Tag: Michael Ferns

Final ESPN 300 released for 2014

Michael Ferns (#10), Wilton Speight (#19), Jabrill Peppers (#5), Juwann Bushell-Beatty (#73), and Bryan Mone (#52) all appear in the final ESPN 300 for 2014; Jared Wangler (#2) is not ranked on the list

ESPN made its final update to their list of the top 300 prospects in the nation. Here’s what the ESPN 300 looked like in August, and here’s the movement for Michigan’s commits since then:

– Drake Harris dropped from #72 to #85
– Bryan Mone dropped from #76 to #91
– Lawrence Marshall dropped from #112 to #121
– Michael Ferns dropped from #123 to #129
– Juwann Bushell-Beatty dropped from #122 to #142
– Mason Cole dropped from #146 to #165
– Ian Bunting dropped from #118 to #200
– Wilton Speight dropped from #128 to #257

Here’s the rest of Michigan’s offerees:

5-stars:
1. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana (LSU)
2. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
3. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana (Alabama)
4. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
5. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
6. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
9. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
10. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
11. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC (Florida)
12. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
14. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia

4-stars:
17. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
18. Jamal Adams – S – Texas (LSU)
24. John Smith – S – California
25. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
26. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
33. Lorenzo Featherston – DE – North Carolina (Florida State)
36. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
39. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
43. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee (Tennessee)
45. Marshon Lattimore – ATH – Ohio (Ohio State)
50. Edward Paris, Jr. – S – Texas (LSU)
53. Joe Mixon – RB – California (Oklahoma)
58. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
60. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
70. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)
72. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois (Notre Dame)
74. Jamarco Jones – OT – Illinois (Ohio State)
76. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
80. Elijah Hood – RB – North Carolina (North Carolina)
83. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida (Clemson)
85. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
91. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
94. Corey Holmes – WR – Florida (Notre Dame)
95. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois (Northwestern)
99. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Missouri)
101. Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
107. Tyler Luatua – TE – California (Notre Dame)
118. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
120. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia
121. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Michigan (Michigan)
123. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
127. Braden Smith – OG – Kansas
129. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
130. Dante Booker, Jr. – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
136. Kyron Watson – LB – Illinois (Kansas)
137. Jeff Jones – RB – Minnesota (Minnesota)
139. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
140. Dravon Henry – ATH – Pennsylvania (West Virginia)
142. Juwann Bushell-Beatty – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
143. Kevin Crosby – TE – South Carolina (South Carolina)
144. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina (North Carolina)
158. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
162. Bryson Allen-Williams – LB – Georgia (South Carolina)
165. Mason Cole – OG – Florida (Michigan)
167. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia (Clemson)
169. Jacory Washington – TE – Louisiana (LSU)
172. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Ohio State)
174. Andrew Williams – DE – Georgia
179. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (South Carolina)
180. Dwight Williams – LB – California (UCLA)
183. Erick Smith – S – Ohio (Ohio State)
184. Adarius Pickett – CB – California (UCLA)
187. Otaro Alaka – LB – Texas (Texas)
194. Mattrell McGraw – S – Louisiana
196. Kiy Hester – ATH – New Jersey (Miami)
200. Ian Bunting – TE – Illinois (Michigan)
204. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
211. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida (Florida)
218. Christian McCaffrey – ATH – Colorado (Stanford)
244. Montae Nicholson – ATH – Pennsylvania (Michigan State)
246. Darrion Owens – LB – Florida (Miami)
250. Jermaine Roberts – CB – Louisiana (Texas)
257. Wilton Speight – QB – Virginia (Michigan)
262. Brandon Simmons – S – Texas (Stanford)
269. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, DC (Tennessee)
270. Garrett Dickerson – TE – New Jersey (Northwestern)
274. Nic Weishar – TE – Illinois (Notre Dame)
278. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona (Oregon)
282. Jonathan Hilliman – RB – New Jersey (Boston College)
286. Isaiah McKenzie – ATH – Florida
292. Quincy Wilson – S – Florida (Florida)
295. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona (Oklahoma)

