2015 Season Countdown: #75 Alex Malzone

Alex Malzone

Name: Alex Malzone
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #12
Last year: Malzone was a senior in high school. He was 211/325 for 2,998 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 pro-style quarterback, and #295 overall.

Malzone committed to Michigan in the spring of 2014, and it was a source of some consternation for Michigan fans. Also an accomplished baseball player, he was not extremely well regarded as a quarterback recruit and had a hitch in his throwing motion that worried some analysts. Many Michigan fans thought Brady Hoke and his staff should have waited longer on some of the big fish instead of offering Malzone, who was a shoo-in to commit. Brother Rice fell short of a state championship, but he had a stellar season throwing to eventual Michigan-bound receiver Grant Perry.

Malzone skipped his senior year of baseball to enroll at Michigan in January. He received some mixed reviews during spring practice, but Jim Harbaugh supposedly warmed up to him because of how quickly he picked up the offense and the dedication he showed. When Michigan held an intrasquad scrimmage for the spring game, Malzone headed up one of the squads. The defense is always ahead of the offensie in the spring, so it was tough to glean much. However, things moved a little too quickly for Malzone, and he currently lacks the arm strength to push the ball down the field or fit it into tight spaces. Not only did he look to be behind junior Shane Morris, but freshman Zach Gentry is on his way into town, and fifth year Iowa transfer Jake Rudock will likely be the starter. It seems that Malzone will be no higher than third on the depth chart, and with both Rudock and Morris available, it would make sense to redshirt the freshman.

Prediction: Redshirt if possible

2015 Spring Game: Blue 7, Maize 0

After watching the spring game on Saturday, here are some thoughts on each position group:

QUARTERBACKS: With Wilton Speight nursing a slight injury, this was a game between Alex Malzone and Shane Morris. Malzone had the superior completion percentage, but Morris looked like the better quarterback. Malzone still has an ugly, baseball-pitcher delivery that needs to be shortened up. He looks okay on quick throws (bubble screens, etc.), but any time he has to drop back and set up, the ball drops down to waist level and takes forever to come out. That is not something that gets fixed quickly. He made some good decisions but just doesn't have the ability to get the ball there quick enough (from a mechanical standpoint and an arm strength standpoint). Morris, meanwhile, also made some good decisions, showed nice touch on some throws we haven't seen him make before, and generally looked calmer in the pocket. His Blue team picked on "cornerback" Dennis Norfleet a bunch, which I thought was a bit unfair. Norfleet has been practicing mostly at wide receiver, but he was playing corner due to a lack of depth with the split squads. Morris and the Blue team sent Amara Darboh and Jaron Dukes deep on him several times, both of whom are significantly taller and veteran receivers. If the season were to start today, I think Morris is definitely the guy . . . but Jake Rudock is on his way from Iowa.

Hit the jump for some feedback on the rest of the position groups.

Poll results: Who will start at quarterback in 2015?

Shane Morris wasn't smiling very often during the 2014 season.

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Last week I posed the question: Who will start at quarterback in 2015?

I'll start off by saying that I don't really care who the starter is. What matters most to me is that the starter is good, or at least the best man for the job.

Shane Morris (Jr.): 31%
The junior Morris is the most experienced guy currently on Michigan's roster, although a transfer in from Jake Rudock (below) would change that immediately. Unfortunately, Morris has a 0-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio and completed just 35% of his passes last year. The highly touted recruited has a cannon for an arm and some decent wheels, but his decision-making has left a lot to be desired.

Wilton Speight (RS Fr.): 30%
Speight has earned some momentum in spring practices, according to some observers. He's a big guy who can move a little bit. Despite being a redshirt freshman, he will turn 21 in December of this year after taking an extra year of high school due to a broken collarbone.

Alex Malzone (Fr.): 21%
Malzone has earned some praise this spring from some observers, and the occasional report says he's the leading candidate for the job right now. However, I have not heard as many positive reports on him as the former two. Malzone is reportedly struggling with mechanics, arm strength, and the speed of the game right now.

Jake Rudock (5th): 16%
Rudock, who is visiting Michigan this weekend, has not been offered by the Wolverines yet. And in order to come to Michigan, he would need to jump through some hoops with the Big Ten, since he's a fifth year transfer candidate from the University of Iowa. I imagine that 16% number here has more to do with whether he'll actually choose/be allowed to play for Michigan, since his starting experience, 61.7% completions, and 16-to-5 interception ratio last year would almost certainly vault him to the top of this list.

