ESPN 300 for 2017 released

Donovan Peoples-Jones and Michael Onwenu

ESPN released their top 300 prospects for the class of 2017 (LINK). There are no 5-star prospects on the list yet, so all these prospects are 4-stars and 3-stars. Four of the top six prospects are offensive tackles, and a fifth is a defensive tackle. ESPN is weird like that.

Anyway, hit the jump for all of Michigan's offerees:

Rivals 250 for 2017 released

Paramus (NJ) Catholic linebacker Drew Singleton

Rivals released its top 250 prospects for 2017 (LINK). The top 100 list was released on Monday (LINK). Here are Michigan's offerees:

107. Bruce Jordan-Swilling - LB - LA
108. Jake Moretti - OT - CO (Ohio State)
109. Jamyest Williams - CB - GA
111. Darnell Ewell - DT - VA
112. Tarik Black - WR - CT
119. Osiris St. Brown - WR - CA
120. Chevin Calloway - CB - TX
128. Tedarrell Slaton - OT - FL
133. Ambry Thomas - CB - MI
135. M.J. Webb - DT - GA
138. Micah Clark - OT - NJ
139. Leonard Warner - LB - GA
140. Jimmy Jaggers - TE - CA
143. Anthony Hines - LB - TX
144. Drew Singleton - LB - NJ
151. Austin Deculus - OT - TX
155. Donovan Johnson - CB - MI*
156. Cesar Ruiz - C - NJ
161. Taariq Johnson - WR - CA
166. Joshua Ross - LB - MI
181. Henry Bainivalu - OT - WA
185. Hunter Rison - WR - MI (Michigan State)*
191. Juan Harris - DT - IA
194. Jaylon Redd - CB - CA
200. Kai-Leon Herbert - OT - FL
201. Jack Coan - QB - NY
208. Jaylen Harris - WR - OH
215. Robert Hainsey - OG - PA
216. Tyrell Ajian - S - OH
223. Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - MI
234. Andrew Thomas - OT - GA

*Do not hold Michigan offers but are from within the state

Scout 300 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) King cornerback Ambry Thomas is the
nation's #116 player overall, according to Scout

Yesterday, Scout released its top 100 prospects for 2017, and I pulled out the ones relevant to Michigan (LINK). Here are the top 300 prospects for 2017 (LINK). Below are the players offered by Michigan:

102. Osiris St. Brown - WR - CA
103. Brian Polendey - TE - CA
105. Breyon Gaddy - OT - VA
113. Tarik Black - WR - CT
116. Ambry Thomas - CB - MI
122. Fred Hansard - DT - NJ
126. Josh Ross - LB - MI
131. Darnell Ewell - OG - VA
133. Jamyest Williams - CB - GA
137. Nathan Tilford - ATH - CA
144. Sione Heimuli-Lund - ATH - UT
148. Jaylen Harris - WR - OH
150. Maleik Gray - S - TN
153. Jaylon Redd - CB - CA
154. Paris Ford - S - PA
156. Kyshaun Bryan - RB - FL
162. Robert Hainsey - OT - PA
166. Bruce Jordan-Swilling - ATH - LA
179. Jacoby Stevens - WR - TN
193. LeAnthony Williams - CB - GA
194. Ja'Raymond Hall - OT - MI
197. Andrew Thomas - OT - GA
203. Daquon Green - WR - FL
207. Jordan McNair - OT - MD
210. William Poole III - CB - GA
216. K.J. Hamler - WR - MI
218. Leonard Warner - LB - GA
229. Todd Sibley - RB - OH (Ohio State)
237. Charles Reeves - TE - OH
238. Marco Wilson - CB - FL
239. Allen Stritzinger - RB - MI
241. Jimmy Jaggers - TE - CA
245. Cesar Ruiz - C - NJ
262. Taariq Johnson - TE - CA
263. Drew Singleton - LB - NJ
266. Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - MI
268. J'Marick Woods - S - AL
272. M.J. Webb - DE - GA
291. J.T. Cauthen - WR - NC

Visitors: June 2, 2015

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones

This event is a meet-and-greet for in-state 2017 prospects. It will take place at 3:30 p.m.

Carter Dunaway - TE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway committed to Michigan in April (LINK).

Ja'Raymond Hall - OT - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Hall is a 6'5", 255 lb. prospect with offers from Miami-OH and Michigan. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #13 offensive tackle, and #82 overall. He is thought to be leaning toward the Wolverines.

K.J. Hamler - WR - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's: Hamler is a 5'9", 155 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and several others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 wide receiver, and #279 overall. While he has the size to also play cornerback, he wants to play offense, although he would have to be a slot guy and maybe a kickoff returner. He is considered to be a Michigan State lean.

Hit the jump for a few more visitors.

Top 247 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell (image via Twitter)

247 Sports released its top 247 prospects for 2017 (LINK).

Here are the players who have been offered by Michigan:

5-stars:
2. A.J. Epenesa - DE - Illinois
3. Josh Myers - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)
4. Calvin Ashley - OT - Florida

4-stars:
8. Marvin Wilson - DT - Texas
9. Hunter Johnson - QB - Indiana
10. Anthony McFarland, Jr. - RB - Maryland
13. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan
15. Shaun Wade - CB - Florida (Ohio State)
16. Najee Harris - RB - California
17. Osiris St. Brown - WR - California
18. Devon Hunter - ATH - Virginia
20. D'Andre Swift - RB - Pennsylvania
22. Jeffrey Okudah - S - Texas
23. Jeff Thomas - WR - Illinois
28. Isaiah Pryor - S - Georgia
33. Joseph Lewis - WR - California
39. Stanford Samuels - CB - Florida
42. Greg Johnson - ATH - California
44. Tyrell Ajian - ATH - Ohio
46. Dylan McCaffrey - QB - Colorado
47. Richard LeCounte - ATH - Georgia
48. Maleik Gray - ATH - Tennessee
55. Darnay Holmes - ATH - California
58. Brock Wright - TE - Texas
68. Jake Moretti - OT - Colorado
76. Anthony Hines - LB - Texas
77. Juwan Burgess - WR - Florida
81. JaRaymond Hall - OT - Michigan
87. Marcus Williamson - CB - Ohio
88. Hezekiah Jones - WR - Texas
99. M.J. Webb - DE - Texas
106. Jamyest Williams - CB - Georgia
111. Josh Ross - LB - Michigan
125. Kedrick James - TE - Texas
136. J.T. Cauthen - WR - North Carolina
139. Paris Ford - S - Pennsylvania
150. Todd Sibley - RB - Ohio
178. Corey Bolds - DE - New Jersey
180. Jaylen Kelly-Powell - S - Michigan
183. Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - Michigan
229. Darnell Ewell - DT - Virginia
240. Juan Harris - DT - Iowa

Visitors: February 20-22, 2015

Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's linebacker Joshua Ross

The other night, several 2016 prospects - and one 2017 player - were in town for Michigan's basketball game against Michigan State. On Sunday for the Ohio State game, there will be more prospects on campus, including a couple of the top in-state prospects for 2017.

Bryce Brand - DT - Walled Lake (MI) Western: Brand, a 2017 prospect, is a 6'2", 267 lb. prospect with offers from Air Force and Louisville. His older brother, Ryan, was a quarterback at U of D Jesuit and signed with Air Force in the 2015 class.

Rodney Hall - QB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Hall, another 2017 prospect, is a 6'3", 192 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. When senior quarterback Jayru Campbell - a one-time Michigan State commit - was suspended for the 2014 season, Hall stepped in as a sophomore. The lefty led Cass Tech to the state championship game.

Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph: Malone-Hatcher is a 6'3", 235 lb. prospect with offers from Iowa, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 weakside end, and #111 overall. Michigan's staff under Brady Hoke offered him, so Jim Harbaugh and company may reaffirm the offer while he's on campus.