Final Top 247 for 2014 released

Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake offensive guard Mason Cole jumped 25 spots in the latest Top 247

247 Sports finalized its top 247 players for 2014. Here’s what it looked like back in October. Movement for Michigan commits:

– Jabrill Peppers dropped from #3 to #4
– Bryan Mone dropped from #46 to #82
– Mason Cole jumped from #111 to #86
– Drake Harris dropped from #43 to #87
– Michael Ferns dropped from #191 to #197
– Lawrence Marshall jumped from #229 to #220
– Ian Bunting dropped from #224 to #229
– Juwann Bushell-Beatty dropped off the list

5-stars:
1. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
2. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana (LSU)
3. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana (Alabama)
4. Jabrill Peppers – ATH – New Jersey (Michigan)
7. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
8. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
9. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
13. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
19. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC (Florida)
20. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
24. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
27. Joe Mixon – RB – California (Oklahoma)
30. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
32. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)

4-stars:
35. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
38. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
40. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
41. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
43. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
44. Marshon Lattimore – ATH – Ohio (Ohio State)
45. John Smith – ATH – California
49. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee (Tennessee)
55. Jeff Jones – RB – Minnesota (Minnesota)
59. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
61. Erick Smith – S – Ohio State (Ohio State)
63. Edward Paris – S – Texas (LSU)
64. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (South Carolina)
75. Jamarco Jones – OT – Illinois (Ohio State)
77. Elijah Hood – RB – North Carolina (North Carolina)
82. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
86. Mason Cole – OG – Florida (Michigan)
87. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
88. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida (Clemson)
95. Bryson Allen-Williams – LB – Georgia (South Carolina)
97. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois (Notre Dame)
103. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina (North Carolina)
111. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona (Oklahoma)
121. Braden Smith – OG – Kansas
122. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
123. Sam Hubbard – ATH – Ohio (Ohio State)
124. Lorenzo Featherston – DE – North Carolina (Florida State)
127. Garrett Dickerson – DE – New Jersey (Northwestern)
133. Kyle Berger – LB – Ohio (Ohio State)
142. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona (Oregon)
150. Isaiah McKenzie – WR – Florida
154. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
155. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
159. Demetriux Knox – OG – Texas (Ohio State)
163. Dravon Henry – ATH – Pennsylvania (West Virginia)
174. Adarius Pickett – CB – California (UCLA)
184. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia
190. Parrker Westphal – CB – Illinois (Northwestern)
192. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)
196. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
197. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
199. Darrion Owens – LB – Florida (Miami)
212. Nic Weishar – TE – Illinois (Notre Dame)
220. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Michigan (Michigan)
221. Kenny Young – LB – Louisiana
222. Otaro Alaka – LB – Texas (Texas)
223. Juwann Winfree – WR – New Jersey (Maryland)
229. Ian Bunting – TE – Illinois (Michigan)
230. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida (Florida)
231. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
238. Shai McKenzie – RB – Pennsylvania (Virginia Tech)
243. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania (Michigan State)

2014 Under Armour All-American Game analysis

Michael Ferns, Wilton Speight, Jabrill Peppers, Juwann Bushell-Beatty, Bryan Mone, and Jared Wangler at the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game

The 2014 Under Armour All-American Game took place on Thursday afternoon, and it was a showcase for four current Michigan commits. All of Michigan’s commits were on Team Nitro, which lost the game by a score of 31-21. Some brief analysis of what I saw:

LB Michael Ferns: Ferns didn’t even record a single tackle in this game. Probably because he sat it out due to injury.

QB Wilton Speight: Speight was named a captain for Team Nitro and earned the start at quarterback. He finished just 2/6 for 63 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also had 3 carries for 8 yards. Offensive lines consistently struggle in these games because they don’t have time to work together, and that was pretty obvious as Speight never really had a chance to set his feet and scan the field. I thought Speight did a nice job of keeping his eyes downfield when the pressure was coming, which was often. He shows a little bit of mobility, but that’s mostly going to be when defenses completely forget about him being 6’6″ and able to run a little bit. He’s a better runner than John Navarre was, but perhaps a notch below Steven Threet. Speight has a nice overhand delivery from the pocket that defenders will probably struggle to bat down, but he can throw from different angles on the move. He made a poor read on a redzone passing attempt that resulted in a pick for Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, but he also made a very nice throw while running to his right for a long gain.

