Removed SC QB Dylan Thompson. The signal caller (who actually hadn’t seen much interest from the Wolverines) committed to South Carolina.
MI WR Marcus Beaurem out of Sterling Heights Stevenson was impressive at Michigan’s camp, and was able to earn an offer from Central Michigan last week. Then, he committed to… Bowling Green? yesterday. Kind of a weird whirlwind recruitment.
Removed FL WR DeJoshua Johnson. The Pahokee product and prototypical slot receiver committed to Florida State.
Fluff on PA DT Sharrif Floyd. It’s the type of article that really reminds you that, these aren’t just football players, they’re kids whose lives hang in the balance:
“I was always frustrated at a young age, but growing up in a bad situation, there are only two ways you can go, run the streets and sell drugs, or go another way and do something with your life,” Floyd said. “I grew up in a drug environment. I grew up around all of that stuff. I’ve had people I grew up who were locked up, some of them were shot and killed. After one of my friends died, I stayed away from a lot of things after that.”
Regardless of where this kid ends up, it’s hard to wish him anything but the best of luck in coming out of a bad situation and making something of himself. Floyd will announce his decision at the Army All-American Bowl.
Sam Webb Freep fluff on OH DT Jibreel Black. His final 5 list consists of Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Indiana (where his older brother is a defensive lineman). He grew up a Michigan fan, and though that’s the only campus he’s not visited on his list, the Wolverines have a chance because of that distinction.
DC LB Javarie Johnson has reached a decision on his college destination, and will announce that information this week (info in header). The week is almost over, so I assume that announcement is forthcoming soon. Remember, Johnson is the one who was so enthused about his Michigan visit that his coach thought he had committed to the Wolverines. Still, it’s been a while since he has been to Michigan, and though the Wolverines are featured on his recent top 4 list, I would be mildly surprised if he picked Michigan.
Added GA S Detrick Bonner. The safety from Leulla, GA has been offered by Michigan, and currently says he’s favoring the Wolverines. He also likes Clemson.
Removed FL CB Cody Riggs, whose final list of 5 includes Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Tennessee.
FL CB Lorenza Wood, who was once a strong Michigan lead, is expected to pick Notre Dame tomorrow. If that does indeed happen, he’ll be removed on Monday.
Two more prospects that can probably be crossed off the list: GA LB Tyrone Cornileus, who is likely headed to Miami of Florida, and DT Mike Thornton, who will pick between Georgia and Georgia Tech soon.
In your occasional 2011 mention, quarterback Christian LeMay from North Carolina has been offered by Michigan (info obvious from header). He joins OH QB Braxton Miller, a likely OSU lock, as the offered quarterbacks in next year’s class.
Big House Barbecue As mentioned in this morning’s post, there were no immediate results from the Big House Barbecue event. Though the Wolverines picked up a commitment from PA DE Jordan Paskorz (and how about a little Paskorz fluff? Or were you looking for a more local flavor?), it was prior to the barbecue, and not related to the actual even itself. So, was the whole thing a bust this time around? Not so much. There are lots of positive vibes coming from essentially every recruit who was there, with none moreso than a couple guys who might suddenly be ready to make decisions. “Wilkins moves closer to decision after visit” and “Is a Decision Imminent for Pace?” are pretty good indications-via-headline that PA LB Ken Wilkins and OH OL Christian Pace enjoyed themselves enough to at least seriously consider committing in the not-particularly-distant future. Keep your eyes peeled in the coming days.
Other than those two, nothing seems to be imminent, but the general feeling from the barbecue seems to be a good one, emanating from the mouths of seemingly every recruit who was there. Michigan certainly helped themselves with a number of guys, even if they only managed to accelerate a couple of decision timelines. Some of those who seemd to enjoy themselves: FL CB Tony Grimes, who had his “eyes opened by Michigan,” and seems to be a pretty good player, as well. Another top prospect who was there, perhaps surprisingly to Michigan fans who are staring at the commit list with a shocked expression, was IL WR Kyle Prater (info in header).
