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Scouting Report: Jabrill Peppers

2013-05-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Paramus (NJ) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers (image via iSportsWeb)

Name: Jabrill Peppers
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 205 lbs.
High school: Paramus (NJ) Catholic
Position: Cornerback
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, UCLA, USC, Virginia, and West Virginia . . . Transferred from Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep prior to junior season . . . Teammate of 2014 Michigan offensive tackle commit Juwann Bushell-Beatty . . . ESPN 5-star, 95 grade, #1 CB, #2 overall . . . Rivals 5-star, #1 CB, #2 overall . . . Scout 5-star, #4 CB . . . 247 Sports 5-star, 99 grade, #1 ATH, #8 overall

Strengths: Blazing speed . . . Excellent change of direction . . . Aggressive hitter . . . Difficult to block due to quickness, strength, and good leverage . . . Good height and length . . . Solidly built without much bulking up needed . . . Great timing on going up for passes . . . Superb leaping ability . . . Shows strength and coordination to make catches in traffic . . . Tough runner who stays low in and out of cuts

Weaknesses: Does not play cornerback in high school, so technique may need to be learned . . . Showboats a little too much for my tastes (poses for the crowd, jogs into endzone, etc.)

Projection: Cornerback. Peppers has the speed and change of direction skills to play cornerback at the next level, but if a team needs a safety, running back, wide receiver, or returner, he could do all of those things. I think he is the best cornerback prospect in the 2014 class. With some refinement possibly needed in coverage technique, he may struggle a little bit initially; but his kind of coordination and reported dedication to training should correct that quickly. He could be an All-American by his sophomore year.

Reminds me of: Reggie Bush. I know this is an odd choice because Bush was/is a running back, but Peppers has the same kind of dynamic ability to change direction, outrun people, return kicks/punts, etc. There aren't many cornerbacks who play with the same kind of physicality that Peppers has, so finding a comparison is difficult. If you make me choose a cornerback, I'll go a little ways back and say Aeneas Williams, the borderline Hall of Famer from the Arizona Cardinals.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: The popular belief is that Peppers, who has scheduled an announcement for this coming Sunday, will commit to Michigan. Others in the running have been Penn State and Stanford, but the Wolverines appear to be the front-runners.

247 Sports Top 247 for 2015 released

2013-05-22T18:20:00.001-04:00

Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco QB Josh Rosen is the #5 overall player in the 2015 class (image via Fox Sports Next)

247 Sports released its top 247 players for the 2015 class, and here are some notable players from around the country. Remember that these kids are finishing up their sophomore year of high school, so there's a long way to go, new names will pop up, etc.

1. Canton Kaumatule - DE - Hawaii: He's, like, #1.
2. Terry Beckner, Jr. - DE - Illinois: Offered.
5. Josh Rosen - QB - California: Offered.
12. Kevin Dillman - QB - California: Previously presumed to be Michigan's top QB target, teammate of 2014 TE Tyler Luatua.
16. George Campbell - WR - Florida: Offered. Teammate of 2014 OG commit Mason Cole and WR Artavis Scott.
18. Jason Cornell - DE - Minnesota: Offered.
23. Soso Jamabo - RB - Texas: Offered.
25. Jaason Lewis - ATH - Virginia: Offered.
27. Shy Tuttle - DT - North Carolina: Offered.
30. Jordan Scarlett - RB - Florida: Teammate of 2016 WR offeree Sam Bruce.
37. Minkah Fitzpatrick - CB - New Jersey: Teammate of 2014 RB offeree Jonathan Hilliman.
43. Justin Hilliard - LB - Ohio: In-region prospect.
44. John Houston - LB - California: Teammate of 2014 CB Adoree' Jackson and LB Dwight Williams.
47. Malik Jefferson - LB - Texas: Offered.
50. Iman Marshall - CB - California: Teammate of 2014 ATH John Smith.
52. Jerome Baker - LB - Ohio: In-region prospect.
59. Jordan Stevenson - RB - Texas: Teammate of 2015 LB offeree Anthony Wheeler.
63. Marquise Overton - DT - Oklahoma: Teammate of 2014 S Steven Parker.
66. Ricky DeBerry - LB - Virginia: Visited campus last month.
72. Brian Cole - CB - Michigan: Offered.
73. Jahvoni Simmons - LB - Virginia: Teammate of 2015 ATH offeree Jaason Lewis.
74. Larry Scott - RB - Ohio: In-region prospect.
78. Devante Peete - WR - Florida: Teammate of 2014 WR offeree Corey Holmes.
84. Eric Glover-Williams - CB - Ohio: In-region prospect.
86. Sterling Jenkins - OT - Pennsylvania: Offered.
87. Jacques Patrick - RB - Florida: Offered.
88. Cordell Broadus - WR - California: Son of Snoop Dogg/Lion.
90. Damien Harris - RB - Kentucky: Offered.
110. Natereace Strong - RB - Illinois: Teammate of 2015 DE offeree Terry Beckner, Jr.
113. Michael Weber - RB - Michigan: Offered.
130. Elijah Taylor - DT - Ohio: In-region prospect.
149. Shaun Crawford - CB - Ohio: Offered.
153. Hjalte Froholdt - DT - Ohio: Offered.
159. Darian Roseboro - DE - North Carolina: Offered.
163. Chris Green - LB - Ohio: In-region prospect.
171. Kyonta Stallworth - OT - Michigan: In-state prospect.
191. Kahlil McKenzie - DE - Wisconsin: In-region prospect.
192. Osa Masina - LB - Utah: Offered.
193. Malik Roberson - RB - California: Teammate of 2014 CB Adoree' Jackson and LB Dwight Williams.
196. Garrett Thomas - OT - Louisiana: Offered.
216. Josh Alabi - OT - Michigan: Offered.
222. Markell Jones - RB - Indiana: In-region prospect.
225. David Dowell - WR - Ohio: Teammate of 2015 CB offeree Shaun Crawford.
228. Reagon Williams - LB -Ohio: In-region prospect.
233. Jimmy Fitzgerald - QB - Illinois: In-region prospect.
235. Brandon Tiassum - OG - Indiana: In-region prospect.
237. Anthony Wheeler - LB - Texas: Offered.
243. Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. - TE - New York: Offered, son of former Michigan RB Tyrone Wheatley.

