Tag: Kalen Ballage

Recruiting Update: December 16, 2013

Glassboro (NJ) Glassboro wide receiver Juwan Johnson

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Glassboro (NJ) Glassboro wide receiver Juwan Johnson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 196 lb. prospect with a reported 4.4 forty who also has offers from Arkansas, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, and Rutgers, among others. In the South Jersey championship game, he returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown and a punt 75 yards for a score. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, #16 athlete, and #156 player overall.

Chesapeake (VA) Oscar Smith defensive end Josh Sweat was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and the #56 overall prospect in 247’s Composite rankings. This is a somewhat interesting development because Michigan has supposedly been telling St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell that he was their only target in the class for weakside end, but while Sweat is listed as a weakside end, he looks to me more like an eventual strongside end due to his size and some stiffness in his movements. Of course, it’s also possible that Michigan is changing their strategy for 2015. I do not expect Michigan to be a major player in Sweat’s recruitment, though. Oscar Smith also produced defensive tackle Andrew Brown in the 2014 class, a Michigan target who is a 5-star prospect headed to Virginia.

OFF THE BOARD
Peyton (CO) Falcon running back Kalen Ballage committed to Arizona State. This is about as soft a commitment as they come, with him saying ASU is “the school I can most see myself at.” Ballage also went ahead with his scheduled visit to Nebraska this past weekend and plans to visit Washington, while Boise State and Michigan State were also thought to be in the running up until recently. Planned visits to Michigan never panned out, and while Michigan doesn’t appear to be in the running anymore, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Ballage signs somewhere other than Arizona State. I wrote up a scouting report on Ballage back in May.

Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic defensive end Garrett Dickerson committed to Northwestern. Dickerson eschewed offers from national powerhouses like Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State for the Wildcats, who garnered his interest with their academics . . . and the presence of sophomore wide receiver Cameron Dickerson, Garrett’s older brother; the elder Dickerson has had 2 catches for 20 yards in each of the last two years’ games against the Wolverines, and the 2012 game included his first collegiate touchdown. Garrett is the 247 Composite’s #198 player overall.

Aliquippa (PA) Aliquippa safety Dravon Henry committed to West Virginia. Henry could play running back, receiver, cornerback, or safety at the next level, but the Mountaineers are expected to try him at safety. He’s the 247 Composite #8 athlete and #110 player overall.

Wayne (NJ) St. Joseph Regional safety Kiy Hester committed to Miami. Hester was previously committed to Rutgers. He took an official visit to Michigan State at the end of November, and it was thought to be a three-horse race between Miami, MSU, and Rutgers, so Michigan somewhat missed a bullet by him going to the Hurricanes; he’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #17 safety, and #217 player overall.

Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter’s Prep running back Jonathan Hilliman changed his commitment from Rutgers to Boston College. Rutgers has been leaking recruits during and after their 6-6 season. I wrote up a scouting report on Hilliman a little over a year ago, after his junior season highlights were posted online. He ended his senior year with a state title game loss to Paramus (NJ) Catholic and the duo of Juwann Bushell-Beatty and Jabrill Peppers, both of whom are committed to Michigan. On the plus side for Hilliman, he’ll be joining a program that just watched senior running back Andre Williams run for 2,102 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Belmont (NC) South Point linebacker Tanner Muse committed to Clemson. Muse is a 2015 prospect who earned a Michigan offer not long ago, but he was considered to be a tough pull out of the south. He’s a 4-star and the #337 player overall, according to 247’s Composite rankings.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of players who visited Michigan this past weekend.

Visitors: Second week of June 2013

Orlando (FL) Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick

With school ending at various times around the country, visits won’t really be limited to being on the weekends. These are a few players who have visited in the last couple days or will visit in the next week.

Kalen Ballage – RB – Peyton (CO) Falcon: I wrote up a scouting report on Ballage last week. UPDATE: Ballage canceled his visit due to the wildfires taking place in Colorado.

Dre Brown – RB – DeKalb (IL) DeKalb: Brown is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Illinois and Northern Illinois. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 108 carries for 759 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also plays cornerback for his high school, which may be his position when he reaches college.

Jalen Brown – WR – Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe: The 6’2″, 170 lb. wideout has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, and numerous others.  He was named Gatorade’s Player of the Year in Arizona after a junior season in which he had 67 catches for 1,235 yards and 18 touchdowns, to go along with his 26 tackles, 5 interceptions (1 of which was returned for a touchdown), and 1 fumble recovery. Michigan is looking for a slot receiver to complement the two bigger receivers (Drake Harris, Maurice Ways) who are already committed.