Fluff on IA QB AJ Derby. Tom Lemming criticizes several midwest schools for being impatient and not waiting for great prospects like Derby, while lauding Iowa’s foresight to not accept commitments from lesser-rated players. Like, I don’t know, 3-stars James Morris and Austin Gray and unranked Anthony Ferguson and Jim Poggi. I’m just sayin’. Back to Derby though, Lemming seems to think he might be a 5-star caliber player, but that his Hawkeye connections (aside from the obvious – living in Iowa City – his dad also played for Iowa in the 90s) will probably mean he ends up playing for his hometown school.
OK QB/WR Demarco Cobbs is trying to narrow his list, but is having a hard time telling schools that he’s just not that into them. Be forwarned that Michigan is nowhere near his rough top 10 list, which instead consists of Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee and USC. He basically never mentions Michigan, though he says “a couple schools” are right outside the top list, and could sneak in there. He seems to have little interest in playing QB, and the only reason I’m leaving him on the list for now is that he has a Michigan offer, and there’s no formal cutdown that means Michigan is absolutely out of it.
SC RB Marcus Lattimore has trimmed his list of schools to a final 8, which doesn’t include Michigan. This is curious because of the “I am definitely going to an official visit in Ann Arbor” vibe he was giving out before, but the writing has sort of been on the wall for a while now. I’ll leave him on the board a little longer, until I can get a chance to resolve the official visit issue.
Selective reading by the Miami Herald, when discussing possible future commitments for Da U. They pick out a FL OL Torrian Wilson quote that all of his top 5 schools are “about equal,” while forgetting to mention that he has also said several times that Michigan definitely leads. This is yet another reason why newspapers are failing, guys. I’m not saying the Wolverines will definitely land Wilson, but lying to your readers by omission isn’t exactly a criterion for becoming a beacon of journalism.
GA OT/DE Henry Anderson says Michigan “is in the big picture” (info in header). While that certainly doesn’t mean very much, it’s enough to warrant adding him to the board.
GA DE TJ Stripling might be taking a visit to Ann Arbor soon (info in header). Memo to Pete Cunningham, the author of this article. You can’t have a tease in the excerpt that you’ve already answered in the headline. Stripling had not been previously on the board, so I’ve added him.
Some pretty fluffy stuff on FL LB Jeff Luc. Of actual note from the article: He’s a good student, and trying to get all of his classes in order so he can graduate in December and enroll early at his school of choice.
MD LB Troy Glosterhas been offered by Michigan. The former teammate of Florida’s Jelani Jenkins is one of many Division-1 prospects at Good Counsel High School, so keep an eye on the Wolverines’ future actions at that school.
Periodic Pahokee Update Time. It seems I say more about this school than any other, probably because the number of prospects available there, and also because of Michigan’s existing ties to the Blue Devils. Anyway, a weird-ish non-story from the muck over the weekend, as CB Merrill Noel and LB Zachery Allenplanned to announce today – then promptly changed their minds. The Wolverines wouldn’t have likely been the school of choice for either guy, so if they want a legit shot at them, a longer recruiting process can only help Michigan. It had been predicted that both would commit to Wake today.
A top 100 list of Florida prospects by the Miami Herald includes a number of Michigan prospects, including commits Ricardo Miller (#19) and Marvin Robinson (#31). The most humorous part of this list is the authors’ insistence on bragging about how much smarter they are than the national recruiting sites, and how they know so much more than those guys. Then they go on to spell about 30% of the names wrong. Great work, guys!
Josh Helmholdt fluff in the Free Press about MI QB Commit Devin Gardner‘s recent performance at the Midwest Elite Camp. The article masterfully spews a couple hundred words without actually talking about performance at the camp. The biggest conclusion you can draw is “Devin Gardner is a dual-threat quarterback, and was present,” which, like, duh. There’s also a rather brief mention that his mechanics need work before he’s able to contribute at the next level, which anyone who follows Michigan recruiting in any capacity already knew. MI QB Robert Bolden was also there, but the boilerplate discussion doesn’t give much of a scouting report or recruiting vibe on him, either.
