Recruiting Update: April 28, 2014

New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic wide receiver Miles Boykin
(image via High School Cube)

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Reisterstown (MD) Franklin offensive guard Patrick Allen was offered by Michigan. Allen is a 6'5", 270 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among many others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #27 offensive tackle, and #236 overall. Allen is a long, athletic kid who I think could play tackle or guard at the next level. He looks like a very good prospect, and I wouldn't be surprised if he moves up in the rankings.

Montverde (FL) Montverde Academy offensive tackle Abdul Bello was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'6", 295 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, and Miami, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 offensive tackle, and #204 overall. Bello plays a little high, but he moves extremely well for his size. Florida is the supposed leader here.

New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic wide receiver Miles Boykin was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'4", 212 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Illinois, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #23 wide receiver, and #185 overall. Boykin visited Michigan for the spring game on April 5th and picked up an offer this past week. Michigan's coaching staff has told him that they want to use him like Devin Funchess, but it might depend on how his body fills out. Boykin is a good athlete for his size, but he is not particularly explosive so he will need to be a possession receiver who gets his yards after the catch by overpowering tacklers. The Funchess comparison is apt.

Woodbridge (VA) C.D. Hylton offensive guard Matt Burrell was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 290 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin, among others. Burrell visited Michigan in September 2013 for the game against Notre Dame and came away raving about his visit, but the Wolverines held off on offering. He and Manassas (VA) Stonewall Jackson defensive tackle Tim Settle, who also holds a Michigan offer, have been talked about as a package deal, but Burrell seems more attainable than Settle. Burrell is a nasty blocker, but while some sites list him as a tackle, he looks more like a guard to me.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy quarterback Deondre Francois was offered by Michigan. There's actually been some debate about whether an offer was extended or not, but some recruiting sites are still reporting an offer, so I'm leaving him on the board. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier did watch him throw at his school last week, and there's at least some level of interest there. Francois is a 6'1", 190 lb. prospect with offers from Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, and South Florida, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 dual-threat quarterback, and #249 overall. Francois attended Olympia High School in Orlando last year but has transferred to IMG Academy to get him ready for college. Francois reportedly has some accuracy issues, but he has a cannon for an arm, he looks pretty polished as a thrower, and he's a good runner with a 4.6 forty. As a junior in 2013, Francois completed 104/213 passes (48.9%) for 1,373 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.

Augusta (GA) Christian offensive tackle Zach Giella was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'6", 300 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Duke, Kentucky, Miami, and Wisconsin, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #74 offensive tackle, and the #666 (yikes!) player overall. Giella has the thick lower body and relative stiffness of an offensive guard, so that's where I would project him at the next level. It's tough to pull kids out of the south, and Giella appears destined to stay below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Jacksonville (FL) Bishop Kenny offensive guard Tyler Jordan was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'4", 280 lb. prospect who committed to Florida in February; he also has offers from Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, and Stanford, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #3 center, and #381 overall. Jordan plays left tackle in high school, but the Gators plan to use him as a center; he looks like an interior guy to me.

Tampa (FL) Sickles running back Ray-Ray McCloud III was offered by Michigan. He's a 5'9", 175 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, and Wisconsin, among others. As a junior in 2013, he had 300 carries for 2,316 yards and 26 touchdowns, plus 11 catches for 173 yards and 1 score. McCloud is a speedy, shifty back who would probably have a fair number of his scores called back for taunting if he were playing college football. Florida looks like the leader right now.

Greenbelt (MD) Eleanor Roosevelt offensive tackle Isaiah Prince was offered by Michigan. Prince is a 6'6", 275 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Florida, Maryland, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 offensive tackle, and #114 overall. (In case you're wondering, I can find no evidence of relation to 2014 offensive tackle Damian Prince, who is also from Maryland and signed with the Terrapins.) Prince broke his leg and missed much of the 2013 season, but the potential is obviously there if he can remain healthy.

Flower Mound (TX) Marcus offensive tackle Keaton Sutherland was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 280 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, and Texas A&M, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #30 offensive tackle, and #256 overall. Unger could play guard or tackle at the next level. Both of his parents are Michigan natives, so he has connections to the area, but he has mentioned reservations about playing so far away from home. Sutherland attends the alma mater of former Michigan running back Stephen Hopkins, and the Wolverines have also offered teammate Kaden Smith, a 2016 tight end. Sutherland is expected to commit to Arkansas.