Rivals 250 for 2014 updated

2013-05-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

The Rivals 250 for the class of 2014 was released on Tuesday (the Rivals 100 was released yesterday). Here's what it looked like back in February.

Movement for Michigan commits:

- Mason Cole dropped from #107 to #118
- Michael Ferns dropped from #84 to #128
- Bryan Mone dropped from #172 to #181

Here are the rest of the Michigan's targets on the list:

108. Dante Booker - LB - Ohio
109. Saeed Blacknall - WR - New Jersey
114. Jacory Washington - TE - Louisiana (LSU)
118. Mason Cole - OG - Florida (Michigan)
119. Lorenzo Featherston - DE - North Carolina
121. Steven Parker - S - Oklahoma
122. Adarius Pickett - CB - California
123. Sam Mustipher - OG - Maryland (Notre Dame)
124. Tyler Luatua - TE - California
127. Montae Nicholson - S - Pennsylvania
128. Michael Ferns III - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
136. Kalen Ballage - ATH - Colorado
139. Khairi Clark - DT - Florida
142. Dexter Wideman - DT - South Carolina
150. Quincy Wilson - CB - Florida
152. Bentley Spain - OT - North Carolina
154. K.J. Williams - WR - Pennsylvania
164. Devon Thomas - RB - Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
168. Dravon Henry - S - Pennsylvania
169. Nick Watkins - CB - Texas
175. Daniel Helm - TE - Illinois (Tennessee)
176. Jeb Blazevich - TE - North Carolina (Georgia)
177. Shai McKenzie - RB - Pennsylvania
181. Bryan Mone - DT - Utah (Michigan)
184. Otaro Alaka - LB - Texas (Texas)
198. Erick Smith - S - Ohio
199. Kenny Young - LB - Louisiana
204. Roderick Johnson - OT - Missouri
206. D'Andre Payne - CB - Tennessee
208. Christian McCaffrey - RB - Colorado (Stanford)
216. Kyle Berger - LB - Ohio (Ohio State)
227. T'Kevian Rockwell - LB - Texas
228. Corey Holmes - WR - Florida
229. Parrker Westphal - CB - Illinois
231. Brandon Simmons - S - Texas (Stanford)
235. Garrett Dickerson - TE - New Jersey
250. Kiy Hester - CB - New Jersey

Top 247 for 2014 updated

2013-05-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

247 Sports released its updated top 247 yesterday.

Here's a list of Michigan's targets:

5-stars:
1. Da'Shawn Hand - DE - Virginia
2. Leonard Fournette - RB - Louisiana
3. Lorenzo Carter - DE - Georgia
4. Andrew Brown - DT - Virginia
6. Cameron Robinson - OT - Louisiana
7. Myles Garrett - DE - Texas
8. Jabrill Peppers - CB - New Jersey
9. Quin Blanding - S - Virginia (Virginia)
11. Jalen Hurd - RB - Tennessee (Tennessee)
15. Damian Prince - OT - Maryland
16. Edward Paris - S - Texas (LSU)
17. Adoree' Jackson - CB - California
22. Bo Scarbrough - ATH - Alabama (Alabama)
23. John Smith - ATH - California

4-stars:
26. Malik McDowell - DE - Michigan
28. Jalen Tabor - CB - Washington, D.C.
30. Malachi Dupre - WR - Louisiana
31. K.C. McDermott - OT - Florida (Miami)
32. Lorenzo Featherston - DE - North Carolina
33. Marshon Lattimore - CB - Ohio
36. Joe Mixon - RB - California
37. Drake Harris - WR - Michigan (Michigan)
40. Solomon Thomas - DE - Texas
43. Jamarco Jones - OG - Illinois
46. Roderick Johnson - OT - Missouri
49. Bryan Mone - DT - Utah (Michigan)
51. Braden Smith - OG - Kansas
52. Khairi Clark - DT - Florida
55. Nyles Morgan - LB - Illinois
60. Mark Andrews - WR - Arizona
70. Demetrius Knox - OG - Texas
77. Jamal Adams - S - Texas
79. Bentley Spain - OT - North Carolina
81. Andy Bauer - OT - Missouri (Ole Miss)
84. Dante Booker - LB - Ohio
91. Josh Malone - WR - Tennessee
99. Dwight Williams - LB - California
101. Tyler Luatua - TE - California
106. Mason Cole - OG - Florida (Michigan)
113. Saeed Blacknall - WR - New Jersey
114. Devon Thomas - RB - Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
117. Garrett Dickerson - DE - New Jersey
126. Artavis Scott - WR - Florida
129. Elijah Hood - RB - North Carolina (Notre Dame)
131. Dexter Wideman - DT - South Carolina
136. Nick Watkins - CB - Texas
139. Jalen Brown - WR - Arizona
142. Jay Hayes - DT - New York (Notre Dame)
152. Casey Tucker - OT - Arizona
159. Bryson Allen-Williams - LB - Georgia (South Carolina)
162. K.J. Williams - WR - Pennsylvania
167. Damon Webb - CB - Michigan (Ohio State)
172. Otaro Alaka - LB - Texas (Texas)
173. Parrker Westphal - CB - Illinois
174. Kyle Berger - LB - Ohio (Ohio State)
179. Michael Ferns - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
180. D'Andre Payne - CB - Washington, D.C. (Tennessee)
188. Adarius Pickett - CB - California
189. Demarre Kitt - WR - Georgia
191. Alex Bars - OT - Tennessee (Notre Dame)
192. Montae Nicholson - S - Pennsylvania
200. Andrew Williams - DE - Georgia
210. Steven Parker - S - Oklahoma
217. Lawrence Marshall - DE - Michigan (Michigan)
220. Kenny Young - LB - Louisiana
222. Juwann Bushell-Beatty - OT - New Jersey (Michigan)
223. Sam Hubbard - LB - Ohio (Ohio State)
226. Nic Weishar - TE - Illinois (Notre Dame)
228. T'Kevian Rockwell - LB - Texas
229. Wesley Green - CB - Georgia
236. Juwann Winfree - ATH - New Jersey
245. Dravon Henry - ATH - Pennsylvania
247. Petera Wilson - LB - Tennessee

Tragedy in Moore, OK

2013-05-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

Fifty percent of today's ad revenue and Paypal donations will be donated to the Red Cross for their efforts following the devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.

Of course, if you feel like donating directly to the Red Cross, that would be a great thing, too.

