Charlotte (NC) Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis committed to Michigan on Friday afternoon on SportsCenter. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Clemson, Ohio State, Tennessee, and many more.
I did a full scouting report on him a few weeks ago (LINK).
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 86 grade, #3 dual-threat QB, #35 overall
On3: 4-star, 92 grade, #8 QB, #105 overall
Rivals: 5-star, 6.1 grade, #3 pro-style QB, #10 overall
247 Sports: 5-star, 98 grade, #2 QB, #28 overall
Hit the jump for more.
Gideon Davidson - RB - Lynchburg (VA) Liberty Christian: Davidson is a 6'0", 193 lb. prospect with offers from Auburn, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and USC, among others. He's a 4-star, the #3 running back, and #38 overall in the class. Davidson runs a 10.69 in the 100 meters and scored 19 touchdowns while playing varsity as a freshman.
Onis Konanbanny - CB - Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee: Konanbanny is a 6'2", 170-pounder who moved to Georgia from Great Britain but was born in France. Nacoochee is the alma mater of Michigan tight end Marlin Klein. Konanbanny visited Michigan last weekend and was offered on the trip.
Cameron Miller - CB - Atco (NJ) Winslow: Miller is a 5'11", 175 lb. prospect with offers from Georgia, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia, among others. He's a 4-star, the #8 cornerback, and #94 overall. Miller visited Ann Arbor last weekend and was offered.
Talyn Taylor - S - Geneva (IL) Geneva: Taylor is a 6'0", 165-pounder with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Wisconsin, among others. Taylor could play receiver, corner, or safety at the next level.
During the season, I like to keep readers updated on what's happening with former commits, players, and head coaches. But there's not enough time - and it's frankly not interesting enough - to keep up with all the former assistant coaches who are assistants elsewhere. So in the off-season, I like to do a little catching up on where former coaches are now. I am also including in this rundown a look at where some former Michigan players are now coaching, mostly in the college and professional ranks.
FORMER COACHES
Joe Bolden (Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Assistant, Tulsa): Bolden spent one year as OLB coach and special teams coordinator for the Nevada Wolfpack and is now in a similar role at Tulsa, though he's only listed as a "defensive assistant" and special teams coordinator.
Don Brown (Head Coach, UMass): Brown went 1-11 in the first season of his second stint as the head coach at UMass.
Anthony Campanile (Linebackers Coach, Miami Dolphins): Campanile is heading into his fourth year as the Dolphins' linebackers coach.
Ross Douglas (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach, New England Patriots): Douglas is going into his second year as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Patriots.
Hit the jump for more updates.
NOTE: The list below includes some players who will be visiting during the week of March 27-31, as well as some players who will attend the spring game.
2024
Caleb Brewer - OT - Reading (PA) Wyomissing: Brewer is a 6'4", 275 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, and others. He's a 3-star, the #31 interior offensive lineman, and #547 overall.
Brandon Davis-Swain - DT - West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield: Davis-Swain is a 6'4", 240 lb. prospect who decommitted from Notre Dame. He's a 4-star, the #19 defensive lineman, and #146 overall.
Hogan Hansen - TE - Bellevue (WA) Bellevue: Hansen is committed to Michigan (LINK).
Hit the jump for more.
Every year since 2009, I have counted down from the least important player on that year’s roster to the most important player, including starters, scholarship players, preferred walk-ons, special teams players, student body walk-ons, and everyone in between.
In case you want a look back at last year’s #1 player, here is Mazi Smith, who will probably be Michigan's top NFL draft pick this off-season (LINK).
YEARLY DISCLAIMER: The countdown is by the player’s importance to the team, not his overall talent. A talented player at a deep position won’t necessarily be missed a lot if he gets injured, but an injury to a moderately talented player at a thin position could be devastating. For example, I had cornerback Ambry Thomas ranked at #2 in 2020 because he was the team's only proven cornerback. Naturally, he opted out of the season and the team as a whole was an unmitigated disaster. Meanwhile, first round pick Kwity Paye was #6 because more talent was returning on the defensive line.
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Be ready for the countdown to begin next week after the spring game, which may let me re-calibrate some of my rankings.
COMMITMENTS
Cincinnati (OH) Moeller running back Jordan Marshall committed to Michigan (LINK) and so did Lakewood (OH) St. Edward offensive lineman Ben Roebuck (LINK).
Jameer Grimsley - WR - Tampa (FL) Catholic: Grimsley is a 6'3", 185 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others.
Jiquavious Marshall - CB - Macon (GA) Westside: Marshall is a 6'5", 185-pounder with offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, and Nebraska, among others. He's a 3-star, the #52 athlete, and #525 overall. As a junior in 2022, he caught 35 passes for 548 yards and 6 touchdowns, while making 2 interceptions on defense.
