Recruiting Update: June 22, 2015

Tag: Vavae Malepeai

22Jun 2015
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Recruiting Update: June 22, 2015

Lawrenceville (GA) Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price decommitted from Georgia

COMMITMENTS
Hartland (WI) Arrowhead offensive tackle Ben Bredeson committed to Michigan (LINK).

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety/linebacker Devin Gil committed to Michigan (LINK).

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Josh Metellus committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Sioux Falls (SD) Washington offensive tackle Matt Farniok was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Florida State, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #22 offensive tackle, and #210 overall. Farniok is a pretty athletic, high-effort kid who destroys the South Dakota competition, which is not known for being all that talented. Regardless, it’s easy to see why high-level teams are intrigued.

Lawrenceville (GA) Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price decommitted from Georgia. He’s a 6’6″, 311 lb. prospect who holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 offensive tackle, and #54 overall. Price grew up on the west side of Michigan, and the Wolverines were expecting to at least get a visit from him before he surprised a lot of people by committing to Georgia. He does plan to visit family in Michigan this summer, and a stop in Ann Arbor could very well happen at that time. Price’s teammates include 2017 defensive backs Isaiah Pryor and Jamyest Williams, both of whom have Michigan offers.

Hit the jump for a couple new 2017 offers, some guys who committed elsewhere, and some random bits.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Nashville (TN) Oakland wide receiver Jacoby Stevens was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 athlete, and #44 overall. Stevens could play anywhere from receiver to safety to linebacker at the next level.

New Orleans (LA) Brother Martin cornerback Tre Swilling was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect whose other offer comes from LSU. His brother, Bruce Jordan-Swilling, was offered by the Wolverines a couple weeks ago, and they are the sons of former New Orleans Saints linebacker Pat Swilling.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2018
Paramus (NJ) Catholic quarterback Allan Walters was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’2″, 200 lb. prospect with offers from Rutgers and Temple. Walters is a pro-style quarterback with a pretty strong arm and good mechanics for such a young player. He’s the second quarterback offered in the 2018 class, joining Floridian Joey Gatewood, who is expected to end up at Florida State. Walters is also the teammate of several offerees, including 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, 2016 wide receiver Donald Stewart, 2017 defensive end Corey Bolds, and 2017 linebacker Drew Singleton. Their former coach is Michigan’s recruiting coordinator.

OFF THE BOARD
Brownsburg (IN) Brownsburg running back Toks Akinribade committed to Iowa. Michigan was recruiting Akinribade even after Chris Evans committed a couple weeks ago, but a crowded backfield may have scared him off. Or maybe he just liked Iowa better. Akinribade did take a spring visit to Michigan, and he’s a teammate of offered 2017 quarterback Hunter Johnson.

Wayne (NJ) De Paul Catholic defensive end Quayshon Alexander committed to Nebraska. He’s a teammate of top running back Kareem Walker (Ohio State).

Carson (CA) Calabasas safety Marquel Dismuke committed to Nebraska. He was a recent decommit from Cal.

Downey (CA) Downey linebacker Darrian Franklin committed to Oregon. Franklin was initially excited about his Michigan offer, but he never visited. Michigan has also offered his teammate, Daevon Vigilant, who could play running back, wide receiver, cornerback, or returner.

Fayetteville (NC) Sanford cornerback Mark Gilbert committed to Duke.

Mililani (HI) Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai committed to Oregon. After the good vibes Marcus Mariota received from the fans and the school, Oregon probably earned a lot of favors in the state of Hawaii. Malepeai might not be a total burner, but he’s a sturdy running back with good vision. I think he’ll fit in well in Eugene.

West Hartford (CT) Kingswood-Oxford linebacker Koby Quansah committed to Duke. Previously, he had named Michigan to his top ten. Duke is pulling in quite a class, including three players (Gilbert, Quansah, and Virginia WR Scott Bracey) who had Michigan offers. They currently have the #16 class in the country using 247’s Composite rankings.

Jacksonville (FL) Trinity linebacker Dominique Ross committed to North Carolina. Michigan was not heavily involved in his recruitment.

Green Bay (WI) Bay Port offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen committed to Wisconsin. According to the 247 Composite, Van Lanen is the #2 player in the state for 2016. Who’s #1? Ben Bredeson. Interestingly, the top four  players in Wisconsin are offensive tackles.

MISCELLANEOUS
Norfolk (FL) Lake Taylor cornerback Wayne Davis named Michigan to his top three. The other two schools are Ohio State and Virginia Tech, and he has not visited Michigan yet, although he plans to do so this summer.

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison defensive end Khalid Kareem is announcing his college decision – for a second time – on Wednesday, June 24th. Over on 247 Sports, 88% of the Crystal Ball picks are in favor of Michigan. He has taken visits in the last week and a half to Alabama, Mississippi State, and South Carolina.

Allen (TX) Allen defensive end Levi Onwuzurike named Michigan to his top ten. He and Greg Mattison have developed a good relationship, although probably not quite good enough to reel him in.

Tons – literally, I guess – of football prospects showed up for Michigan’s Exposure U and Aerial Assault camps over the last week (LINK). At the link you’ll find lots of the bigger names to attend, along with brief info blurbs about most of them.

Several players took visits to Michigan this past weekend (LINK).