Rivals 100 for 2014 updated

2013-05-20T14:48:00.003-04:00

Grand Rapids (MI) Christian wide receiver Drake Harris

The Rivals 100 for 2014 was updated today. Here's what the list looked like when it was released in February.

Movement for Michigan commits:

- Drake Harris dropped from #56 to #57
- Michael Ferns III dropped from #84 and is now out of the top 100

Here's the list of Michigan targets:

5-stars:
1. Da'Shawn Hand - DE - Virginia
2. Jabrill Peppers - CB - New Jersey
3. Leonard Fournette - RB - Louisiana
4. Quin Blanding - S - Virginia (Virginia)
5. Lorenzo Carter - DE - Georgia
7. Andrew Brown - DT - Virginia
8. Cameron Robinson - OT - Louisiana
9. Adoree' Jackson - CB - California
10. Damian Prince - OT - Maryland
13. Elijah Hood - RB - North Carolina (Notre Dame)
15. Joe Mixon - RB - California

4-stars:
19. Jalen Hurd - RB - Tennessee (Tennessee)
20. Jalen Tabor - CB - Washington, D.C.
21. Bo Scarbrough - ATH - Alabama (Alabama)
22. Braden Smith - OT - Kansas
23. Malik McDowell - DE - Michigan
30. Solomon Thomas - DE - Texas
35. Damon Webb - CB - Michigan (Ohio State)
36. Myles Garrett - DE - Texas
38. Josh Malone - WR - Tennessee
39. Jamal Adams - S - Texas
40. K.C. McDermott - OT - Florida (Miami)
41. Edward Paris - S - Texas (LSU)
45. Marshon Lattimore - ATH - Ohio
49. John Smith - S - California
50. Jalen Brown - WR - Arizona
56. Alex Bars - OT - Tennessee (Notre Dame)
57. Drake Harris - WR - Michigan (Michigan)
58. Malachi Dupre - WR - Louisiana
63. Jackson Barton - OT - Utah (Utah)
68. Demarre Kitt - WR - Georgia
71. Mark Andrews - WR - Arizona
74. Casey Tucker - OT - Arizona
81. Artavis Scott - WR - Florida
83. Nyles Morgan - LB - Illinois
85. Petera Wilson - LB - Tennessee
87. Demetrius Knox - OG - Texas
88. Dwight Williams - LB - California
95. Andy Bauer - OT - Missouri (Mississippi)
97. Jamarco Jones - OT - Illinois

Recruiting Update: May 20, 2013

2013-05-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Missouri City (TX) Ridge Point linebacker Cameron Townsend

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Mesquite (TX) Poteet linebacker Malik Jefferson was offered by Michigan. Jefferson is 6'3", 215 lbs., and has offers from Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 105 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. He also claims a 4.43 forty, a 35" vertical, and a 305 lb. bench press. While he plays linebacker and appears to be recruited as a linebacker, I would not be surprised if he grows into a weakside end prospect. The Longhorns appear to be the leader in his recruitment.

Missouri City (TX) Ridge Point linebacker Cameron Townsend was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'0", 195 lb. prospect with offers from Baylor, Houston, and Texas. He plays like a SAM linebacker, but his size indicates more of an inside linebacker prospect. He's a very heavy hitter whose position might become clearer if he hits a growth spurt, but for now, I see him as a MIKE.

OFF THE BOARD
Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell offensive tackle Alex Bars committed to Notre Dame. I had written a scouting report on Bars a couple weeks ago and liked what I saw. His older brother Blake plays offensive guard at Michigan, but he has another brother at Penn State and a father who played for the Fighting Irish. Michigan seemed to be the other leading option for Alex, however, and the Wolverines don't have any other offensive linemen who seem heavily interested, although Chandler (AZ) Hamilton's Casey Tucker has voiced interest after decommitting from USC and Florissant (MO) Hazelwood Central's Roderick Johnson visited this spring. Perhaps we will see the coaching staff send out some more offers.

East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis linebacker Kyron Watson committed to Kansas. Watson had been hinting for weeks that he would commit to Michigan as soon as he visited campus, but that visit was postponed a couple times and re-scheduled for this past weekend. Just before the visit, however, Michigan's coaches reportedly told him that he no longer had an offer. There are some rumors that Michigan thought he could play SAM but then backed off once they found out he measured in at a shade under 6'0", but I find that hard to believe; it's clear from his recruiting profiles and his highlights that he's not very tall.

MISCELLANEOUS
I wrote up a scouting report on Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson linebacker Chase Winovich.

Poll results: Who will be the best linebacker in the 2013 class?

2013-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hudson (OH) Hudson linebacker Ben Gedeon

Ben Gedeon - LB - Hudson (OH) Hudson: 58%
There aren't many options for the best linebacker in the 2013 class, but Gedeon wins out here. Gedeon is a 6'3", 220-pounder who finished the recruiting cycle as the #11 inside linebacker and the #214 overall player in 247's Composite Rankings. Also a well rounded offensive player in high school, he was recruited to play the weakside linebacker position; there's also a chance that he could grow into the middle linebacker spot as he ages.

Mike McCray II - LB - Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison: 41%
McCray is listed at 6'4" in some places, although he measured in at last summer's Rivals 5-star Challenge at just 6'1". He also reportedly weighs 230 lbs. Michigan's coaching staff has mentioned that they see him playing the SAM position this fall, and they surely know his actual height; but height and length are often desirable traits in a SAM, so perhaps McCray won't stay at that position for his entire career. Readers went away from the recruiting sites' line of thinking in this vote, because McCray is considered the #4 athlete and #130 overall player by 247's Composite Rankings.