John O'Korn - QB - University of Houston: O'Korn has been reported by some as being a done deal to transfer to Michigan, although nothing official has been announced. He started as a freshman at Houston (2,889 yards, 26 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) in 2013 and then took a step back last season. Now he's looking to transfer somewhere, and Michigan seems a likely destination. If the transfer does become official, he will have to sit out the 2015 season and will have two remaining seasons of eligibility (2016-2017).

Joshua Ross - LB - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's: Ross is a 6'1", 210 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #2 inside linebacker, and #56 overall. He's the younger brother of Michigan senior linebacker James Ross III, who will be long gone by the time Joshua enters college.



Taeshon Trotter - OT - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Trotter is a 6'6", 275 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Tim Walton - LB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Walton is a 6'1", 225 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati and a handful of MAC schools. He's currently unranked in the 247 Composite, and I ranked him the #25 player in the state (LINK) last week.

247 Sports: Top 116 for 2017 updated

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is within the range of being an eventual 5-star to 247 Sports

247 Sports updated their top prospect list for 2017 back in November (LINK), although I missed it at the time. Here's what it looked like back in August of 2014 (LINK). At that time I included players who might have Michigan interest or vice versa. This time I'll include only the players Michigan has actually offered.

5-stars:
3. Josh Myers - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)

4-stars:
6. Calvin Ashley - OT - Florida
7. Devon Hunter - S - Virginia
12. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan
14. Shaun Wade - CB - Florida (Ohio State)
21. Jeff Thomas - ATH - Illinois
31. Darnay Holmes - ATH - California
42. Najee Harris - RB - California
56. Josh Ross - LB - Michigan
70. Isaiah Pryor - S - Georgia
84. Jamyest Williams - ATH - Georgia
111. Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - Michigan
114. Anthony Hines - LB - Texas

Visitors: Michigan vs. Miami-OH

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech cornerback Lavert Hill

2015
Brian Cole - WR - Saginaw (MI) Heritage*

Jack Dunaway - DE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice

Tyree Kinnel - S - Huber Heights (OH) Wayne*

Darrin Kirkland, Jr. - LB - Indianapolis (IN) Warren Central*

Alex Malzone - QB - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice*

Grant Perry - WR - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice

Michael Weber - RB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech*

2016
Lavert Hill - CB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech#

Joshua Jackson - QB - Saline (MI) Saline

Michael Onwenu - DT - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech#

Justin Rigg - TE - Springboro (OH) Springboro

Eric Rogers - LB  - Warren (MI) De La Salle

Dylan Stackhouse - LB - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park

2017
Johnathan Berghorst - DE - Zeeland (MI) East

Carter Dunaway - TE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice

Rodney Hall - QB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech

Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech

Joshua Ross - LB - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's#

*Committed to Michigan
#Offered by Michigan

Visitors: Michigan vs. Appalachian State

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech cornerback Lavert Hill

2015
Brian Cole - WR - Saginaw (MI) Heritage: Cole committed to Michigan in late July (LINK).

Wesley French - OG - St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph: French is a 6'5", 300 lb. prospect with offers from a handful of MAC schools.

Tyree Jackson - QB - Muskegon (MI) Mona Shores: Jackson is committed to Buffalo (Recruiting Season).

Joeviair Kennedy - WR - Muskegon (MI) Muskegon: Kennedy is a 6'3", 195 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Tyree Kinnel - S - Huber Heights (OH) Wayne: Kinnel committed to Michigan a year ago (LINK).

Mike Weber - RB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber committed to Michigan earlier this month (LINK).

Hit the jump for 2016 and 2017 prospects.

