daelin hayes
Attrition, Expected and... Not So Expected
In a move that should surprise no one, three-star in-state ILB David Reese announced his decommitment from Michigan yesterday so he can find a program that will allow him to enroll early:
— REESE3⃣ (@Dreese18) December 10, 2015
The coaches assuredly saw that coming. That wasn't the case with the decommitment of three-star CA QB/ATH Victor Viramontes over the weekend, per 247's Clint Brewster ($):
The de-commitment came as a huge surprise to Michigan as coach John Baxter just saw Viramontes and reported back to Harbaugh that the visit went extremely well.
We have been told that Viramontes was given bad information from a member of his camp that Michigan wouldn’t give him a shot at quarterback and he would immediately be a fullback or linebacker, which is completely false.
'Crootin!
Sam Webb discussed the Viramontes situation extensively on his radio show Monday; alum96 was kind enough to write up a summary on the board that's well worth reading. The upshot: while Michigan wasn't expecting Viramontes to leave the class, they don't consider him a must-get—they'll continue to pursue him but at this point there are other uncommitted prospects who are higher priorities.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
MSU Visitors: Biggest Recruiting Weekend Of The Fall
Well, I hadn't even started this post before Michigan got a commitment this weekend. Three-star GA RB Kurt Taylor is the newest member of the 2017 class; here's a short post on him for now, and he'll get the full Hello treatment on Sunday.
As for the rest of this weekend's visitors, 247's Steve Lorenz has the full list posted for free. Some highlights follow.
Official visitors:
- Five-star GA TE Isaac Nauta is arguably the most important recruit left on Michigan's board—yes, perhaps even including Rashan Gary—and this weekend's visit will give the Wolverines a chance to push past home squad Georgia.
- Four-star CA WR Dylan Crawford hasn't let on much about his recruitment, but 247 national analyst Steve Wiltfong recently put in a Crystal Ball pick to Michigan.
- Four-star CA ATH Lamar Jackson was ticketed for USC by most; with that program in a state of disarray, the door is open for another school to make a move.
- Four-star CA CB David Long is a Stanford commit but Michigan appears to have a real shot regardless.
Unofficial visitors:
- Penn State commits Lavert Hill (four-star Detroit King CB) and Quinn Nordin (top-ranked Rockford kicker) will be two to keep an close eye on this weekend, especially Nordin. Hill's teammate Donnie Corley (four-star WR) is also expected to be in attendance.
- Four-star 2017 CO QB Dylan McCaffrey, Michigan's top target at the position in the class, will be on campus. With Stanford, where his father Ed went and brother Christian currently stars, coming off a blowout of UCLA, Michigan might need to make a statement.
- Several members of the Pipeline 9, including five-star Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, are expected to be there.
- Three-star 2017 Ann Arbor Pioneer OLB Antjuan Simmons could be in line for an offer; his recruitment has blown up lately.
There are plenty more at the link above. This is a huge recruiting weekend for Michigan. That probably didn't need to be said.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
Flip Watch: Kareem Walker
The marquee visitor for Saturday's beatdown was five-star NJ RB Kareem Walker, an Ohio State commit who kept his official visit under wraps until word leaked out on Friday that he'd be in attendance. Walker doesn't talk to the media much; in the aftermath of the visit he released a statement in favor of doing interviews:
Statement from Ohio State RB commit Kareem Walker @_KareemWalker after his Michigan visit, sent from his coaches pic.twitter.com/ldXtNRUiLF
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) October 12, 2015
While Walker isn't saying much to indicate where Michigan stands, the rumblings from his camp are promising. Sam Webb put up a free post that indicated the visit went very well; he posted some jucier tidbits on The Victors Board, including word that Walker may be back in Ann Arbor this weekend for the State game ($).
247's Steve Lorenz caught up with a source close to Walker who said he liked how Michigan handled their running backs ($):
"He's absolutely heavily interested," they said. "He not only sees carries to be had in Michigan's backfield, but knows he doesn't have to necessarily be the only guy either. That's important. It's a lot like when Alabama pulled in a stable of running backs in one class. Get better and be effective, but do it while staying fresh and healthy."
Perhaps the best sign of all comes from the Ohio State side: 247's Ryan Bartow reports that the Buckeyes reached out to four-star Wisconsin RB commit Antonio Williams in the last week. It's hard to imagine that timing is coincidental.
[Hit THE JUMP for FLIP WATCH, CONTINUED.]
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