OFF THE BOARD
Andalusia (AL) Andalusia running back J'Marion Burnette (4-star, #10 RB, #158 overall) committed to Auburn.
Queen Creek (AZ) Casteel cornerback Jeremiah Newcombe (4-star, #18 CB, #209 overall) committed to Oklahoma.
MISCELLANEY
Here's the list of visitors from this past weekend (LINK).
Charlotte (NC) Providence Day quarterback Jadyn Davis is announcing his commitment on SportsCenter on Friday, March 31. Everyone expects him to pick Michigan. Here's the scouting report I wrote on him (LINK).
Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep linebacker Semaj Bridgeman signed with Michigan back in December. He's rated as a 4-star, the #26 linebacker, and #300 overall in the class of 2023.
Carter Jones - LB - Irvine (CA) Crean Lutheran: Jones is a 6'0", 210 lb. prospect who visited Michigan last weekend and picked up an offer on the trip. He also has offers from Florida State, LSU, and Oklahoma.
Noah Mikhail - LB - La Verne (CA) Bonita: Mikhail is a 6'3", 205-pounder with offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, and USC, among others. He's a 5-star, the #4 linebacker, and #32 overall.
Riley Pettijohn - LB - McKinney (TX) McKinney: Pettijohn is a 6'2", 205 lb. linebacker with offers from Baylor, Nebraska, SMU, and Texas Tech, plus others.
MISCELLANEY
Here's a list of visitors for this week and weekend, which includes 5-star quarterback Bryce Underwood (LINK).
Lakewood (OH) Saint Edward offensive tackle Ben Roebuck committed to Michigan earlier today. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and others.
Roebuck is listed at 6'7" and 320 lbs.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star OT
On3: 3-star, 87 grade, #67 OT
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #31 OT
247 Sports: 3-star, 89 grade, #24 OT
Hit the jump for more on Roebuck's commitment.
Cincinnati (OH) Archbishop Moeller running back Jordan Marshall committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and others.
Marshall is listed at 5'11" and 193 lbs.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #15 RB, #189 overall
On3: 4-star, 93 grade, #6 RB, #79 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.9 grade, #3 RB, #55 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 91 grade, #13 RB, #173 overall
Hit the jump for more.
2024
Nakai Amachree - RB - Haslett (MI) Haslett: Amachree is a 5'11", 195 lb. prospect with some MAC, Ivy League, and military academy offers, plus Marshall. He's a 247 Sports 3-star and the #100 running back in the country. He visited Ann Arbor last Sunday.
Jeremiah Beasley - LB - Belleville (MI) Belleville: Beasley is a 6'1", 210-pounder with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, and more. He's a 4-star, the #21 linebacker, and #250 overall. All four crystal balls are in favor of MSU. He's visiting on Tuesday, March 21.
Jordon Johnson-Rubell - S - Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Johnson-Rubell is a 5'10", 180 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, TCU, Texas, and others. He's a 4-star, the #7 safety, and #87 overall.
Max LeBlanc - TE - Chattanooga (TN) Baylor: LeBlanc is a 6'4", 225-pounder with offers from Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 4-star, the #18 tight end, and #372 overall. He made 39 catches for 695 yards and 3 touchdowns as a junior in 2022.
Hit the jump for more.
Portsmouth (VA) Churchland safety Brandyn Hillman committed to Michigan on Sunday. Approximately a week after being released from his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame, he got on board with the Wolverines.
Hillman is listed at 6'1" and 191 lbs. As a senior in 2022, he passed for 1,312 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he ran for an additional 1,236 yards and 22 touchdowns.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 80 grade, #33 ATH
On3: 4-star, 94 grade, #5 ATH, #137 overall
Rivals: 3-star, 5.7 grade, #54 ATH
247 Sports: 4-star, 94 grade, #7 ATH, #130 overall
Hit the jump for more.
Qua Birdsong - LB - Lagrange (GA) Troup County: Birdsong is a 6'2", 195 lb. 'backer with offers from Miami, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, and USC, among others. He's a 4-star, the #12 linebacker, and #135 overall.
Jayden Jackson - DT - Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Jackson is a 6'2", 300-pounder with offers from Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, and USC, among others. He's a 3-star, the #50 defensive lineman, and #518 overall.
Brandon Jacob - S - Orlando (FL) Evans: Jacob is a 6'2", 170 lb. athlete with offers from Alabama, Florida State, Penn State, and Tennessee, plus more. He's a 4-star, the #19 safety, and #241 overall. He recently stated that FSU is his "dream school," so there's that.
Hit the jump for more.