Attractive Michigan Girl of the Week

2013-05-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

Scouting Report: Chase Winovich

2013-05-16T08:39:00.002-04:00

Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson linebacker Chase Winovich (image via Detroit News)

Name: Chase Winovich
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215 lbs.
Position: Linebacker
High school: Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Akron, Arizona, Arkansas, Boston College, Bowling Green, Florida State, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Northwestern, Ohio State, Pitt, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Toledo, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia . . . Claims a 4.65 forty . . . ESPN 3-star, 73 grade, #30 OLB . . . Rivals 3-star, #30 OLB . . . Scout 3-star, #28 OLB . . . 247 Sports 3-star, 87 grade, #49 OLB

Strengths: Good speed for an outside linebacker . . . Shows good discipline and fundamentals on stance and pre-snap positioning . . . Quick feet . . . Able to side-step blockers to make plays in backfield . . . High-effort player capable of tracking plays downfield and sideline to sideline . . . Willing to be physical . . . Does well at avoiding trash in traffic

Weaknesses: Very slight . . . Lacks some functional strength . . . Struggles to take ball carriers down initially . . . Does not use hands well to shed blockers . . . Could stay lower and drive his feet through contact . . . Sometimes just latches on and goes for a ride

Projection: Outside linebacker. Winovich clearly needs to add bulk to his frame, since he is reed thin and has the lower body of a safety. Although pass coverage is not highlighted in his film, his length and change-of-direction skills should make him at least decent in that area. He has a good nose for the ball and should be plus pass rusher if he can work on using his hands and, of course, add strength and mass to his frame. There is also a slight concern about how much weight he will be able to add without losing his best qualities, which are his quickness and speed. At his height he should end up around 240-250 lbs. by the time he's a college upperclassman. Since there's so much physical development in the works, it's hard to project what kind of athlete he might be; however, I think he could be a BCS all-conference type of player if he can maintain his athleticism.

Reminds me of: Shawn Crable. Crable had chicken legs but good length and a very developed upper body; he also had good speed and a knack for getting skinny to avoid blockers and shoot gaps.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Ohio State and Michigan appear to be the front runners, with Pitt running third. Winovich visited Michigan last weekend and left with positive vibes, but he grew up as a Buckeye fan. A friendship with committed linebacker Michael Ferns III may prove to be beneficial for the Wolverines' chances.

You can view Winovich's highlights here.

2013 Scholarship Count

2013-05-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

Players are listed in order of remaining eligibility. With 83 scholarships allotted and 13 seniors scheduled to graduate, Michigan's recruiting class of 2014 should be around 15.

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS ALLOTTED FOR 2013 = 83

- LB Mike Jones and S Marvin Robinson have left the team.

- P Will Hagerup will sit out the 2013 season for disciplinary reasons, and will possibly return as a fifth year senior in 2014. For now I am still listing him as a senior.

- LB Kaleb Ringer has left the team.

- DT Ken Wilkins has left the team.

- QB Devin Gardner got a redshirt and will now be eligible in 2014.

REDSHIRT SENIORS = 8 (Final season 2013)
RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
WR Jeremy Gallon
OT Taylor Lewan
OT Michael Schofield
DT Quinton Washington
LB Cameron GordonS Thomas Gordon
K Brendan Gibbons
WR Joe Reynolds
OL Erik Gunderson
LS Jareth Glanda

SENIORS = 5 (Final season 2013)
WR Jeremy Jackson
WR Drew Dileo
DT Jibreel Black
CB Courtney Avery P Will Hagerup

REDSHIRT JUNIORS = 5 (Final season 2014)
QB Devin Gardner
TE Jordan Paskorz
DT Richard Ash
LB Jake Ryan
S Josh Furman
WR Anthony Capatina
TE Dylan Esterline
OL Joey Burzynski
OL Kristian Mateus

JUNIORS = 7 (Final season 2014)
RB Thomas Rawls
DE Brennen Beyer
DE Frank Clark
LB Desmond Morgan
CB Delonte Hollowell
CB Raymon Taylor
K Matt Wile

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORES = 7 (Final season 2015)
QB Russell Bellomy
RB Justice Hayes
OG Chris Bryant
C Jack Miller
DE Keith Heitzman
LB Antonio Poole
CB Blake Countess
QB Alex Swieca
FB Joe Kerridge
WR Jonathan Keizer
TE Alex Mitropolous-Rundus
OL Graham Glasgow

SOPHOMORES = 12 (Final season = 2015)
FB Sione Houma
WR Amara Darboh
TE Devin Funchess
TE A.J. Williams
DE Mario Ojemudia
DT Ondre Pipkins
LB Joe Bolden
LB Royce Jenkins-Stone
LB James Ross
CB Dennis Norfleet
CB Terry Richardson
S Jarrod Wilson

REDSHIRT FRESHMEN = 12 (Final season 2016)
RB Drake Johnson
OL Blake Bars
OL Ben Braden
OL Kyle Kalis
OL Erik Magnuson
WR Jehu Chesson
DE Matt Godin
DT Willie Henry
DE Tom Strobel
DE Chris Wormley
S Jeremy Clark
S Allen Gant
QB Shaun Austin
QB Brian Cleary
RB Bobby Henderson
WR Brad Anlauf
WR Bo Dever
TE Clark Grace
TE Michael Jocz
OL Dan Gibbs
OL Ben Pliska
DT Ryan Glasgow
LB Mark Lawson
LB Dan Liesman
S A.J. Pearson
P Kenny Allen

FRESHMEN = 27 (Final season 2016)
QB Shane Morris
RB Derrick Green
RB Wyatt Shallman
RB DeVeon Smith
WR Jaron Dukes
WR Da'Mario Jones
WR Csont'e York
TE Jake Butt
TE Khalid Hill
OL Kyle Bosch
OL David Dawson
OL Chris Fox
OL Patrick Kugler
OL Dan Samuelson
OL Logan Tuley-Tillman
DE Taco Charlton
DT Maurice Hurst, Jr.
DT Henry Poggi
LB Ben Gedeon
LB Mike McCray II
CB Reon Dawson
CB Ross Douglas
CB Delano Hill
CB Jourdan Lewis
CB Channing Stribling
S Dymonte Thomas
LS Scott Sypniewski
WR Blaise Stearns
WR Jack Wangler
OL Greg Froelich
K J.J. McGrath

Mike Jones, ex-Wolverine

2013-05-13T18:54:00.000-04:00

Mike Jones (#27)

Rising fifth year senior linebacker Mike Jones has left the football program. Already with his undergraduate degree, Jones would be eligible to play at another FBS school in 2013 if they offer a graduate program that Michigan does not offer.

Jones committed to Michigan on August 1, 2008, as a part of the 2009 class; he picked Michigan over offers from Auburn, Central Florida, North Carolina, and South Florida. He came from Orlando (FL) Edgewater as part of Rich Rodriguez's attempted raid on the state of Florida, a few years after Lloyd Carr landed wide receiver Greg Mathews from the same school.

