Tag: Leon McQuay III

Schools in the News: Washington, USC

Southern California hired Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian away from the Huskies, which opens up recruiting season in the Pac-12. Michigan doesn’t typically compete with Washington for recruits, but here’s a look at the players and commits for each program that were recruited by Michigan.

WASHINGTON
2014 commits: None
Current players: TE Darrell Daniels, DE Joe Mathis, DT Elijah Qualls, S Sean Parker*, WR John Ross, WR Da’morea Stringfellow, S Shaq Thompson

USC
2014 commits: None
Current players: Hit the link.

USC’s coaching/recruiting situation was addressed in the link above, which included a couple guys who thought seriously about Michigan. If they don’t like what Sarkisian brings to the table, they could look to transfer. However, Sarkisian’s history at USC and his relatively similar style of play to what the Trojans have been running will probably result in very little change of direction for the program.

As for the Huskies, we’ll see whom they hire. Parker very nearly signed with Michigan several years ago, but that’s water under the bridge. Mathis was very high on Michigan at one point, but he supposedly had some grade issues that scared off some teams, and he was also prone to saying very nice things about every school. Qualls was a part-time high school running back and seemed like another kid with fairly high interest in Michigan, but he never visited. Thompson, a 5-star safety, made some noise about visiting but was never a serious option, and the rest of the guys never showed much interest.

I do not expect this coaching development to have any effect on Michigan, but the guys to look at most closely would be Washington’s Mathis and Qualls, plus USC’s Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay III.

*Senior in 2013

School in the News: USC

Leon McQuay III may have made a poor choice.

The news came out this morning that Lane Kiffin, head coach of the USC Trojans, is now . . . well . . . the ex-head coach of the USC Trojans. The Trojans lost to Arizona State on Saturday by a score of 62-41 and dropped to 3-2 on the year. It’s open season on their recruits, one of whom (2014 linebacker Derik Calhoun) has already opened up his recruitment. They have just six remaining commits in the current class, and none of them had been offered by Michigan. La Jolla (CA) Country Day offensive tackle Jordan Poland talked at one time about being highly interested in Michigan, but the Wolverines haven’t reciprocated that interest up to this point. And on a side note, class of 2015 quarterback David Sills – who committed to Lane Kiffin a few years ago – is the teammate of 2014 Michigan commits Freddy Canteen and Brandon Watson, which may be something to watch as the Wolverines search for more quarterback targets in the next class.

Transfers might be unlikely in the future, but here’s a list of the current USC non-seniors who held offers from the Wolverines at one point:

WR Nelson Agholor (So.)
S Dion Bailey (RS Jr.)
S Su’a Cravens (Fr.)
RB Justin Davis (Fr.)
LB Lamar Dawson (Jr.)
WR Jordan Farmer (Jr.)
CB Chris Hawkins (Fr.)
C Cyrus Hobbi (RS So.)
LB Michael Hutchings (Fr.)
RB Ty Isaac (Fr.)
WR Marqise Lee (Jr.)
S Leon McQuay III (Fr.)
LB Jabari Ruffin (RS Fr.)
CB Joshua Shaw (RS Jr.)
DT Delvon Simmons (Jr.)
OG Jordan Simmons (RS Fr.)
TE Randall Telfer (RS Jr.)
OT Max Tuerk (So.)
OG Aundrey Walker (Jr.)

Recruiting Update: January 7, 2013

California wide receiver Sebastian LaRue (image via Santa Monica Mirror)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Santa Monica (CA) Santa Monica wide receiver Sebastian LaRue decommitted from USC.  He’s the second wide receiver to decommit from the Trojans in recent weeks, joining Eldridge Massington, who subsequently committed to UCLA.  LaRue is also considering Notre Dame and took an official visit to Washington State, likely due to Mike Leach’s reputation as a pass-happy coach.  LaRue is considering a visit to Michigan.

Placer (CA) Placer defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes decommitted from USC.  Vanderdoes is one of the best defensive tackles in the class, and he appears to be heavily considering Notre Dame, along with LaRue.  Alabama, UCLA, USC, and Washington are also being considered.

OFF THE BOARD
Spotsylvania (VA) Chancellor cornerback Chris Holmes changed his commitment from North Carolina State to Duke.  Holmes was offered as a potential replacement for Gareon Conley, but he never visited the Wolverines.  He could also play safety and wide receiver.

Upland (CA) Upland defensive end Joe Mathis committed to Washington during the Army All-American Bowl.  Michigan was high on Mathis’s list at one point last summer, but the Wolverines stopped recruiting him several months ago.  There have been questions about his academic standing and suggestion that he might need to spend a year at prep school to qualify.

Seffner (FL) Armwood safety Leon McQuay III committed to USC during the Army All-American Bowl.  He had officially visited Michigan and was seriously considering the Wolverines along with Florida State and Vanderbilt, but perhaps the biggest thing on his mind was finding a school that could foster his development as a music producer.  It’s tough to argue with USC due to its location, and they do a pretty good job of pumping out NFL talent, too.

Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad committed to Miami at the Army All-American Bowl.  The most persistent rumor was that he would be committing to Notre Dame, and there was actually some scuttlebutt that he was a silent commit to the Fighting Irish; however, there were also rumors that he didn’t meet the academic requirements.  And judging from the past actions of Miami players, I doubt there are many academic hoops to jump through for admissions there.

Brooklyn (NY) Thomas Jefferson defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko committed to Clemson during the Under Armour All-America Game.  At one time the Tigers had verbals from the top defensive end in the country, Robert Nkemdiche, and Elijah Daniel, both of whom have decommitted since then.

Louisville (KY) Trinity wide receiver James Quick committed to Louisville during the Army All-American Bowl.  It was a neck-and-neck race between the Cardinals and Ohio State, but Louisville got the verbal.  There’s still time for that to change, though.  Quick’s teammate Jason Hatcher is committed to USC, but he has visits scheduled to Florida, Kentucky, and Louisville.  Another teammate, cornerback Ryan White, also holds an offer from Louisville but is committed to Vanderbilt.

Long Beach (CA) Jordan cornerback John Ross committed to Washington during the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.  Ross was being pursued by Michigan as a cornerback, but he will likely play wide receiver for the Huskies.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s my analysis of the Michigan commits at the Under Armour All-America Game.  Posts on the Semper Fidelis and U.S. Army games will be coming soon.

2013 Under Armour game rosters

Leon McQuay III will announce his college destination during the game

The 2013 Under Armour game rosters were released.  The game will be played on January 4, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. and broadcast on ESPN.  Michigan commits David Dawson, Patrick Kugler, and Henry Poggi have been named starters, and Kugler has been voted a captain.  Other Michigan offerees include:

TEAM NITRO (WHITE)
Sebastian LaRue – WR – California
Priest Willis – S – Arizona
LaQuon Treadwell – WR – Illinois
Keith Ford – RB – Texas (Oklahoma)
Cam Burrows – CB – Ohio (Ohio State)
Gareon Conley – CB – Ohio (Ohio State)
Mike McCray II – LB – Ohio (Michigan)*
Matt Rolin – LB – Virginia (Florida)*
Henry Poggi – DT – Maryland (Michigan)
Kevin Olsen – QB – New Jersey (Miami)
Shane Morris – QB – Michigan (Michigan)
Shaq Wiggins – CB – Georgia (Georgia)
Ty Isaac – RB – Illinois (USC)
Yannick Ngakoue – LB – Washington, D.C.
Na’Ty Rodgers – OT – Maryland
Montravius Adams – DT – Georgia
David Dawson – OG – Michigan (Michigan)
Patrick Kugler – OG – Pennsylvania (Michigan)
Logan Tuley-Tillman – OT – Illinois (Michigan)
Cameron Hunt – OG – California (Cal)
Joey Bosa – DE – Florida (Ohio State)

TEAM HIGHLIGHT (BLACK)
Alvin Bailey – WR – Florida (Florida)
Robert Foster – WR – Pennsylvania (Alabama)
Demore’ea Stringfellow – WR – California (Washington)
Jordan Cunningham – WR – Florida
Maurice Smith – CB – Texas (Alabama)
Leon McQuay III – S – Florida**
Vernon Hargreaves III – CB – Florida (Florida)
Alex Anzalone – LB – Pennsylvania (Notre Dame)
Maquedius Bain – DT – Florida
Ebenezer Ogundeko – DE – New York**
Colin McGovern – OT – Illinois (Notre Dame)
Hunter Bivin – OT – Kentucky (Notre Dame)
Ethan Pocic – OT – Illinois (LSU)
Adam Breneman – TE – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Elijah Daniel – DE – Indiana

*Will not play in the game due to injury
**Announcing college decision during game

USA Today All-USA Football Team

Michigan commit Henry Poggi is First Team All-USA

USA Today selected its All-USA team, and there are several Michigan commits and targets who are receiving national recognition.  Here’s a list of the Michigan targets:

FIRST TEAM
Robert Foster – WR – Pennsylvania (Alabama)
LaQuon Treadwell – WR – Illinois
Evan Lisle – OT – Ohio (Ohio State)
Ethan Pocic – OT – Illinois (LSU)
Laremy Tunsil – OT – Florida
Su’a Cravens – S – California (USC)
Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey*
Vernon Hargreaves III – CB – Florida (Florida)
Peter Kalambayi – LB – North Carolina (Stanford)
Jaylon Smith – LB – Indiana (Notre Dame)
Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia*
Montravius Adams – DT – Georgia
Henry Poggi – DT – Maryland (Michigan)

SECOND TEAM
Derrick Green – RB – Virginia
Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana*
Kyle Bosch – OG – Illinois (Michigan)
Cameron Hunt – OG – California (Cal)
Jonathan Allen – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia*
Joey Bosa – DE – Florida (Ohio State)
Eddie Vanderdoes – DT – California (USC)
Michael Hutchings – LB – California (USC)
Leon McQuay III – S – Florida

*2014 prospect