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Monday, May 27, 2013

Recruiting Update: May 27, 2013

Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco quarterback Josh Rosen
COMMITMENT
Paramus (NJ) Catholic cornerback Jabrill Peppers committed to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Jacksonville (FL) Raines cornerback Lamont Simmons was offered by Michigan. Simmons is a 6'2", 185 lb. corner with offers from Arkansas, Georgia, and Wisconsin, among others.  I can't find much information about him, so feel free to comment with any insight you can.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Bamberg (SC) Erhardt defensive end LaSamuel Davis was offered by Michigan.  He's a 6'4", 205 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, and USC, among others.  Michigan has pursued several guys out of Erhardt in recent years (2014 ATH Kevin Crosby, 2012 DE Martin Aiken, 2011 RB Demetrius Williams), but so far the pursuit has been unsuccessful.

Jacksonville (FL) Trinity Christian linebacker Jeff Holland has been offered by Michigan.  He's a 6'2", 230 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and lots of others.  According to 247 Sports - the only service to release rankings for 2015 prospects - Holland is the #17 overall player and #1 linebacker in the nation.  Michigan also recruited 2011 RB Andrew Buie (West Virginia) and 2010 S Rashad Knight (Rutgers) out of Trinity Christian, but those offers were from the Rich Rodriguez era.

Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco quarterback Josh Rosen was offered by Michigan.  Rosen is a 6'4", 200 lb. passer who claims a 4.55 forty.  As a sophomore in 2012, he had 2,087 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and 352 rushing yards, which has earned him offers from Oregon State, Tennessee, and a few other schools so far.  247 Sports has ranked him as the #2 pro-style quarterback and the #5 overall player in the nation.  He is thought to favor some West Coast, Pac-12 schools, so Michigan will be in an uphill battle to capture his commitment.  That may be the reason why the Wolverines went ahead and offered him, despite the fact that they offered 2014 quarterback commit Wilton Speight on National Signing Day 2013.  Previously, La Mirada (CA) La Mirada's Kevin Dillman was presumed to be Michigan's top target at the position, and he may well be offered if Rosen ends up committing to Cal or Stanford.


Jacksonville (FL) Trinity Christian cornerback Kevin Toliver II was also offered by Michigan.  The teammate of Holland, he's a 6'2", 183 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, and lots of others . . . including LSU, to which he's already committed.  247 Sports ranks him as the #1 cornerback and #33 overall player in the country.

Dallas (TX) Skyline linebacker Anthony Wheeler was offered by Michigan.  He's a 6'2", 225 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Texas, and Texas Tech, among others.  Texas is thought to be the leader, although he's giving other schools a chance.  I believe Wheeler will end up as a weakside end because he's a little too stiff and slow to play linebacker at the next level.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School wide receiver Sam Bruce was offered by Michigan.  He's a 5'8", 160 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Clemson, and USC, among others.  His uncle is former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce, who played his college ball at Memphis State; I think it's safe to say that Sam won't be following in his uncle's footsteps when it comes to picking a college.  Michigan has really hit the University School hard with offers lately, going after 2013 WR Jordan Cunningham (Vanderbilt) and DT Maquedius Bain (LSU).  Bruce is a speedy pinball of a player who could end up as a wideout, corner, nickel corner, or returner at the next level.

Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson was offered by Michigan.  Swenson was on my 2016 list for a long time, but I removed him several weeks ago because there was some question about whether his offer was "official" or not (even though officially official offers can't be extended until the August prior to his senior year).  Now his unofficially official offer has been confirmed, so I'm adding him to the list again.  Swenson seems very interested in Michigan, and it probably wouldn't be a stretch to position the Wolverines as his #1 choice.  However, he also has offers from Illinois, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, and lots more are sure to come.  The 6'6", 280 lb. prospect already has great size, pretty good feet, and solid technique, and he's just a rising sophomore.

OFF THE BOARD
Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary's linebacker Dante Booker, Jr. committed to Ohio State.  He was always considered to be an Ohio State lean but was very quiet about his recruitment.  This might open the door a little bit for Clairton (PA) Thomas Jefferson linebacker Chase Winovich to commit to Michigan over Ohio State, but the last time I made a similar statement (when Sam Hubbard picked the Buckeyes), Kyle Berger went ahead and chose them, too.  I guess they're all in a race to be the next Andy Katzenmoyer.

7 comments:

  1. Who do you think could receive an offer for the last o-line spot in the 2014 class? The ones with offers don't seem to be near commitment besides Jones.
    Also whats your thoughts on Ballage and Mckenzie?

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    Replies
    1. There hasn't been much buzz about new offensive line offers. I think the coaches are going to try to make a push with the ones they've already offered (Jamarco Jones, Casey Tucker, Roderick Johnson, etc.). Guys like Jordan Poland, Reilly Gibbons, Alex Bookser, and Danny Burns might be ones to watch.

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    2. I forgot to ask what position on the line do you think they are going for? Left tackle, guard? Could Jamarco Jones play tackle?

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    3. I think they're probably looking for another tackle, preferably on the left side. Bad left tackles can often move to the right side, but the opposite isn't quite so true. Bushell-Beatty is a bit of a 'tweener; I'm not sure if he can hold down a blindside tackle gig. Jones is a guard, in my opinion. He could play right tackle in a pinch, though.

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    4. Whose your favorite of the linemen that are left?

      I'm really liking Braden Smith. That kid is big, strong, quick and violent ..... Fun!!!

      But I'm thinking he might turn out to be a guard as well although I'd be tempted to play him on D.

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  2. Why would they offer Lamont Simmons right now? Seems like there are some blue chippers in the pipe, not to mention Peppers.

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    Replies
    1. He hits and he can cover ..... at least for a minute and 46 seconds a season.

      He kind of makes me think of Grant Mason when he's tackling, only bigger.

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