Visitors: August 8-10, 2014

Tag: unofficial visitors


6Aug 2014
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Visitors: August 8-10, 2014

Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic running back Kareem Walker (image via NorthJersey.com)

2015

Michael Weber – RB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: You are well acquainted with Weber, who has visited Michigan 1,071 times. He’s currently the 247 Composite #14 running back and #115 player overall.

2016
Donnie Corley – WR – Detroit (MI) King: Corley is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, and a few MAC teams. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #44 wide receiver, #252 overall, and #8 in-state. Corley is transferring from Wyandotte (MI) Roosevelt for his junior season.

Lawrence Gordon – DE – Saginaw (MI) Arthur Hill: Gordon is a 6’6″, 260 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 weakside end, #163 overall, and #3 in-state. He has visited Ann Arbor several times, and the Wolverines are the presumed leader.

Lavert Hill – CB – Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hill is a 5’11”, 165 lb. prospect with offers from Miami, Michigan, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #22 cornerback, and #228 overall. He’s the younger brother of Michigan sophomore safety Delano Hill.

Leon Page – DE – Detroit (MI) King: Page is a 6’3″, 212 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 28 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

Kalebb Perry – WR – Mt. Pleasant (MI) Mt. Pleasant: Perry is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Central Michigan and Western Michigan. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #84 wide receiver, #504 overall, and #17 in-state. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 28 catches for 543 yards and 6 touchdowns. He camped at Michigan back in June but is still waiting for big-time offers.

Kareem Walker – RB – Wayne (NJ) De Paul Catholic: Walker is a 6’1″, 210 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 running back, and #6 overall. He also claims a 4.4 forty. Most importantly, his dreadlocks and running style make him look like Denard Robinson when he’s running the ball.

Mikale Washington – QB – Detroit (MI) King: Washington is a 6’4″, 180 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #24 pro-style quarterback, #428 overall, and #14 in-state. Washington transferred from southern California in the offseason, so this will be his first year of football in the Mitten.

2017
Johnathan Berghorst – DE – Zeeland (MI) East: Berghorst is a 6’2″, 215 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. Despite the lack of offers, he’s considered to be one of the top several in-state prospects for 2017.

Andre Jackson – CB – Bridgeport (MI) Bridgeport: I have been unable to find much information on Jackson other than his class and high school.

Bruce Mann – QB – Bay City (MI) Western: Mann is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. Although it’s early, he’s considered to be perhaps the top quarterback in-state for his class. However, his father had been the coach at Western for the past five years and has now taken a power company job near Chicago. Mann is reportedly remaining in-state while his father commutes, but there’s a good chance that the younger Bruce will eventually move closer to Chicago.

Will Rogers – DE – Saginaw (MI) Arthur Hill: Rogers is a 6’6″, 235 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

2019
Sam Johnson III – Detroit (MI): This is way early, but the recruiting sites reported it. In the Detroit youth league, Johnson completed 68/104 passes for 1,125 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, plus he ran for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns on 31 carries.

26Jun 2014
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Visitors: June 27-29, 2014

Josh Imatorbhebhe (image via NGfootball.com)

2015
Brian Cole – WR – Saginaw (MI) Heritage:
 Cole is a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 athlete, and the #64 player overall. UPDATE: Cole is not visiting this weekend. He will visit in late July instead.

Kieffer Longson – OG – San Ramon (CA) Dougherty Valley: Longson is a 6’7″, 295 lb. prospect for 2015 with offers from Arizona State, BYU, Missouri, Ohio State, Utah, and several others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #22 offensive guard, and #336 overall. Despite being 6’7″, Longson plays more like a guard because he lacks some foot speed and agility to be an edge protector.

2016
Josh Imatorbhebhe – WR – Suwanee (GA) North Gwinnett:
 Imatorbhebhe is a 6’2″, 202 lb. prospect for 2016 with offers from Cal, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Vanderbilt, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #44 wide receiver, and #264 overall. He’s visiting Monday and Tuesday, June 24-25. His older brother, Daniel, is a 2015 wide receiver who is committed to Missouri.