As purely a special teamer in 2009, Jones made 3 tackles in seven games. He played in just two games as a sophomore before succumbing to injury, totaling just 1 tackle; he received a medical redshirt (which preserved his eligibility for 2013). As a redshirt sophomore in 2011, Jones made 4 tackles. He followed that up by playing in all thirteen games as a redshirt junior in 2012, but he failed to accrue any statistics. Altogether, Jones made 8 total tackles in 29 games.

Jones, who claimed a 4.5 forty coming out of high school and was noted for his speed, never seemed physically capable of keeping up with Big Ten athletes. He always seemed a step or two slow, and he didn't have the bulk to be a serious option at middle linebacker - a position where speed isn't required for success. Jones added weight consistently, going from 203 lbs. as a freshman to 226 lbs. this past season, but small-ish linebackers need to be faster than he was. For the past couple off-seasons, I have had a feeling that Jones might not return because I wondered if he would ever find a role; that time finally came.

Since Jones was going to run out of eligibility after the coming year, his departure does not affect the 2014 recruiting class. He was also not expected to be on Michigan's two-deep in the fall, having dropped behind younger players at MIKE (junior Desmond Morgan, sophomore Joe Bolden) and WILL (sophomores James Ross and Royce Jenkins-Stone). Jones was also not particularly productive on special teams, so the team likely won't feel much of an impact on the field.

For stories on other former Wolverines, check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia.

Marvin Robinson, ex-Wolverine

2013-05-13T11:59:00.000-04:00

Marvin Robinson (#3) attempts a tackle on Michigan State's Keshawn Martin

Rising senior safety Marvin Robinson has left the football program. He will presumably transfer somewhere to finish out his football career, but his destination is unknown at this time.

A member of the 2010 recruiting class, the Winter Haven (FL) Lake Region product committed to Michigan in April 2009, choosing the Wolverines over Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and USC, among others. He was a 4-star and the #20 outside linebacker to Rivals, who thought that he would be too slow and stiff to play safety at the next level. Perhaps they were right.

Robinson mostly appeared on special teams as a true freshman and made 3 total tackles. As a sophomore in 2011, he earned a start against Notre Dame, making 7 tackles in that game and 9 on the season; he ended up in the coaches' doghouse and didn't see the field much for the rest of the year. In his junior season, he was once again mainly a contributor on special teams and made 9 tackles and 1 fumble recovery. He finished his Michigan career with 21 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

As you can see in the commitment post linked above, I thought Robinson would be a good college player. However, he did not seem to progress much in his pass coverage. In the past year or so, I had succumbed to the idea that he would be able to help in run support, but not so much on passing downs. Last season he was surpassed on the depth chart by freshman Jarrod Wilson, and it looked like Wilson would be the starting free safety with incumbent FS Thomas Gordon bumping over to the strong safety position. Robinson likely would have been relegated to special teams backup strong safety. Others vying for that backup SS role will be redshirt junior Josh Furman, redshirt freshman Jeremy Clark, and some true freshmen.

Robinson is the 17th member of the 27-man class of 2010 to depart early. The only players remaining from that class are DT Richard Ash, CB Courtney Avery, DT Jibreel Black, WR Drew Dileo, Furman, QB Devin Gardner, P Will Hagerup, WR Jeremy Jackson, TE Jordan Paskorz, and LB Jake Ryan. This departure will not affect the size of the 2014 recruiting class, since Robinson was scheduled to run out of eligibility after the upcoming season, anyway. Instead, it opens up a scholarship for a walk-on guy like FB Joey Kerridge, WR Joe Reynolds, etc.

Check out the Ex-Wolverine Encyclopedia for stories and updates on other players who left early.

Recruiting Update: May 13, 2013

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Cleveland (OH) St. Edward cornerback Shaun Crawford

COMMITMENT
Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end Jashon Cornell was offered by Michigan. Cornell is a 6'4", 230 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. Notre Dame is thought to be the leader because of a couple relatively recent alumni heading to South Bend (WR Michael Floyd, WR James Onwualu), but it's also the alma mater of OT Seantrel Henderson, who first committed to USC before ending up at Miami. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 52 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.

Lakewood (OH) St. Edward cornerback Shaun Crawford was offered by Michigan. He's a 5'9", 170 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 66 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery; he also had 24 catches for 438 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Warren (OH) Harding defensive end Hjalte Froholdt was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 265 lb. prospect with no other offers at this time. Froholdt grew up in Denmark and played his first season of football in America (though he played the sport in Denmark, too) as a sophomore last season. Harding is the alma mater of former Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham, linebacker Prescott Burgess, and linebacker Carl Diggs, as well as a couple recent Michigan signees who flamed out (LB Davion Rogers, WR D.J. Williamson).

OFF THE BOARD
Upper Marlboro (MD) Wise safety Marcus Allen committed to Penn State. In case you're wondering, I can find no indication that he's related to the Marcus Allen . . . you know, the one who ran for over 2,300 yards in one season at USC, won the Heisman, and was the second best Los Angeles Raiders running back in Tecmo Bowl. The younger, unrelated Allen never showed significant interest in Michigan.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here's a list of the visitors from this past weekend.

Class of 2013: Freshman jersey numbers

2013-05-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

The coaches must be getting around to letting the incoming freshmen know what jersey numbers they'll wear, because the kids have been tweeting about it. I'll fill in these numbers as I see them pop up, and of course, some of the players are already enrolled and on the roster; in parentheses is the name of the last player on their side of the ball to wear the number:

Kyle Bosch: #65 (Patrick Omameh)
Jake Butt: #88 (Brandon Moore)
Taco Charlton: #33 (Boubacar Cissoko)
David Dawson: #55 (Andy Christopfel)
Reon Dawson:
Ross Douglas: #7 (Brandin Hawthorne)
Jaron Dukes: #83 (Jerald Robinson)
Chris Fox:
Ben Gedeon:
Derrick Green: #27 (Jonathan Keizer)
Delano Hill:
Khalid Hill:
Maurice Hurst, Jr.: #73 (William Campbell)
Da'Mario Jones: #14 (Teric Jones)
Patrick Kugler:
Jourdan Lewis:
Mike McCray II: #9 (Marell Evans)
J.J. McGrath: #46
Shane Morris: #7 (Devin Gardner)
Henry Poggi:
Dan Samuelson:
Wyatt Shallman: #33 (Stephen Hopkins)
DeVeon Smith:
Channing Stribling: #8 (J.T. Floyd)
Scott Sypniewski:
Dymonte Thomas: #25 (Kenny Demens)
Logan Tuley-Tillman: #72 (Mark Huyge)
Jack Wangler: #16 (Denard Robinson)
Csont'e York:

If you know of any numbers that I've missed so far, let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

Lawrence Marshall, Wolverine

2013-05-11T12:17:00.002-04:00

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall committed to Michigan on Saturday morning. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others.