IS QB AJ Derby is back from an Elite 11 camp and campus tour on the west coast, and is talking a little recruiting. He’ll narrow down to a top 8 or top 5 sometime over the summer, and make all of his official visits. Michigan offered him as a QB a couple weeks ago, and is likely to make at least his first cut.
CA RB Malcolm Joneshas a top three of Stanford, UCLA, and Oklahoma (info in header). Michigan doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in him, so his presence on the board may be starting to head towards an end.
SC RB/CB Jerrell Priestersays he’ll camp at Michigan this summer. He doesn’t have an offer yet, but that might be a good opportunity for him to earn one. Of course, Michigan’s chances for a guy who comes out with a quote like this:
“Notre Dame is at the top of the list, but it’s open,” he said. “I’ve got to go where I’m wanted and do the best for me.”
are probably not superb.
Though it was reported last week that FL WR Fred Pickett had committed to West Virginia, both he and his coach say that is not in fact the case. Though Pickett’s likelihood of landing in Ann Arbor is approximately zero, this is still somewhat relevant to Michigan fans. Pahokee head coach Blaze Thompson says he’s now instructing his players (several of whom Michigan has offered, including WRs De’Joshua Johnson and Chris Dunkley, CB Merrill Noel, and others) to take their time in the recruiting process, and not rush into a decision that they’ll change later. This follows last year’s saga of Nu’Keese Richardson, who committed to Florida, then was snake-oiled away by Lane Kiffin. Speaking of the Pahokee boys, DT Antonio Fordplans to visit Michigan next month. And let the Pahokee fluff keep on coming, as Sam Webb discusses Michigan’s connection to the tiny Florida town in the Detroit News. Included is a scouting report of LB Zachery Allen:
“The thing with Allen is upside,” Vogt said. “More and more schools are intrigued by him. Right now, he’s maybe a little bit undersized for the positions that colleges are recruiting him for, but he has an outstanding frame, he can run, and he’s very physical at the point of attack. He’s one of those players who projects well at the next level because when he gets into a college weight training program they are going to sculpt him. He’s going to be an outside linebacker at 6-2, 230 that can really get after it.”
…and the information that Michigan probably has a good chance with Noel, DT Richard Ash, Allen, and even Dunkley.
General defensive recruiting fluff by Josh Helmholdt in the Free Press. Of note: the Wolverines lead for PA CB Cullen Christian and FL CB Rashad Knight still.
Michigan has offered NC S Keenan Allen. He hails from the same high school as DT prospect Gabe King (though King will not be eligible to participate this fall). They have also offered another teammate, 6-6 LB Chris McCain, according to the article.
Michigan zipped an offer to OH S/Ath Bobby Swigert (info in header). It’s one of his first high-BCS-level offers, along with Pitt and Colorado, and the Wolverines are looking to figure prominently in his recruitment.
FL CB Lorenza Wood has a list of four favorites: Notre Dame, Michigan, Stanford, and Ole Miss. Michigan was his heavy favorite early in the recruiting process, but a visit to South Bend has changed the wind. After chatting with Notre Dame DC (and former Wolverine DB) Corwin Brown, the Irish are now considered to be on top. Wood plans to decide in July.
Re-removed MD CB Louis Young, who reaffirmed his commitment to Stanford. Young had stated that he was interested in other schools earlier this spring, but now says he’ll stick with the Cardinal.
And in class of 2009 news, The Big House Blog brings the scoop on a new walk-on punter who plans to enroll in Ann Arbor this fall. Kristopher Pauloski, from Indianapolis Pike High School was first-team all-area last year.
As always, the 2010 Recruiting Board has a running tally of all the updates.
