Recruiting Update: December 19, 2011

Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge DE Jonathan Allen (#93)

ADDED TO THE BOARD
Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge DE Jonathan Allen, a 2013 prospect, received an offer from Michigan last week.  Allen is 6'3", 225 lbs. and listed as a strongside end, although I think he could fit at weakside end as well.  He plays a lot like 2012 commit Mario Ojemudia, although I think Ojemudia might be a little quicker.  Allen comes up too high out of his stance and doesn't use his hands extremely well to shed blockers, but the physical talent is there to be a very good player.  Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Virginia, and others have also extended offers.

Pittsburgh (PA) Shaler Area TE J.P. Holtz was offered by Michigan, but it might be too late for the Wolverines.  The 6'4", 240-pounder has already announced a top three of Michigan State, Pitt, and Purdue.  He took a recent official visit to Pitt and reportedly enjoyed it, but the coaching situation might be a negative.  Holtz said that he would like to be done with visits and has yet to make it to Ann Arbor, so chances are slim that he ends up wearing a winged helmet.  Regardless, Holtz is a well rounded athlete who has played running back in high school, so he has running skills that some other tight ends don't possess.  He could be an interesting pass-catching tight end to go along with the receiving skills of Devin Funchess and blocking of A.J. Williams.

South Bend (IN) Washington RB David Perkins has a Michigan offer, at least according to Scout (Rivals insists he doesn't).  The 6'2", 209 lb. athlete was committed to Notre Dame at one point, but decommitted at the end of October for reasons that are somewhat unclear.  Perkins has offers from LSU, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, and Tennessee, all of which he has visited or has scheduled a visit.  Michigan's coaches are recruiting Perkins for running back now that Bri'onte Dunn appears to be off the table, and Perkins has discussed trying to set up a visit to Ann Arbor for January; that would likely cause him to have to cancel a trip to Ohio State, LSU, or Tennessee.  Various schools are recruiting Perkins for various positions, including running back, wide receiver, and linebacker.  He has a reported 4.43 forty yard dash and a 36" vertical leap, but he's kind of a raw athlete and reminds me of Josh Furman in some respects.

Peoria (IL) Manual OT Logan Tuley-Tillman, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week.  Tuley-Tillman is a 6'7", 280-pounder with a nasty streak.  He's somewhat raw to be garnering such major offers, but he is a plus athlete.  Unless he improves his technique and footwork significantly as a senior in high school, whichever college gets him will be getting a project.  He also holds offers from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio State.

OFF THE BOARD
Canton (OH) McKinley DE Se'von Pittman changed his allegiance from Michigan State to Ohio State.  I can't say that I blame him, since MSU if full of criminals.  Oh, wait.  So is Ohio State.  Pittman's heart never seemed to be in East Lansing, but academics were rumored to be an issue with Michigan and the impending sanctions seemed to push him away from OSU.  I guess the hiring of Urban Meyer and the hope of winning a national championship was too much.  If the NCAA ever gets around to sanctioning Ohio State, we'll see if their recruiting mojo remains.

Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West DT Tommy Schutt jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire last week, switching his future destination from Penn State to Ohio State.  I guess we'll see in the next few years whether it was a good idea or not for Michigan to shun Schutt when he wanted to visit Ann Arbor, but my stance right now is that Schutt is going to be a load to deal with for the next several years.  Meanwhile, Michigan might be a little thin on the interior.

Harrisburg (PA) Bishop McDevitt DE Noah Spence committed to Ohio State on Sunday.  It sure was a boon for Ohio State to get Urban Meyer as coach, because kids don't even care that the school is about to (or, well, should) get hit with NCAA sanctions.  The 6'4", 245 lb. Spence is considered by many to be the nation's top defensive end.  Michigan was never a viable option for Spence, but for a long time, it seemed OSU was out of the running, too.

Recruiting Update: November 16, 2011

That's an interesting use for a wife-beater.

ADDED TO THE BOARD

Ann Arbor (MI) Pioneer running back Drake Johnson was offered by and committed to Michigan.  You can find a full write-up here.

Lake City (FL) Columbia offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil was offered by Michigan.  Tunsil is a 6'5", 270 lb. class of 2013 prospect   Florida and Florida State look like Tunsil's early leaders, and the Seminoles hold what might be the trump card - Tunsil's former teammate Tim Jernigan, a defensive tackle who was recruited by Michigan for the class of 2011.  Tunsil was recently named the #3 overall player in the country for 2013, according to 247 Sports.

OFF THE BOARD

Allen (TX) Allen running back Jonathan Williams committed to Arkansas.  He had been committed to Missouri for several months, but decommitted from the Tigers in early November.  A few days later he was a Razorback.  Williams is a 5'11", 205 lb. bruising running back who also holds offers from the likes of West Virginia and Wisconsin.

TWO RECRUITING BITS...

First of all, there were some rumors that Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West defensive tackle Tommy Schutt was considering decommitting from Penn State and flipping to Michigan.  While anything is possible, it seems that Michigan would not be interested in Schutt.  Remember that he tried visiting Michigan around the time of Ondre Pipkins' commitment, and the staff said, "Thanks but no thanks."  Of course, if the coaches are getting bad vibes from their other targets (Zach Banner, Josh Garnett, Jordan Payton, Amara Darboh, Bri'onte Dunn, etc.), then it's possible that Michigan could pursue Schutt.  At this time, though, the rumors seem to be dying down.

Secondly, it seems particularly frustrating to watch the 2012 class play out with the staff failing to recruit quarterbacks any further.  There has been some behind-the-scenes action with high-level recruits, but nothing too significant.  The struggles of Michigan's quarterbacks this year should be cause for concern going forward, since the only options for 2012 are Denard Robinson (52% completions, 13 touchdowns, 13 interceptions) and Devin Gardner (50% completions; 1 touchdown, 1 interception); and the only options for 2013 are Gardner, Russell Bellomy (currently a true freshman who is redshirting), and current high school junior Shane Morris.  That's a pretty unproven group, and it's a very thin group, too.  After having taken a quarterback in the last 14 classes, it seems odd for that trend to stop now . . . but that appears to be the case.