Tag: Rivals rankings

Rivals 100 for 2014 released

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns is Michigan’s lone representative on the initial Rivals 100

Rivals released its first Rivals 100 for the class of 2014.  Rivals typically starts off with just a few 5-star prospects, but then grows the list throughout the year to a number between 25-35.  Here’s a list of the Michigan offerees on the list:

5-stars:
1. Da’Shawn Hand – DE – Virginia
2. Jabrill Peppers – CB – New Jersey
3. Leonard Fournette – RB – Louisiana
4. Quin Blanding – S – Virginia
6. Andrew Brown – DT – Virginia
7. Cameron Robinson – OT – Louisiana
8. Adoree’ Jackson – CB – California
9. Lorenzo Carter – DE – Georgia
12. Elijah Hood – ATH – North Carolina

4-stars:
15. Jalen Hurd – RB – Tennessee
17. Bo Scarbrough – ATH – Alabama (Alabama)
19. Braden Smith – OT – Kansas
21. Malik McDowell – DE – Michigan
27. Jalen Tabor – CB – Washington, D.C.
28. Solomon Thomas – DE – Texas
31. Damian Prince – OT – Maryland
32. Damon Webb – CB – Michigan (Ohio State)
33. Jamal Adams – S – Texas
38. Edward Paris – S – Texas
41. Marshon Lattimore – ATH – Ohio
47. Montae Nicholson – S – Pennsylvania
49. Tyler Luatua – TE – California
50. K.C. McDermott – OT – Florida
55. Alex Bars – OT – Tennessee
56. Drake Harris – WR – Michigan (Michigan State)
62. Jackson Barton – OT – Utah (Utah)
67. Demarre Kitt – WR – Georgia
69. Khairi Clark – DT – Florida
70. Nyles Morgan – LB – Illinois
71. Casey Tucker – OT – Arizona (USC)
72. Josh Malone – WR – Tennessee
82. Joe Mixon – RB – California
84. Michael Ferns – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
85. Andrew Williams – DE – Georgia
86. Bentley Spain – OT – North Carolina
87. Mark Andrews – WR – Arizona
88. Demetrius Knox – OG – Texas (Texas)
92. Andy Bauer – OT – Missouri
93. Artavis Scott – WR – Florida
94. Jamarco Jones – OG – Illinois
99. Dante Booker – LB – Ohio

A History of #1 Rated Tailbacks

Is this what we should expect from Derrick Green?

Recruiting is an inexact science, and we have no idea what we’ll get in the coming years from Derrick Green (commitment post).  But Rivals is generally considered to be the best recruiting site for predicting future success, so I thought I would take a look back at their top tailbacks over the last decade or so.

2002
Rivals: Ciatrick Fason, Florida – In three seasons at Florida, Fason had 315 carries for 1,877 yards (6.0 yards/carry) and 14 touchdowns.  Fason was drafted in the fourth round (#112 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2005, for whom he played two seasons.  He had 50 career carries for 161 yards (3.2 yards/carry) and 5 touchdowns.

2003
Rivals: Reggie Bush, USC – In three seasons at USC, Bush had 433 career carries for 3,169 yards (7.3 yards/carry) and 25 touchdowns, along with 95 career receptions for 1,301 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He won the Heisman Trophy in 2005.  He was the #2 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2006.  In five seasons with the Saints and two with the Miami Dolphins, he has 967 carries for 4,162 yards (4.3 yards/carry) and 29 touchdowns.  He also has 372 receptions for 2,730 yards and 15 touchdowns.

2004
Rivals: Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma – In three seasons at Oklahoma, Peterson had 747 carries for 4,045 yards (5.4 yards/carry) and 41 touchdowns.  Peterson was the #7 overall pick by the Vikings in 2007.  In six seasons with the Vikings, he has 1,754 carries for 8,849 yards (5.0 yards/carry) and 76 touchdowns.  He had the second-best season rushing total in NFL history this past season with 2,097 yards.

2005
Rivals: Jonathan Stewart, Oregon – In three seasons at Oregon, Stewart had 516 carries for 2,891 yards (5.6 yards/carry) and 27 touchdowns.  Stewart was the #13 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2008.  In five seasons with the Panthers, he has 818 carries for 3,836 yards (4.7 yards/carry) and 27 touchdowns.

2006
Rivals: Chris Wells, Ohio State – In three seasons at Ohio State, Wells had 585 carries for 3,382 yards (5.8 yards/carry) and 30 touchdowns.  Wells was the #31 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.  In four seasons with the Cardinals, he has 625 carries for 2,471 yards (4.0 yards/carry) and 24 touchdowns.

2007
Rivals: Joe McKnight, USC – In three seasons at USC, McKnight had 347 carries for 2,213 yards (6.2 yards/carry) and 13 touchdowns.  McKnight was drafted in the fourth round (#112 overall) by the New York Jets in 2010.  In three seasons with the Jets, he has 112 carries for 502 yards (4.5 yards/carry) and 17 catches for 177 yards; he has also averaged 29.0 yards per kickoff return with 2 return touchdowns.

2008
Rivals: Darrell Scott, Colorado – Scott spend his freshman and sophomore seasons at Colorado before transferring to South Florida.  Altogether, he had 263 carries for 1,252 yards (4.8 yards/carry) and 6 touchdowns.  He was undrafted and has not played in the NFL.

2009
Rivals: Bryce Brown, Tennessee – Brown spent his freshman year at Tennessee before transferring to Kansas State; in his freshman and redshirt sophomore seasons, he totaled 104 carries for 476 yards (4.6 yards/carry) and 3 touchdowns.  Brown was drafted in the seventh round (#229 overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012.  As a rookie he had 115 carries for 564 yards (4.9 yards/carry) and 4 touchdowns.

2010
Rivals: Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina – In three seasons at South Carolina, Lattimore had 555 carries for 2,675 yards (4.8 yards/carry) and 38 touchdowns.  He will skip his senior season to enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

2011
Rivals: Malcolm Brown, Texas – In two seasons at Texas, Brown has 233 carries for 1,066 yards (4.6 yards/carry) and 9 touchdowns.

2012
Rivals: Johnathan Gray, Texas – In one season at Texas, Gray has 149 carries for 701 yards (4.7 yards/carry) and 3 touchdowns.

CONCLUSION
Ignoring Gray and Malcolm Brown altogether, and removing Lattimore from NFL Draft consideration, here’s the average production that we should expect from Rivals’ top tailback:

College career length: 3 seasons
College rushing production: 429 carries for 2,442 yards (5.7 yards/carry) and 22 touchdowns
NFL Draft slot: 2nd round, #63 overall

Where would that career rank among former Michigan players?  The 429 carries would put him at #22 in Michigan history, behind Rick Rogers and ahead of Chris Howard.  The 2,442 yards would put him at #17, behind Ron Johnson and ahead of Ed Shuttlesworth.  The 22 touchdowns would place him at #18, behind Lawrence Ricks/Tshimanga Biakabutuka and ahead of Brandon Minor.  Of players with at least 100 career carries, that 5.7 yards/carry would tie him at #7 behind Jon Vaughn, Denard Robinson, Kerry Smith, Tyrone Wheatley, Biakabutuka, and Rob Lytle.

Based on Michigan’s offensive system and Green’s skill set, if you’re looking for a comparison to another former #1 tailback, I think the best replica would be Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie” Wells.

Rivals 250 for 2013 finalized

Jourdan Lewis (left, pictured with once and future teammate Delano Hill) jumped up to the #131 player in the nation

Rivals released its final top 250 players for the class of 2013.  The top 100 was released yesterday:  Here’s what the top 250 looked like on December 4.

Movement for Michigan players:

– Kyle Bosch fell from #99 to #104
– Dymonte Thomas fell from #107 to #109
– Mike McCray fell from #88 to #115
– Jourdan Lewis jumped from #147 to #131
– Chris Fox fell from #123 to #142
– Jake Butt fell from #141 to #144
– Taco Charlton fell from #231 to #237
– Ross Douglas fell from #238 to #241
– Logan Tuley-Tillman fell out of the top 250

Here are the rest of Michigan’s offerees

104. Kyle Bosch – OG – Illinois (Michigan)
106. Dorian O’Daniel – LB – Maryland (Clemson)
107. Elijah Daniel – DE – Indiana (Mississippi)
109. Dymonte Thomas – S – Ohio (Michigan)
110. E.J. Levenberry – LB – Virginia (Florida State)
112. Larenz Bryant – LB – North Carolina (South Carolina)
115. Mike McCray II – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
124. Isaac Rochell – DE – Georgia (Notre Dame)
127. Jake Raulerson – DE – Texas (Texas)
131. Jourdan Lewis – CB – Michigan (Michigan)
133. Cole Luke – CB – Arizona (Notre Dame)
139. Kameron Miles – S – Texas (Texas A&M)
142. Chris Fox – OT – Colorado (Michigan)
143. Maurice Smith – CB – Texas (Alabama)
144. Jake Butt – TE – Ohio (Michigan)
146. Michael Hill – DT – South Carolina (Ohio State)
147. Jake Oliver – WR – Texas (Texas)
149. Jon Reshke – LB – Michigan (Michigan State)
161. Joe Mathis – DE – California (Washington)
162. Hunter Bivin – OT – Kentucky (Notre Dame)
165. David Dawson – OG – Michigan (Michigan)
174. Darren Carrington – WR – California (Oregon)
175. Billy Price – DT – Ohio (Ohio State)
179. Tim Harris – CB – Virginia (Virginia)
181. Na’Ty Rodgers – OT – Maryland (South Carolina)
183. Jordan Cunningham – WR – Florida
186. Devon Allen – WR – Arizona
200. Kevin Olsen – QB – New Jersey (Miami)
202. Nadir Barnwell – ATH – New Jersey (Rutgers)
204. Jayme Thompson – S – Ohio (Ohio State)
209. Ishmael Wilson – OG – Texas (Texas A&M)
210. Sebastian Larue – WR – California
212. Ebenezer Ogundeko – DE – New York (Clemson)
213. Cameron Hunt – OG – California (Cal)
221. Jason Hatcher – DE – Kentucky (USC)
226. Chase Abbington – ATH – Missouri (Missouri)
237. Taco Charlton – DE – Ohio (Michigan)
239. Darius Latham – DT – Indiana (Wisconsin)
241. Ross Douglas – CB – Ohio (Michigan)
245. Darrell Daniels – WR – California (Washington)
249. Eldridge Massington – WR – Texas (UCLA)

Rivals 100 for 2013 finalized

Baltimore (MD) Gilman defensive tackle Henry Poggi is Michigan’s highest ranked commit, according to Rivals

Rivals finalized its rankings of the top 100 players for the class of 2013. Here’s what it looked like in December.

Movement for Michigan commits:

– Shane Morris fell from #27 to #81 and lost his fifth star
– Henry Poggi fell from #68 to #70
– Patrick Kugler fell from #79 to #82
– Mike McCray II and Kyle Bosch fell out of the top 100

Here are the rest of Michigan’s offerees:

5-stars:
2. Vernon Hargreaves III – CB – Florida (Florida)
3. Jaylon Smith – LB – Indiana (Notre Dame)
5. Laquon Treadwell – WR – Illinois (Ole Miss)
8. Derrick Green – RB – Virginia
9. Kendall Fuller – CB – Maryland (Clemson)
11. Jonathan Allen – DE – Virginia (Alabama)
12. Su’a Cravens – S – California (USC)
14. Laremy Tunsil – OT – Florida
21. Eddie Vanderdoes – DT – California
22. Leon McQuay III – S – Florida (USC)
25. Montravius Adams – DT – Georgia
27. Ty Isaac – RB – Illinois (USC)
28. Alex Anzalone – LB – Pennsylvania (Florida)