West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield wide receiver Semaj Morgan enrolled at Michigan in January. He's ranked as a 247 Composite 3-star, the #70 wide receiver, and #498 overall.
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The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher. I did at one time enjoy reading Butcher's Harry Dresden series, and while I still want to continue, I've just been caught up reading other things. I happened to stumble across a graphic novel version of a new story by Butcher - one that won't be covered by the longer novels - so I thought I would take a shot. Luckily, Butcher's humor is still infused throughout the comic, which I enjoy. Plus it's nice to see an artist's rendition of some of the characters and action from the novel series.
No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child. This is book 27 in the series, and I've read all of them now. Series creator Lee Child has handed off the writing to his son Andrew, but the character continues. Personally, I feel like there has been a drop-off in the past couple books, but maybe it's just my perception. The character seems to be a little more bland, and in this particular book, the story is kind of confusing. Too many characters are poorly explained and underdeveloped for too long in the novel.
No More Mr. Nice Guy by Dr. Robert Glover. Having gone through some professional troubles in recent months, it was recommended to me to take in this book by Dr. Robert Glover. Basically, if you're like me and you sometimes go with the flow too much, that can cause issues. I tend to be a very principled person and I don't let anyone compromise my morals, but there are times when I don't always put my goals front and center. This book talks about romantic relationships perhaps a little too much to fit exactly what I was looking for, but there are still some ideas in here to get more out of your professional/working relationships.
The Magicians: Alice's Story by Lev Grossman. You may remember me fawning over Grossman's The Magicians trilogy, even though the TV show was pretty terrible. Alice's Story is a graphic novel told from the perspective of Quentin Coldwater's primary romantic interest, who is also a magician at Brakebills. The characters in the graphic novel were much more how I perceived them from the books rather than the television show, so it was nice to see a more accurate take. However, the graphic novel doesn't really add much to the story that wasn't already explored, so it was more just a quicker chance to revisit the story - with pictures!
Cancer Free with Food by Liana Werner Gray. Unfortunately, my family has been ravaged by cancer in recent years. I guess that goes hand-in-hand with the times. Everyone's life has been touched by cancer. But a recent diagnosis of yet another family member caused me to dive deep into some research to try to help. I tend to believe that doctors do the best they can with drugs, but the food we put in our bodies can be a daily medicine - or an instigator for disease. Not only did I find some good foods in here to suggest for my family member, but there are also some really good tasting recipes in here that I have started to make in my own kitchen. For example, the meatball recipe in this book is awesome.
What have you been reading?
Phillip Bell - WR - Mission Hills (CA) Bishop Alemany: Bell is a 6'2", 195-pounder with offers from Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, and USC, among others. He's a 4-star, the #9 wide receiver, and #34 overall.
DaSaahn Brame - TE - Derby (KS) Derby: Brame is a 6'6", 230 lb. prospect with offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Tennessee, among others. Both his mom (basketball) and his dad (football) were athletes at Kansas State.
Waltez Clark - RB - Tampa (FL) Plant: Clark is a 6'2", 194 lb. back with offers from Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, and others.
Hit the jump for more.
Saint Louis (MO) Cardinal Ritter wide receiver Fredrick Moore enrolled at Michigan in January and is participating in spring practice. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #72 wide receiver, and #517 overall. As a senior in 2022, he caught 67 passes for 1,504 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Name: Jadyn Davis
High school: Charlotte (NC) Providence Day
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 192 lbs.
Position: Quarterback
Class: 2024
Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Kentucky
Commitment: Uncommitted
Notes: ESPN 4-star, #3 dual-threat QB, #35 overall...On3 4-star, #8 QB, #105 overall, #3 in NC...Rivals 4-star, #3 pro-style QB, #10 overall, #1 in NC...247 Sports 4-star, #2 QB, #15 overall, #1 in NC...Teammate of 2024 WR Channing Goodwin, 2024 WR Jordan Shipp, and 2025 OT David Sanders
Hit the jump for more.
2024
Kyle Altuner - OG - Olney (MD) Good Counsel: Altuner is a 6'2", 290 lb. interior lineman with offers from Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and others. He's a 3-star, the #56 interior lineman, and #825 overall. Altuner is a teammate of 2024 linebacker Aaron Chiles, who visited Michigan this past weekend.
Jeremiah Beasley - LB - Belleville (MI) Belleville: Beasley is a 6'1", 210 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, and others. He's a 4-star, the #21 linebacker, and #249 overall. His brother is Michigan State tight end Maliq Carr. He will visit early next week.
Michael Boganowski - LB - Junction City (KS) Junction City: Boganowski is a 6'2", 195-pounder with offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 3-star, the #44 linebacker, and #494 overall.
Hit the jump for more.
