Tuesday Recruitin' Says Choose Sunny D
An Actual Piece Of News
flex TE Brevin Jordan
Brice Marich reports that 4.5* NV TE Brevin Jordan and 4* NV QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson are in the process of scheduling an official in early April. Those gents are teammates at Bishop Gorman; Thompson-Robinson is of course Michigan's top QB target, and Jordan is actually a bigger deal than he is in early rankings. DTR said UCLA was the team to beat after they poached Jedd Fisch a few weeks ago; this unofficial will be Michigan's best shot to change that opinion.
Well Played, Purple Stuff
Happy trails to MI CB Kalon Gervin, who committed to Notre Dame a few days ago. That continues a bizarre trend: 4-8 Notre Dame and their coach on the hot seat snatching up various propsects of interest to Michigan. They've got eight early commitments and fully five of those are mutual targets: Gervin, IN RB Markese Stepp, NJ twins Jayson and Justin Ademilola, and MI LB Ovie Oghoufo.
This is quite a turnaround for ND, which had a bit of an MSU-like scramble to fill some spots at the tail end of the last cycle. (It was not nearly as bad as MSU's, because obviously.) Whether these guys will stick with Purple Stuff if Notre Dame spirals towards 4-8 again is currently an open question—I left Stepp off the recruiting overview but Michigan is pushing pretty hard for him.
Paramus braces for influx of Rutgers magnets
4* NJ DE Dorian Hardy has transferred from St Joseph-Montvale to Paramus Catholic. This is good for Michigan's chances, though the Montvale coach wasn't one of those who was super cheesed off by Harbaugh during SATELLITE CAMP DEATHMATCH last year. HC Augie Hoffman:
St. Joseph Regional High coach Augie Hoffmann said he has no issue with the invitation.
“Not at all,” he said. “I got to meet Jim. He is a dynamic person. You can tell he’s passionate about football, and his love for the game and love for the team and work ethic is really at the top of the list.”
Hoffmann himself spoke at Michigan’s camp last month.
So this isn't getting a Bosco kid to transfer to Paramus or anything. Still, Michigan's long-standing relationship with the school means Michigan will get to make its best pitch. Hardy is currently fielding many crystal balls to Alabama, FWIW.
The Big List Of Guys Expressing Vague Interest
It's the beginning of a new cycle so there are a billion articles out there about kids with Michigan somewhere on their list of five to twenty schools; in these articles players express an interest in scheduling a visit and say everyone is even. Maybe a third of these kids will actually end up on campus, but here is the nebulous list of possibilities yet unearthed:
- 3.5* NJ RB Iverson Clement will be on campus Thursday, per Lorenz. Michigan's in an early top six.
- 4* CA WR Andre Hunt wants to visit, etc.
- 4* OH WR L'Christian Smith told Land of 10 that he will visit in the near future.
- 4* TX TE Malcolm Epps decommitted from Bama and listed Michigan in a top three with the Tide and Texas A&M. Says he doesn't like cold weather.
- 4* FL TE Will Mallory says Michigan has 'kind of been in his blood' and is 'kind of his dream school' but maintains no public leaders.
- 4* IMG OL Verdis Brown is originally from Chicago. He tells Scout's Jeremy Werner that Michigan is in his early top five, that he misses the cold, and that he's likely to return to the Midwest for school. OSU, UF, Miami, and Illinois are the rest of his early contenders.
- 4.5* VA OL Nana Asiedu put Michigan in his top ten. Clemson is a heavy favorite.
- 4* GA OL Jalil Irvin, who was briefly a Michigan commit before backing off, is making a swing through Michigan and OSU this weekend.
- 4.5* MO DT Michael Thompson says he's interested in Michigan, vaguely plans unofficial.
- 4* TX DT Keondre Coburn is high on Michigan's board per Lorenz; Michigan intends to pursue him heavily. Naturally the instate schools are currently favored. Coburn did tell Scout that he likes Michigan "a lot" and "really want[s] to go see them."