Zach Gentry (Fr.): 0% (2 votes)
Gentry is a true freshman who will not arrive on campus until this summer. While he might have the highest ceiling of everyone on this list (he's 6'7", has a strong arm, and a good runner), he will also be the newest to the college game.

Michigan's Quarterback Situation

You want Wilton Speight to be Michigan's starter, don't you?

In case you've been under a rock for the past several months, you realize by now that Michigan is in a pretty undesirable position when it comes to the quarterback . . . position. The Wolverines lost a 2.5-year starter in the form of Devin Gardner, who is pursuing a career as an NFL wide receiver. Meanwhile, one experienced backup has struggled greatly, the other experienced backup transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the other guys available are freshmen of differing sorts. Nobody really knows how this will shake out, but here are some thoughts and rumors.

THE FRONT-RUNNER: Shane Morris (Jr.)
2014 stats: 14/40 (35%), 128 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
It's hard to believe that someone with those statistics could be the front-runner for any job, but Morris is the aforementioned experienced backup. He backed up Gardner in 2013 as a freshman when Russell Bellomy had a torn ACL. He did not fare well, but there were glimpses against a pretty good Kansas State defense in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Then 2014 came along, and there were no more glimpses. Morris threw an ugly late-game interception in a blowout win over Appalachian State, and he also threw picks against Utah and Minnesota; meanwhile, despite some decent running skills, Morris has yet to account for any kind of touchdown during his college career. That's 87 career passing attempts and 15 carries without a score. This spring he has reportedly been splitting snaps pretty evenly with the other scholarship quarterbacks available, but nobody has separated himself. Morris has a strong arm, decent accuracy, and those running skills, but his decision-making has generally been terrible.

Hit the jump for the rest of Michigan's options under center.

Michigan releases spring 2015 roster

Brady Pallante is a fullback now. Brady Pallante is not #23.

Michigan released its spring roster on Monday as the Wolverines begin spring practice on Tuesday (LINK). Here are some notable updates to the roster.

Ian Bunting: Bunting is up to 6'7" and 243 lbs. Michigan needs help at tight end this fall, so 243 lbs. is a good sign of him developing physically. He should be up over 250 lbs. by the fall.

Brian Cole: Cole, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #81. He's listed at 6'2", 200 lbs.

Ross Douglas: Douglas was recruited as a cornerback, moved to slot receiver, moved to running back, and now is back at corner. Still wearing #29, he is now listed as Ross Taylor-Douglas.

Derrick Green: Green is listed at 5'11" and 234 lbs.

Ty Isaac: Isaac is listed at 6'3" and 240 lbs.

Alex Malzone: Malzone, a true freshman early enrollee, is wearing #12. He's listed at 6'2", 218 lbs.

Brady Pallante: Pallante came to Michigan as a nose tackle prospect and is now listed as a redshirt freshman, 6'0", 276 lb. fullback wearing #45.

Terry Richardson: Richardson is listed as a redshirt junior cornerback and is finally nearing close-to-acceptable weight at 174 lbs. at 5'9".

Matt Thompson: Thompson is a new addition as a walk-on quarterback from Cincinnati (OH) Indian Hills. He's listed at 6'5", 214 lbs. as a redshirt freshman. Here are Thompson's Hudl highlights from his senior year (LINK). His delivery is a little bit wonky, but he doesn't look too bad for a walk-on. He's not a bad guy to have available for running a scout team and such. It also looks like he's hit a growth spurt since high school.

Ryan Tice: Tice is a 6'1", 177 lb. walk-on who enrolled early out of Saline (MI) Saline. I mainly note this because Michigan graduated both their punter and kicker, so Tice might be competing for one of those jobs, along with walk-on Kenny Allen (punter) and 2015 signee Andrew David (kicker).

2015 Recruiting Grades: Offense

Zach Gentry (image via Maxpreps)

With the 2015 class about wrapped up, I'll offer some final takeaways from the recruiting cycle. With something like this, it's difficult to separate Brady Hoke's recruiting efforts through early December from Jim Harbaugh's efforts over the last five weeks of the cycle. So the grades and feedback I provide are geared toward the program's job of recruiting, not necessarily a specific coach.

Starters are listed in italics.