21Jun 2014
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Visitors: June 20-22, 2014

Avon (MI) Old Farms tight end Chris Clark
(image via MGoBlog)

The following prospects have been noted by me as visitors to Michigan for the week. It’s not completely clear whether some of them will compete at Michigan’s summer camp this week or not. I would expect most of the ones with Michigan offers to just be visiting, but those without offers (such as Holyfield and Malone-Hatcher) seem to still be trying to make a name for themselves and will probably be participating in the workouts.

2015
Asmar Bilal – LB – Indianapolis (IN) Ben Davis:
 Bilal is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan and Notre Dame (and lots of others, but those two are the ones that really matter). He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 inside linebacker, and #225 overall. As a junior in 2013, he made 106 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery. Bilal visited Michigan earlier this spring with Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – who has since committed to the Wolverines – but the presumption is that the Fighting Irish lead.


Chris Clark – TE – Avon (CT) Old Farms: Clark is a 6’6″, 247 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and tons of others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 tight end, and #100 overall. As a junior in 2013, he caught 39 passes for 417 yards and 6 touchdowns. Clark recently performed well in the Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge and impressed people with his receiving skills, although he suffered a minor injury. He plans to announce his final college decision during Nike’s The Opening in early July, but he was previously committed to North Carolina, so any commitment at that time should be taken with a grain of salt. He thoroughly enjoyed a spring visit to Michigan and said the Wolverines led at the time, and the thought is that Michigan still leads. Whether they can hold onto that lead into July (or into National Signing Day) is another issue, but for now, things look good.

Tyree Kinnel – S – Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel committed to Michigan last August.

Shane Lemieux – OT – Yakima (WA) West Valley: Lemieux is a 6’6″, 285 lb. prospect with an offer from Michigan but who committed to Oregon in May. He had originally planned to visit Michigan during this time, but that was prior to his verbal commitment. I assume he is not visiting now, but I’ll leave his name on here since I haven’t heard confirmation either way. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star and the #31 offensive guard.

2016

Elijah Holyfield – RB – Atlanta (GA) Woodward Academy: Holyfield is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. As a freshman in 2012, he carried the ball 66 times for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns. He claims a 4.55 forty, but on film, his speed is not particularly impressive. He is the son of former heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield.

Matt Heuerman – TE – Naples (FL) Barron Collier: Heuerman is a 6’6″, 200 lb. prospect with no FBS offers at this time. He’s the brother of Jeff Heuerman (Ohio State), whom Michigan offered a few years ago, but their father played basketball for the Wolverines. He attends the same high school as incoming freshman defensive tackle Brady Pallante.


Janarius Robinson – DE – Panama City (FL) Bay: Robinson is a 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and #65 overall. Robinson has openly stated that his favorite team is Florida State, and that’s his likely destination, but he did make almost immediate plans to visit Ann Arbor after receiving his offer from the Wolverines, so they will have a chance to sway him.

Miles Sanders – RB – Pittsburgh (PA) Woodland Hills: Sanders is a 5’10”, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 running back, and #182 overall. He claims a 4.39 forty, a 37″ vertical, a 270 lb. bench, and a 420 lb. squat.

Clark Yarbrough – OT – Woodberry Forest (VA) Woodberry Forest: Yarbrough is a 6’5″, 255 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #16 offensive tackle, and #158 overall. His sophomore year in 2013 was his first year playing organized football.

2017
Corey Malone-Hatcher – DE – St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph:
 Malone-Hatcher is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect with no offers currently, but he will likely be one of the top few prospects in the state of Michigan for his class. He came away raving from a spring visit to Alabama, so that may be an obstacle if they extend an offer. It’s still very early for 2017 prospects, though.

13Jun 2014
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Visitors: June 13-15, 2014

St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell
(image via 247 Sports)

Several of these players will be in Detroit for the Sound Mind Sound Body camp, but these ones in particular are planning trips up I-94 to see Michigan’s football facilities and meet with the coaching staff.

2015
Jashon Cornell – DE – St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham: Cornell is a 6’4″, 260 lb. prospect with a top five of Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #3 weakside end, and #37 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 70 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries (1 returned for a touchdown). Cornell recently named Michigan State his #1, but Michigan has consistently been in his top few schools.

Javaris Davis – CB – Jacksonville (FL) Ed White: Davis is a 5’9″, 173 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 running back, and #611 overall. He also claims a 4.47 forty. His brother Bryan was a safety at Georgia.

Jeffery Holland – LB – Jacksonville (FL) Trinity Christian: Holland is a 6’2″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 outside linebacker, and #40 overall. He’s committed to play in the Under Armour All-American Game. Holland traveled to Michigan with Davis (above).

Darrin Kirkland, Jr. – LB – Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central: Kirkland committed to Michigan in May (LINK).

Jacques Patrick – RB – Orlando (FL) Timber Creek: Patrick is a 6’3″, 233 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, and USC, along with many others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 running back, and #44 overall. As a junior in 2013, he ran the ball 231 times for 2,153 yards and 30 touchdowns. Patrick’s cousin is a coach for Detroit (MI) King whom Jacques visits fairly regularly. The 247 Sports Crystal Ball is 97% in favor of Florida State at this time, and chances are slim that Patrick comes up north to play football.

John Reid – CB – Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph’s: Reid is a 5’10”, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 cornerback, and #109 overall. He claims a 4.43 forty. Reid is also the teammate of 2015 Michigan offensive guard commit Jon Runyan, Jr.

Auden Tate – WR – Tampa (FL) Wharton: Tate is a 6’4″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #38 wide receiver, and #302 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 49 receptions for 815 yards and 5 touchdowns. He recently released a top group “in no particular order” that had Michigan as the team listed first, which may or may not mean anything. Either way, the Wolverines are in the thick of it, and the 247 Sports Crystal Ball has Michigan with a plurality of votes.

D’Andre Walker – DE – Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes: Walker is a 6’2″, 218 lb. defensive end with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, USC, and numerous others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 weakside end, and #161 overall.


2016
Kjetil Cline – WR – St. Paul (MN) East Ridge:
 Cline is a 6’0″, 193 lb. prospect with offers from Pitt and Western Michigan. He claims a 4.45 forty. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 630 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

K.J. Costello – QB – Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Catholic: Costello is a 6’4″, 213 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, Michigan, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 pro-style quarterback, and #139 overall. Costello is one of five quarterbacks Michigan has offered so far in the 2016 class, and he seems the most likely to choose Michigan at this early juncture.

Dylan Crawford – WR – La Canada Flintridge (CA) St. Francis: Crawford is a 6’1″, 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Oregon State, Tennessee, UCLA, and USC, among others. He is good friends and will be traveling with Costello, but seems less enthused about Michigan than some west coast schools.

Jovanny Garcia – DT – St. Paul (MN) East Ridge: Garcia is a 6’3″, 270 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State and Minnesota. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #16 defensive tackle, and #118 overall. He’s a teammate of Cline (above) and plays in the same league with Jashon Cornell.

Patrice Rene – S – Ottawa (Ontario) St. Peter: Rene is a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Syracuse, among others. He is reportedly moving from Canada to Virginia before his junior year to attend Alexandria (VA) Episcopal. Rene camped at Michigan in 2013.

Naseir Upshur – TE – Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep: Upshur is a 6’3″, 232 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 tight end, and #166 overall. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 8 receptions for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 40 tackles and 12 sacks as a defensive end.

2017
Jonathan Sutherland – WR – Ottowa (Ontario) Pearson: Sutherland is a 5’10”, 175 lb. prospect with an offer from Rutgers.

Luiji Villian – DE – Ottowa (Ontario) Pearson: Villian is a 6’3″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Minnesota and Rutgers. He attended the Sound Mind Sound Body football camp with teammate Sutherland (above).

Craig Yeast II – WR – Fremont (OH) Ross: Yeast is a 5’11”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati and Kentucky. He claims a 4.5 forty, a 36.5″ vertical, a 265 lb. bench, and a 415 lb. squat. Yeast is the son of former Kentucky wide receiver Craig Yeast, who at one time was the SEC’s all-time leader in receptions (208) and second-leading receiving yardage leader (2,899 yards) after teaming up with future #1 draft pick Tim Couch. Yeast went on to be a 3rd round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals and played for the Jets before moving on to the Canadian Football League.

