Tag: Lawrence Marshall

Top 247 for 2014 updated

247 Sports released its updated top 247 yesterday.

Here’s a list of Michigan’s targets:

5-stars:
1. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia
2. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
3. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
4. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia
6. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
7. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas
8. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey
9. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
11. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)
15. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
16. Edward Paris – S – Texas (LSU)
17. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
22. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
23. John Smith – ATH – California

4-stars:
26. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
28. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, D.C.
30. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
31. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
32. Lorenzo Featherston – DE – North Carolina
33. Marshon Lattimore – CB – Ohio
36. Joe Mixon – RB – California
37. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
40. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
43. Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois
46. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
49. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
51. Braden Smith – OG – Kansas
52. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida
55. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois
60. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona
70. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas
77. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
79. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina
81. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Ole Miss)
84. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio
91. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee
99. Dwight Williams – LB – California
101. Tyler Luatua – TE – California
106. Mason Cole – OG – Florida (Michigan)
113. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey
114. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
117. Garrett Dickerson – DE – New Jersey
126. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida
129. Elijah Hood – RB – North Carolina (Notre Dame)
131. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina
136. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas
139. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona
142. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)
152. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
159. Bryson Allen-Williams – LB – Georgia (South Carolina)
162. K.J. Williams – WR – Pennsylvania
167. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
172. Otaro Alaka – LB – Texas (Texas)
173. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois
174. Kyle Berger – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
179. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
180. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, D.C. (Tennessee)
188. Adarius Pickett – CB – California
189. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia
191. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
192. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
200. Andrew Williams – DE – Georgia
210. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
217. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Michigan (Michigan)
220. Kenny Young – LB – Louisiana
222. Juwann Bushell-Beatty – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
223. Sam Hubbard – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
226. Nic Weishar – TE – Illinois (Notre Dame)
228. T’Kevian Rockwell – LB – Texas
229. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia
236. Juwann Winfree – ATH – New Jersey
245. Dravon Henry – ATH – Pennsylvania
247. Petera Wilson – LB – Tennessee

Lawrence Marshall, Wolverine

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall committed to Michigan on Saturday morning.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others.

I wrote up a scouting report on him just . . . uh . . . yesterday.  That has pretty much all the information you might need.

As I mentioned in said scouting report, Marshall looks like a guy who could start off at weakside end as a youngster and eventually bulk up into being a strongside end.  In my opinion, he’s not an elite pass rusher, and he lacks a variety of moves that would help him circumvent college left tackles.  Those pass rush moves can be taught, however, and Marshall does have decent athleticism and pretty good straight line speed.  People have asked me if I think he can add enough weight to play on the strong side, but current starting weakside end Frank Clark came in at about 6’2″ and 215 lbs. and is now almost 280 lbs.; Marshall will be coming out of high school 10-20 lbs. heavier than Clark did and with an added inch or two in height.

You can see that I have some questions about Marshall, and there’s also evidence that kids who change their commitments during the recruiting process often struggle to find success at the next level.  Maturity and level of commitment come into play when talking about kids who make such big decisions rashly.  Hopefully, for Marshall and Michigan’s sake, he breaks that trend.  In the above linked scouting report, I made comparisons to Craig Roh – who started off at WDE before bulking up to SDE – and Tim Jamison, who remained at WDE throughout his career.  Jamison was a better athlete than Marshall coming out of high school, but the weight he added in college seemed to slow him down just enough to prevent him from becoming a top-notch player.  However, Jamison has been a fringe NFL player, and Roh signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent, so following in their footsteps would be a pretty decent achievement.

Marshall is the ninth commitment in a class that is probably going to be in the upper teens or maybe even reach twenty, so we’re about halfway home.  Michigan is also looking to take at least a couple defensive ends in the 2014 class, with guys like Detroit (MI) Loyola’s Malik McDowell and Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge’s Da’Shawn Hand still on the board.  The only other defensive lineman currently committed is Salt Lake City (UT) Highland’s Bryan Mone, a defensive tackle.

TTB Rating: 72 (ratings explanation)

Visitors: May 10-12, 2013

Cleveland (OH) St. Benedictine athlete Jerome Baker

Jerome Baker – ATH – Cleveland (OH) Benedictine: Baker is a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others.  He also claims a 4.52 forty, which is impressive for a rising junior of his size.  The class of 2015 prospect does not yet have a Michigan offer, but he will probably get one on the visit.  Baker plays running back and linebacker for Benediction, but he looks most like an inside linebacker (MIKE or WILL) from Michigan’s eyes.  UPDATE: Baker is no longer visiting this weekend.


Michael Ferns III – LB – St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville: Ferns committed to Michigan last August. He recently accepted an invitation to play in the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game.


Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Harris committed to Michigan last month.  He was recently invited to Nike’s The Opening and will also play in the Under Armour game.

Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield:  Marshall is a 6’4″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among others.  He committed to Ohio State for a couple days, but he’s no longer considering the Buckeyes.  He recently announced a top five of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and USC, but most analysts think MSU leads with Michigan a step behind.

Wilton Speight – QB – Richmond (VA) Collegiate: Speight committed to Michigan in February.  He, too, will play in the Under Armour game.


Maurice Ways – WR – Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways committed to Michigan last month.