QUARTERBACK
Lost from 2014: Russell Bellomy (transfer), Devin Gardner (graduation)
Commits: Zach Gentry, Alex Malzone
Grade: A-
Comments: Michigan needed to add talent and numbers to the quarterback position to engender competition, and they did that. Gentry (#8 pro-style quarterback, #175 overall) is the raw talent at 6'7", 230 lbs. with a reported 4.6 forty and a strong arm. Malzone (#13 pro-style quarterback, #295 overall) is the local field general with good skills all around but nothing that really stands out. Other than getting a truly elite prospect, Michigan did about as well as they could. Toss in the possible arrival of Houston transfer John O'Korn, and all these guys won't finish their careers at Michigan, but at least one should emerge looking good.

RUNNING BACK
Lost from 2014: Justice Hayes (transfer)
Commit: Karan Higdon
Grade: C
Comments: The unfortunate thing here is that Michigan had two top-150 running back talents committed at different times, and the Wolverines let both of them slip through their fingers. The first one, Damien Harris, ended up signing with Alabama. The second one, Mike Weber, was darn close to flipping from Ohio State to Michigan at the last minute, but he ultimately stuck with the Buckeyes around 10:30 a.m. because Higdon had committed to Michigan at 8:00 a.m. Michigan stole Higdon (#40 running back, #479 overall) himself at the last minute from Iowa, so there's something to be said for getting someone on the board, at least. Still, this could have looked better.

WIDE RECEIVER
Lost from 2014: Devin Funchess (early NFL draft entrant)
Commits: Brian Cole, Grant Perry
Grade: B+
Comments: Michigan might have hit a home run with Cole (#5 athlete, #75 overall), who was a jack-of-all-trades player in high school and will have to learn the receiver position in college. Perry (#109 wide receiver, #864 overall) is a solid role player plucked from Northwestern at the last minute. Otherwise, both Hoke and Harbaugh swung and missed at the big-timers in the class.

TIGHT END
Lost from 2014: Keith Heitzman (transfer)
Commit: Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.
Grade: B
Comments: Michigan let Chris Clark slip through their fingers, although Clark was wishy-washy and seemed to be all over the place with his recruitment. The Wolverines may have dodged a bullet, because Wheatley - as the son of a coach on staff - might be less likely to flake out if things don't go smoothly from day one. Wheatley (#12 tight end, #313 overall) has a fair amount of talent himself, although some think he's better suited for defense. It would have been nice to get two tight ends with Heitzman transferring, A.J. Williams being a senior in 2015, and starter Jake Butt a junior who could possibly go pro if he stays healthy.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Lost from 2014: Kyle Bosch (transfer)
Commits: Grant Newsome, Jon Runyan Jr., Nolan Ulizio
Grade: B
Comments: The offensive line recently went from being "way too young" to being "maybe too old" now that four projected starters will be fifth-year guys (2) or fourth-year guys (2), joined by sophomore left tackle Mason Cole and redshirt junior utility man Erik Magnuson. With a couple backups looking stuck there for a reason, Michigan needed to bring in some fresh talent. Newsome (#22 offensive tackle, #235 overall) is a possible star, whereas Runyan (#122 offensive tackle) and Ulizio (#137 offensive tackle) look like they could be passable players in a few years. This probably isn't the class that will turn around Michigan's fortunes immediately, but they're functional. Michigan essentially ignored a national prospect with high interest (USC-bound Chuma Edoga) and a local, guru-approved guy with high interest (Wisconsin-bound David Moorman), so hopefully they picked the right ones to pursue. If Newsome pans out like I think he should, he'll make this class look pretty good.

Senior Highlights: Alex Malzone

Visitors: Michigan vs. Maryland

Tampa (FL) Wharton wide receiver Auden Tate

Here's a list of players who will be visiting Michigan for their game against Maryland this weekend, the final home game of the season.

2015
Jack Dunaway - DE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway is committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on defensive end. He's the son of former Michigan tight end Craig Dunaway.

John Kelly - S - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Kelly is a 5'10", 194 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #62 athlete, and #656 overall. Michigan offered him after cornerback Garrett Taylor decommitted, but the Wolverines are looking at Kelly as a safety. Kelly averaged 10.7 yards/carry as a senior this year, ending up with 1,321 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Alex Malzone - QB - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Michigan's quarterback commit for the 2015 class (LINK), Malzone was 211/325 (65%) for 2,998 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

Grant Newsome - OT - Lawrenceville (NJ) Lawrenceville School: Newsome committed to Michigan in June (LINK). He's now rated as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #21 offensive tackle, and #209 overall. This will be his official visit.