I wrote up a scouting report on him just . . . uh . . . yesterday. That has pretty much all the information you might need.

As I mentioned in said scouting report, Marshall looks like a guy who could start off at weakside end as a youngster and eventually bulk up into being a strongside end. In my opinion, he's not an elite pass rusher, and he lacks a variety of moves that would help him circumvent college left tackles. Those pass rush moves can be taught, however, and Marshall does have decent athleticism and pretty good straight line speed. People have asked me if I think he can add enough weight to play on the strong side, but current starting weakside end Frank Clark came in at about 6'2" and 215 lbs. and is now almost 280 lbs.; Marshall will be coming out of high school 10-20 lbs. heavier than Clark did and with an added inch or two in height.

You can see that I have some questions about Marshall, and there's also evidence that kids who change their commitments during the recruiting process often struggle to find success at the next level. Maturity and level of commitment come into play when talking about kids who make such big decisions rashly. Hopefully, for Marshall and Michigan's sake, he breaks that trend. In the above linked scouting report, I made comparisons to Craig Roh - who started off at WDE before bulking up to SDE - and Tim Jamison, who remained at WDE throughout his career. Jamison was a better athlete than Marshall coming out of high school, but the weight he added in college seemed to slow him down just enough to prevent him from becoming a top-notch player. However, Jamison has been a fringe NFL player, and Roh signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent, so following in their footsteps would be a pretty decent achievement.

Marshall is the ninth commitment in a class that is probably going to be in the upper teens or maybe even reach twenty, so we're about halfway home. Michigan is also looking to take at least a couple defensive ends in the 2014 class, with guys like Detroit (MI) Loyola's Malik McDowell and Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge's Da'Shawn Hand still on the board. The only other defensive lineman currently committed is Salt Lake City (UT) Highland's Bryan Mone, a defensive tackle.

TTB Rating: 72 (ratings explanation)

Visitors: May 10-12, 2013

2013-05-11T07:49:00.000-04:00

Cleveland (OH) St. Benedictine
athlete Jerome Baker

Jerome Baker - ATH - Cleveland (OH) Benedictine: Baker is a 6'1", 205 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others. He also claims a 4.52 forty, which is impressive for a rising junior of his size. The class of 2015 prospect does not yet have a Michigan offer, but he will probably get one on the visit. Baker plays running back and linebacker for Benediction, but he looks most like an inside linebacker (MIKE or WILL) from Michigan's eyes. UPDATE: Baker is no longer visiting this weekend.

Michael Ferns III - LB - St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville: Ferns committed to Michigan last August. He recently accepted an invitation to play in the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game.

Drake Harris - WR - Grand Rapids (MI) Christian: Harris committed to Michigan last month. He was recently invited to Nike's The Opening and will also play in the Under Armour game.

Lawrence Marshall - DE - Southfield (MI) Southfield: Marshall is a 6'4", 225 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among others. He committed to Ohio State for a couple days, but he's no longer considering the Buckeyes. He recently announced a top five of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and USC, but most analysts think MSU leads with Michigan a step behind.

Wilton Speight - QB - Richmond (VA) Collegiate: Speight committed to Michigan in February. He, too, will play in the Under Armour game.

Maurice Ways - WR - Detroit (MI) Country Day: Ways committed to Michigan last month.

Chase Winovich - LB - Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson: Winovich is a 6'4", 215 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and Pitt, among others. He claims a 4.65 forty and checks in on 247's Composite ranking as a 3-star, the #41 OLB, and the #551 player overall. Winovich was offered by the Wolverines in early April, immediately after a couple other SAM prospects (Kyle Berger, Sam Hubbard) committed to Ohio State. He visited Michigan last fall and shortly after being offered last month, so this will be his third visit in the last seven months. Ohio State and Pitt appear to be the two biggest contenders, along with Michigan.

NSFW Attractive Michigan Girl of the Week

2013-05-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are concerned about things being safe for work, the following picture is decidedly NOT safe for work. Do not click through if you're at work or if there are people who would be offended lingering behind you.

You have been warned.

If you have any other pictures of girls wearing Michigan gear, drop me an e-mail. Go Blue!

Scouting Report: Lawrence Marshall

2013-05-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall

Name: Lawrence Marshall
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Southfield (MI) Southfield
Position: Defensive end
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Bowling Green, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Toledo . . . ESPN 4-star, 83 grade, #12 DE, #107 overall . . . Rivals 3-star, #19 WDE . . . Scout 4-star, #12 DE . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 91 grade, #12 WDE, #207 overall

Strengths: Shows a good first step, both forward and also laterally on slants . . . Does a good job of making plays in the trash . . . Can reach out and slow down or tackle runners while being blocked . . . Good straight line speed . . . Long wingspan . . . Decent frame to add weight . . . Violent hitter

Weaknesses: Often stands up too high off the snap . . . Does not show ability to use hands to shed blockers . . . Very rudimentary pass rusher . . . Shows virtually no versatility in pass rush moves . . . Mediocre change of direction . . . Sometimes appears not to be hustling when chasing plays from behind

Projection: Strongside end. Marshall is a good athlete, but he's not outstanding in any facet of the game. He gets off the ball and shows good straight line speed, but he lacks some refinement, and he's not helped by the quality of his opponents. He does make some plays against a quality-coached opponent in Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison, but even in that game, he was unblocked on too many plays; other teams just don't pay any attention to him and allow him to slice in for uncontested sacks, tackles for loss, etc. Rather than being Lawrence Marshall highlights, these seem like Southfield opponents' lowlights. Technique can be improved, but I think a lack of explosiveness and change-of-direction skills might be an issue as a weakside defensive end. Marshall seems like a decent FBS player, but not a future superstar.

Reminds me of: Craig Roh. Roh was a good high school athlete who was able to blow past high school offensive tackles at times, but he also struggled to rush the passer because of an inability to change direction well. Roh used his hands better as a prep, and he was eventually a very technical player with limited athletic ability.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Marshall was committed to Ohio State at one time, but they have since been eliminated from contention. Several insiders think that Michigan State is the leader for his services, but Michigan seems to be right behind; if things fall through with the Spartans, the Wolverines might be next in line to contend for his commitment.