CB Jabrill Peppers: Peppers didn’t really make any highlight-reel plays in the game, but he didn’t get embarrassed, either. Well, except for one play on which he showed very nice change-of-direction skills only to dive at the Team Highlight receiver’s ankles and miss the tackle. Aside from coming up quickly, what I liked about that play was that Peppers hopped right up and attempted to chase down the receiver as he raced down the left sideline. The New Jersey native ended the game with 2 kickoff returns for 65 yards, 3 tackles, and 1 pass for -2 yards out of a Wildcat formation in the first half. Peppers also blocked a field goal at the end of the first half, but that’s not exactly allowed in all-star games like this one. Overall, it was a solid but unspectacular showing.

OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty: Of the guys who played, I thought Bushell-Beatty looked like the biggest project. He looked overweight, out of shape, and slow of foot. Of course, he’s a high schooler coming off of a long run to a state championship, so I don’t expect him to be in peak physical condition at this point in the year. However, he looks like he has a long way to go. He was standing up way too high while run blocking, which severely limited his lateral movement and left him flailing at air. He was also beaten badly on a speed rush that resulted in getting Speight blindsided. It should also be noted that Bushell-Beatty is generally considered a 3-star prospect who was facing some elite talent, and I don’t think it’s a stretch or an insult to say that he was overmatched.

DT Bryan Mone: I saw less of Mone than anyone else, partly because it was just difficult to see jersey numbers at times. He’s large and solidly built, but he’s more about power than anything else at this time. Mone has added a lot of weight in the past year or so, and he’s lost some of the athleticism that made him such a beast as an underclassman. He does not appear to be a huge threat to be a penetrator, as he mostly eats space at the line of scrimmage. That resulted in 2 tackles during the game.

LB Jared Wangler: Wangler was wandering the sidelines due to a separated shoulder.

WR Drake Harris (not pictured): Harris sat out his entire senior season due to a nagging hamstring injury. Since he was not going to be able to play, he did not attend the game.

2014 Under Armour All-American Game Rosters

The 2014 Under Armour All-American Game rosters were announced the other day. All of Michigan’s current commits are on Team Nitro, so that’s who you should be rooting for; that includes Wilton Speight, whose competitors for Michigan’s lone quarterback offer in the class both will play for Team Highlights (Alabama-bound David Cornwell, Penn State-bound Michael O’Connor). The game will be played on January 2, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN.

Here’s a list of all of Michigan’s offerees on the rosters:

TEAM HIGHLIGHT
Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
Lorenzo Featherston – DE – North Carolina
Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois (Ohio State)
Melvin Keihn – LB – Maryland
Tyler Luatua – TE – California
Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
Jermaine Roberts – CB – Louisiana (Texas)
Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana (Alabama)
Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama (Alabama)
John Smith – S – California
Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, DC
Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
Jacory Washington – TE – Louisiana (LSU)
Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (Florida State)

TEAM NITRO
Jamal Adams – S – Texas
Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri (Missouri)
Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
Juwan Bushell-Beatty – OT – New Jersey (Michigan)
Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
K.C. Crosby – TE – South Carolina (South Carolina)
Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
Corey Holmes – WR – Florida (Notre Dame)
K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
Isaiah McKenzie – WR – Florida
Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
Sam Mustipher – OG – Maryland (Notre Dame)
Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
Wilton Speight – QB – Virginia (Michigan)
Jared Wangler – LB – Michigan (Michigan)
Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
Quincy Wilson – S – Florida (Florida)

Scout 300 for 2014 updated

Freddy Canteen is Michigan’s big mover, jumping to #171 from outside the top 300

I don’t follow Scout as much as the other three recruiting sites, but it recently came to my attention that the Scout 300 has been updated since my last post on their rankings. Movement for Michigan commits since July:

– Jabrill Peppers jumped from #6 to #4
– Drake Harris fell from #30 to #54
– Bryan Mone jumped from #96 to #90
– Freddy Canteen jumped from outside the list to #171
– Michael Ferns fell from #149 to #178
– Mason Cole jumped from #259 to #249
– Chase Winovich fell from #232 to #277

5-stars:
1. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
2. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
4. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey (Michigan)
5. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
6. Juju Smith – S – California
7. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
9. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
10. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
15. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia (Virginia)
18. Joe Mixon – RB – California
19. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia (Virginia)
21. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
22. Malachi Dupre – WR – Louisiana
23. Myles Garrett – DE – Texas (Texas A&M)
24. Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
28. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona
30. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida (Miami)
33. Sam Hubbard – OLB – Ohio (Ohio State)
35. Nyles Morgan – MLB – Illinois

4-stars:
37. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, D.C.
38. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
42. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
43. Edward Paris – CB – Texas (LSU)
44. Marshon Lattimore – CB – Ohio
45. Jalen Brown – WR – Arizona (Oregon)
49. Bo Scarbrough – RB – Alabama (Alabama)
54. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan)
57. Elijah Hood – RB – North Carolina (North Carolina)
58. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida (Florida)
61. Jamarco Jones – OT – Illinois (Ohio State)
63. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
67. Erick Smith – S – Ohio
68. Kyle Berger – OLB – Ohio (Ohio State)
70. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee (Tennessee)
71. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona (Oklahoma)
72. Saeed Blacknall – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
75. Roderick Johnson – OT – Missouri
79. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee (Tennessee)
81. Dante Booker – OLB – Ohio (Ohio State)
84. Christian McCaffrey – RB – Colorado (Stanford)
90. Bryan Mone – DT – Utah (Michigan)
104. Parrker Westphal – S – Illinois
105. Lawrence Marshall – DE – Michigan (Michigan)
108. Steven Parker – S – Oklahoma
113. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Ohio State)
121. Dravon Henry – CB – Pennsylvania (West Virginia)
136. Sam Mustipher – OG – Maryland (Notre Dame)
141. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida (Clemson)
145. Bryson Allen-Williams – OLB – Georgia
147. Brandon Simmons – S – Texas (Stanford)
155. Nick Watkins – CB – Texas (Notre Dame)
157. Daniel Helm – TE – Illinois (Tennessee)
158. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina (North Carolina)
169. Shai McKenzie – RB – Pennsylvania
171. Freddy Canteen – WR – Maryland (Michigan)
175. Andy Bauer – OT – Misssouri (Missouri)
176. Adarius Pickett – CB – California (UCLA)
177. Wesley Green – CB – Georgia
178. Michael Ferns – MLB – Ohio (Michigan)
186. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia (Clemson)
190. Jeb Blazevich – TE – North Carolina (Georgia)
194. Richard Yeargin – OLB – Florida (Notre Dame)
199. Corey Holmes – WR – Florida (Notre Dame)
201. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee (Notre Dame)
203. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
205. Jacory Washington – TE – Louisiana (LSU)
209. Dexter Wideman – DT – South Carolina (South Carolina)
213. D’Andre Payne – CB – Washington, DC (Tennessee)
220. Devon Thomas – RB – Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
231. Jay Hayes – DT – New York (Notre Dame)
237. Marcus Allen – S – Maryland (Penn State)
244. Ja’Von Harrison – WR – Florida (Virginia Tech)
249. Mason Cole – OT – Florida (Michigan)
254. Malik Hooker – WR – Pennsylvania (Ohio State)
264. Jackson Barton – OT – Utah (Utah)
268. Kiy Hester – S – New Jersey (Miami)
277. Chase Winovich – OLB – Pennsylvania (Michigan)
279. K.J. Williams – WR – Pennsylvania (Syracuse)
282. Jimmie Swain – OLB – Missouri
283. Kenny Young – MLB – Louisiana
294. Juwann Winfree – WR – New Jersey (Maryland)
298. Conor Sheehy – DE – Wisconsin (Wisconsin)