Oak Lawn (IL) Brother Rice nose tackle Roderick Pierce signed with Michigan in December. He's a 3-star, the #61 defensive lineman, and #563 overall.
This was originally posted on March 17, 2017. It has been updated following the 2022 season.
Sports fans love to debate the greatness of players and rank them in order from most revered to most despised. And while despised probably doesn't fit any of these players, since they played for the University of Michigan, we all have our favorites. I have endeavored to achieve the un-possible: Rank all of Michigan's starting quarterbacks.
Okay, that's too tall of a task for me right now. I'm working up to it. So I'm only going back to 1995, which was the beginning of the Lloyd Carr era. That's the earliest full coaching tenure where I can count on my recollections of Michigan football. I was a big fan of Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, and the Michigan Wolverines before then, but I'll be damned if I say I was aware enough to understand what was happening on the field.
This ranking only takes into account what the quarterbacks achieved wearing the winged helmet. High school highlight tapes and NFL performance aren't taken into account. (After all, we can agree that Tom Brady is far and away the best quarterback who ever played the game of football, and that includes Uncle Rico.)
So if you were starting a season with your pick of any Michigan QB since 1995, which one would you take?
On with the show:
Joshua Lair - S - Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Marshall: Lair is a 6'2", 195 lb. prospect with offers from LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and others. Lair is somehow flying under the radar on recruiting services despite being a quick-twitch, hard-hitting athlete. I think he will probably end up being a safety/linebacker hybrid player on the next level.
Jordan Lockhart - LB - Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco: Lockhart is a 6'4", 230-pounder who was committed to Chris Partridge at Ole Miss but decommitted a couple days ago after Partridge was hired at Michigan. Lockhart is a 4-star, the #27 linebacker, and #343 overall. He also has offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, and others.
Hit the jump for more.
2023
Hayden Moore - LB - Aurora (CO) Regis Jesuit: Moore signed with Michigan in December and will enroll this summer.
2024
Max Anderson - OT - Frisco (TX) Reedy: Anderson is a 6'5", 300 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 4-star, the #10 offensive tackle, and #184 overall. He will be in town on March 14-15.
Aaron Chiles - LB - Olney (MD) Good Counsel: Chiles is a 6'3", 220-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State, among others. He's a 4-star, the #7 linebacker, and #88 overall. There are some who believe Michigan leads for Chiles.
Hit the jump for more.
Tay Lockett - WR - San Diego (CA) University City: Lockett is a 6'0", 165 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State, and USC, among others. Lockett had 92 tackles, 7 interceptions, 5 fumble recoveries and 3 forced fumbles in 2022.
Carson Sneed - LB - Nashville (TN) Donelson Christian: Sneed is a 6'5", 210-pounder with offers from Louisville and Vanderbilt. He was offered by linebackers coach Chris Partridge, but he could also potentially play defensive end or tight end at the next level.
Dominic Turnbull - S - Miami (FL) True North: Turnbull is a 6'2", 165 lb. safety with offers from Ole Miss, Syracuse, and UCF. He's the son of former FIU and NFL safety Nick Turnbull.
Cornerback D.J. Turner II was one of the standouts, posting the fastest 40-yard dash time out of all players so far with a 4.26. It's the fourth fastest time since 2003, according to ESPN. He's 5'11", 178 lbs. with 30 3/4" arms and 9 5/8" hands. He had a 38.5" vertical jump and a 10'11" broad jump.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle Mazi Smith was a strength standout with the top bench press number so far (34 reps at 225 lbs.). He measured in at 6'3", 327 lbs. with 33 3/4" arms and 9 3/4" hands.
Defensive end Mike Morris is 6'5" and 275 lbs. with 33 1/2" arms and 10" hands. He ran a 4.95 forty with a 28.5" vertical, a 9'2" broad jump, and 22 reps on the bench press.
Still left to test are wide receiver Ronnie Bell, center Olu Oluwatimi, offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, kicker Jake Moody, punter Brad Robbins, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker.
With the graduation of Jake Moody - and his possible drafting this spring - I wanted to take a look back at the top field goal kickers in Michigan history.
Interestingly - to me, at least - some of the best years in modern Michigan history are not represented here, such as 1997-2002. That was right in the middle of the Lloyd Carr years. Maybe Michigan was too busy scoring touchdowns with Anthony Thomas, David Terrell, etc. to be kicking many field goals.
Players are listed in order of remaining eligibility. With 94 scholarships allotted, Michigan is currently beyond its scholarship limit by 9. Meanwhile, 18 seniors are scheduled to graduate, so the 2024 class should have at least 18 players.
TOTAL SCHOLARSHIPS ALLOTTED FOR 2022 = 95
Hit the jump for the breakdown by class.