Grant Perry - WR - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Perry is a 6'0", 185 lb. prospect with offers from a bunch of MAC schools and is angling for a Michigan offer to follow his quarterback teammate, Malzone. Perry is a 247 Composite 3-star, the #130 wide receiver, and #1047 overall.

Auden Tate - WR - Tampa (FL) Wharton: Tate is a 6'4", 215 lb. prospect who committed to Florida State in August; he also has offers from Florida, Georgia, and Michigan, among others. It always looked like a Michigan vs. Florida State battle with the Seminoles leading. An official visit, this will be Tate's first time in Ann Arbor.


Hit the jump for 2016, 2017, and 2018 prospects.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Minnesota

Reisterstown (MD) Franklin offensive tackle Patrick Allen is a Georgia commit (image via 247Sports.com)

2015
Patrick Allen - OT - Reisterstown (MD) Franklin: Allen is a 6'5", 286 lb. prospect who committed to Georgia in early August. He also holds offers from Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, and USC, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #27 offensive tackle, and #277 overall. This is his official visit to Michigan, the school that supposedly finished #2 to the Bulldogs, despite the fact that he has never been to Ann Arbor before.

Jack Dunaway - DE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway is a 6'3", 212 lb. prospect who committed to Michigan as a preferred walk-on. His father, Craig, is a former Michigan tight end.

Alex Malzone - QB - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Malzone committed to Michigan back in May (LINK).

Tyrone Miller - S - Saline (MI) Saline: Miller is a 6'0", 178 lb. prospect with offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan, among others. He camped at Michigan back in June.

Grant Perry - WR - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Perry is a 6'0", 185 lb. prospect with offers from several MAC schools. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #130 wide receiver, and #1054 overall. He would almost certainly commit to Michigan if an offer comes, but the Wolverines have a small projected class and a pretty good stable of receivers at this point. Statistically, he's currently the state's top receiver.

Mike Weber - RB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber committed to Michigan in August (LINK).

Hit the jump for 2016 and 2017 prospects.

Visitors: Michigan vs. Utah

Donnie Corley

2015
Deshawn Baker-Williams - DT - Westland (MI) John Glenn: Baker-Williams is a 6'4", 300 lb. prospect who committed to Central Michigan in June. That was and is his only offer so far.

Brian Cole - WR - Saginaw (MI) Heritage: Cole recently was awarded his Under Armour All-American jersey (LINK), although he was suspended for Heritage's most recent game after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties last game. He is committed to Michigan.

Jack Dunaway - DE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway, a teammate of Alex Malzone's, is a 6'3", 212 lb. prospect who recently committed to be a walk-on at Michigan. His father was a tight end at Michigan in the mid-1980's.

Alex Malzone - QB - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: On Friday night, Malzone went 14/20 for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 28-21 win over Shane Morris's old team, the Warren (MI) De La Salle Pilots. He is committed to Michigan.

Jalen Martin - WR - Harper Woods (MI) Chandler Park Academy: Martin is a 6'1", 192 lb. prospect with offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #65 wide receiver, and #390 overall. He attends the alma mater of former Michigan wide receiver Csont'e York.

Jon Runyan, Jr. - OG - Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph's: Runyan, Jr. committed to Michigan in June 2013 (LINK).

Mike Weber - RB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: Weber sat out last night's 50-0 win over Detroit (MI) Douglass. He is committed to Michigan.

Hit the jump for 2016, 2017, and 2018(!) visitors.

Recruit Tracker: Alex Malzone

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
quarterback Alex Malzone

Stats through 3 games: 47/79 passing, 814 yards, 10 touchdowns, 1 interception

October 3, 2014: Malzone went 29/42 for 419 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brother Rice beat Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's by a score of 28-20.

September 12, 2014: Malzone was 20/36 for 338 yards and 4 touchdowns in Brother Rice's 28-7 win over Pickerington (OH) North. Brother Rice is now 3-0.

September 5, 2014: Malzone went 7/9 for 113 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in Brother Rice's 31-7 win over Toledo (OH) St. John's Jesuit. Brother Rice is now 2-0.

August 30, 2014: Malzone was 20/34 for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to Grant Perry, in Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice's 40-34 win over Chicago (IL) Brother Rice. Malzone's team is now 1-0.

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

Nike's The Opening 2014 roster

Alex Malzone will be recruiting for Michigan while in Oregon

The Opening will take place with various events from July 5-11. Here's a rundown of the various Michigan targets who will be participating. Quarterbacks will be distributed for the 7-on-7 tournaments at the event, so they are not currently assigned to squads.

QUARTERBACKS
Blake Barnett - QB - California (Alabama)
Ryan Brand - QB - Michigan**
Deondre Francois - QB - Florida
Alex Malzone - QB - Michigan (Michigan)
Josh Rosen - QB - California (UCLA)
Jarrett Stidham - QB - Texas (Texas Tech)

ALPHA PRO
George Campbell, Jr. - WR - Florida
Marcus Lewis - CB - Washington, D.C. (Florida)
Osa Masina - LB - Utah
Josh Sweat - DE - Virginia

APOCALYPSE
Matt Burrell, Jr. - OT - Virginia
Rasheem Green - DT - California
Damien Harris - RB - Kentucky
Malik Jefferson - LB - Texas
Jaylon Lane - CB - Texas (Oklahoma State)
Josh McMillon - LB - Tennessee
Jacques Patrick - RB - Florida
Mook Reynolds - CB - North Carolina (Virginia Tech)

FLY RUSH
Chris Clark - TE - Connecticut (Michigan)*
Darrin Kirkland, Jr. - LB - Indiana (Michigan)
DaMarkus Lodge - WR - Texas (Texas A&M)
Drew Richmond - OT - Tennessee
Kendall Sheffield - CB - Texas
Dexter Williams - RB - Florida (Miami)

LAND SHARKS
Justin Hilliard - LB - Ohio
Soso Jamabo - RB - Texas
Tyron Johnson - WR - Louisiana
Keisean Lucier-South - DE - California
Kevin Tolliver II - CB - Florida (LSU)

MACH SPEED
Terry Beckner, Jr. - DE - Illinois
Shaun Crawford - CB - Ohio (Notre Dame)
Minkah Fitzpatrick - CB - New Jersey (Alabama)
Mitch Hyatt - OT - Georgia (Clemson)
Ray-Ray McCloud III - RB - Florida
Auden Tate - WR - Florida
Levonta Taylor - CB - Virginia#
Adonis Thomas - LB - Georgia
Mike Weber - RB - Michigan
Preston Williams - WR - Georgia (Tennessee)

VAPOR CARBON
Jashon Cornell - DE - Minnesota
Rashan Gary - DT - New Jersey#
Juwan Johnson - WR - New Jersey (Penn State)
Christian Kirk - WR - Arizona
Iman Marshall - CB - California
Tim Settle - DT - Virginia
Keenan Walker - OT - Arizona (Arizona)

*Recently chose not to attend
**Does not hold a Michigan offer but is an in-state prospect
#2016 prospect

2014 Sound Mind Sound Body Camp Attendees

St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham defensive end Jashon Cornell (image via MGoBlog)

The Sound Mind Sound Body Camp will be taking place on June 12th and 13th at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods, MI. This event continuously attracts a lot of the top talent in the midwest and some big-time prospects from around the country, too. Lots of college coaches will be in attendance, and the two head coaches of the in-state powers (Michigan's Brady Hoke and Michigan State's Mark Dantonio) will both be speaking. Several of these prospects will capitalize on the opportunity to head up the road and see the local universities.

This list includes players who intend to visit. There are too many to profile each one, but an asterisk denotes an offer from the Wolverines.

