Camp Commits: Two Down, More To Go?

I'm told that #Michigan could land a new 2016 commitment as early as tomorrow http://t.co/FFlc03vTYt ($) @SamWebb77 @AllenTrieu @BriceMarich

— Corey Bender (@Corey_Bender) June 7, 2015

If you actually did things this weekend, you missed two commitments, one piece of inflammatory recruiting material, and enough Harbaugh headlines that Brian mercifully covered the satellite camp stuff not directly related to recruiting in today's UV, or this post would be 19,000 words and published posthumously.

The camp tour continued on to Florida, and the in-person evaluations led to several offers, including the one that set off the latest commit watch:

Truly blessed to say that I received an offer from the University of Michigan #GoBlue @SleeperAthletes @SlyJohnson3 pic.twitter.com/RoLK9zwHrD

— Terrell Lucas Jr. (@_TerrellLucas) June 7, 2015

Lucas is a three-star WDE/OLB, and he stood out to 247's Ryan Bartow as one of the top five performers at the Miami satellite camp:

2016 DE Terrell Lucas - Has over a dozen verbal offers. Michigan added their name to the list along with Syracuse and Minnesota, among others. Lucas is a prep defensive end that will likely transition to a 3-4 outside linebacker in college. He has a good frame. Takes coaching well. He was outstanding at last week's Alabama camp and was equally good in front of Michigan's staff.

Six other offers went out to Florida prospects yesterday; Bartow covers three in this free post and two in another, and Brandon Brown adds another; they are:

• Three-star 2016 CB Antwaine Richardson, a high school teammate of incoming freshman DE Shelton Johnson.
• Two-star 2016 S Josh Metellus, a Georgia Southern commit.
• Two-star 2016 SDE/TE Rashad Weaver.
• 2017 WR Clevan Thomas, who reportedly stole the show at the Miami camp.
• 2017 RB Jordan Merrell, a Cincinnati commit.
• 2017 WR Daquon Green, who's added several top-notch offers recently.

This seems like a good opportunity to talk about recruiting rankings and camp offers, since the commitment of largely unranked Dytarious Johnson, the possibility of Lucas also committing, and the number of offers going out to lower-ranked prospects has caused consternation among a certain segment of the fanbase.

Yes, recruiting rankings have been proven time and again to matter when it comes to projecting success. Final recruiting rankings, that is. I'm not saying Johnson is going to turn out to be a five-star, but I'd also be shocked if he were anything less than a solid three-star come February, and I doubt there'd be complaints about his commitment if that were his current ranking. Recruiting rankings change all the way up to Signing Day because the services get more data to inform their ratings; that includes senior film and the very camp evaluations Michigan's coaches are making in-person at each of these stops.

If Michigan is frantically adding unranked recruits on Signing Day, there'd be plenty of reason for worry. It's June. Despite several top-tier players showing high interest, the coaches were comfortable extending these offers and accepting commitments from prospects they'd had the chance to see up close. Given Harbaugh's track record of identifying and developing talent—not to mention the potential readily apparent in Johnson's junior highlights—it's far too soon to use incomplete recruiting rankings as the ultimate gauge for the recruiting class. Michigan still has room to add blue-chippers—and lest we forget, they added a consensus four-star last week, too. Sounding the "it's RichRod recruiting all over again" alarm before it's officially summer is an overreaction at best.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

Other Camps Exist, Too

Wins for #Michigan commit Michael Onwenu (@_MXKEY) over 4-star Rashard Lawrence #RivalsChallenge https://t.co/EhEUizi8Xm

— Rivals Camp Series (@RivalsCamp) June 6, 2015

While the coaches are hard at work looking to fill out the class, current Michigan commits are hitting the camp trail and impressing onlookers. In a field loaded with talent, OG Michael Onwenu was named the eighth-best offensive performer at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge:

The 6-foot-4, 368-pound offensive guard was impenetrable on the interior. Onwenu has a strong upper body and moves his arms well to keep defensive linemen from dictating the pressure. The recent Michigan commit played with good leverage and kept a solid base as he fought off the rush.

At the Elite 11 semifinals in Los Angeles, QB Brandon Peters did everything but earn a ticket to the finals, according to Scout's Greg Biggins ($):

With 10 players now invited, it’s going to be very difficult for the Elite 11 staff to decide on the remaining eight players as there wasn’t a whole lot separating the group of signal callers this weekend. If we had a vote, which we don’t, the next guy we would lock in would be Avon’s (Ind.) Brandon Peters. ...

Peters was in our top five on Saturday and was equally impressive on Sunday. He was smart and decisive with his throws during the 7v7, didn’t force passes that weren’t there and protected the football very well. When he did have a chance to go deeper down the field, he took advantage and was very accurate. The Michigan commit shows a lot of poise and his game translates very well to the next level.

With eight spots still to fill for the finals, one would think Peters will get an invite.

Finally, it should come as little surprise that camp commit Chris Evans once again impressed in that setting, this time at the RAS Showcase in Fort Wayne, where 247's Steve Wiltfong said he stood out on both sides of the ball:

Evans is a warrior.

In less than two weeks, Evans has spent a lot of time in the car driving to various college visits, camps and the state track meet, but doesn’t ever look tired on the field. He loves competing.

On this day, Evans began his day playing cornerback where he was able to keep in check the best receivers at the camp with his lateral quickness and ability to turn and run.

In the afternoon, Evans switch to running back and blew by linebackers showing what an asset he can be in the passing game.

While Evans is expected to play in the slot at Michigan, it certainly wouldn't hurt his chances of making an impact if he shows he can play corner at a high level, too.

Etc.

Egg Harbor City (N.J.) Cedar Creek wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell showing #Michigan love. pic.twitter.com/bQB2pIg6Te

— Brandon Brown (@BSB_Wolverine) June 5, 2015

A couple recruiting updates came out of the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. In a video interview with Mike Farrell, four-star PA TE Naseir Upshur said Michigan is the school currently out in front for him, and it's one of three schools—along with Florida State and Arizona State—he knows for sure he wants to visit officially. Upshur also has strong interest in South Carolina. He's been in contact with four-star New Jersey receivers Brad Hawkins and Ahmir Mitchell about visiting campus together.

Mitchell, meanwhile, showed up at the camp rocking Michigan socks, for whatever that's worth. He gave Rivals' Adam Gorney his current top four ($):

Virginia Tech could be a legitimate contender for four-star wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell since he grew up in the state but others are definitely pursuing as well.

The Egg Harbor City (N.J.) Cedar Creek prospect also is really high on Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Even though he lists Ole Miss among his favorites it would be a surprise if he ended up there.

Mitchell said he will probably wait until his senior season to make a decision.

With four-star WR Austin Mack committing to Ohio State over the weekend (happy trails), there's been a lot of optimism from the Michigan end that Mitchell will end up in the fold.

Michigan made the top ten for four-star HI OL Michael Eletise, per 247's Lars Hanson ($).