Monday, July 7, 2014

Recruiting Update: July 7, 2014

Glen St. Mary (FL) Baker defensive end CeCe Jefferson (#7)
ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Glen St. Mary (FL) Baker defensive end CeCe Jefferson was offered by Michigan at some point in the past. He's a 6'2", 250 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and USC, among others. He's a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 strongside end, and #4 overall. Michigan apparently offered him a while ago, but it was not made public until recently. Obviously, that does not bode well because Jefferson clearly hasn't publicized his interest. Meanwhile, he appears ticketed for Florida.


Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy quarterback David Sills decommitted from USC. I can't help feeling a little badly for Sills, who made national news for committing to the Trojans as a seventh grader when Lane Kiffin offered him. It underlines the uncertainty of early recruiting, but Sills watched two coaching changes at USC, saw current coach Steve Sarkisian grab Ricky Town from Alabama, and now finds himself searching for a lower-tier home, which seems likely to be West Virginia at this point.

OFF THE BOARD
New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic wide receiver Miles Boykin committed to Notre Dame. Michigan thought they might have a chance after he visited for the spring game and was offered shortly thereafter, but things had been trending toward Notre Dame for a few weeks. The Wolverines ended up finishing third behind the Fighting Irish and Michigan State.

St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end Jashon Cornell committed to Ohio State. I have noted all along that Cornell was overrated as a defensive end, and Michigan's coaches apparently saw him more as a defensive tackle as he added weight. They were reportedly not pursuing him very hard toward the end of his recruitment, although it likely would not have mattered either way.

Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier linebacker Justin Hilliard also committed to Ohio State. I wrote a scouting report on Hilliard last November (LINK), and I do think he will be a force to reckon with as a Buckeye. In my opinion, he's the best prospect to come out of Ohio in the last few years.

Douglasville (GA) Alexander running back Mikell Lands-Davis committed to Georgia Tech. Lands-Davis is a sturdy back with good balance, and I can picture him making a good triple-option fullback for the Yellowjackets.

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne wide receiver A.D. Miller committed to Illinois. I considered Miller one of the top three receivers likely to commit to Michigan in the 2015 class, so now the Wolverines are down to two (Brian Cole and Auden Tate) unless they extend more offers.

Orange Park (FL) Oakleaf linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, a 2016 prospect, committed to Miami. His teammate was linebacker Darrion Owens, who also held a Michigan offer and chose Miami in the 2014 class.

Douglas (GA) Coffee tight end Jalen Wilkerson committed to Florida State. Michigan never had much of a chance, and his highlight reel entitled "The Chosen One" made me not want him in Ann Arbor, anyway.

MISCELLANEOUS
I posted a list of players planning to attend the 2014 BBQ at the Big House (LINK).

I also posted a list of participants in Nike's The Opening (LINK).

Last week on Recruiting Season, I profiled Orchard Lake St. Mary's linebacker Joshua Ross, Detroit Cass Tech's Demetric Vance and Donovan Peoples-Jones, Brighton's Alexx Zielinski, and Traverse City West's duo of Jacob Cerny and Tommy Roush.

2 comments:

  1. In your opinion, why do you think A.D. Miller decided to pull the trigger for the Illini? Not trying to be snarky or crass, but I just don't see that program going anywhere for a while. Despite the fact that I liked Beckman at my alma mater of The University of Toledo, I feel he has the look of a small fish in an ocean.

    Also, with only Cole and Tate as the current offers for 2015, do we try to flip him - or put out more (late) offers?

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Miller talked about the chance to play early. Other than that, I'm not really sure. It seems like an odd choice, but whatever floats his boat...

      The coaches typically try to feel out whether a recruit wants to continue to be recruited or not. Miller didn't completely shut the door on continuing to look at other schools, so it's possible that Michigan will continue to work on him. I doubt the coaches were counting on Miller, so I wouldn't anticipate any reactionary offers. They'll probably see how things are going with Cole and Tate. If those two appear to be leaning elsewhere, more offers are probably going to have to be extended. An in-state kid like Grant Perry is a possibility.

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