The 2013 Season Countdown is on the way

Where will Jake Ryan end up on the list?

The annual season countdown begins tomorrow morning. In case you're new to the blog, I profile one player per day from the least important to the most.  For example, a player who is likely to redshirt will probably be very low on the list; the player Michigan can least afford to lose will be #1 on the list; a good player with a quality backup or two might get bumped down the list, since losing him might not impact the team in a significant way.

Remember that this will not be a list of the best players, but the most important  players.

You can see the 2012 Season Countdown here, along with the 2011 Countdown, the 2010 Countdown, and the 2009 Countdown.

Attractive Michigan Girl of the Week

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

Scouting Report: Jabrill Peppers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

Scouting Report: Chase Winovich

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.