4-stars:
34. Chris Hawkins – CB – California (USC)
37. Marquez North – WR – North Carolina
39. Cameron Burrows – CB – Ohio (Ohio State)
44. Tray Matthews – S – Georgia (Georgia)
46. Robert Foster – WR – Pennsylvania (Alabama)
47. Joey Bosa – DE – Florida (Ohio State)
48. Keith Ford – RB – Texas (Oklahoma)
49. Al-Quadin Muhammad – DE – New Jersey (Miami)
50. Ethan Pocic – OT – Illinois (LSU)
56. Priest Willis – S – Arizona
58. Brendan Mahon – OG – New Jersey (Penn State)
59. Wyatt Teller – DE – Virginia (Virginia Tech)
60. Steve Elmer – OT – Michigan (Notre Dame)
62. Justin Davis – RB – California (USC)
63. Alvin Bailey – WR – Florida (Florida)
70. Henry Poggi – DT – Maryland (Michigan)
74. John Montelus – OG – Massachusetts (Notre Dame)
76. James Quick – WR – Kentucky (Louisville)
78. Adam Breneman – TE – Pennsylvania (Penn State)
81. Shane Morris – QB – Michigan (Michigan)
82. Patrick Kugler – OG – Pennsylvania (Michigan)
85. Demore’a Stringfellow – WR – California (Washington)
88. Yannick Ngakoue – LB – Washington, D.C.
89. Eli Apple – CB – New Jersey (Ohio State)
90. Evan Lisle – OT – Ohio (Ohio State)
96. Justin Manning – DT – Texas (Texas A&M)
97. Peter Kalambayi – LB – North Carolina (Stanford)
98. Antwuan Davis – CB – Texas (Texas)

Rivals 250 for 2013 updated

Dymonte Thomas is the #107 player in the nation

Rivals updated its top 250 prospects for the class of 2013.  Here’s what it looked like back in August.

Movers and shakers for Michigan:

– Dymonte Thomas dropped from #102 to #107
– Chris Fox fell from #112 to #123
– Jake Butt fell from #131 to #141
– Jourdan Lewis jumped from #150 to #147
– Taco Charlton jumped from #233 to #231
– Ross Douglas dropped from #232 to #238
– Logan Tuley-Tillman dropped from #241 to #245
– Wyatt Shallman dropped out of the top 250

101. Alvin Bailey – WR – Florida (Florida)
102. Wyatt Teller – DE – Virginia (Virginia Tech)
104. Jake Raulerson – OT – Texas (Texas)
105. Priest Willis – CB – Arizona
107. Dymonte Thomas – S – Ohio (Michigan)
109. Evan Lisle – OT – Ohio (Ohio State)
110. Antwuan Davis – CB – Texas (Texas)
113. Keith Ford – RB – Texas (Oklahoma)
114. James Quick – WR – Kentucky
116. Justin Davis – RB – California (USC)
121. Elijah Daniel – DE – Indiana
123. Chris Fox – OT – Colorado (Michigan)
124. Isaac Rochell – DE – Georgia (Notre Dame)
130. Maurice Smith – CB – Texas (Alabama)
133. Michael Hill – DT – South Carolina (Ohio State)
138. Jake Oliver – WR – Texas (Texas)
139. Brendan Mahon – OG – Massachusetts (Penn State)
141. Jake Butt – TE – Ohio (Michigan)
143. Greg Webb – DT – New Jersey (North Carolina)
145. Yannick Ngakoue – LB – Maryland
147. Jourdan Lewis – CB – Michigan (Michigan)
148. John Reschke – LB – Michigan (Michigan State)
151. David Dawson – OG – Michigan
157. Scott Pagano – DT – Hawaii (Clemson)
167. Joe Mathis – DE – California
169. Kevin Olsen – QB – New Jersey (Miami)
171. Hunter Bivin – OT – Kentucky (Notre Dame)
173. Darren Carrington – WR – California (Oregon)
174. Billy Price – DT – Ohio (Ohio State)
180. Tim Harris – CB – Virginia
184. Jordan Cunningham – WR – Florida
192. Kenny Lacy – OT – California (UCLA)
201. Nadir Barnwell – CB – New Jersey (Rutgers)
202. Jayme Thompson – S – Ohio (Ohio State)
204. Ishmael Wilson – OG – Texas (Texas A&M)
215. Jason Hatcher – DE – Kentucky (USC)
219. Chase Abbington – ATH – Missouri (Missouri)
226. Ebenezer Ogundeko – DE – New York
231. Taco Charlton – DE – Ohio (Michigan)
233. Na’Ty Rodgers – OT – Maryland
234. Darius Latham – DT – Indiana (Indiana)
238. Ross Douglas – CB – Ohio (Michigan)
241. Sebastian LaRue – WR – California (USC)
244. Eldridge Massington – WR – California (USC)
245. Logan Tuley-Tillman – OT – Illinois (Michigan)