Poll results: Which 2016 prospect will have the best career at running back for Michigan?

Tag: Khaleke Hudson


20Apr 2016
Blog, homepage 3 comments

Poll results: Which 2016 prospect will have the best career at running back for Michigan?

Kareem Walker 875x

Kareem Walker

Back in March I posted a poll about the 2016 class of running backs: Which 2016 prospect will have the best career at RB for Michigan?

Here are the results out of 1,105 total votes:

Kareem Walker: 48%
Naturally, this was bound to be the pick since Michigan stole Walker from Ohio State, he’s the highest rated of the bunch (4-star, #4 RB, #100 overall), and he was an Under Armour All-American. The 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect enrolled early and participated in Michigan’s spring practices, but he appears to be a ways down the depth chart for now. Walker was my pick because a couple of these guys won’t stay at tailback, and I think he has good potential to be a between-the-tackles runner with a bit of burst.

Kingston Davis: 28%
Another early enrollee, Davis is a bit of a tweener who could also play fullback. In fact, he was a 3-star, the #1 FB, and #735 overall in the 2016 class. Of course, the last time Michigan signed the #1 fullback in the class, Brandon Minor turned into a pretty good tailback. Davis’s size has been listed at anywhere from 225 lbs. to 242 lbs. at different times, and he is not the most explosive back, but he has resisted suggestions that he’ll be a blocking back in college.

Khaleke Hudson: 16%
A standout tailback in high school, Hudson was recruited to Michigan as a safety/outside linebacker. The 5’11”, 205 lb. Pennsylvania native was a 3-star, the #23 safety, and #382 overall, and he was a standout in the Semper Fi All-American Bowl. There’s always a chance that he could end up playing running back in college if the chips fall in a certain way, but I’m looking at him as a potential replacement for Jabrill Peppers down the road.

Chris Evans: 8%
Evans also appeared in the wide receiver poll results, which I posted the other day (LINK). The 5’11”, 186-pounder could be a runner, a wide receiver, or a cornerback in college. He should get his first shot at running back, but Jim Harbaugh tends to like bigger, stronger backs.

27Jan 2016
Blog, homepage 2 comments

Khaleke Hudson, Wolverine

Khaleke Hudson 587x

Khaleke Hudson

McKeesport (PA) McKeesport safety Khaleke Hudson committed to Michigan on Wednesday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, UCLA, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 74 grade, #86 S
Rivals: 3-star, #26 ATH
Scout: 4-star, #24 S, #273 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #15 S, #312 overall

Hit the jump for more on his commitment.

read more

27Jan 2016
Blog, homepage 8 comments

Recruiting Update: January 27, 2016

Netori Johnson has Superman-flavored hair

COMMITMENTS
Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour flipped from Penn State to Michigan (LINK).

Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge offensive guard Andrew Vastardis committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on (LINK). Also, if you’re looking for a list of preferred walk-on offers, they’re right there on the message board (LINK).

DECOMMITMENT
Cooper City (FL) Cooper City defensive end Rashad Weaver decommitted from Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Anaheim (CA) Servite wide receiver Terrell Bynum was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #17 wide receiver, and #129 overall.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas running back Mike Epstein, an Illinois commit, was offered by Michigan. Epstein is a 6’0″, 185 lb. prospect who also has offers from Cincinnati and UCF, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #74 running back, and #894 overall. Epstein committed to the Illinois back in August. The Wolverines have offered several of Epstein’s teammates to the point where there are too many to bother naming. Epstein is a small-ish back who runs tough despite not having great size.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) Dillard defensive tackle Jon Ford was offered by Michigan. Ford is a 6’5″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 strongside end, and #282 overall. The Wolverines also offered teammate Jordan Wright (see below), and both join wide receiver Jordan Merrell with Michigan offers, though Merrell is a Cincinnati commit.

Deerfield Beach (FL) Deerfield Beach wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was offered by Michigan. Jeudy is a 6’1″, 174 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 wide receiver, and #36 overall. Jeudy is a speedster who had 28 catches for 345 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior in 2015. He attends the alma mater of former Michigan star Denard Robinson.

