Florida defensive tackle Maquedius Bain decommitted from the Seminoles
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School defensive tackle Maquedius Bain decommitted from Florida State. This comes as no surprise, since Bain has been looking around for months. Michigan is not expected to be in the running for another defensive tackle as long as the current recruiting class remains intact, so this likely has no impact on Michigan.
OFF THE BOARD
Upper Marlboro (MD) Frederick Douglass wide receiver Paul Harris committed to Tennessee. A reported top two of Tennessee and USC was released shortly before his decision, but he claimed those two schools didn’t have an advantage over the other three schools in his top five. Then he picked the Volunteers, anyway.
Lakeland (FL) Kathleen wide receiver/defensive back Javon Harrison, a 2014 prospect, committed to Virginia Tech. Michigan was recruiting him as a wide receiver, but it seems the Hokies plan to use him at safety.
Chandler (AZ) Hamilton offensive tackle Casey Tucker, a 2014 prospect, committed to USC. Tucker is the teammate of class of 2013 cornerback Cole Luke, who holds a Michigan offer but is unlikely to be a part of the class.
Cordova (TN) St. Benedict running back Jordan Wilkins committed to Auburn. He almost committed to the Tigers when he visited a couple months ago, but held off long enough to get up the hopes of a couple other teams. He then visited Michigan at the end of June, but he wasn’t very impressed by Michigan’s lack of $180,000 handshakes. I wrote up a scouting report on Wilkins a couple months ago. Unless Michigan offers any more running backs, it looks like all the eggs are in the Derrick Green basket.
Grand Rapids (MI) Christian offensive tackle Tommy Doles was offered by Michigan. Doles is a 6’5″, 260 lb. lineman whose only offer comes from Michigan. He attends the same high school as a fellow 2014 offeree, wide receiver Drake Harris. So far Michigan’s coaches are recruiting Doles as an athlete and are looking at him for offensive line, defensive line, or perhaps even as a tight end. (Highlights.)
New Orleans (LA) St. Augustine running back Leonard Fournette was offered by Michigan. Fournette is a 6’0″, 210 lb. tailback with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, and many others. As a freshman in 2010, he had 174 carries for 1,735 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Shaker Heights (OH) Shaker Heights defensive end Joe Henderson was offered by Michigan. Henderson is a 6’4″, 215 lb. high school defensive end who looks like he would play weakside end if he chooses Michigan, the only team to have offered so far. (Highlights.)
Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Corey Holmes camped at Michigan and earned an offer. Holmes is a 6’1″, 175 lb. receiver with offers from Florida, South Florida, and Wisconsin. He stated that Michigan sits atop his list, but it’s early in the process. Holmes is the teammate of defensive end Joey Bosa, whom Michigan offered for the 2013 class before he committed to Ohio State. (Highlights.)
Monroeville (PA) Gateway safety Montae Nicholson was offered during camp. He’s a 6’2″, 195 lb. safety who could play either strong or free, and he has already been offered by Penn State and Pitt. Gateway consistently puts out FBS talent, including guys like Shayne Hale (Pitt), Cam Saddler (Pitt), Corey Brown (Ohio State), and Dorian Bell (Ohio State). (Highlights.)
La Porte (TX) La Porte linebacker Hoza Scott was offered by Michigan. At 6’2″ and 205 lbs., he already holds offers from Alabama, Florida, LSU, Texas, and USC, among others. Last month he named his top five; four of them are in the SEC, and the other one is Cal. He appears to be a long shot to come to Michigan, but you can see in the highlights that the kid is a playmaker, pulling off outside linebacker plays that I normally see only in NCAA Football ’12.
Mansfield (TX) Timberview safety Brandon Simmons was offered by Michigan. Simmons is a 6’0″, 170 lb. free safety or cornerback prospect with offers from LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and several others. His teammate is fellow safety prospect Edward Paris, who has also been offered by the Wolverines. As a sophomore in 2011, Simmons had 100 tackles, 15 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. (Highlights.) ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Sherman (TX) Sherman offensive tackle Aaron Garza was offered by Michigan. Garza is a 6’4″, 300 lb. lineman.
Berea (KY) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris was offered by Michigan. And yes, I’ve started a 2015 offer board, and Harris was the first name on that list. That means 2011 was Harris’s freshman season, but he ran the ball 62 times for 742 yards (11.4 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns while playing in just six games on varsity. He’s already 6’0″ and 200 lbs. (Highlights.)
OFF THE BOARD
San Diego (CA) Horizon wide receiver Darren Carrington committed to Oregon. He was just recently offered by Michigan and mentioned plans to attend camp but never made it to Ann Arbor.
Hilliard (OH) Darby athlete Caleb Day committed to Illinois. Day didn’t have a Michigan offer but camped at Michigan last week in an effort to earn one. He could play several positions in college, including running back, wide receiver, cornerback, or safety.
Wide receiver Sebastian LaRue committed to USC. Michigan had a shot to win over LaRue until the Trojans offered. Then it was game over.
VISITORS
Seffner (FL) Armwood wide receiver Alvin Bailey will be visiting Michigan this week. Bailey has already been offered by Michigan and is the teammate of highly touted defensive back Leon McQuay III, who has Michigan in his top three after visiting last month.
Cordova (TN) St. Benedict running back Jordan Wilkins is visiting Michigan today. He already visited Auburn and almost committed there, and he mentioned that he wants to play early. That may be difficult with all the other running backs on Michigan’s roster. I have doubts about whether a visit will sway Wilkins, but at least he’s coming to campus. I wrote up a scouting report on him a month ago.
Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central OLB Brandon Lee: Lee, a 2014 prospect, is a 6’3″, 200-pounder who has offers from Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Purdue. While he doesn’t have an offer from Michigan yet, he may get one down the road. Maybe not this weekend, though. He had 85 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery as a sophomore in 2011.
Cordova (TN) St. Benedict RB Jordan Wilkins: The 6’1″, 200 lb. back visited Auburn last weekend and almost committed. In fact, there’s a chance that this weekend’s visit to Ann Arbor doesn’t take place. Reports indicate that Wilkins isn’t enamored with the depth chart at Michigan, and both Wilkins and Virginia’s Derrick Green were put on the back burner a little bit while the coaches pursued Ty Isaac, who committed to USC. It seems like a long shot that Michigan will get Wilkins, but if he comes to campus, there’s always a chance. I wrote up a scouting report on Wilkins a couple weeks ago. (UPDATE: Wilkins is not visiting this weekend because he’s taking the ACT.)
Name: Jordan Wilkins Height: 6’1″ Weight: 200 lbs. Position: Running back Class: 2013 School: Cordova (TN) St. Benedict
Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Memphis, Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 4-star RB, 83 grade, #17 RB . . . Rivals 4-star RB, #18 RB, #209 overall . . . Scout 3-star RB, #34 RB . . . 247 Sports 4-star RB, 93 grade, #4 APB, #147 overall . . . As a junior in 2011, rushed for 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns Strengths: Wilkins has good size and a solid frame . . . Should be able to handle the pounding of a big conference . . . Smooth pass catcher out of backfield . . . Shows nimble feet and pretty good lateral movement . . . Good acceleration through the hole . . . Gets to top speed quickly . . . Gets low in traffic . . . Does not go down easily on contact
Weaknesses: Not a true burner . . . Does not have a second gear to pull away from high level defensive backs . . . Carries ball a little loosely at times . . . Does not consistently keep ball in his outside hand, so there is a bit of a concern about ball security
Projection: Running back. Wilkins looks a little like a poor man’s Ty Isaac, which is interesting because Isaac was the #1 target on Michigan’s board. Wilkins’s feet aren’t quite as quick and he doesn’t have the same top-end speed, but they’re similar runners with good size and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Wilkins could develop into a solid starter at a Big Ten-level school, but he doesn’t appear to have an extremely high ceiling.
Yesterday’s announcement by Joliet (IL) Joliet Catholic running back Ty Isaac that he would be playing football at USC stunned some Michigan fans. With his recent behavior, it was not surprising that heading to Southern California would be his choice. Isaac started to withdraw from publicity a little bit, and it seems that when kids start to weary of the process, that’s often because they’re headed somewhere that won’t necessarily be well received publicly. A kid from Illinois spurning Notre Dame, Michigan, and other midwest schools is going to get a little blowback. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Isaac’s recruitment is over, because schools will probably continue to make a push for him. But for now, Michigan fans should operate under the assumption that he’s permanently off the board.
Isaac was clearly the top running back prospect on the coaches’ board, so where do the Wolverines go from here? Well, they already have Warren (OH) Howland running back DeVeon Smith and Novi (MI) Catholic Central jumbo running back Wyatt Shallman. Both are solidly considered 4-star recruits, they can both play a role at Michigan, and both seem to be strongly committed to Michigan. What Michigan seems to lack in those two guys is a gamebreaker. They’re both grind-it-out types who can break tackles or score near the goal line, but neither appears to have the speed and agility to go 80 yards on any given play.
The two names that pop up most frequently are Richmond (VA) Hermitage running back Derrick Green and Cordova (TN) St. Benedict tailback Jordan Wilkins. While Green claims 4.37 forty speed, that kind of acceleration and explosion isn’t apparent on his highlight film. The 6’1″, 215-pounder looks more like a between-the-tackles power guy than a big play guy. With Smith and Shallman already in the fold for 2013, taking a commitment from Green would seem a bit redundant.
Wilkins, on the other hand, looks a lot more like Isaac. The Tennessee product has more lateral agility than Green, can catch the ball out of the backfield much like Isaac, and has the ability to break the big one. While I don’t know that I can justify saying that Wilkins is faster than someone who claims a 4.37 forty, comparing junior film of Wilkins and Green makes the former look like the big-play guy that Michigan should be seeking.
Outside of those two guys, who both have offers, the pickings get a little slim. There aren’t a great deal of options in the midwest, and reaching outside of the midwest is always a tough pull. Chelsea (MI) Chelsea tailback Berkley Edwards is a Michigan legacy and the younger brother of wide receiver Braylon Edwards, but he’s small and probably not the feature back that Michigan really wants. Otherwise, he would have been offered already. Pickerington (OH) North’s Godwin Igwebuike is the teammate of 2013 tight end commit Jake Butt and has an offer from Wisconsin, but again, he’s not a threat to take it the distance. The only other big-time running back prospect in the Big Ten imprint appears to be Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep’s David Williams, who has offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State. Williams doesn’t have a Michigan offer and it could very well be too late to get a foot in the door.
It seems most likely at this point that Michigan will once again go without an elite level running back in the 2013 class, which continues the trend that arguably started in the 2010 class. Fitzgerald Toussaint, a 2009 recruit, was somewhat highly touted but not really a national recruit. One might even make the argument that you would have to go all the way back to 2008, when Michigan snagged the highly sought after Sam McGuffie, to find an elite running back in a Michigan recruiting class.