Jashon Cornell – DE – St. Paul (MN) Cretin Derham Hall: Cornell is a 6’4″, 230 lb. weakside end prospect with offers from Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, and lots of others. According to 247 Sports, he’s a 4-star, the #2 outside linebacker, and the #18 overall prospect for 2015.

Noah Furbush – LB – Kenton (OH) Kenton: Furbush is a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, and Tennessee, among others.  As a junior in 2012, he had 115 tackles and 1 forced fumble.  He is unranked by ESPN, Rivals, and Scout, but he’s a 3-star and the #52 OLB to 247 Sports.  This is his second visit to Michigan.  Personally, I think Furbush looks more like a future weakside end, but he’s being recruited as a SAM linebacker.

Jamarco Jones – OG – Chicago (IL) De La Salle: Jones is a 6’5″, 290 lb. prospect who has narrowed things down to Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 4-star, the #4 offensive tackle, and the #49 overall player for 2014. Most projections have him going to Ohio State, but there are some rumblings that Michigan is making a late push. He has set an announcement date for June 27.

Jeff Jones – RB – Minneapolis (MN) Washburn: Jones is a 6’0″, 194 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, among others; he has been committed to Minnesota since March, but is considering other options. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 4-star, the #9 running back, and the #144 overall prospect. As a junior in 2012, he had 110 carries for 1,002 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Stanley Norman – WR – Culver City (CA) Culver City: Norman is a 5’11”, 170 lb. prospect with offers from UCLA, Utah, and a few others. To 247 Sports he’s a 4-star, the #15 wide receiver, and the #157 player overall for 2015.

Jacques Patrick – RB – Orlando (FL) Timber Creek: Patrick is a 6’1″, 213 lb. back with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC, along with many others. The class of 2015 prospect claims a 4.6 forty and had 231 carries for 2,032 yards and 29 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2012.  Patrick is making a swing through the midwest to see Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, and his cousin Terel Patrick coaches at Detroit (MI) King – which sent Dennis Norfleet to Michigan recently.

Frank Ragnow – OT – Chanhassen (MN) Chanhassen: Ragnow is a 6’6″, 271 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Cal, Florida State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and several others. According to 247’s Composite ranking, he’s a 3-star, the #41 offensive tackle, and the #527 overall player.

Reno Rosene – OT – Thousand Oaks (CA) Oaks Christian: Rosene is a 6’7″, 310 lb. prospect for 2015 with an offer from Notre Dame.  According to 247 Sports, he’s a 4-star, the #14 OT, and the #164 player overall for his class.

Scouting Report: Kalen Ballage

Peyton (CO) Falcon athlete Kalen Ballage

Name: Kalen Ballage
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Peyton (CO) Falcon
Position: Running back, wide receiver, linebacker
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado, Colorado State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Tulsa, Utah, Vanderbilt, Washington State, and Wyoming . . . Claims a 4.37 forty . . . Benches 370 lbs. . . . Squats 485 lbs. . . . Scored 21 offensive touchdowns and made 45 tackles as a junior in 2012 . . . Unranked on ESPN . . . Rivals 4-star, #6 ATH, #136 overall . . . Scout 3-star, #32 RB . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 90 grade, #30 ATH

Strengths: Very good speed . . . Excellent running form in open field . . . Opponents will have difficulty chasing him down from behind . . . Nice change of direction skills . . . Can swivel hips with ball in hand to get skinny and break tackles while keeping shoulders square . . . Catches ball with hands away from his body . . . Shows very good recovery speed on defense to chase plays from behind

Weaknesses: Mediocre vision . . . Occasionally misses cutback lanes . . . Carries the ball loosely away from body . . . Could have turnover issues in traffic . . . Not the smoothest pass catcher and does not snatch ball out of the air . . . Does not show great defensive instincts . . . Waits for ball carriers to come to him instead of attacking . . . Not an aggressive tackler . . . Prefers to drag down or gator roll players to ground rather than driving through ball carriers

Projection: Running back.  Ballage is ranked as an athlete, and some people have suggested that he could play outside linebacker in college.  However, I think he lacks the instincts and physicality to play linebacker at the next level.  He looks like an offensive player, most likely a running back, but perhaps a wideout if he works a little more on his catching skills.  He does not seem to be a particularly physical runner, but he’s big and strong enough to break arm tackles; if he gets into the open field, he could be very dangerous.

Reminds me of: Carlos Brown

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Ballage has expressed fairly strong interest in Michigan, but he seems to be pretty wide open right now. The in-state schools don’t seem to be much of a threat, but he’s high on schools like Arizona State, Nebraska, and Oregon, the last of which has not offered yet.  It looks to be a long road between now and a commitment.

Highlights are available on Hudl.