2015
Joshua Alabi - DE - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech*
Brian Alsobrooks - QB - Livonia (MI) Churchill
Kei Beckham - QB - Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison
Avonte' Bell - RB - Lansing (MI) Sexton
Levante Bellamy - RB - Indianapolis (IN) Brebeuf Jesuit
Shahid Bellamy - DT - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: committed to Central Michigan
Jamal Brown - S - Chicago (IL) Phillips: committed to Western Michigan
Ray Buford - CB - Southfield (MI) Southfield
Jayru Campbell - QB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech: committed to Michigan State
Jordan Colbert - LB - Griffin (GA) Griffin: committed to Auburn
Brian Cole - ATH - Saginaw (MI) Heritage*
Jashon Cornell - DE - St. Paul (MN) Cretin Derham*
Daniel Crawford - TE - Macomb (MI) Dakota: committed to Northern Illinois
Anton Curtis - WR - Detroit (MI) East English Village
Paul Engram - LB - Southfield (MI) Southfield: committed to Western Michigan
Wesley French - OG - St. Joseph (MI) St. Joseph
Neville Gallimore - DT - St. Catharines (Ontario) Canada Prep Football Academy
Davontae Ginwright - S - Southfield (MI) Southfield
Eric Glover-Williams - CB - Canton (OH) McKinley: committed to Ohio State
Alex Grace - RB - Saginaw (MI) Swan Valley
DaQuan Hawkins - DT - Atlanta (GA) Westlake
Joshuwa Holloman - RB - Avondale (MI) Avondale
Obbie Jackson - WR - West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Abdallah Jaffal - LB - Dearborn (MI) Fordson: committed to Western Michigan
Dior Johnson - S - Southfield (MI) Southfield
Shaq Jones - Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep
John Kelly - RB - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Darrin Kirkland, Jr. - LB - Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central*: committed to Michigan
Alex Malzone - QB - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice*: committed to Michigan
Carter Masek - LB - Grand Rapids (MI) East Grand Rapids: committed to Miami-OH
Armani McNulty - CB - Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook
Tyrone Miller - S - Saline (MI) Saline
D.J. Moore - WR - Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep
David Moorman - OT - Northville (MI) Northville: committed to Wisconsin
James Morgan - QB - Green Bay (WI) Ashwaubenon
Alec Murphy - RB - Nixa (MO) Nixa*
Alex Mussat - QB - Troy (MI) Troy
Riley Neal - QB - Yorktown (IN) Yorktown
Stanley Norman - CB - Junipero (CA) Serra
Michael Oliver - LB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Jacques Patrick - RB - Orlando (FL) Timber Creek*
Grant Perry - WR - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice
Kyle Pugh - LB - Chicago (IL) Bloom
T.J. Rahming - WR - Powder Springs (GA) McEachern
Reggie Rogers - S - Massillon (OH) Washington
Romello Ross - RB - Detroit (MI) Western
Matt Skibinski - OT - Livonia (MI) Churchill: committed to Miami-OH
Tyson Smith - CB - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's: committed to Michigan State
Equanimeous St. Brown - WR - Anaheim (CA) Servite
Kyonta' Stallworth - OT - Detroit (MI) King: committed to Michigan State
Jayson Stanley - WR - Fairburn (GA) Creekside
Immanuel Stinson - DE - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Damon Terry - WR - Lansing (MI) Everett: committed to Central Michigan
Tyriq Thompson - LB - Detroit (MI) King*
Brandon Tiassum - DT - Indianapolis (IN) Park Tudor: committed to Notre Dame
D'Andre Walker - DE - Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes
Mike Weber - RB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech*
Delvin Weems - RB - Tucker (GA) Tucker: committed to Marshall
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. - TE - Canisius (NY) Manlius*
Darryl Williams - OT - Bessemer (AL) City
Preston Williams - WR - Hampton (GA) Lovejoy*

2016
Hassan Belton - LB - Blythewood (GA) Bluthewood
Messiah DeWeaver - QB - Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison
Matt Falcon - RB - Southfield (MI) Southfield
Jojo Garcia - DT - Woodbury (MN) East Ridge
Seth Green - QB - Woodbury (MN) East Ridge
Dele' Harding - LB - Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy
Mecole Hardman - CB - Elberton (GA) Elbert County
Daelin Hayes - LB - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's*
Jesse Johnson - S - Detroit (MI) King
Juanye Johnson - OG - Muskegon (MI) Muskegon
Thiyo Lukusa - OT - Traverse City (MI) West*
Jalen Martin - WR - Harper Woods (MI) Chandler Park Academy
Ostell Martin - OT - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Michael Onwenu - DT - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Kalebb Perry - WR - Mount Pleasant (MI) Mount Pleasant
Martell Pettaway - RB - St. Clair Shores (MI) South Lake
David Reese - LB - Farmington (MI) Farmington
Patrice Rene - S - Ottawa (Ontario) St. Peter
Naseir Upshur - WR - Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep*

2017
Donovan Johnson - CB - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Emani Mason - OT - Detroit (MI) East English Village
Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Joshua Ross - LB - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's*
Jamyest Williams - RB - Archer (GA)

Alex Malzone, Wolverine

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone committed to Michigan on Monday.

Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone committed to Michigan on Monday. He chose the Wolverines over offers from Pitt, Wake Forest, and a number of MAC schools.