Chase Winovich – LB – Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson: Winovich is a 6’4″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and Pitt, among others.  He claims a 4.65 forty and checks in on 247’s Composite ranking as a 3-star, the #41 OLB, and the #551 player overall.  Winovich was offered by the Wolverines in early April, immediately after a couple other SAM prospects (Kyle Berger, Sam Hubbard) committed to Ohio State.  He visited Michigan last fall and shortly after being offered last month, so this will be his third visit in the last seven months.  Ohio State and Pitt appear to be the two biggest contenders, along with Michigan.

Scouting Report: Lawrence Marshall

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall

Name: Lawrence Marshall
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) Southfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Bowling Green, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Toledo . . . ESPN 4-star, 83 grade, #12 DE, #107 overall . . . Rivals 3-star, #19 WDE . . . Scout 4-star, #12 DE . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 91 grade, #12 WDE, #207 overall

Strengths: Shows a good first step, both forward and also laterally on slants . . . Does a good job of making plays in the trash . . . Can reach out and slow down or tackle runners while being blocked . . . Good straight line speed . . . Long wingspan . . . Decent frame to add weight . . . Violent hitter

Weaknesses: Often stands up too high off the snap . . . Does not show ability to use hands to shed blockers . . . Very rudimentary pass rusher . . . Shows virtually no versatility in pass rush moves . . . Mediocre change of direction . . . Sometimes appears not to be hustling when chasing plays from behind

Projection: Strongside end. Marshall is a good athlete, but he’s not outstanding in any facet of the game.  He gets off the ball and shows good straight line speed, but he lacks some refinement, and he’s not helped by the quality of his opponents.  He does make some plays against a quality-coached opponent in Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison, but even in that game, he was unblocked on too many plays; other teams just don’t pay any attention to him and allow him to slice in for uncontested sacks, tackles for loss, etc.  Rather than being Lawrence Marshall highlights, these seem like Southfield opponents’ lowlights.  Technique can be improved, but I think a lack of explosiveness and change-of-direction skills might be an issue as a weakside defensive end.  Marshall seems like a decent FBS player, but not a future superstar.

Reminds me of: Craig Roh. Roh was a good high school athlete who was able to blow past high school offensive tackles at times, but he also struggled to rush the passer because of an inability to change direction well. Roh used his hands better as a prep, and he was eventually a very technical player with limited athletic ability.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Marshall was committed to Ohio State at one time, but they have since been eliminated from contention.  Several insiders think that Michigan State is the leader for his services, but Michigan seems to be right behind; if things fall through with the Spartans, the Wolverines might be next in line to contend for his commitment.

Visitors: March 8-10, 2013

Chicago (IL) Marist tight end Nic Weishar

Joshua Alabi – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Alabi is a 6’5″, 245 lb. defensive tackle prospect with offers from Michigan and Michigan State.  He’s a class of 2015 prospect along with running back Mikey Weber.  Alabi also visited Michigan last weekend.

Jayru Campbell – QB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Campbell is a 6’3″, 190 lb. quarterback prospect.  He does not have an offer from Michigan, but he has been verbally offered by Alabama, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.  The Wolverines did not offer a 2014 quarterback until National Signing Day 2013, so it may be a while before we find out if Campbell meets Michigan’s standards. UPDATE: Campbell did not make it to campus.

Tommy Doles – C – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Doles is a 6’5″, 255 lb. interior line prospect.  He has offers from Iowa State, Michigan, and Northwestern.  He is teammates with wide receiver prospect Drake Harris and has visited Michigan numerous times.  There are some who think Doles will be Michigan’s next member of the 2014 class.

Jalen Embry – CB – Detroit (MI) King: Embry is a 5’11”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Ball State, every direction of Michigan, and Toledo.  He’s a 3-star to 247 Sports and their #55 cornerback.  Embry attends the alma mater of rising sophomore running back/returner Dennis Norfleet.

Carl Fuller – LB – Detroit (MI) King: Fuller is a 6’3″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse, and Toledo.  He looks like a future middle linebacker, and I think that might prevent Michigan from offering because the Wolverines already have another MIKE committed in the form of Michael Ferns III.  I think Fuller is a superior prospect to Embry, but the former might be more likely to get offered. UPDATE: Fuller is no longer visiting this weekend.

Drake Harris – WR – Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Harris is a 6’4″, 180 lb. wideout with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and numerous others.  He has recently hit it off with 2014 Michigan quarterback commit Wilton Speight, and this will be Harris’s third visit in as many weeks (for Michigan’s games against Penn State, Michigan State, and now Indiana).  He is “committed” to Michigan State because he originally intended to play basketball, too, but now he seems to be more interested in pursuing a football career.

Tyree Kinnel  – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel is a 6’0″, 190 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.  He had 55 tackles and 2 interceptions as a sophomore in 2012.  Kinnel also visited Michigan last October, but he attends the alma mater of Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller as well as former Michigan players Terrence and Terry Talbott, both of whom left the program early (due to discipline and injury issues, respectively).

Lawrence Marshall – DE – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Marshall is a 6’4″, 215 lb. defensive end prospect whose most recent offers came from Mississippi, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma; he also has offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, along with several others.  Marshall has visited Michigan several times in recent weeks after being committed to Ohio State for about three days in February.

Malik McDowell – DE – Detroit (MI) Loyola: McDowell is a 6’7″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, USC, and numerous others.  He projects to strongside defensive end in college.  The race appears to be between Michigan and Notre Dame right now.

Mikey Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber is a 5’10”, 190 lb. runner with offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse.  He had 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2012.

Nic Weishar – TE – Chicago (IL) Marist: Weishar is a 6’5″, 215 lb. tight end prospect with offers from Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, along with several others. I wrote up a scouting report on him several weeks ago. UPDATE: Weishar will now be visiting next weekend.