2015 Recruiting Update: January 27, 2015

Left to right: Reuben Jones, Greg Mattison, and Jake Pickard

COMMITMENTS
Albuqerque (NM) Eldorado quarterback Zach Gentry committed to Michigan (LINK).

Lakeland (FL) Lake Gibson defensive end Reuben Jones committed to Michigan (LINK).

West Chester (OH) Lakota West offensive tackle Nolan Ulizio committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2015
Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas cornerback Rashard Causey decommitted from Florida Atlantic. Michigan offered almost exactly a year ago, but then he surprisingly committed to FAU in April over some decent offers. The 6'0", 185 lb. prospect took officials to Wisconsin and Louisville in the meantime, and he decommitted following the Louisville visit. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #50 cornerback, and #517 overall. He's also a teammate of cornerback Damon Arnette, who visited Michigan two weekends ago but remains committed to South Carolina at this time. Causey transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas - a powerhouse program in Florida - prior to his senior season. Georgia and Tennessee have entered the fray and may be difficult to beat, but Michigan could also throw its hat into the ring once again, as Causey says he is "open to everyone."

Houston (TX) Cypress Falls cornerback Nate Dalton was offered by Michigan. The 6'2", 185 lb. prospect scheduled an official visit to Michigan for this past weekend, but he then promptly announced that he would not be taking the visit and committed to Arkansas instead. Dalton is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #90 cornerback, and #1011 overall, but the book appears to be closed on him. File him under "Off the Board."

Manvel (TX) Manvel cornerback William Lockett was offered by Michigan. Lockett is a 6'0", 182 lb. prospect who has been committed to UCLA since last August. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #79 cornerback, and #849 overall. Lockett took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend, but he has since said that he'll stick with his commitment to UCLA. So maybe he should be in the "Off the Board" category.

Hit the jump for a couple more new offers, some commits elsewhere, and some other tidbits.

2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl rosters

Keisean Lucier-South

The 2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played on Saturday, January 3, at 1:00 p.m. EST and broadcast on NBC. Michigan has zero commits playing in the game but a few who are interested in Michigan. There are still plenty of players from the midwest and headed to Big Ten schools to make it an interesting event for recruiting fanatics, so here's a list of players who have been offered by Michigan:

EAST
Johnny Frasier - RB - North Carolina (Florida State)
Jaason Lewis - RB - Virginia (Arizona State)
Juwan Johnson - WR - New Jersey (Penn State)
Devonaire Clarington - TE - Florida
Matt Burrell - OL - Virginia (Ohio State)
Jake Fruhmorgen - OL - Florida (Alabama)
Mitch Hyatt - OL - Georgia (Clemson)
Isaiah Prince - OL - Maryland
CeCe Jefferson - DE - Florida
Justin Hilliard - LB - Ohio (Ohio State)
John Reid - CB - Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Jerome Baker - S - Ohio (Ohio State)

WEST
Mike Weber - RB - Michigan (Ohio State)
Henry Roberts - OL - Washington (Washington)
Keaton Sutherland - OL - Texas (Texas A&M)
Dre'Mont Jones - DE - Ohio (Ohio State)
Keisean Lucier-South - DE - California (UCLA)
Rasheem Green - DT - California
Josh Barajas - LB - Indiana (Notre Dame)
Asmar Bilal - LB - Indiana (Notre Dame)
Darrin Kirkland, Jr. - LB - Indiana (Tennessee)
Osa Masina - LB - Utah

Scouting Report: Osa Masina

Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton linebacker Osa Masina (image via Deseret News)

Name: Osa Masina
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Brighton
Class: 2015

Notes: Holds offers from BYU, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Washington, Washington State, and Wisconsin . . . ESPN 4-star, #13 athlete, #127 overall, #1 in Utah . . . Rivals 4-star, #5 athlete, #53 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, #10 OLB, #159 overall, #2 in Utah . . . As a junior in 2013, had 222 carries for 1,643 yards and 25 touchdowns, along with 87 tackles and 4.5 sacks . . . As a sophomore in 2012, had 108 carries for 706 yards and 9 touchdowns, along with 37 tackles

Strengths: Plays with a whatever-it-takes mentality . . . Good speed . . . Takes good angles toward ball carriers . . . Shows quality sportsmanship . . . High motor player . . . Wades through trash well . . . Good enough athlete to be effective in pass coverage . . . As a running back, churns legs through contact

Weaknesses: As a running back, really lacks smooth athleticism and balances . . . Just looks uncomfortable with the ball in his hands . . . Effective as a high school runner because of his athleticism, but clearly a defensive player at the next level . . . On defense, tends to drag guys down instead of driving through them

Projection: Outside linebacker. While the 6'4" that's listed at some websites looks to be an overestimate of at least an inch, perhaps two, Masina does look like an outside linebacker at the next level. He has the speed and length to be a blitzer off the edge, and he has the quickness and athleticism to fold inside as an interior blitzer. He does a good job of tracking ball carriers but seems to be more of a downhill player than a read-and-react type of guy. The most impressive thing about Masina is his motor. Offensively and defensively, the guy just seems to be determined to get the endzone, take down the ball carrier, and make a play, regardless of what's in his way. That bodes well for his future.

Reminds me of: Jake Ryan. I thought about this comparison for a while, and I couldn't think of a great one for overall body type, athleticism, and playing style. I finally settled on Jake Ryan because of the motor and desire to make a play.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Masina recently named a top eight that included Arizona State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, and Wisconsin. He has an older brother at Utah, and 90% of his Crystal Ball predictions are for the Utes. However, Michigan is right in the thick of his recruitment and could probably be included in a top three.