Malzone's 247 Sports profile indicates that he has grown to 6'3" and 200 lbs. after being listed previously at 6'2", 185 lbs. He claims a 5.13 forty. As a junior in 2013, he completed 190/281 passes (67.6%) for 2,785 yards and 25 touchdowns, along with 3 rushing touchdowns. His team went undefeated in 2013 on their way to a second consecutive state championship.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star pocket passer
Rivals: 3-star, #16 pro-style QB
Scout: 4-star, #15 QB, #236 overall
247 Sports: 3-star, #21 pro-style QB, #7 in-state

Malzone has been heavily interested in Michigan for a long time and has visited numerous times. I practically memorized his stats, physical attributes, and offer list from typing up visitor lists over the last year. Michigan's coaching staff kept holding off on offering him while they pursued more highly valued targets. Shunned by the likes of Jarrett Stidham and Josh Rosen, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier decided to do some spring evaluations and watch various players throw. After returning to Ann Arbor, Nussmeier met with the other coaches and they settled on Malzone, who was likely to commit whenever the coaches extended an offer. He was supposed to visit Ann Arbor early last week but had a scheduling conflict, so today's visit to campus, offer, and commitment likely would have occurred a week ago if not for that conflict.

I wrote a scouting report on Malzone back in January when trying to rank the quarterbacks on Michigan's radar (LINK). Excerpts on Malzone:

Malzone runs a somewhat multiple offense and has experience dropping back, from shotgun, or from the pistol formation. He has a slight build and is a little short at a listed 6'2". He runs his offense very well, is a good ball handler, and seems to be in command. He's a good athlete who can get on the edge a little bit and make some things happen with his feet, but he's not a blazer. Malzone gets the ball out on time and shows good accuracy and touch. His throws on skinny posts appear to be right on the money, but I question whether he has the arm strength to squeeze those in there against faster and longer defenders. He has a little bit of a hitch in his throwing motion where he brings the ball down to throw it, not totally unlike a right-handed version of Tim Tebow. Michigan's coaching staff has been somewhat erratic with the quarterbacks they've recruited (the 6'3" sorta dual-threat Russell Bellomy, the 6'3" Shane Morris with a rocket arm, the 6'6" Wilton Speight), but I look at Malzone and see him being too short and lacking the arm strength that Michigan likely wants.

As you can see, he was #6 on my list in January. After new names surfaced in the wake of Doug Nussmeier's hiring, he fell to #11 by March (LINK).

I have seen a lot of comparisons to A.J. McCarron, likely due to his relationship with Nussmeier. McCarron put up some good numbers at Alabama and became a 5th round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, so most people in Ann Arbor would probably be happy with that kind of production.

Physically, Malzone does not have an impressive array of skills. He is a decent runner in high school but won't be a running threat in college. He will be able to move in the pocket and do some bootlegs, but designed runs are likely out the window. Arm strength is also an issue. I mentioned the hitch in his delivery, which might get cleaned up a little bit once he starts concentrating on football full-time. (Malzone is also a standout baseball player but will give it up in college.) Furthermore, he has to work on using his lower body to power through his throws.

Overall, Malzone looks like a game manager. His best asset seems to be his understanding of timing, coverages, and game situations, and he looks like a cerebral player. That can go a long way but it requires a running game, an offensive line, and a good defense if you want to be a championship-level team.

Malzone will arrive in 2015 when the presumed starter will be junior Shane Morris backed up by redshirt senior Russell Bellomy (if he sticks around that long) and sophomore Wilton Speight. A redshirt for Malzone will probably be in order so he can compete for the starting job in the post-Morris era, likely as a redshirt sophomore in 2017.

This is Michigan's sixth commitment in the 2015 class and the first from within the state. The Wolverines are probably done at quarterback in this recruiting cycle unless something unforeseen occurs. Currently, the class is scheduled to be roughly 13 members (LINK), but that number will certainly grow by February.

Michigan has not targeted many Brother Rice players in recent years, but several notable Wolverines have come from there, including long snapper Jareth Glanda, former punter Ross Ryan, and early 1990's linebacker Steve Morrison. Morris has coached at Western Michigan and Syracuse in recent years, although he left Syracuse prior to the 2013 season. The Brother Rice Warriors also have a couple other FBS prospects in the form of wide receiver Grant Perry and defensive tackle Marc Miller.

TTB Rating: 73 (ratings explanation)