Shea Patterson is going to play in the Senior Bowl. That means he’s not coming back for a fifth year.
Former Michigan running back Kurt Taylor is going from Iowa Central Community College to Tennessee Tech. This was always kind of a head-scratcher for Michigan. I gave him a TTB Rating of 57.
Hit the jump for more.
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Willie Gay (image via The Clarion-Ledger)
The 2017 recruiting class is in the rear view, but there were naturally a bunch of players who committed on or around National Signing Day. Here’s a wrap-up of all the various goings-on regarding those players who were offered by Michigan.
COMMITMENTS
Iowa City (IA) West wide receiver Oliver Martin committed to Michigan (LINK).
Westerville (OH) South punter Brad Robbins committed to Michigan (LINK).
Leesburg (GA) Lee County defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon committed to Michigan (LINK).
Hit the jump for 26 guys who signed elsewhere.
Starkville (MS) Starkville LB Willie Gay (image via Twitter)
Normally I do a position-by-position look when I do these “If I Had My Druthers” posts, but it’s coming down to crunch time and I don’t have the chance. So here’s a quick look at how I prefer the guys on Michigan’s short list:
Leesburg (GA) Lee County DT Aubrey Solomon (image via Scout)
National Signing Day 2017 begins on Wednesday, February 1. Below are six storylines and all the uncommitted prospects that Michigan has offered.
Austin Jackson (image via USA Today)
Last year I took a late look at a few positions that Michigan was recruiting down to the wire. For example, I wanted Devin Asiasi the most out of Michigan’s remaining tight end targets last January (LINK), and he signed with the Wolverines, for whom he played quite a bit as a freshman. (For the record, the other four tight end targets on that list redshirted in 2016.) As a reminder, I feel it’s necessary to mention that I specifically avoid looking at recruiting rankings while working on this piece to avoid being influenced, though this here hobby means I have a fair idea of their general ranking.
1. Austin Jackson – OT – Phoenix (AZ) North Canyon: Jackson is the least physically developed player on this list at 6’6″, 270 lbs. He’s a lithe, athletic offensive tackle/defensive end, and he almost doesn’t look like an offensive tackle prospect. Though he is largely regarded as an offensive line prospect, he almost certainly needs a redshirt to add some size in order to play OL. He’s very good working up to the second level and playing in space, and he moves his feet well in pass protection. Right now he can get overpowered at the line of scrimmage by bigger players, but I do like athletes at offensive tackle who need to fill out rather than big guys who need to learn to be athletic.
Hit the jump for the remainder of the list.