Monday Recruitin' Wonders If Anyone Will Notice
DTR to LAX
Four-star NV QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Michigan's longtime top target at quarterback, took to Twitter last night to announce his commitment to UCLA.
The coaches already have two potential replacements lined up, and in fact have been telling quarterback prospects that they plan to take two in this cycle despite a relatively small projected class. Steve Lorenz says he's "as close as you can get" to putting in a crystal ball pick for four-star FL QB Joe Milton, who visited for the spring game.
The other option is three-star AZ QB Tyler Shough, who 247's Isaiah Hole reports received a visit from Pep Hamilton before Michigan took off for Italy. Shough has a visit to Ann Arbor set for mid-May and all of his crystal ball picks, including one from Steve Wiltfong, are for the Wolverines, though he recently picked up an Alabama offer. While Michigan missed out on DTR, they look set to land a quarterback in the relatively near future.
A similar situation is playing out at tight end. Four-star FL TE Will Mallory, a legacy prospect, chose Miami (YTM) over Michigan and several other blue-blood programs on Friday. Lorenz says Michigan remains in "excellent position" with four-star TX TE Mustapha Muhammad, a spring game visitor, and it looks like a M-OSU race for four-star NY TE Jeremy Ruckert; if the Wolverines can land both, they won't try to pick things back up with Mallory.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
Hoops: Cam Johnson Eliminates Michigan
Pittsburgh graduate transfer Cameron Johnson told ESPN his final six: Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, TCU.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 21, 2017
Moving on to hoops for a moment, Michigan didn't make the cut for Pitt grad transfer wing Cameron Johnson. While Johnson is the most coveted of the grad transfers Michigan is pursuing, his skills overlap more with the current players on the roster than the other potential additions: Wright State's Mark Alstork, Ohio's Jaaron Simmons, and Howard's James Daniel III.
Daniel is set to visit campus on May 29th, which is after the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, so Michigan will have a better idea of the roster outlook; he has additional visits lined up for Ohio State and Tennessee.
On the recruiting front, Michigan has offers out to four 2018 prospects: four-star SG Cormac Ryan, four-star SG Robby Carmody, four-star SF Jerome Hunter, and four-star PF Brandon Johns (who John Beilein visited personally last week). During the April evaluation period, the coaches took a look at a couple more prospects who could garner offers down the road. Four-star TX combo guard Jamal Bieniemy has added several offers of late, and The Wolverine's Chris Balas reports he's likely to add one from Michigan on an official visit this fall:
Oklahoma offered last week, while Houston, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Creighton offered previously. He’s planning a fall official visit to Ann Arbor, at which point he’ll likely pick up another.
“I’m very excited. Growing up, I always liked Michigan for some reason,” he said. “They always drew my attention. It’s a blessing have them looking at me.
“I watched them a lot. My principal [a Michigan fan] always keeps me updated on Michigan at my school. And being away doesn’t bother me at all. I like the cold.”
Rivals' Corey Evans reports that Michigan is one of three Big Ten schools pursuing four-star OH SF Pete Nance, son of former NBA player Larry Nance and younger brother of current NBA player and one-time Michigan recruit Larry Nance Jr.; Evans says it would "be an upset" if Nance didn't end up at Michigan, Northwestern, or Purdue.
Not Grudging 2019 Section Because STEELE CHAMBERS
Michigan hosted 2019 GA RB STEELE CHAMBERS last week, and the very nature of his visit suggests the Wolverines are in great shape, per TMI's Brice Marich:
“I flew there from Atlanta at 8 am and flew back at 8 pm, but it was well worth the tough trip,” Chambers told The Michigan Insider.
One-day out-of-region unofficials indicate serious interest, and that interest is being reciprocated by Michigan:
“Everyone there seemed so real like they sincerely cared about you as a person and student, not just about what you can do on a football field,” said Chambers. “They truly made me feel welcome. They took their time with me. The equipment manager even knew what jersey number I wore in middle school. That was crazy.”
Chambers is already eyeing a return trip with his family for the Ohio State game. It's early, but Michigan looks like the team to beat for yet another Georgia prospect.
Etc.
Five-star PA DE Micah Parsons decommitted from Penn State last night, prompting a run of Ohio State crystal ball picks. While Michigan has offered Parsons, it doesn't appear they're at the forefront of his recruitment; Lorenz says it's probably between Clemson, OSU, and USC. Go Not Buckeyes.
ESPN unveiled their first full 2018 top 300. Michigan commits:
- Emil Ekiyor is #57 overall (#3 OG)
- Myles Sims is #157 overall (#12 S)
- Otis Reese is #216 overall (#9 OLB)
- Christian Turner is #268 overall (#18 RB)
- Aidan Hutchinson is #276 overall (#28 DE)
Gemon and German Green's rankings remain unchanged from when they committed; Gemon is a four-star and the #42 cornerback—the last CB in the top 300 is ranked #32 at the position—and German is unranked.
Not all players went.
Shough got an offer before he visited campus?
a heat seeking moisture missile.
DTR. I think Milton is the better prospect and really hope we land him.
and prospect is the perfect word. His arm strength is unbelievable and he has the vision and agility to keep plays alive. He has a terrible completion pct and a lot of that has to do with only knowing one speed to throw the ball; try to knock your receiver over. IMO, if Harbaugh wants him, the things he needs to work on, and there are more than a couple, this would be to our advantage because he's aware of what he needs to improve on and he's also aware there is no one better qualified to teach him.
I have no idea how accurate Watson was in high school, but if able to be polished I'm thinking that is the type of qb he could grow into, ideally. In a lot of cases like this, it lies between the ears. I'm sure the young man knows he has what it takes physically but does he have the confidence or can he acquire it to be successful. I think that is one of Wilton's greatest attributes. When he does fuck up, he shrugs it off and continues on with the game, knowing there is nothing he can do to prevent the mistake he just made, but other than the later portion of the season, when injured, he normally didn't have mistake filled games.
This kid, with the right teacher,and UM now -thanks to Coach- needs not be in a hurry to speed the progression of any of their qb recruits. He is an ideal candidate given his needs and the time line. He would have all of next spring and summer and a RS freshman year in addition to the strides he can make in his final season of high school football before consideration would even be given him. Appears to be an ideal candidate for UM,imo.
Thanks, Seth!
I hate when that happens, MichiganMan_24_...whoa! How'd this get posted down here...
reminds me of MSU WR Muhsin Muhammad (who could be a member of the All-Stork team, with 6 kids) only because they are pass catchers who could be nicknamed Mu-Mu.
Imagine that. Looks solid on both sides of the ball. Do want.
GO BLUE!!
April 25th, 2017 at 12:14 AM ^
I would take mm or Ruckert over mallory any day. If we get both, Harbaugh did a great job. Getting Ruckert over osu would be a start and would piss off the osu faithful. Of course if it goes the other way, well not so good. Milton is a good get also, but I like Mccaffery ahead of him and who knows who we get in 2020. Really hoping we get Ruckert.
Comments