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Thursday, January 29, 2015

Official Visitors: January 30 - February 1, 2015

Manlius (NY) Canisius tight end/defensive end
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. (image via MaxPreps)
Jarius Adams - CB - Palm Beach Gardens (FL) Dwyer: Adams is a 5'11", 180 lb. prospect who has been committed to Rutgers since July. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #127 cornerback, and #1405 overall. Along with Michigan, Florida Atlantic and Wisconsin have also come in with offers in recent weeks. He took an official to FAU but won't visit Madison, so his decision probably comes down to sticking with Rutgers or flipping to the Wolverines.

Titus Booker - RB - Grayslake (IL) North: Booker is a 5'11", 172 lb. prospect who has been committed to Wisconsin since mid-November, and he was previously committed to Indiana. The Badgers want him as a cornerback, whereas Michigan is looking at him to run the ball. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #60 running back, and #767 overall. As a senior this past season, he rushed 184 times for 1,931 yards (10.1 yards/carry) and 26 touchdowns based on his 4.4 speed. He appears to be canceling an official visit to Iowa in order to visit Michigan. UPDATE: Booker no longer plans to visit Michigan and says he's solid to Wisconsin.

Deontay Burnett - WR - Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra: Burnett is a 6'0", 166 lb. prospect who has been committed to Washington State since last July; he also has offers from Arizona State, Miami, and Utah, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #85 wide receiver, and #686 overall. Burnett just got his offer from Michigan this week, so this is a quickly planned official visit. Junipero Serra produces a lot of high-quality talent, so getting a commitment from Burnett might help to get a foothold in the program.

Karan Higdon - RB - Sarasota (FL) Riverview: Higdon is a 5'10", 190 lb. prospect who has been committed to Iowa since October; he also has offers from Arizona, Arkansas, South Florida, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #40 running back, and #478 overall. Higdon is reportedly a high-character kid who originally said he is "all Iowa" after receiving the offer on Saturday morning, but he quickly planned a flight to Michigan for Saturday afternoon.

Van Jefferson - WR - Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood: Jefferson is a 6'2", 183 lb. prospect who has been committed to Ole Miss for just a few days now; he has also taken visits to Georgia and Oklahoma. He's a U.S. Army All-American, a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 wide receiver, and #108 overall. As a senior this past season, he caught 47 passes for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns. For those worried about the rumored shady recruiting practices at Ole Miss (and elsewhere in the SEC), I'll throw this out there: Jefferson's father is former NFL wide receiver and current wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, so the draw of a $500 handshake may not be as enticing to the son of an NFL player and coach. Even so, Michigan is late to the party, but growing up in Michigan (Van used to attend Orchard Lake St. Mary's while his dad coached for the Lions) may be a draw.

Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. - TE - Manlius (NY) Canisius: Wheatley is a 6'6", 260 lb. prospect who has listed a top four that includes Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #12 strongside defensive end, and #310 overall. He recently played in the Semper Fi All-American Bowl. Wheatley could also play tight end or offensive tackle at the next level, although most coaches have been saying his highest upside is on defense. He is, of course, the son of former Michigan great Tyrone Wheatley, who went on to a solid NFL career with the Giants and Raiders. There's also a younger brother, Terius, who is a 2016 prospect with no offers at this point. Tyrone, Jr. maintained for a while that Michigan had not talked to him in a while, the new staff was slot to contact him, and he was not sure if he would visit. Flying under the radar, however, he is taking a mid-week official visit to Ann Arbor, beginning on Tuesday.

6 comments:

  1. I guess if we lose Wheatley he won't be going to another B1G school which is a positive. Still would love to get him.

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  2. do they really see wheatley as that athletic TE or 4-3 end? just based on that tape i think he looks more like an OT or 3-4 DE. i guess he could play TE or SDE but i see little upside there. itd take several years but he could prob be a pretty darn good OT

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  3. Not getting Wheatley Jr would be embarrassing, but I would understand. I assume it would be tough to enter Michigan as the son of the legend while also trying to carve a name for yourself. I also assume it could be both tough/great to play at a place where your father is a coach.

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  4. I have seen reports that WR Deontay Burnett is also visiting this weekend. Do you know if he is or not?

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    1. He is...I just haven't had time to do his writeup yet.

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  5. Booker's numbers are even more impressive when you watch his film and take note of the almost no help he gets from his offensive line. Play after play he has to make people miss in his own backfield before he even gets started.

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