Getting to know Maurice Hurst, Jr.

2013-05-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr is a high-intensity player that the Michigan coaches are going to love to work with. The athletic defensive tackle plays with a lot of energy and a great motor. With his passion for the game and willingness to serve his community and help others, Maurice Hurst, Jr. has Michigan man written all over him. He kindly took the time out of his preparation and busy schedule to answer a few questions about becoming a Wolverine.

Can you elaborate on your decision of become a Wolverine, what stood out the most about Michigan, and what was your deciding factor?

“The tradition is what stood out to me the most. Before I even had an offer to the university, I knew that it would be my top school. Another thing was the coaches. Coach Hoke is a very family oriented guy and that’s the type of person that I am also. With a Defensive Coordinator like Coach Mattison and his history how can you not put all of your faith inside of him and know he’s going to set your team up to make plays on the defensive side of the ball?”

Have the coaches discussed contributing next year, and do you have a preference in redshirting or not?

“Coaches haven’t discussed whether I would redshirt or not and of course I would like to contribute right away. I want to go in there and dominate and if they think I need to redshirt, so be it.”

How has your father's experience in college and the NFL helped you with your path to becoming a collegiate athlete?

“I don’t really have a relationship with my father but knowing my father made it to the next level, I know that I have high expectations in the football world and need to live up and exceed those expectations.”

Have the coaches discussed a playing weight for you, and where are you most comfortable?

“No, they haven’t really discussed a weight for me to play at with the coaches but between 285 and 290 would probably be the best weight for me to maintain my speed.”

Is there a game on the schedule next year that you have circled?

“Every game to me is important but the Notre Dame game is probably one of the ones that I am most excited about. It is only going to be the second one under the lights, and the first one was so exciting with that catch by Roundtree.”

We saw the moves on your highlight tape. Any dreams of a goal line fullback package at Michigan?

“I love being versatile and utilizing all of my athletic abilities and just love the sport. If I had a chance to ever carry the ball in a Michigan uniform, it would be a wonderful experience.”

Any idea of who you will be rooming with when you arrive at Ann Arbor?

“No, I’m not sure yet who I’m going to room with.”

Do you have any pregame superstitions?

“Listen to music.”

Meal of choice the night before the game?

“Chicken Parm.”

Hobbies outside of football?

“Playing Madden and I love to volunteer my time to my community.”

Kaleb Ringer, ex-Wolverine

2013-05-06T21:48:00.001-04:00

Kaleb Ringer

Redshirt freshman linebacker Kaleb Ringer has left Michigan's football program, reportedly for the fertile football lands of Ferris State. Ringer was a member of the 2012 recruiting class and committed in April 2011, choosing the Wolverines over teams like Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, and Louisville. Brady Hoke and his staff recruited him as a weakside linebacker.

Ringer suffered a knee injury as a senior in high school and missed a large chunk of his final prep season, presumably because of that injury. He enrolled early in January 2012 and played in the spring game but ended up having surgery on the knee, which knocked him out of the regular season and caused him to take a redshirt. As a thickly built linebacker - who in my opinion lacked something in the quickness department - Ringer moved from the weakside to the middle linebacker position for spring practices here in 2013, and he did play a little bit in the spring game. It's unclear at this point why he is leaving the program, but junior Desmond Morgan and sophomore James Ross seem to have locked down the middle and weakside linebacker positions, respectively. At best, Ringer probably could have been a special teamer and the third string MIKE for the upcoming year, behind Morgan and sophomore Joe Bolden.

In perhaps my most accurate TTB Rating so far, I updated Ringer's rating just before National Signing Day 2012 to reflect a 39 for Ringer, which indicates a "Below average backup or special teams contributor." You can see in the comments on that thread that I had an inkling about the potential for Ringer not to last four years at Michigan. He is the first casualty from the 2012 class. Before dropping him to a 39, I had initially rated Ringer as a 64, so I was not expecting him to be a major player in Michigan's lineup.

The loss of Ringer doesn't really hurt Michigan for the 2013 season, since he was not expected to be in the two-deep. Linebackers often make decent special teams players because they have a good combination of speed and physicality, but that was probably his best chance to get on the field this year. However, this does further impact the numbers at linebacker, which also took a hit when redshirt junior Jake Ryan tore his ACL in spring practice. A unit that was expected to be rather deep this season is now down two men. Beyond the 2013 season, Ringer could very well have been stuck behind Morgan in 2014 and Bolden for another season after that, so we might be looking at 2016 before he would have had a serious shot at playing time; by then he would have been a fifth year senior. In a slightly odd development, Michigan brought in four linebackers in 2012 (Ross, Bolden, Ringer, and Royce Jenkins-Stone), and all three remaining players will be true sophomores this year.

Michigan needed to get down to the scholarship limit of 85 prior to the season, and this puts them at the limit. With fifteen seniors scheduled to play their final season in 2013, Michigan is looking at a 2014 recruiting class of 15; that number will surely increase, and word is that the coaches are already recruiting for a 16-man class. Perhaps they already know of another player or two who are on the way out, and there have already been rumors of a third player to be on his way. You may remember that I mentioned a few months ago that I had heard rumors of a few players who might depart - well, Ringer and Ken Wilkins were two of the names that heard. We'll see if the third one develops.

Anyway, Ringer's departure may explain the fairly recent offer to East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis linebacker Kyron Watson. Some insiders have suggested that Michigan would take Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson SAM prospect Chase Winovich or middle linebacker prospect Watson, but I believe the Wolverines might take both if they want to come. The coaches clearly offered Watson with the knowledge that they needed a SAM, so the plan is either a) take a SAM and a MIKE or b) move Michael Ferns III to SAM if Watson commits. Winovich will visit this coming weekend, and Watson plans to visit the following weekend.

U.S. Army All-American Bowl Participants: Michigan

2013-05-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

2012 U.S. Army Bowl participants: Ondre Pipkins, Royce Jenkins-Stone, James Ross, Kyle Kalis, Erik Magnuson
(left to right; image via TheWolverine.com)

The 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl won't be played until next January, but the upcoming year's participant selections will be made in the coming months. For your viewing pleasure, here's a comprehensive list of Michigan's past commitments who were selected for the event.