247 Sports Top 100 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is the top player in Michigan for 2017

It seems a wee bit early for 2017 recruiting rankings, but 247 Sports went ahead with them anyway. The problem I have with them is that these kids are currently going into their sophomore year, meaning these will mostly be the "prodigies" who played up on varsity as freshmen and had good seasons. Meanwhile, the kids who will hit late growth spurts or change focus from basketball to football will be completely absent. Anyway, here's the complete list (LINK) and then a breakdown of kids from the ever-expanding Big Ten imprint or players with Michigan connections:

5-stars:
2. A.J. Epenesa - DE - Illinois
3. Josh Myers - OT - Ohio: Offered by Michigan.

4-stars:
6. Calvin Ashley - OT - Florida: Offered by Michigan.
8. D'Andre Swift - RB - Pennsylvania: Teammate of 2015 OG commit Jon Runyan, Jr.
9. Hunter Johnson - QB - Indiana
12. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan: Teammate of 2015 RB commit Michael Weber. Son of former Wolverine Shonte Peoples.
20. Jeff Thomas - WR - Illinois: Offered by Michigan.
30. Emani Mason - OT - Michigan
33. Ty Chandler - RB - Tennessee: Attends alma mater of Michigan OG Blake Bars.
39. Lamont Wade - CB - Pennsylvania
43. Danny Clark - QB - Ohio: Teammate of 2015 K commit Andrew David.
44. Cam Spence - OT - Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan DE Henry Poggi.
50. Josh Ross - LB - Michigan: Offered by Michigan. Brother of Michigan LB James Ross.
57. Jordan Anthony - ATH - Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan CB Blake Countess.
60. Marcus Williamson - CB - Ohio
64. Danny Davis - WR - Ohio
73. Kasim Hill - QB - Maryland: Attends alma mater of Michigan DE Henry Poggi.
77. Anthony McFarland, Jr. - RB - Maryland
81. Juan Harris - RB - Wisconsin
83. Elvis Hines - ATH - New Jersey
94. R.J. Potts - S - Indiana
96. Ricky Smalling - WR - Illinois

April 2014 Coach Visits

Newhall (CA) Hart quarterback Brady White was visited by Michigan on Tuesday, April 22 (image via signalscvsports.com)

The spring evaluation period has begun, so it's open season on high school recruits once again. We should see some more offers going out soon, including to 2015 quarterbacks as Michigan tries to fill the most important position on the field for the upcoming class.

Players will be listed in order of being the most recent addition, so new additions will be placed at the top of each cycle's list. Offered players are noted with an asterisk.

2015
Jerome Baker - LB - Cleveland (OH) Benedictine*
Terry Beckner, Jr. - DE - East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis*
Avonte Bell - LB - Lansing (MI) Sexton
Austen Wood - LB - Berkley (MI) Berkley
Alexx Zielinski - TE - Brighton (MI) Brighton
Jake Bills - DE - Berkley (MI) Berkley
Lazon Hicks - CB - Ypsilanti (MI) Lincoln
Austin Ervin - TE - St. Johns (MI) St. Johns
Jake Johnson - QB - DeWitt (MI) DeWitt
Damon Terry - WR - Lansing (MI) Everett
Riley Neal - QB - Yorktown (IN) Yorktown
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. - TE - Manlius (NY) Canisius*
Trent Irwin - WR - Newhall (CA) Hart
Alec Murphy - RB - Nixa (MO) Nixa
Darrin Kirkland, Jr. - LB - Indianapolis (IN) Warren Central*
Brady White - QB - Newhall (CA) Hart
Elijah Alford - DE - Virginia Beach (VA) Bayside
Deondre Francois - QB - Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy*
Abdul Bello - OT - Montverde (FL) Academy*
Auden Tate - WR - Tampa (FL) Wharton*
Matthew Burrell - OT - Woodbridge (VA) C.D. Hylton*
Josh Sweat - DE - Chesapeake (VA) Oscar Smith*
Alex Malzone - QB - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Brian Lewerke - QB - Phoenix (AZ) Pinnacle
Zach Gentry - QB - Albuquerque (NM) Eldorado
Brian Cole - WR - Saginaw (MI) Heritage*
Michael Weber - RB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech*
David Moorman - OT - Northville (MI) Northville
Miles Boykin - WR - New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic*

Hit the jump for 2016 and 2017 recruits.