9Jun 2014
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Recruiting Update: June 9, 2014

Warren (OH) Harding center James Daniels (image via 247 Sports)

COMMITMENT
USC transfer Ty Isaac committed to Michigan (LINK). MGoVideo put together a reel of all of Isaac’s touches at USC last year (LINK), and it’s tough not to be impressed with what Isaac brings to the table. He had a better offensive line at USC last year than what Michigan’s backs had in 2013, but he still has a knack for breaking tackles and falling forward.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Corona (CA) Santiago quarterback Blake Barnett decommitted from Notre Dame. The 247 Composite #65 player in the nation is likely to choose Oregon sooner or later.

Warren (OH) Harding center James Daniels was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 282 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and UCLA, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #9 center, and #584 overall. Daniels is that rare center prospect who actually plays center in high school, and he looks like a good one for Michigan’s style of offense. His brother, Leshun Daniels II, is a running back for the Hawkeyes, and James’s father played for Iowa, too. Despite Michigan having a good amount of success at Harding (Mario Manningham, Prescott Burgess, Carl Diggs), it looks like James will pick the Buckeyes or Hawkeyes.

Sacramento (CA) Grant Union offensive guard Darrin Paulo was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’5″, 344 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #41 offensive guard, and #593 overall. Paulo plays tackle in high school, but several schools see him as a guard, which is where I also think he fits best. He has stated that he wants to stay close to home, so Michigan’s chances are slim.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist quarterback Shea Patterson was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’1″, 180 lb. prospect who committed to Arizona in December 2012; he now has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 pro-style quarterback, and #57 overall in his class. As a sophomore in 2013, he completed 138/223 passes for 2,655 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions while running 74 times for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. Patterson plays in a spread offense that emphasizes his passing skills, which include good arm strength and very good accuracy. He’s not a great runner, but he’s athletic enough to move the chains when necessary. Patterson plans to visit Michigan this summer and seems excited about the offer. Where he ends up is anybody’s guess, but I do not believe he will remain committed to Arizona.

Virginia Beach (VA) Ocean Lakes cornerback Levonta Taylor was offered by Michigan. He’s a 5’10”, 170 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 cornerback, and #46 overall. He claims a 4.32 forty, a 40″ vertical, a 4.09 shuttle, a 275 lb. bench, a 520 lb. deadlift, a 405 lb. squat, and a 10’6″ broad jump, all of which add up to make him quite an impressive athlete if those numbers are close to being true. As a sophomore in 2013, he made 48 tackles, 7 interceptions (1 touchdown), 10 pass breakups, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble. On film Taylor is a blazer with good ball skills and hitting ability.

Suffolk (VA) Lakeland linebacker Jaquan Yulee was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 258 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 outside linebacker, and #142 overall. He claims a 4.92 forty, a 275 lb. bench, and a 500 lb. squat. Yulee played inside linebacker for his high school team last year, but he looks to me like a LaMarr Woodley or Brandon Graham type of player who will transition to defensive end in college.

OFF THE BOARD
Richmond (VA) Benedictine defensive end Clelin Ferrell committed to Clemson. This is a bit of a blow to Michigan’s recruit efforts as they have developed a foothold in Virginia over the past couple years, including guys like Derrick Green, Wilton Speight, and Garrett Taylor. The Wolverines are also in need of weakside end types unless they plan to put Noah Furbush there, because Frank Clark graduates after the upcoming season, leaving just Mario Ojemudia (a senior in 2015) and Lawrence Marshall (sophomore or redshirt freshman) at the position. Ferrell is also a teammate of 2016 wide receiver Scott Bracey, who holds a Michigan offer.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of visitors from this past week (LINK).

The Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge took place in Baltimore this past weekend (LINK).

Orlando (FL) Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick is in town for the week leading up to the Sound Mind Sound Body camp next week. Patrick’s cousin is a coach at Detroit (MI) King and perhaps the biggest reason that Michigan might have a shot at Jacques, who is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 running back, and #44 overall in the 2015 class. As a junior in 2013, he carried the ball 231 times for 2,153 yards and 30 touchdowns.