Visitors: March 6-8, 2015

Tag: unofficial visitors


5Mar 2015
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Visitors: March 6-8, 2015

Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers wide receiver Austin Mack (image via 247Sports.com)

There are some other prospects who will potentially be visiting Ann Arbor this weekend, but Mack is the only one that I know of who has set a solid unofficial visit. I will add more to the list if/when I get the word.

Austin Mack – WR – Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers: Mack is a 6’2″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #26 wide receiver, and #122 overall. As a junior in 2014, he caught 69 passes for 1,062 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mack was high on the Wolverines when they first offered, but the Fighting Irish and the Buckeyes seem to have jumped ahead since. He seemed to fall off Michigan’s radar for a bit when the 2014 season started going south, but Jim Harbaugh’s hiring may be able to re-ignite that original spark.

27Feb 2015
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Visitors: February 27-March 1, 2015

Southfield (MI) Southfield running back Matt Falcon

2016
Matt Falcon – RB – Southfield (MI) Southfield: You can find pretty much all the pertinent information on Falcon in the scouting report I posted yesterday (LINK).

Desmond Fitzpatrick – WR – Farmington (MI) Farmington: Fitzpatrick is a 6’2″, 194 lb. prospect who committed to Louisville back in October. He picked up an offer from Michigan a couple weeks ago and also added one from Pitt this week. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #55 wide receiver, and #340 overall. Fitzpatrick visited Michigan on Wednesday, and I think there’s a very good chance he does not end up signing with Louisville. Fitzpatrick visited this past Wednesday.

Will Small – LB – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Small is a 6’0″, 205 lb. prospect with no offers right now. Small visited Michigan a couple weeks ago and briefly reported an offer from the Wolverines, but he quickly reversed course when people figured out that he was either lying or confused. I do not believe Small is a Michigan-caliber recruit or even an FBS prospect.

2017
Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph: Malone-Hatcher is a 6’3″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 weakside end, and #111 overall. Michigan is thought to be the leader.

22Feb 2015
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Visitors: February 20-22, 2015

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s linebacker Joshua Ross

The other night, several 2016 prospects – and one 2017 player – were in town for Michigan’s basketball game against Michigan State. On Sunday for the Ohio State game, there will be more prospects on campus, including a couple of the top in-state prospects for 2017.

Bryce Brand – DT – Walled Lake (MI) Western: Brand, a 2017 prospect, is a 6’2″, 267 lb. prospect with offers from Air Force and Louisville. His older brother, Ryan, was a quarterback at U of D Jesuit and signed with Air Force in the 2015 class.

Rodney Hall – QB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hall, another 2017 prospect, is a 6’3″, 192 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. When senior quarterback Jayru Campbell – a one-time Michigan State commit – was suspended for the 2014 season, Hall stepped in as a sophomore. The lefty led Cass Tech to the state championship game.

Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph: Malone-Hatcher is a 6’3″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 weakside end, and #111 overall. Michigan’s staff under Brady Hoke offered him, so Jim Harbaugh and company may reaffirm the offer while he’s on campus.

John O’Korn – QB – University of Houston: O’Korn has been reported by some as being a done deal to transfer to Michigan, although nothing official has been announced. He started as a freshman at Houston (2,889 yards, 26 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) in 2013 and then took a step back last season. Now he’s looking to transfer somewhere, and Michigan seems a likely destination. If the transfer does become official, he will have to sit out the 2015 season and will have two remaining seasons of eligibility (2016-2017).

Joshua Ross – LB – Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s: Ross is a 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 inside linebacker, and #56 overall. He’s the younger brother of Michigan senior linebacker James Ross III, who will be long gone by the time Joshua enters college.

Taeshon Trotter – OT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Trotter is a 6’6″, 275 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Tim Walton – LB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Walton is a 6’1″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati and a handful of MAC schools. He’s currently unranked in the 247 Composite, and I ranked him the #25 player in the state (LINK) last week.

17Feb 2015
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Visitors: February 17, 2015

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver
Donovan Peoples-Jones

A cadre of high-level in-state visitors will be on campus Tuesday.

Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King: Corley is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect. He transferred from Wyandotte (MI) Roosevelt to King prior to his junior year, and it paid off with 47 receptions for 1,087 yards, 18 receiving touchdowns, and 9 picks on defense. All that came on a bigger stage and against better competition than he would have faced at Roosevelt. Corley has parlayed his performance into offers from LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. The Wolverines were left out of his top four recently, so this may be a chance to give the program a fighting chance. Corley is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #24 wide receiver, and #111 overall.

Matt Falcon – RB – Southfield (MI) Southfield: Falcon is a 6’1″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Ohio State, Tennessee, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 running back, and #219 overall. Michigan has recruited some of his former teammates, such as redshirt freshman defensive end Lawrence Marshall (Michigan) and defensive tackle Malik McDowell (Michigan State). He also had several teammates sign with FBS teams this past Signing Day, although most of them were of the low 4-star or 3-star variety. I believe Falcon could be offered on his visit, because I see him as the #3 player in the state (LINK).

Desmond Fitzpatrick – WR – Farmington (MI) Farmington: Fitzpatrick is a 6’1″, 185 lb. prospect who has been committed to Louisville since last October; he also has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, and Indiana, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #57 wide receiver, and #334 overall. Fitzpatrick attended Farmington Hills Harrison early in high school, which is generally thought to be a Michigan State-leaning school, even though Michigan got Devin Funchess and Mario Ojemudia a few years ago. Farmington High School is not a football powerhouse, but they do have a couple FBS prospects this year in Fitzpatrick and David Reese (see below).