Jacksonville (FL) First Coast offensive tackle William Sweet was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 270 lb. prospect who committed to North Carolina earlier this month; he also has offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, and Miami, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #66 offensive tackle, and #583 overall. Sweet stated that he committed to UNC for their academics, which sort of implies that Michigan would be an acceptable school as well. He appears open to the idea of being recruited by other schools.

Tampa (FL) Wharton wide receiver Auden Tate was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'4", 195 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and South Carolina, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #47 wide receiver, and #394 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 49 catches for 815 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tate does not have great speed, but he catches with his hands away from the body and makes some ridiculously acrobatic snags. He's also a good blocker. Tate immediately named Michigan his top school because the Wolverines were his childhood favorite, although Florida State might factor in if they offer.

Hopewell (VA) Hopewell defensive end Darrell Taylor was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'4", 220 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, Iowa, Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #21 weakside end, and #481 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 54 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. Taylor is a lanky kid who plays some outside linebacker - and made a nice touchdown return on that interception - but he does look like a weakside end at the next level. So far it looks like Virginia Tech will be tough to beat.

Orlando (FL) West Orange running back Dexter Williams was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'0", 192 lb. prospect who committed to Miami earlier this month; he also has offers from Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. Williams is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 running back, and #64 overall. He claims a 4.54 forty and had 1,072 rushing yards as a junior in 2013. Williams looks like he has good speed and is a slasher. Despite being committed to the Hurricanes, he is open to visiting other schools.

Hampton (GA) Lovejoy wide receiver Preston Williams was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'4", 190 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas A&M, among others; he committed to Tennessee back in September of 2013. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 wideout, and the #44 player overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 59 receptions for 1,388 yards and 14 touchdowns. As you might expect from someone averaging about 23 yards/catch, Williams has excellent speed, coordination, and change of direction.



Hit the jump for additions to the 2016 Offer Board, commitments to other schools, and miscellaneous news bits.


ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Plant City (FL) Plant City wide receiver Tavares "T.J." Chase was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'2", 170 lb. prospect with offers from Central Florida, Clemson, Miami, and Virginia Tech, among others. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #37 athlete, and #217 overall for his class. As a sophomore in 2013, he caught 28 passes for 562 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he had 43 tackles and 3 interceptions on defense.

Toccoa (GA) Stephens County offensive tackle Ben Cleveland was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'7", 322 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas. Cleveland is a mammoth kid who probably projects to right tackle at the next level. He has stated a definite plan to see Michigan before he commits anywhere, although that commitment is not imminent. On a side note, he has hit 10 home runs for his high school baseball team this season.

Darien (IL) Hinsdale South defensive end Josh King was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'6", 250 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among others. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 25 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. 247 Sports ranks him as a 4-star, the #2 strongside end, and the #45 player overall. King looks more like an offensive tackle than a defensive end to me, but he obviously still has some filling out to do either way.

Washington (DC) Archbishop Carroll offensive tackle Jauan Williams was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'7", 275 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Ohio State, UCLA, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. 247 Sports ranks him as a 4-star, the #5 offensive tackle, and #11 overall. (I have a hard time believing there are five offensive tackles among the top eleven players in the nation, but whatever.) Williams's highlights show a big, athletic guy who needs to work on his balance; they also show a player who could be called for holding on just about every play. I'm not particularly impressed with his technique or attitude, but he's just a sophomore in high school.

OFF THE BOARD
Alabama transfer Chad Lindsay will play his grad transfer year at Ohio State. Despite having played - and started at times - for new Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier in Tuscaloosa, Lindsay went with the Buckeyes. He probably would start at either school, and Ohio State lost four seniors after the 2013 season. There has been a rumor that Michigan's admissions office would not accept Lindsay as a transfer student, which might explain away the expected advantage Michigan had with Nussmeier.

Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral offensive tackle Keenan Walker committed to Arizona. That's the same high school that produced Michigan players Craig Roh and Taylor Lewan.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here's a list of this past weekend's visitor. Yes, it's singular, because I'm not sure that anyone else visited. Michigan State's spring game was on Saturday, and there were a number of prospects flocking to East Lansing. That included St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell, who named Michigan State his #1 school, and a contingent of Detroit (MI) Cass Tech players.

Here's a working list of the players Michigan coaches have visited in the month of April.

Over on Recruiting Season  this past week, I profiled Northville TE Ryan Roberts, East Kentwood OG John Keenoy, Lansing Everett WR Leondre Damon Terry, Grand Rapids South Christian QB Jon Wassink, and Livonia Churchill OT Matt Skibinski.