Hit the jump for a lot more news.

read more

23Jan 2016
Blog, homepage 2 comments

Scouting Report: Khaleke Hudson

Khaleke Hudson

Name: Khaleke Hudson
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: McKeesport (PA) McKeesport
Position: Safety
Class: 2016

Notes: Holds offers from Akron, Army, Ball State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Navy, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Old Dominion, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Toledo, UMass, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Wisconsin . . .  Claims a 4.61 forty . . . ESPN 3-star, 74 grade, #85 safety . . . Rivals 3-star athlete . . . Scout 4-star, #24 athlete, #273 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 90 grade, #13 safety, #311 overall . . . Semper Fidelis All-American

Stats: Senior season stats include 106 carries, 1118 yards, 10.5 yards/carry, 17 TDs; 5 catches, 219 yards, 43.8 yards/catch, 5 TDs; 60 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions for 99 yards (2 TDs), 5 fumble recoveries

Strengths: Solidly built . . . Strong lower body . . . Excellent balance when running the ball . . . Runs behind his pads . . . Good speed . . . Quick feet . . . Good lateral quickness . . . Accelerates quickly out of cuts . . . Willing and capable blocker . . . On defense he shows good fundamentals . . . Disciplined defender, not a freelancer . . . Strong for his size at point of attack . . . Good force player able to keep contain . . . Solid blitzer who can be both physical and elusive to block . . . Aggressive tackler

Weaknesses: Lacks the elite speed to play corner . . . More of a zone defender than a man coverage guy . . . A little undersized to play linebacker . . . Can get overwhelmed by linemen at point of attack if playing inside . . . Would need to improve footwork through the hole as RB on offense . . . Lack of height could be an issue against tight ends and taller receivers

Projection: Strong safety/outside linebacker. Hudson is the definition of an “athlete” when you’re thinking about recruiting. He is a guy who could fill many roles, and so you just want to get him on campus, see how he fits on the field, and maybe plug him in where you have a talent deficiency. For a lot of programs – including Michigan’s – I think he fits in best as a strong safety/outside linebacker hybrid. He was excellent in that role during the Semper Fi All-American Bowl, making tackles all over the field, breaking up passes in the flat, etc. Jabrill Peppers played that role this past season for the Wolverines, and he was excellent at blowing up screens, supporting the run, and defending the flat. Hudson isn’t quite as fast or athletic, but not many people are. I also think Hudson has good enough quickness, balance, and toughness to make an impact at running back.

Reminds me of: Brandon Harrison. Harrison may have disappeared from your memory by this point, but he played at Michigan from 2005-2008 and bridged the coaching transition from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez. Harrison (5’8″, 193 lbs.) was smaller than Hudson and maybe a smidgen faster, but the former played some box safety for the Wolverines under Rodriguez. In his one year after Carr departed, Harrison made 69 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 3 pass breakups.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Hudson took his official visit to Michigan last weekend, is visiting Penn State this weekend, and will be at Pitt next weekend. He lists Michigan as “Warmer” on his 247 Sports profile, and the 43% of Crystal Ball choices in Michigan’s favor represent a plurality. It would be a minor upset if he chose either of the home-state schools, who look like the only other remaining threats.

Highlights:

16Jan 2016
Blog, homepage 4 comments

Visitors: January 15-17, 2016

Nixa (MO) Nixa TE Chase Allen

Site note: If you want to create/use an avatar for posting and discussion purposes, check out my forum post on how you can create one (LINK).


Here’s a look at the next wave of visitors headed to Ann Arbor for the first weekend visit opportunity after the dead period.

GRADUATE TRANSFER
Texas center Jake Raulerson is a 6’4″, 295 lb. graduate transfer prospect. He was a backup this past season, and he started five games in 2014. As a redshirt sophomore this past season, he would have two years to play at his next destination. Michigan also recruited Raulerson out of high school in the 2013 class.

2016
Nixa (MO) Nixa tight end Chase Allen is a 6’7″, 221 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #26 tight end, and #571 overall. Michigan recently offered Allen, but the staff piqued his interest with their use of the tight end position. There’s a good chance that Allen ends up committing to Michigan soon. I posted a scouting report on Allen on Thursday (LINK).

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy linebacker Joel Dublanko is a 6’3″, 227 lb. prospect with offers from Akron, Mississippi State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #12 inside linebacker, and #359 overall. He does not have an offer from Michigan at this time, but since the Wolverines are in a questionable situation when it comes to linebacker depth, he could be in line for one. Dublanko is a teammate of 2016 tight end Isaac Nauta (Georgia). EDIT: Dublanko is now scheduled to come next weekend instead.

Hit the jump for several more visitors.

read more