Tag: Malik Jefferson

Recruiting Update: December 26, 2014

Former Michigan commit Darrin Kirkland, Jr.

This is probably the last recruiting update for 2014, so grab some Klee-nex. On the plus side, there should be some good recruiting news in the coming days and weeks with a new coach soon to be hired and National Signing Day coming up at the beginning of February.

OFF THE BOARD
Waco (TX) Midway safety Kahlil Haughton committed to Oklahoma.

Mesquite (TX) Poteet linebacker Malik Jefferson committed to Texas. The 5-star prospect is the second 2015 linebacker to choose the Longhorns over the Wolverines, joining Cameron Townsend. Jefferson will be playing in the Under Armour All-American Game in early January.

Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro wide receiver Christian Kirk committed to Texas A&M. Another 5-star, Kirk was high on my wish list, although he was a long shot even if Michigan had a good season and had coaching continuity. He’ll head to College Station to catch passes from Kyle Allen, who is from across town at Desert Mountain.

Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central linebacker Darrin Kirkland, Jr. committed to Tennessee. Kirkland was committed to Michigan for several months, but the Wolverines’ poor season and coaching situation led him to decommit late in the season.

Stephenville (TX) Stephenville quarterback Jarrett Stidham committed to Baylor after decommitting from Texas Tech. I always thought this seemed like a no-brainer because Baylor head coach Art Briles made his name as Stephenville’s head coach, but for whatever reason, Stidham was sold on the Red Raiders for a while. After all the points Baylor has thrown up on the board and the success of their quarterbacks, this looks like a good choice for Stidham.

MISCELLANEOUS
There are a bunch of all-star games coming up in about a week, so I posted all the Michigan targets/commits you can see in those games:

• U.S. Army All-American Bowl
• Under Armour All-American Game
• Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl

Recruiting Update: May 20, 2013

Missouri City (TX) Ridge Point linebacker Cameron Townsend

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Mesquite (TX) Poteet linebacker Malik Jefferson was offered by Michigan.  Jefferson is 6’3″, 215 lbs., and has offers from Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 105 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.  He also claims a 4.43 forty, a 35″ vertical, and a 305 lb. bench press.  While he plays linebacker and appears to be recruited as a linebacker, I would not be surprised if he grows into a weakside end prospect.  The Longhorns appear to be the leader in his recruitment.

Missouri City (TX) Ridge Point linebacker Cameron Townsend was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’0″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Houston, and Texas.  He plays like a SAM linebacker, but his size indicates more of an inside linebacker prospect.  He’s a very heavy hitter whose position might become clearer if he hits a growth spurt, but for now, I see him as a MIKE.

OFF THE BOARD
Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell offensive tackle Alex Bars committed to Notre Dame.  I had written a scouting report on Bars a couple weeks ago and liked what I saw.  His older brother Blake plays offensive guard at Michigan, but he has another brother at Penn State and a father who played for the Fighting Irish.  Michigan seemed to be the other leading option for Alex, however, and the Wolverines don’t have any other offensive linemen who seem heavily interested, although Chandler (AZ) Hamilton’s Casey Tucker has voiced interest after decommitting from USC and Florissant (MO) Hazelwood Central’s Roderick Johnson visited this spring.  Perhaps we will see the coaching staff send out some more offers.

East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis linebacker Kyron Watson committed to Kansas.  Watson had been hinting for weeks that he would commit to Michigan as soon as he visited campus, but that visit was postponed a couple times and re-scheduled for this past weekend.  Just before the visit, however, Michigan’s coaches reportedly told him that he no longer had an offer.  There are some rumors that Michigan thought he could play SAM but then backed off once they found out he measured in at a shade under 6’0″, but I find that hard to believe; it’s clear from his recruiting profiles and his highlights that he’s not very tall.

MISCELLANEOUS
I wrote up a scouting report on Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson linebacker Chase Winovich.