Lots of stuff is going on with in-state recruiting. I’ll have several new profiles up this week as a lot more 2017 prospects have started earning offers at summer camps. Over on Recruiting Season . . . :

23Mar 2015
Uncategorized 9 comments

Recruiting Update: March 23, 2015

Mililani (HI) Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai

Thanks to Robert for your donation yesterday! If you would like to contribute to the $3,000 goal for an overhaul of TTB, please use Paypal (on the left sidebar) or do some shopping on Amazon (LINK). Thanks!
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ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Montgomery (AL) Carver defensive end Marlon Davidson was offered by Michigan. Davidson is a 6’4″, 260 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, and Georgia, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 strongside end, and #27 overall. He claims a 4.9 forty. Davidson looks like a 3-4 defensive end or perhaps a defensive tackle at the next level. His technique is inconsistent, but he’s a big boy who can run and shows some good aggression. His brother, Kenneth Carter, was a former defensive tackle at Auburn from 2010-2013, and Davidson is widely considered to be a shoo-in for the Tigers.

Camden (NJ) Camden defensive end Ron Johnson, Jr. was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 240 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #17 weakside end, and #270 overall. He claims a 4.6 forty. Johnson is a kid who shows a really good motor and some good athleticism. A teammate of wide receiver Brad Hawkins, who already held a Michigan offer, the two visited Michigan this past weekend, but Johnson got news of the offer a couple days before making the trip.

Wichita (KS) East defensive end Xavier Kelly decommitted from Kansas State. The 6’5″, 230 lb. prospect committed to the Wildcats last November, but offers from Arkansas and Michigan in recent weeks have caused him to reopen his recruitment. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #20 weakside end, and #326 overall.

Mililani (HI) Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’0″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #53 running back, and #731 overall. He claims a 4.44 forty. As a junior in 2014, he had 1,337 rushing yards, 205 receiving yards, and 24 total touchdowns. Hawaii doesn’t have the best competition in the country, so highlights should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Malepeai does have some impressive vision, an innate ability to slither out of tackles, and decent speed. He does a really good job of following his blockers, staying right on their hip for the added protection. He is the cousin of Michigan offeree Boss Tagaloa and is coached by former NFL special teamer Maa Tanuvasa. Michigan has only had two players from Hawaii in the history of the program (in 1925 and 1945), and the program only makes rare forays into the state for offers. The last time they went after an Aloha State player was in 2013 for defensive tackle Scott Pagano (Clemson).

Montgomery (AL) Carver linebacker Lyndell Wilson was offered by Michigan. Wilson is a 6’2″, 220 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, and Ohio State, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #2 outside linebacker, and #8 overall. He claims a 4.64 forty. As a junior in 2014, he made 86 tackles, 9 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown). Do yourself a favor and watch his highlights, because he has one of the most impressive highlight reels I’ve seen in the 2016 recruiting class. You’ll even see a couple highlights against incoming freshman Keith Washington and 2016 running back offeree Kingston Davis. Unfortunately for Michigan, it looks like an Alabama vs. Auburn battle for Wilson.

Cuyahoga Falls (OH) Walsh Jesuit center Jack Wohlabaugh was offered by Michigan. Wohlabaugh is a 6’3″, 280 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Purdue, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 offensive guard, and #334 overall. He is also the son of Dave Wohlabaugh, who played center for Syracuse before moving on to the NFL to play for the Patriots, Browns, and Rams. Jack plays left guard for his high school team, and he shows quick feet with a good initial punch. However, with his size, pedigree, and quickness, he probably projects to center at the next level.

Hit the jump for lots of miscellaneous bits.

MISCELLANEOUS
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Rancho Santa Margarita quarterback K.J. Costello announced he will be announcing his college decision on the afternoon of Thursday, March 26. He visited Michigan last summer and was thinking about committing at the time, but despite saying he’s down to Michigan, Stanford, and USC now, it looks like it will be one of the two California schools. Costello had been saying that he would visit Michigan this spring, but that visit never materialized. At one time it was thought he and a small group of Californians might come to Michigan (though package deals, especially of more than two players, are always huge long shots), but wide receiver Theo Howard already committed to Oregon. Costello’s teammate, wide receiver Dylan Crawford, is probably a long shot for Michigan now, and cornerback David Long, Jr. is also part of that group of friends.

Weber State punter Blake O’Neill from Weber State has spurred Sam Webb into announcing a gut feeling for Michigan. O’Neill is a graduate transfer prospect. Last year for Weber State, he averaged 44.1 yards/punt. Out of his 62 punts, 25 of them landed inside the 20-yard line and 18 of them were 50+ yards. Michigan lost both specialists last year in the forms of kicker Matt Wile (who had punted at times in his career) and Will Hagerup. Class of 2015 signee Andrew David is not expected to factor into the punting duties, so Michigan is looking at O’Neill or walk-on Kenny Allen to be the punter this season.

Lawrenceville (GA) Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price named Michigan his leader. The coaches are pitching early playing time for him, which makes sense considering Michigan’s lack of a solidified pecking order at offensive tackle. Price grew up in the Grand Rapids area. Two of his offered teammates – cornerback Jamyest Williams and safety Isaiah Pryor – are 2017 prospects who will be visiting Michigan this coming weekend, although Price will not be with them.

Huntersville (NC) Southlake Christian running back Robert Washington named Michigan to his final six schools. The former Mississippi State commit has visited Michigan four times, all during the Brady Hoke era. He will decide in April, and the Bulldogs are not part of the final group.

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

Michigan picked up a couple preferred walk-ons this past week:

Over on Recruiting Season, I added/updated profiles for: