Recruiting Boards:
2009 & 2010

Moved to Committed: MI QB Nader Furrha. The Ann Arbor Pioneer product will be a preferred walkon for the Wolverines. He has already enrolled in school, and will take part in spring practice. Furrha will add depth, but Michigan is still seeking a viable quarterback candidate in this class.

Moved from Committed: TX CB/WR DeWayne Peace. He decommitted yesterday, citing a desire to play WR. Michigan coaches told him they liked him primarily as a CB, and that would be his position once he got to Ann Arbor. The stubborn stance by Michigan coaches certainly implies that he won’t be sorely missed from the recruiting class (and I think most fans felt he and Jordan Barnes were the most expendable members of said class). Classy move by the coaches to not lead a kid on just to get his signature, then change his position without his consent once he arrived on campus. It seems more likely now that Michigan feels good about a CB prospect or two, and probably an outside WR as well. Peace will remain on the board – for now – but his player page has been removed from the committed player HQ.

It should come as no surprise that a high school powerhouse like Pahokee gets all sorts of individual honors for its players, but it is certainly notable that the small school offensive AND defensive Players of the Year go to the same high school – and now will remain teammates in college. Vincent Smith took home the offensive honor for the area, and Brandin Hawthorne earned the defensive distinction. In the photo (courtesy of The Palm Beach Post’s Ray Graham), Smith is second from the left, and appears to be sporting a gold grill. Hawthorne is on the far right. The other two gentlemen are FSU commit Lonnie Pryor and 2010 Florida commit Matt Elam.

This is obviously a little dated, as the Army game has come and gone, but here’s a little San Antonio fluff on 2009 K Commit Brendan Gibbons:

East kicker Brendan Gibbons (West Palm Beach, Fla.), who is committed to Michigan, doesn’t fit the stereotypical kicker mold — you know, small and reclusive.

For starters, the talkative 6-foot, 202-pounder is unusually buff for a kicker. On top of that, Gibbons spent the better part of Thursday’s first practice hyping up Michigan to a handful of skeptical teammates.

He at one point noted Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the MVP of last year’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl who had a drawn-out recruiting process that ultimately came down to the Buckeyes and Wolverines, “should be wearing blue.”

Gibbons isn’t just all show, though. He was consistently booming the ball on field goals and kickoffs during practice.

Clearly Gibbons is a good recruit/recruiter for the Wolverines. He also told GBW that 2009 VA QB Tajh Boyd was now interested in Michigan. However, with Boyd’s final official now scheduled for Clemson, it appears that ship has sailed. Boyd won’t be added to the board unless there is a radical change in the coming days. And to wrap up the kicker talk – not to bag on a kid for not choosing Michigan, but having watched both All-star games, I’m very glad with the way Michigan’s kicking situation ended up for the 2009 recruiting class. Gibbons also earned the Maxwell Award for high school kickers.

2009 DT Commit (albeit a soft one) DeQuinta Jones visits Arkansas this weekend. I would postulate that they are not Michigan’s biggest threat in landing Jones.

Speaking of All-Star fluff, 2009 SC DE Sam Montgomery participated in the Under Armour game, and the Index-Journal ran perhaps one of the fluffiest articles I’ve linked in a recruiting update. Fortunately, there is a little bit of actual information:

Along with playing in the Shrine Bowl on Dec. 17, Montgomery was also an All-Lakelands and Associated Press All-State player on a Greenwood team that bounced back from a 1-4 start to win the Region 1-AAAA title and make the Class AAAA, Division II state playoffs.

Montgomery lined up at defensive end in all but two games for the Eagles and recorded 78 individual tackles, 11 sacks and three forced fumbles. Despite having completed just his second season playing football, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Montgomery has Division I scholarship offers from schools around the country, including Southern California, Miami (Fla.), LSU and Michigan.

So, honors and stats and fluff hooray. By the way, Montgomery’s lead recruiter for LSU, defensive line coach Earl Lane, got the axe yesterday, and that may have an effect on Sam’s recruitment.

2010 AR QB Claude Johnson participated in the Army AA Junior Combine, where he performed well:

“I made some good, accurate and strong throws,” Johnson said. “The receivers helped me out a lot because there’s a lot of good players out here. I do believe I was one of the best out here.

“Some of them do have more height, and that’s an advantage in college football right now, but I have heart and I play hard. I feel like I can play with anyone.”

Johnson ran a 4.78-second 40-yard dash and a 4.35-second pro-shuttle time in the early morning testing.

So he’s certainly far from a blazer, but could definitely still be considered a dual-threat.

And how about a couple removals?
2009 MA OL Brennan Williams committed to UNC at the Army game.
2009 MD RB Tavon Austin commited to West Virginia.
2009 FL CB Mywan Jackson committed to North Carolina, which was something of a foregone conclusion when he set up his announcement between three schools earlier this week, when the ‘Heels were the only team he visited.

For news about this weekend’s visitors, check out the recruiting post from earlier this week. Sam Webb brings the most recent update on who’ll be in town.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Since there is so much recruiting info for me to catch up on, I’ll separate the 2009 and 2010 information this time, in order to fit as much stuff in as I can. The board lives here, and can always be found via the left sidebar.

I’ll start with the bombshell-ish info: William Campbell, thought to be heavily leaning to Michigan despite his decommitment, has basically eliminated the Wolverines from contention upon his arrival at the Army All-American game (free Rivals video). I’ll leave him on the board for now, mostly out of hope, rather than any actual fact. From the interview, it sounds like LSU is going to get the hat pulled out by Campbell on Saturday. :(

He won’t be added to the recruiting board, as per VB policy (soon to change for the 2010 board, because it’s tough keeping track of these guys without adding all their info to the board), but LA WR Travante Stallworth, an Auburn commit, is getting some attention from Michigan (info in header). It certainly sounds like he may be swayed, if another school really wants him (info in header again).

SC DE Sam Montgomery is still on the board, though he seems far less enthused about Michigan (we’re near Detroit!) than he did earlier in the recruiting process, and has named LSU his leader. He was involved in the Shrine Bowl (warning: super fluffy), and though the article’s title is “Montgomery stays patient in the recruiting process,” there isn’t one bit of information about recruiting, so it’s just something to read if you want nice quotes about a kid, including his stats:

Montgomery, 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, had 111 tackles including 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery this season while mainly playing linebacker. He played on the varsity team for the past three years.

…and his altruistic side:

“I’m going to keep on battling until I make it to the (NFL), so I can give some of my signing bonus (to the Shriners Hospitals for Children). This will be one of the main organizations I give to.”

Although he took in a South Carolina bowl practice,  they are in the “middle of the pack” with everyone else in his final group, save favorite LSU. Speaking of Montgomery, this article also mentions him, but more interesting are the following two tidbits of information:

DB Dre Kirkpatrick (6-3, 190) of Gadsden, Ala., will visit Alabama, Florida and Texas for sure in January. He’s only planning four visits and for the final trip he’s considering Clemson, Southern California, LSU, Michigan and Auburn… DB Jaron [sic] Hosley  (5-10, 172) of Delray Beach, Fla., will visit Ohio State, Michigan, South Florida and Clemson in January.

After not mentioning Michigan throughout most of the summer, Kirkpatrick has picked up interest in the Wolverines again, it seems. Lord knows we need him. Jayron Hosley‘s Ohio state visit is confirmed by Bucknuts.

JC DE Pernell McPhee was though to be leaning to Michigan following his official visit, and the former Pahokee Blue Devil did not sign with Mississippi State (where he has been softly committed) on JC signing day. However, he has also been to Florida on an official visit recently, and the subheadline “Will Pernell McPhee stay with Mississippi State or will he play for another SEC program?” makes it sound like maybe the Wolverines missed their opportunity with Pernell.

OH OL Henry Conway was at the spring game, but hasn’t really been on the Michigan fan’s radar since. However, he is leaving a date open for an official visit, and will take it if the Wolverines end up offering him (info in header).

UNC CB commit Josh Hunter is still considering a Michigan official, and he’s looking at the January 17th weekend.

LSU insiders don’t exactly seem to be kicking themselves for missing on LA DT commit DeQuinta Jones, but they certainly think he’ll be a good player down the road:

The best defensive lineman in the state that no one ever talks about is Bastrop’s Dequinta Jones (6’3 275), who runs a 4.8 forty and can play the game as well as any in the country. Jones is committed to Michigan, and I predict he will start after one year and play as a true freshman for the Wolverines.

I assume this assertion is not in any way intended to imply that he is not a soft commit (as has been rumored), but rather a compliment of the caliber of player he is. Michigan fans are certainly excited to see DD in maize and Blue.

Next on the list of “I still believe in Michigan” articles of current commits: Fitzgerald Toussaint. It’s not just fluff though. There are three videos in the article, so check it out.

I’ve added LA LB Barkevious Mingo to the board. Sam Webb lets us know he plans to visit January 9th weekend.

And of course, the day I talked only about QBs, I forgot to mention them, but I’ve decided to add A.J. Westendorp and Nader Furrha to the board. Both are likely preferred-walkon candidates, though if the QB recruiting situation becomes extra-dire, one of them might get offered.

Posted under Football, Recruiting