon Hunter – S – Chesapeake (VA) Indian River*
Donovan Jeter – DE – Beaver Falls (PA) Beaver Falls
Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph*
Jordan McNair – OT – Owings Mills (MD) McDonogh*
Nathan Proctor – LB – Indiana Head (MD) Lackey
C.J. Thorpe – OT – Pittsburgh (PA) Central Catholic*
Isaiah Wilson – OT – Brooklyn (NY) Poly*

2018
Phil Jurkovec – QB – Gibsonia (PA) Pine-Richland
Matt McElroy – LB – New Milford (NJ) New Milford
Micah Parsons – LB – Harrisburg (PA) Central Dauphin*
Bartek Ryka – LB – Paramus (NJ) Catholic

21Apr 2015
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2017 Recruiting Update: April 21, 2015

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Ambry Thomas (image via Twitter)

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COMMITMENT

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice tight end Carter Dunaway committed to Michigan (LINK).


ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017

Olney (MD) Good Counsel linebacker Jordan Anthony was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Iowa, Kentucky, and Maryland. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 outside linebacker, and #110 overall. Anthony is a speedy linebacker who would probably be a weakside linebacker in college. Good Counsel is the alma mater of Michigan fifth year senior cornerback Blake Countess.

Los Angeles (CA) Hawkins wide receiver Taariq Johnson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Miami, and Ohio. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #19 wide receiver, and #127 overall. Johnson is big enough to be a potential tight end. He’s a recent transfer from Long Beach (CA) Poly, and his highlights were removed from their Hudl page, so all I have to go on right now is a few highlights from a camp. Two of Johnson’s 2017 teammates include running back Greg Johnson and wide receiver Joseph Lewis, both of whom already hold offers from the Wolverines.

Hit the jump for several more new offers, a few guys who committed elsewhere, and some random bits.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 183 lb. prospect with offers from Northwestern, Pitt, and several MAC schools. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #12 safety, and #180 overall. He claims a 4.49 forty. His film shows a solidly built safety who’s not afraid to come up and stop the run, although he is transitioning to cornerback for his junior season at Cass Tech. Kelly-Powell was named after his dad’s favorite Michigan basketball player, Jalen Rose, and grew up a Michigan fan.

Owings Mills (MD) McDonogh offensive tackle Jordan McNair was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Maryland, Ohio State, and Penn State. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #21 offensive tackle, and #159 overall. McNair seems a little overrated to me, as he does not move particularly well for a tackle and does not consistently finish his blocks.

Paramus (NJ) Catholic linebacker Drew Singleton was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 215 lb. prospect whose only other offer comes from Rutgers. He’s also a 247 Sports 4-star, the #11 outside linebacker, and #136 overall. Singleton is a little ponderous at the point of attack and does not seem like a fluid athlete, although he does have good straight-line speed. Not only does he hail from the alma mater of Jabrill Peppers and Juwann Bushell-Beatty, but Michigan has also offered 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, 2016 wide receiver Donald Stewart, and 2017 defensive end Corey Bolds. The Paladins also feature a highly regarded 2018 quarterback, Allan Walters, who already holds a Rutgers offer. New Michigan recruiting coordinator Chris Partridge was the team’s head coach up until last season, too.

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Ambry Thomas was offered by Michigan. He’s listed at 5’11”, 165 lbs, but he does not look that tall or big in his film. He has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, and Pitt. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #10 cornerback, and #144 overall. Although he is tiny, Thomas is quite possibly the fastest player in the state of Michigan for the class of 2017. He has not been in a great deal of contact with the Wolverines, so it’s unclear how serious both sides are, but Michigan needs an influx of speed, and Thomas has some. King has several top-notch prospects over the next couple classes, including an entire defensive backfield that could be playing FBS football in the next couple years – 2016 wide receiver/cornerback Donnie Corley, 2016 cornerback Lavert Hill (a Penn State commit), 2016 safety Jesse Johnson, and 2016 cornerback Dontre Boyd, not to mention Thomas and 2018 corner Jaeveyon Morton.

Snellville (GA) Brookwood tight end Leonard Warner was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 209 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #7 outside linebacker, and #101 overall. Warner plays a lot of different roles for his high school team – linebacker, fullback, tight end, wide receiver – and could feasibly play tight end or linebacker at the next level. He seems to enjoy the physical aspect of the game, as he’s a hard-nosed tackler and also lays some devastating trap blocks on defensive tackles from an H-back alignment. It will not be easy to pry him out of the south.

Cypress (TX) Cy-Fair tight end Brock Wright was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 243 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 tight end, and #56 overall. He has an impressive combination of blocking and running skills with the speed to outrun defensive backs. As a junior in 2014, he caught 17 passes for 369 yards and 2 touchdowns. Michigan does not have a great shot at landing him, but Cy-Fair is the alma mater of the one and only Sam McGuffie, so the Wolverines have that going for them.

OFF THE BOARD
Antioch (CA) Antioch running back Najee Harris committed to Alabama. Harris is the #1 running back and #16 overall player according to 247’s ranking, and he was the first 2017 prospect that Jim Harbaugh’s staff offered.

Akron (OH) Hoban running back Todd Sibley, Jr. committed to Ohio State, and the hits kept coming for Michigan recruiting this weekend. The Wolverines have offered just five running backs in the 2017 class, and two of them went off the board this weekend. Sibley joins his quarterback – Danny Clark, who transferred in from Massillon (OH) Washington – as a Buckeyes commit. Michigan was probably Sibley’s #2 choice, but that doesn’t count for much.

Westerville (OH) South cornerback Marcus Williamson committed to Ohio State, too. The Buckeyes had a solid couple days of recruiting on their spring game weekend.

MISCELLANEOUS
247 Sports released their initial top 247 list for 2017 (LINK).

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