2014
Mason Cole, OG - Tarpon Springs, FL*

2013
Jake Butt, TE - Pickerington, OH
Chris Fox, OT - Parker, CO
Derrick Green, RB - Richmond, VA
Jourdan Lewis, CB - Detroit, MI
Mike McCray, LB - Trotwood, OH
Dymonte Thomas, S - Alliance, OH

2012
Kyle Kalis, OL - Lakewood, OH
Royce Jenkins-Stone, LB - Detroit, MI
Erik Magnuson, OL - Carlsbad, CA
Ondre Pipkins, DT - Kansas City, MO
James Ross, LB - Orchard Lake, MI

2011
Blake Countess, CB - Olney, MD
Matt Wile, K - San Diego, CA

2010
Cullen Christian, CB - Pittsburgh, PA
Will Hagerup, P - Whitefish Bay, WI

2009
William Campbell, DT - Detroit, MI
Jeremy Gallon, WR - Apopka, FL
Brendan Gibbons, K - West Palm Beach, FL
Anthony Lalota, DE - Princeton, NJ
Je'Ron Stokes, WR - Pittsburgh, PA
Justin Turner, CB - Massillon, OH

2008
Boubacar Cissoko, CB - Detroit, MI
Sam McGuffie, RB - Houston, TX
Brandon Smith, S - New Brunswick, NJ

2007
Donovan Warren, CB - Long Beach, CA
Michael Williams, S - St. Bonaventure, CA

2006
Justin Boren, OG - Pickerington, OH
Steve Brown, S - Columbus, IN
Brandon Graham, DE - Detroit, MI
Jonas Mouton, LB - Venice, CA
Steve Schilling, OT - Bellevue, WA

2005
James McKinney, DT - Louisville, KY
Zoltan Mesko, P - Twinsburg, OH
Marques Slocum, DT - Philadelphia, PA

2004
Adrian Arrington, WR - Cedar Rapids, IA
Alan Branch, DT - Albuquerque, NM
Jeremy Ciulla, OG - Kennesaw, GA
Doug Dutch, WR/CB - Washington, DC
Chad Henne, QB - West Lawn, PA
Tim Jamison, DE - Harvey, IL
Max Martin, RB - Madison, AL

2003
Prescott Burgess, LB - Warren, OH
Anton Campbell, S - O'Fallon, MO
Shawn Crable, LB - Massillon, OH
Leon Hall, CB - Vista, CA
Ryan Mundy, S - Pittsburgh, PA
Will Paul, FB - St. Louis, MO
Clayton Richard, QB - Lafayette, IN
Garrett Rivas, K - Tampa, FL

2002
Jason Avant, WR - Chicago, IL
Mike Kolodziej, OT - Joliet, IL

2001
Marlin Jackson, CB - Sharon, PA
Pierre Woods, DE - Cleveland, OH

*These players are committed to play in next January's game.

Recruiting Update: May 6, 2013

2013-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School defensive back Quincy Wilson

COMMITMENT
Paramus (NJ) Catholic offensive tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
New Castle (PA) New Castle athlete Malik Hooker was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'2", 185 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Penn State, Pitt, and West Virginia, among others. Hooker may not even play football in college, because he's also an accomplished basketball player (check out this dunk); maybe I'm biased, but at 6'2" he should probably aim for a football career instead of basketball. Hooker looks more like a cornerback to me, but some schools are looking at him as a wide receiver.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School safety Quincy Wilson was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'2", 195 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC, among others. According to the 247 Composite ranking, he's a 4-star, the #18 safety, and the #236 overall prospect. Wilson claims a 4.6 forty, but I think his physicality lends itself to playing safety at the next level. His father Chad played for the Miami Hurricanes.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Pittsburgh (PA) Baldwin offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'8", 305 lb. prospect with offers from Virginia and West Virginia. He is obviously huge and he moves well for his size, but he needs to add some strength and improve his technique; as a sophomore in high school, those weaknesses are understandable.

Lincolnton (NC) Lincolnton defensive end Darian Roseboro was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'3", 265 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, North Carolina, and North Carolina State.

Lexington (NC) North Davidson defensive tackle Shy Tuttle was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'2", 308 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. There's been some confusion over whether Tuttle was actually offered when Michigan's coaches stopped by his school last week, but Rivals lists him with an offer, so I'm going with it. As a sophomore in 2012, he had 83 tackles, 16 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.

OFF THE BOARD
Duluth (GA) Peachtree Ridge offensive tackle Orlando Brown committed to Tennessee. Brown, the son of the late NFL offensive lineman by the same name, stands 6'7" and 340 lbs. Michigan was in his final group of schools, but there was no expectation that he would commit to the Wolverines.

Grand Rapids (MI) Christian center Tommy Doles committed to Northwestern. For a long time, Doles appeared to be close to committing to Michigan. However, the longer he held off, it seemed Michigan just wasn't quite his perfect destination. There has also been some suggestion that Michigan's coaching staff started to cool on him.

Highlands Ranch (CO) Valor Christian wide receiver Christian McCaffrey committed to Stanford. Michigan was recruiting McCaffrey as slot receiver, but he is expected to play running back for the Cardinal. His father Ed was a long-time NFL wide receiver for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Denver Broncos (career: 565 catches, 7422 yards, 55 touchdowns). The two things I remember most about McCaffrey are a) people saying "Wow, he's pretty fast for a tall white guy" and b) that ugly broken leg on Monday Night Football.

Nike's The Opening participants: Michigan

2013-05-05T16:57:00.000-04:00

Jourdan Lewis and Delano Hill were two of Michigan's ten eventual signees to participate in Nike's The Opening

2013
Drake Harris, WR - Grand Rapids, MI

2012
Kyle Bosch, OG - Wheaton, IL
Jake Butt, TE - Pickerington, OH
Taco Charlton, DE - Pickerington, OH
David Dawson, OG - Detroit, MI
Ross Douglas, CB - Avon, OH
Derrick Green, RB - Richmond, VA
Delano Hill, S - Detroit, MI
Jourdan Lewis, CB - Detroit, MI
Mike McCray II, LB - Trotwood, OH
Shane Morris, QB - Warren, MI

Video: Mike Barwis and Brock Mealer

2013-05-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

I just saw this posted over at MGoBlog, and it's a pretty awesome presentation by former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis about how and why he has helped Brock Mealer (the formerly paralyzed brother of Michigan offensive lineman Elliott Mealer) and others achieve their goals.