Recruiting Update: February 4, 2013

Falcon (CO) Falcon running back Kalen Ballage (image via Denver Post)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Lewisville (TX) Hebron safety Jamal Adams was offered by Michigan.  The 6’0″, 189 lb. prospect claims a 4.4 forty and is an early 4-star to Rivals and 247 Sports.  He also has offers from Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Texas, among others.  As a sophomore in 2011, he had 60 tackles and 4 interceptions.  He’s a big hitter with good ball skills who looks like a strong safety prospect.

Falcon (CO) Falcon running back Kalen Ballage was offered by Michigan.  Ballage is a 6’2″, 215 lb. running back, slot receiver, and outside linebacker, but he looks like a future college running back.  His season stats are incomplete on Maxpreps, but he had at least 245 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground; 13 catches for 193 yards and 5 touchdowns; 32 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack; 3 punt returns for 79 yards; and 1 kickoff return for a 92-yard touchdown run.  Ballage also has offers from Boise State, Colorado, Colorado State, and Utah, among others.

Norcross (GA) Norcross defensive end Lorenzo Carter was offered by Michigan.  Carter is a 6’6″, 232 lb. weakside end with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, and many others.  247 Sports has him ranked as the #1 weakside end in the nation and the #3 player overall.  While the early leader appears to be the Crimson Tide, former Michigan offensive tackle Jeff Backus came from the same high school.  Michigan has also pursued wide receiver Jason Croom (Tennessee) and center David Andrews (Georgia) in recent years.

Coppell (TX) Coppell defensive end Solomon Thomas was offered by Michigan.  Thomas is a 6’3″, 263 lb. defensive lineman with offers from Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others.  He looks like a strongside defensive end prospect or perhaps a 3-tech defensive tackle down the road.

OFF THE BOARD
Louisville (KY) Trinity defensive end Jason Hatcher re-committed to USC.  For a split second, he de-committed to consider home state schools Kentucky and Louisville.

Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek wide receiver Marquez North committed to Tennessee.  Michigan was never really in the running, but this is the third year in a row that the Wolverines have offered a Mallard Creek product, following offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (Florida) in 2012 and quarterback Marquise Williams (North Carolina) in 2011.

Arvada (CO) Ralston Valley offensive tackle Dan Skipper changed his commitment from Tennessee to Arkansas.  The 6’10”, 295-pounder was seriously considering Michigan at one point, but the commitment of Dan Samuelson ended Michigan’s search for offensive linemen.  Skipper is particularly tall and struggles to stay low, so I think Michigan’s other linemen are superior prospects.

Cordova (TN) St. Benedict running back Jordan Wilkins committed to Ole Miss.  Wilkins had previously been committed to Auburn.

COACHES ON THE ROAD
Here’s a partial list of whom the coaches have visited in the past week:

Ty Barrett – OT – Dallas (TX) Skyline
Jalen Brady – QB – Southfield (MI) Southfield
Ray Buford – WR – Southfield (MI) Southfield**
Shaun Crawford – CB – Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s
Garrett Dickerson – TE – Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic
Tommy Doles – C – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian
Drew Dowding – LB – Michigan Center (MI) Michigan Center
Jalen Embry – CB – Detroit (MI) King
Carl Fuller – LB – Detroit (MI) King
Damien Harris – RB – Berea (KY) Madison Southern**
Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian
Dewayne Hendrix – DE – O’Fallon (IL) O’Fallon
Dravon Henry – S – Aliquippa (PA) Aliquippa
Elijah Hood – RB – Charlotte (NC) Catholic
Tifonte Hunt – CB – Harvey (IL) Thornton
Jon Vea Johnson – WR – Gary (IN) West Side
Lonnie Johnson – WR – Gary (IN) West Side
Ronnie Larue – S – Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne
Tyler Luatua – TE – La Mirada (CA) La Mirada
Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield
Quenton Nelson – OT – Red Bank (NJ) Catholic
Montae Nicholson – S – Monroeville (PA) Gateway
Edward Paris – S – Mansfield (TX) Timberview
Henry Poggi – DT – Baltimore (MD) Gilman*
Jovan Pruitt – OG – Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne
Gelen Robinson – DE – St. John (IN) Lake Central
Brandon Simmons – S – Mansfield (TX) Timberview
Wilton Speight – QB – Richmond (VA) Collegiate
Dionte Sykes – WR – Chandler (AZ) Chandler
Dallis Todd – WR – La Mirada (CA) La Mirada
Nick Watkins – CB – Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne
Kyron Watson – LB – East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis
Jauan Wesley – WR – Harvey (IL) Thornton
Darius West – S – Lima (OH) Central Catholic
Parrker Westphal – CB – Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook
Dwight Williams – LB – Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra

*2013 prospect
**2015 prospect