A very Michigan-tastic relay team of Denard Robinson, Adrian Witty, 2010 RB Cassius McDowell, and Donte Dotson (who does not play football) won the Florida State Track title in the 4×100 relay, with a time of 40.64. They did not, however, break the state record of 40.54, partially because of a bad handoff between Witty and Dotson:
”I’m mad we didnt break it but happy that we won states,” Robinson said. “It’s a great experience. I don’t know what happened. Our exchange wasn’t that good from first to second. That is what got us. It means a lot. To two-peat means a lot, especially after losing two legs from last year.”
If only there were video of this whole thing… ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE:
The legs are as follows: Dotson, Witty, McDowell, Robinson. All are very fast. Robinson finished 3rd in the 100m dash, with a time of 10.62.
Oklahoma-oriented radio interview/podcast-like-substance with CA RB Brennan Clay. Talks about how big a threat the Scripps Ranch offense was, in large part thanks to Tate Forcier. Brennan caught 70 passes and ran 107 times, so he’s definitely a multi-skilled threat. Not to sound the alarm bell quote yet, but he lists about 10 of his offers, and Michigan is not among the schools he names.
Former Michigan and 10-year NFL running back Tyrone Wheatley is the [EMU] Eagles’ running backs coach and has kept tabs on McKinney.
“I talked to Coach Wheatley yesterday on the phone,” McKinney said. “He said that I’m definitely the type of player that they like and I remind them a lot of Reggie Bush. They said that they can’t see why I don’t have anymore offers yet, so it was a very good compliment and he seems like a pretty good guy.”
“I’m thinking I should have everything narrowed down by national signing day,” McKinney said. “I’m very open-minded about everything.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s given at least a glance later on, though it sounds like it would be for either defense or slot:
McKinney is also a polished receiver, as Racki sometimes uses the standout in the slot… Though he is a productive running back at the high school level, McKinney is being recruited by many schools as a defensive back because of his fluid hips and quickness. Racki said every Big Ten school, including Illinois, has shown interest with only Michigan State recruiting McKinney as a running back.
I would presume that, since Michigan has 2 RB/Slots prospects already committed, he would be a defensive guy, or maybe a contingency plan for a decommit. He may be the type of kid who comes to Michigan’s camp, as the Eastern Michigan coaching staff typically attends.
OH RB/DB Christian Bryant has received his Ohio State offer, so it’s likely only a matter of time before he commits to the Buckeyes. Like many Glenville players, the Ohio State offer was all that was holding him back from becoming a Buckeye. He may wait a while to announce a commitment, as Glenville players often do, but he’s as good as Scarlet.
Has Michigan offered FL WR Ace Sanders? I had’t previously heard of the kid, and I’d be shocked if they offered yet another WR (albeit a slot). Still, I was wrong in questioning a report last week, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, and at least add him to the board as unoffered.
They’re also still visiting the high school of NC WR Anthony Creecy. Again, I’m skeptical of their desire to take another true WR, but this is a results-based recruiting board, so he’s added. Of course, any additional WR recruit may still end up at another position.
FL WR Quinton Dunbar has Michigan in his top 6, despite aforementioned glut of wide receiver recruits for the Wolverines. The need for another outside wideout is low, and a recruiting class heavy in wide receivers isn’t exactly inviting to recruits, so look for Michigan to miss one of the next couple cuts for Dunbar, barring unforeseen circumstances.
After visiting Ann Arbor earlier this spring, FL OL Torrian Wilsonnamed the Wolverines his favorite. I assumed, like many other Michigan fans, that after the afterglow of the trip started to fade away, that Wilson would back off that statement, and eventually start favoring another school (such as the hometown Miami Hurricanes, which took 8 Miami Northwestern prospects in the class of 2008). Recent indications, however, are that Wilson still favors the Wolverines. Better yet, he plans to decide sometime this summer, which means other schools don’t have a ton of time to catch up with Michigan. Keep an eye on this one though, since I wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘Canes made a push at Torrian.
Since Wilson seems to be holding strong with the Michigan lead, it reduces the downside of FL OL Jose Joseannouncing for Tennessee, except for the fact that a player named “Jose Jose” should get the full red carpet treatment on name basis alone.
FL LB Jeff Luc is among the nation’s top linebacker prospects, and is near the top of the charts overall, as well. I guess, then, that he’s deserving of a pretty serious fluff piece from Gridiron Studs:
He has turned his life completely around through football and faith. Luc now sports a 3.7 G.P.A., is on track to graduate early and wants to be an engineer major in college. As for what college that would be, that’s the big question that Luc will keep people waiting on.
” I don’t have a favorite right now,” Luc says, “I like them all.”
Here’s the video referenced in the article (and it is indeed impressive):
Yay, video.
MD LB Javarie Johnson, though it was erroneouly reported a while back that he committed to Michigan, has in fact not. However, he still did enjoy hi visits to both East Lansing and Ann Arbor, and holds both the Spartans and the Wolverines in high regard. Maryland and Miami still loom in his recruitment, but that group of schools may be an unofficial top 4. Aside from schools of choice, Johnson plans to be a January enrollee, so his decision will likely be made sooner rather than later.
FL CB/Ath TC Robinson, the cousin of S commit Marvin Robinson, is currently favoring Michigan (info in header). If an offer ends up coming through for Robinson the Second, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in Blue, what with the family connection and all.
Continuing the Pahokee-centric bent from Monday’s recruiting update: Josh Helmholdt expands in the Free Press on Michigan’s recent rash of offers to Pahokee players:
Michigan returned to Pahokee early during recruiting for the class of 2010 and offered four-star wide receiver De’Joshua Johnson.
Smith visited Pahokee High last week and offered three more Blue Devils: linebacker Zachary Allen, cornerback Merrill Noel and defensive tackle Richard Ash. They also have offered wide receiver Chris Dunkley, who will be transferring to Pahokee from Royal Palm Beach High for his senior season.
And as I speculated Monday:
The five Pahokee players with U-M offers plan to travel with Pahokee coach Blaze Thompson to Ann Arbor for a camp in June.
Establishing pipelines obviously helps the players find a comfort level with Michigan, and the staff obviously realizes this. By the way, Tennessee is among De’Joshua Johnson’s tentative list of three finalists, but good luck getting into Pahokee High to talk to him, Kiffykins. I hope hope hope a now-standard Lane Kiffin moment of Social Norm Non-Awareness takes place if he does indeed apologize to the Pahokee community. And, while we’re on the topic, let’s get some SoFlaFootball love from some of the guys who are new-ish to Michigan fans:
Merrill Noel 2010 CB 5′8″ 160: While Noel is being recruited as a cornerback, look for him to be used a lot inside the box this fall for Pahokee. Noel has great speed and is a physical defender. Noel has a host of offers, the latest being Michigan, but the school to keep a close eye on is Wake Forest.
Richard Ash 2010 DT 6′3″ 265: Ash has moved himself into being the top prospect coming out of Pahokee this season. His body is a work in progress and very easily can be around 280-pounds before he leaves high school. Ash’s agility is impressive and is quick off the ball. Today in practice he did a nice job of shooting the guard-tackle gap and getting into the back field. A lot of talk going around that Florida is the school to beat for Ash as of now.
Zach Allen 2010 LB/DE/TE 6′2″ 180: Allen lines up as a defensive end during the 11-on-11 portion of the practice, where he was fairly active. Allen is lean right now, but in the future should be able to add the weight needed to play at a high level. The Alphonso Smith affect seems to be flowing through Pahokee, as Wake Forest is a school to watch for Allen.
Famliarize yourselves, yo.
I know I promised not to spout Army Game nominations just for the sake of doing it, but here’s the list of players from the state of Michigan who are being considered:
Huron wide receiver Jeremy Jackson, Chelsea tailback Nick Hill and Saline quarterback Joe Boisture are three of 10 players from Michigan on the list released this week. The game will be played Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010, in San Antonio’s Alamodome and broadcast live by NBC…
Other in-state finalists include University of Michigan commit Devin Gardner (QB, Inkster) and MSU commit Max Bullough (LB, Traverse City St. Francis), along with Williams Gholston (DL, Detroit Southeastern), Dior Mathis (DB, Detroit Cass Tech), Austin White (RB, Livonia Stevenson), Robert Bolden (QB, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) and Jordan Sanders (DL, Rochester Adams).