- Michigan offered 3.5* OH DT Aeneas Hawkins. Hawkins is out of Cincinnati and this is a Greg Frey area, so it'll be interesting to see how that develops.
- 4* OH DE Tyreke Smith fielded an offer, now has the full set from the Midwest, says he will visit.
- 4* OH LB Dallas Gant has his Michigan offer at long last and Michigan "will be a factor" per Lorenz.
- Unranked OH LB Brian Asamoah has scheduled an unofficial for March 18th per Lorenz. Asamoah is unlikely to be unranked for long since he's got M, PSU, and UCLA offers already.
- 5* VA LB Teradja Mitchell tells Land of 10 that he "loves" Harbaugh because he's "one of a kind" and will visit Michigan, along with a bunch of other schools, during the spring.
- 5* TX S BJ Foster named Michigan and Ohio State as offers that stick out early, following that with a number of local schools.
This has been your list of guys saying things about stuff.
2019 stuff? I guess
So you've probably heard about CA QB Michael Johnson Jr by now: he is the son of new Michigan employee Michael Johnson and 247's #1 dual threat QB in the 2019 class. If Michigan does get Thompson-Robinson and Johnson that'll be an interesting, Kaepernick-esque shift in Michigan's QB recruiting. I'm so down to see what a Harbaugh-coached Devin Gardner looks like, so bring 'em on.
Also of note is early five-ish star KY DE Stephon Herron Jr, who visited Ann Arbor last weekend. The quotes he offered Steve Wiltfong are highly encouraging:
"The family factor, today I felt like I've been there hundreds of times before when it was only my first. ...
"They were down to earth you don't get to see that side of coaches very often and today it was amazing," Herron said. "Michigan showed me a lot of things other schools haven't and it really stuck out."
Too early to tell whether Herron is like Jay "Everything Is Awesome" Tufele in the last cycle; looks like that will be a recruitment to monitor.
BONUS: Trieu's article on Herron has another interesting quote:
"The entire place stood out," he said. "The coaches welcomed me and all the players did as well. The academics and the fact that the team goes to study abroad every year."
I bet they're hammering that.
Etc.
Slight connection between CA CB Isaac Taylor-Stewart and Jay Harbaugh: Harbaugh's alma mater is Taylor-Stewart's high school. In "not even saying he'll take a visit" news, Michigan offered LA DT Dare Rosenthal, who's 6'7" and therefore makes me think of Pat Massey.
February 14th, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^
I pay for information on other sites, but Mgoblog routinely puts out unique, unheard of information. Recruitin' articles get my attention more than any other piece of journalism out there.
February 14th, 2017 at 3:08 PM ^
ND also got Derrik Allen who holds a Michigan offer.
February 14th, 2017 at 3:08 PM ^
If Juwan Bushell-Beatty makes a nice block so that Dorian Thompson-Robinson can complete a pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones, announcers are going to hate us.
February 14th, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
Imagine the spring game, where Juwann Bushell-Beatty makes a nice block on Corey Malone-Hatcher, allowing Dorian Thompson-Robinson to complete a pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones while being covered by Jaylen Kelly-Powell
February 14th, 2017 at 3:35 PM ^
All your hyphen are belong to us.
February 14th, 2017 at 3:59 PM ^
Maybe Dorian Thompson-Robinson would win the Griese-Brees Trophy, Donovan Peoples-Jones would win the Richter-Howard Trophy, and Juwan Bushell-Beaty would win the Rimington-Pace Trophy. That'd be something.
February 14th, 2017 at 4:42 PM ^
February 15th, 2017 at 10:31 AM ^
the long-long game would be Thompson-Robinson and Peoples-Jones hooking up for real ew and having a lovechild that can complete a fly route TO HIMSELF by the name of ... Donovan Thompson-Robinson-Peoples-Jones Junior
February 15th, 2017 at 10:23 PM ^
Poor damn Brandstatter...
February 14th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
I'm sorry, did I miss it? No info on the 2020 cycle?
What kind of "update" is that?!
February 14th, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^
Not a joke. Allen Trieu provided some 2020 updates and even a 2021 update from the recent Elite Big Man camp.
http://www.scout.com/college/football/recruiting/story/1754828-recap-el…
February 14th, 2017 at 3:28 PM ^
Belleville (Mich.) 2019 OT Devontae Dobbs showed why he's considered one of the best in his class: https://t.co/O7LpUQIzqN pic.twitter.com/jFIRz1mrdM
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) February 14, 2017
February 14th, 2017 at 3:55 PM ^
Dobbs, Logan Brown, and Jaren Mangham are elite 2019 kids we have to lock down.
February 14th, 2017 at 3:55 PM ^
Huge, awesome, AND in-state???
February 14th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^
And that drill favors the defenders too, lmao
February 14th, 2017 at 3:59 PM ^
Author says Cincinatti was a Greg Frey area before.
Do the coaches recruit by areas more than they recruit by position? Is it more area-based early in the class, then position coaches go back to close the deal after the fall season?
Whose areas are whose? If I ever knew, it has likely changed by now in this era with these new/reassigned coaches, or it's separated some other way.
February 14th, 2017 at 4:33 PM ^
Mostly it's by area. Position coaches are involved. It's rare that one coach is the ONLY contact.
Jay Harbaugh has been working the west coast. Mattison has been the guy for Texas. Zordich works Pennsylvania and Ohio. Don Brown works the northeast. Etc.
February 14th, 2017 at 4:31 PM ^
I read an artilce earlier today saying that Fisch was a candidate for the Alabama job even though he just took the UCLA job. Although I'm now having a hard time finding that artice I read...
February 14th, 2017 at 9:58 PM ^
February 14th, 2017 at 4:34 PM ^
brian, are the NV kids taking an official or unofficial in April?
February 14th, 2017 at 4:43 PM ^
ace, are the NV kids taking an official or unofficial in April?
February 14th, 2017 at 8:02 PM ^
February 14th, 2017 at 4:42 PM ^
Took a two week break from general recruiting news for 2018. Today, my addiction gets fed again.
February 14th, 2017 at 4:46 PM ^
February 14th, 2017 at 5:34 PM ^
ND doesn't pay players but they do get to cheat in order to pass classes
February 14th, 2017 at 6:47 PM ^
Playing time, maybe? Seems like one of the only benefits at this point. Still a good education, too, despite the football program being a bit uncertain right now.
February 14th, 2017 at 9:47 PM ^
I'd wonder the same for MSU who has a few 4* kids committed for 2018 since they had a worse record, a worse outlook, and impending doom for their athletic department
February 15th, 2017 at 8:45 AM ^
February 14th, 2017 at 4:50 PM ^
February 14th, 2017 at 4:52 PM ^
A true dual threat QB in a Harboffense? Yes, please.
February 14th, 2017 at 4:52 PM ^
I think Michael Johnson Sr is the better "get." The guy was Harbaughs OC at the Chargers, and preceeded him at San Fran. 10 years of NFL coordinating experience, coaching at a high school academy. Tap him up. We've got NFL coordinators coming out of our ears, and Alabama is scrambling to find one OC to stick around.
February 14th, 2017 at 5:47 PM ^
This is quite a turnaround for ND, which had a bit of an MSU-like scramble to fill some spots at the tail end of the last cycle. (It was not nearly as bad as MSU's, because obviously.)
Obviously
February 14th, 2017 at 7:24 PM ^
You should be thinking Buck Buchanan, not Pat Massey.
February 14th, 2017 at 8:00 PM ^
February 15th, 2017 at 8:32 AM ^
Dallas Gant will contribute about as much as Allen Gant did. Hopefully they don't waste a spot on him.
February 15th, 2017 at 9:40 AM ^
I enjoyed the obscure dave chappelle refence
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