ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016 Mount Holly (NC) Mountain Island running back Robert Washington decommitted from Syracuse. You may remember that there was a bit of a kerfuffle when he committed to Syracuse in the first place, because he supposedly committed to Florida shortly before that. And, oh yeah, he was also committed to Mississippi State for a while. His most recent 247 Crystal Ball pick is in favor of North Carolina, but his choice will be his fourth school, so take any news with a grain of salt.
Hit the jump for several updates on new 2017 offers, guys who went off the board, and some miscellaneous bits. read more
Because of the impending football season, the recruiting updates will be bumped from Mondays to Wednesdays. There’s too much football-related stuff going on over the weekend to get everything written so early in the week.
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Kentwood (LA) Kentwood cornerbackShyheim Carter decommitted from Alabama. Carter is a 6’0″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 cornerback, and #51 overall. At one time he talked about wanting to visit Michigan, but that was almost certainly lip service, and he is now expected to become a Georgia Bulldog.
MISCELLANEOUS
Since a few Michigan commits began their senior seasons this past weekend, I started up the recruit tracker posts once again (LINK). So click that link if you’re interested in following the efforts of Brandon Peters, Kiante Enis, and Chris Evans, with more to come later.
Avon (IN) Avon quarterback Brandon Peters, a Michigan commit, will join Detroit (MI) Cass Tech offensive guard Michael Onwenu at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl (LINK). Peters had previously been committed to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.
Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep tight end Naseir Upshur will announce his decision on September 1, 2015. He is expected to pick Florida State, and there are rumors that he is already a silent commit to the Seminoles. He had originally said that he would announce on August 8, 2015, and that choice likely would have been Michigan.
Lawrence (KS) Lawrence defensive end Amani Bledsoe released a top six that does not include Michigan.
Here’s a list of a few visitors from this past weekend (LINK).
Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell
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With the exception of Gary, the players below will be in town Wednesday through Friday.
2016 Rashan Gary – DT – Paramus (NJ) Catholic: I wrote a scouting report on Gary back in May (LINK). His Crystal Ball has 44% of votes in favor of Alabama and 38% for Michigan.
Brad Hawkins – WR – Camden (NJ) Camden: Hawkins is a 6’1″, 202 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Rutgers, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #38 wide receiver, #203 overall, and #7 in the Garden State. As a junior in 2014, he caught 51 passes for 748 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 255 yards and 2 scores; on defense, he made 40 tackles and 3 picks, all 3 of which he returned for touchdowns. Michigan and South Carolina seem to be the two front-runners. UPDATE: Hawkins rescheduled his visit for July 18th.
Hit the jump for the rest of the visitors.
Ron Johnson, Jr. – DE – Camden (NJ) Camden: I did a scouting report on Johnson in late May (LINK). Much like teammate Hawkins, the choice seems to be between Michigan and South Carolina.
Ahmir Mitchell – WR – Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek: Mitchell is a 6’3″, 206 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 athlete, #77 overall, and #3 in his state. As a junior in 2014, he caught 47 passes for 881 yards and 12 touchdowns. I have heard some talk that some teams see Mitchell as a tight end eventually, but I think he looks like a guy who can remain at wide receiver. The Brady Hoke staff’s recruitment of Mitchell tailed off since they were basically the only team recruiting him as a safety, but things have picked up now and 77% of the 247 Sports Crystal Balls are in favor of Michigan.
Naseir Upshur – TE – Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep: I also did a scouting report on Upshur (LINK). Miami leads with 50% of the Crystal Balls, but Michigan is second with 29%. The Wolverines have also offered his teammate, 2016 offensive guard Johncarlo Valentin.
2017 Cesar Ruiz – C – Camden (NJ) Camden: Ruiz is a 6’4″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Miami, North Carolina, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 center, and #257 overall for his class. There’s a good chance that Ruiz will be offered by Michigan on the visit, and if either or both of his teammates commit, that would be a strong pull to Ann Arbor for Ruiz.
Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep tight end Naseir Upshur with former
Michigan tight ends coach Dan Ferrigno in June 2014 (image via GBMWolverine)
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Name: Naseir Upshur Height: 6’3″ Weight: 233 lbs. High school: Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Position: Tight end Class: 2016
Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, LSU, Maryland, Massachusetts, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, UCF, UCLA, USC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin. . . 22 catches, 640 yards, 11 touchdowns; 20 tackles, 6 sacks as a junior in 2014 . . . Claims 4.7 forty . . . 4.47 shuttle . . . 26.7″ vertical . . . Rivals 4-star, #3 TE, #61 overall . . . Scout 4-star, #10 TE, #212 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, #7 TE, #208 overall
Strengths: Thick, powerful lower body . . . Adept and potent blocker . . . Drives feet after contact . . . Blocks through the whistle . . . Impressive straight line speed . . . Tough to bring down for defensive backs . . . Good agility . . . Solid route runner . . . Understands how to threaten and beat coverages
Weaknesses: Rather short for tight end . . . Does not possess ideal length . . . Limited catching radius . . . Body catcher . . . Does not extend hands well
Projection: Tight end/H-back. Upshur has the tenacity to become an inline tight end and blocker, but he lacks ideal size for the position and might top out around 240 lbs. He probably projects best as a complementary tight end or an H-back type who can go in motion, line up as a wing, work out of the slot, etc. He is not a mismatch in the passing game because he lacks the explosiveness and catching radius to beat well trained pass defenders. However, he could be effective on seam routes, an occasional bubble screen, bootlegs, etc. He will also be a strong point in the running game, where he can latch onto and overpower second-level defenders. If offense doesn’t work out, Upshur could also play defensive end, where he has some explosiveness and a nose for the ball.
Reminds me of: Khalid Hill. Upshur’s size is similar to that of Vernon Davis, but he lacks the same kind of speed. Hill is a similar type of player in regard to pass catching and overall physical profile, but Upshur is more explosive and a stronger blocker.
Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Steve Lorenz recently predicted that Upshur would end up committing to Michigan. Jay Harbaugh is his recruiter and has been coming after him hard. He essentially has his choice of schools, and there has been some talk about him playing with Maryland quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who is bound for somewhere other than Ann Arbor. Overall, Michigan is one of his top few schools right now and at least has a strong chance to secure his commitment.
Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy LB Dele’ Harding (image via Twitter)
COMMITMENT
Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School offensive tackle Grant Newsome committed to Michigan (LINK).
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Nacogdoches (TX) Nacogdoches cornerback Jaylon Lane was offered by Michigan. The 6’1″, 177-pounder committed to Oklahoma State in early May and has offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among numerous others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #22 cornerback, and #195 overall. He claims a 4.44 forty and a 36″ vertical. As a junior in 2013, he made 46 tackles, 5 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), and 1 kickoff return touchdown.
Greensboro (NC) Northern Guilford cornerback Mook Reynolds was offered by Michigan. The 5’11”, 170-pounder committed to Virginia Tech in early February and has offers from North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #25 cornerback, and #272 overall. Reynolds would like to visit Ann Arbor this summer and wants to make a “final decision” in August, so the Wolverines (and other schools) have a chance to move in. Both of these new cornerback offers seem to be related to the recent decommitment of Lakewood (OH) St. Edward cornerback Shaun Crawford.
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy linebacker Dele’ Harding was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Massachusetts, Tennessee, and USC. He’s a Scout 3-star, the #26 outside linebacker, and #280 overall. Harding was a teammate of Freddy Canteen and Brandon Watson and has visited Michigan a couple times before, including last summer’s camp. Steve Lorenz from 247 Sports immediately put in a Crystal Ball pick for Michigan.
Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep tight end Naseir Upshur was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 232 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 tight end, and #166 overall. Upshur is a capable receiver, but his most impressive skill is his run blocking. Despite not being the largest tight end around, he’s tenacious and uses excellent technique. Michigan also pursued 2013 running back David Williams (South Carolina) from Imhotep.
OFF THE BOARD Lakewood (OH) St. Edward cornerback Shaun Crawford committed to Notre Dame. Crawford was previously committed to Michigan, just like I was previously committed to that one girl before that other, prettier girl came along. It turned out she was crazy, though.