So, let’s tally ’em up: 2 Michigan commits, 1 State commit, 1 BC commit, and 6 uncommitted, at least one of whom will land at each of the in-state schools, per conventional wisdom. Speaking of Austin White, he was part of a 1:30.95 4×200 relay team. It’s not quite Denard Robinson fast, but it’s nothing to sneeze at. Dedicated article for his Army nomination.
2010 Michigan Football Recruiting Board. This was kind of a slow weekend, so there isn’t a whole ton of news. However, the later recruiting update this week will probably be pretty full. (Translation: I was on vacation this weekend and want to get the Monday recruiting post up without any further delay).
For those worried about the low ranking of slot commit Drew Dileo, hopefully his being ranked #17 in Louisiana will assuage those fears a bit. Louisiana is typically a talent-rich state, that #17 in that state is comparable to top-10 in Michigan in nearly every year. Couple that with the fact that Tiger Rag is an LSU fansite (like a Scout or Rivals page, but to the best of my knowledge, unaffiliated), and likely to slightly underrate the prospects who have already committed to out-of-state schools, and he’s probably a slightly better get than previously believed. Add in the stellar academic credentials, and things don’t look so negative, after all.
Josh Helmholdt Free Press fluff on who might be the second QB in Michigan’s class of 2010.Mostly non-informative, though he does say that the most likely options at this time appear to be LA QB Munchie Legaux, SC QB Cornelius Jones, and TX QB Jeremy Johnson. MI QB Robert Bolden is primarily interested in pro-style offenses… and Oregon? Either way, it’s unlikely that he’d end up in maize-and-blue.
This is also the time of year where we’ll start to hear about which prospects are planning to make it in to Ann Arbor for summer camps and other summer visits. FL OL Torrian Wilson and RB Eduardo Clements from Booker T. Washington in Miami plan to make it in for summer camp. Look for more comprehensive lists to start being formed as the time approaches.
Added FL CB Merrill Noel, who has received a Michigan offer (info in header). Noel is one of the strong contingent of Pahokee players this year, headlined by WR De’Joshua Johnson. Johnson (who would be a prototypical slot in the spread offense) has stated he doesn’t want to play in a spread, and has eliminated Florida and Michigan, despite saying that he would love to play with his former teammates like Vincent Smith and Martavious Odoms. However, Pahokee does have a number of defensive players, including DTs Richard Ash, Doral Willis, and Antonio Ford, along with LB Zachery Allen who, like Noel, was just offered (info in header). If the Wolverines want to keep the Pahokee pipeline open (and they most certainly do), there are plenty of legit options in the class of 2010.
By the way, since 400-some recruits have been nominated for the Army All-American Game, I’m not going to bother individually listing which prospects with Michigan interest have been nominated. However, I may throw in “US Army Game nominee” when I bring them up in the context of having other news to discuss.
Removed:
DC QB Ricardo Young and VA CB Derrick Hopkins. Both committed to Virginia Tech.
MI QB/Ath Tony Lippettcommitted to Michigan State.
OH OL Andrew Norwell. Yeah, he’s been committed to Ohio State for a really long time now, and I just noticed he was still on the board.
OH LB Scott McVey. See above.
VA LB Aramide Olaniyan. It appears as though his commitment to Duke will hold.
Fluff on PA DT Sharrif Floyd. It’s the type of article that really reminds you that, these aren’t just football players, they’re kids whose lives hang in the balance:
Josh Helmholdt fluff in the Free Press about MI QB Commit Devin Gardner‘s 
As always, the 2010 Recruiting Board has a running tally of all the updates.