Recruiting Update: February 24, 2014

Charlotte (NC) South Mecklenburg
safety Stephen Griffin

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Charlotte (NC) South Mecklenburg safety Stephen Griffin was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'3", 187 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, and Wake Forest, among others. Only two recruiting services have rated him, but he's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #63 cornerback, and #789 overall. He claims a 37" vertical, a 275 lb. bench, and a 395 lb. squat. Griffin is a hard hitter who will probably be well over 200 lbs. by the time he fills out, so I think he'll be a safety in college. As a junior in 2013, he had 80 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions (1 touchdown), 1 fumble recovery, and 2 fumbles forced; he was also 43/82 passing for 565 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions and rushed 83 times for 583 yards and 3 touchdowns.

New Orleans (LA) Warren Easton wide receiver Tyron Johnson was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'3", 190 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #4 wide receiver, #42 overall, and #1 in his state. Johnson has a good frame, very good speed, and excellent change-of-direction skills for a guy his size. As often is the case, LSU appears to lead with Texas A&M also in hot pursuit.

Washington (DC) Gonzaga cornerback Marcus Lewis was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'1", 187 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 athlete, and #111 overall. Lewis claims a 4.38 forty, but I have reservations about that time. Lewis plays corner for his high school team, and while that's still a possibility in college, he looks a little too stiff to me to play corner at a big-time program on the next level. My guess is that he will develop into a safety, and I believe he has the size and physicality to do that well.

Brooksville (FL) Nature Coast Tech offensive tackle Christian Pellage was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'7", 271 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 offensive tackle, and #185 overall.  He claims a 4.88 forty, a 32" vertical, a 285 lb. bench, and a 500 lb. squat. He appears to play in a very run-oriented offense, but he has nice bend and quick feet, and he looks like a future left tackle.

Richmond (VA) St. Christopher's cornerback Garrett Taylor was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'1", 188 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 cornerback, and the #90 player overall, and he claims a 4.5 forty, a 255 lb. bench, and a 400 lb. squat. Taylor has inconsistent technique and is a little stiff for cornerback, so he's another kid who might be a safety down the road. He plays in the same league as freshman quarterback Wilton Speight did, and he's teammates with highly touted defensive end/outside linebacker Ricky DeBerry.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
New Orleans (LA) John Curtis offensive tackle Willie Allen was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'6", 265 lb. prospect with offers from Florida, LSU, and Tulane. Michigan went after three of his teammates in the 2014 class: wide receiver Malachi Dupre (LSU), linebacker Kenny Young (UCLA), and safety Mattrell McGraw (Oregon). Allen is an athletic kid who has yet to fill out and needs to learn technique, but the raw athleticism is there to develop.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2017
Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's linebacker Joshua Ross was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'0", 194 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan State and Oklahoma. He missed the second half of his freshman season due to a broken ankle, but obviously he showed enough during the first half of the year to garner some offers. Ross is the younger brother of Michigan junior linebacker James Ross and looks a lot like him in his stance.

East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis wide receiver Jeff Thomas was offered by Michigan. He's a 5'10", 170 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois and Kansas. As a freshman in 2013, he had 54 catches for 944 yards (17.5 yards/catch) and 12 touchdowns. Thomas has blazing speed and looks like a Percy Harvin clone. He was teammates with 2014 linebacker Kyron Watson (Kansas).

MISCELLANEOUS
Here's a list of this past weekend's visitors. Thiyo Lukusa considered committing on the visit, but Coach Hoke convinced him that it would make sense to take other visits and be 100% positive before committing. He's a 2016 kid, so he has plenty of time to decide.

The Top 247, Rivals 100, and Rivals 250 were all updated last week.