Michael Jordan – OT – Canton (MI) Plymouth: Jordan is a 6’6″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 offensive tackle, and #195 overall. Jordan’s 247 Sports Crystal Ball reads 100% for Michigan right now.

Khalid Kareem – DE – Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison: Kareem is a 6’4″, 252 lb. prospect who was committed to Michigan State for about 48 hours at the beginning of February. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 strongside end, and #291 overall. Kareem holds offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others.

Michael Onwenu – DT – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Onwenu is a 6’2″, 340 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Miami, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 offensive guard, and #192 overall. He seems to be favoring Ohio State early, where he could join former teammates Josh Alabi, Damon Webb, and Michael Weber.

Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Peoples-Jones, the lone 2017 prospect on this list, is 6’2″ and 183 lbs. and claims a 4.4 forty. He is an early 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 wide receiver, and #12 overall with offers from LSU, Miami, Michigan State, and Ohio State, among others. He is also the son of former Michigan defensive back Shonte Peoples.

David Reese – LB – Farmington (MI) Farmington: Reese is a 6’1″, 235 lb. prospect with offers from a bunch of MAC schools and Indiana. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #22 inside linebacker, and #649 overall. He is a big fan of Michigan and is likely hoping and waiting for bigger offers before committing somewhere.

Demetric Vance, Jr. – S – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Vance is a 6’1″, 193 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State and North Carolina State. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #26 safety, and #421 overall. He claims a 4.5 forty.

20Jan 2015
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2016 Recruiting Update: January 20, 2015

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem with former Michigan defensive line coach Mark Smith

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Houston (TX) Alief Elsik linebacker Dontavious Jackson was offered by Michigan. Jackson is a 6’2″, 237 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 inside linebacker, and #142 overall. As a junior this past fall, he made 165 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 pass breakups. He claims a 4.69 forty, a 30″ vertical, a 275 lb. bench press, and a 535 lb. squat. Jackson is a big hitter and an intense player, but he lacks technique and mostly plays on instinct and natural skills. Elsik has over 4,100 students and is the alma mater of Beyonce Knowles. You’re welcome.

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #24 strongside end, and #411 overall. He claims a 4.8 forty, a 30″ vertical, a 300 lb. bench, and a 335 lb. squat. Kareem’s recruitment has blown up over the last couple months, so I was wondering when Michigan would throw their hat in the ring. Kareem is a little bit stiff and lacks some explosion, so I think he’s somewhat limited in his position flexibility. He’s the seventh in-state player to receive an offer from Michigan in the 2016 recruiting class. While Michigan State appears to be the early leader, Kareem has visited Ann Arbor more often. Michigan senior defensive end Mario Ojemudia is also from Harrison, and so is early NFL entrant Devin Funchess.

Fresno (CA) Clovis West linebacker Caleb Kelly was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’3″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 outside linebacker, and #12 overall. Kelly is a long, lean linebacker who has a lot of athletic talent, but he plays a little soft. I’m somewhat surprised that he’s the #12 player in the nation, although he does have that potential.

Hit the jump for a few more new offers and a couple tidbits.

Houston (TX) Aldine Davis linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 225 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #25 outside linebacker, and #349 overall. McCulloch claims a 4.76 forty, a 32″ vertical, a 280 lb. bench press, and a 505 lb. squat. Somewhat like Jackson, he’s another heavy hitter but a guy who has a little more technique.

Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep defensive end Connor Murphy was offered by Michigan. Murphy is a 6’7″, 250 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Stanford, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #19 weakside end, and #354 overall. As a junior this past season, he made 70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Murphy is the younger brother of Trent Murphy, who was recruited by Jim Harbaugh while at Stanford, committed to the Cardinal, became an All-American (under David Shaw), and became a 2nd round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers. Connor told a quick story that while recruiting Trent, his mother went into labor, and Harbaugh ended up babysitting Connor for a while, playing chess and drinking milk. The Wolverines as a program tried to reel in Brophy Prep wide receiver Devon Allen in the 2014 class, but Allen ended up choosing Oregon instead. As for Connor himself, he’s not a great athlete but has some similarities to the likes of former Michigan defensive end Craig Roh.

Houston (TX) Westfield defensive tackle Ed Oliver was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 285 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #5 defensive tackle, and #31 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 84 tackles and 7 sacks. He claims a 4.87 forty, a 315 lb. bench press, and a 465 lb. squat. The first clip of the following highlight film is Oliver overrunning a play, hustling to get back in it, then picking up a fumble and returning it 100 yards for a touchdown. Enjoy:





MISCELLANEOUS
Detroit (MI) King wide receiver Donnie Corley visited Michigan this past weekend for the basketball game. Corley picked up a Michigan offer in recent months, and he’s a 4-star, the #27 wide receiver, and #121 overall in the 247 Composite rankings.

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Lavert Hill visited Michigan with Corley. The two are now teammates after Hill transferred to King following the football season. Hill is the younger brother of Michigan safety Delano Hill. The younger Hill is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 athlete, and #196 overall.

On Recruiting Season  in the past week, I’ve updated the profiles of: