2017 Recruiting Awards

Cesar Ruiz

It's time for the yearly recruiting awards. You can look back on past awards here (LINK).

Best Overall Recruit: C Cesar Ruiz
An offensive lineman isn't a sexy pick for the best overall recruit, but Ruiz is the country's #1 center and I gave him a TTB Rating of 99. He has the size and the experience at the position to play fairly early in his career, as well as develop into a very good player down the road. I expect him to at least be in the running for a Rimington Trophy by the end of his career.

Best Offensive Recruit: C Cesar Ruiz
Centers play offense.

Best Defensive Recruit: DT Aubrey Solomon
Maybe this isn't a very sexy choice, either, because nose tackles generally aren't superstars. But Solomon is 6'3", 295 lbs. and extremely strong, and he plays with good leverage. Defensive line coach Greg Mattison has taken less talented players and turned them into college stars, so Solomon should be in line for some great things.

Hit the jump for the rest of the superlatives.

ESPN 300 for 2017 released

Donovan Peoples-Jones and Michael Onwenu

ESPN released their top 300 prospects for the class of 2017 (LINK). There are no 5-star prospects on the list yet, so all these prospects are 4-stars and 3-stars. Four of the top six prospects are offensive tackles, and a fifth is a defensive tackle. ESPN is weird like that.

Anyway, hit the jump for all of Michigan's offerees:

Rivals 100 for 2017 released

Rivals released its top 100 prospects for 2017 (LINK). Michigan has no commitments for 2017, and there is just one player from within the state on the list: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. Below are the rest of Michigan's offerees so far:

5-stars:
1. Marvin Wilson - DT - TX
3. Josh Myers - OT - OH (Ohio State)
4. Hunter Johnson - QB - IN
6. Trevon Grimes - WR - FL
7. Najee Harris - RB - CA (Alabama)
9. Calvin Ashley - OT - FL (Auburn)
10. Nate McBride - LB - GA
11. Darnay Homes - S - CA
12. William Poole III - CB - GA
14. Joshua Kaindoh - DE - MD
15. Isaiah Wilson - OT - NY

4-stars:
17. Jeffrey Okudah - S - TX
18. Tate Martell - QB - NV
19. Shaun Wade - CB - FL (Ohio State)
21. Foster Sarell - OT - WA
22. Shawn Robinson - QB - TX (TCU)
23. A.J. Epenesa - DE - IL
25. Maleik Gray - ATH - TN
26. Devon Hunter - S - VA
27. Wyatt Davis - OT - CA
28. Jarez Parks - DE - FL
29. D'Andre Swift - RB - PA
30. Brock Wright - TE - TX (Notre Dame)
31. Anthony McFarland - RB - MD
33. Paris Ford - S - PA
37. Joseph Lewis - WR - CA
45. Austin Jackson - OT - AZ
48. Toneil Carter - RB - TX
51. Nathan Tilford - ATH - CA
55. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - MI
57. Isaiah Pryor - S - GA
62. Trey Sermon - RB - GA
63. Jeff Thomas - WR - IL
64. Richard LeCounte - CB - GA
65. Marco Wilson - CB - FL
72. JaCoby Stevens - ATH - TN
78. Fred Hansard - DT - NJ
79. Cordarrian Richardson - RB - MO
82. Jordan Anthony - LB - MD
83. Walker Little - OT - TX
86. Greg Johnson - ATH - CA
87. Kayden Lyles - OG - AZ
89. LeAnthony Williams - CB - GA
91. Cam Akers - RB - MS
92. Stanford Samuels - CB - FL
94. Hezekiah Jones - WR - TX (Baylor)
95. Sione Heimuli-Lund - LB - UT
96. Marcus Williamson - CB - OH (Ohio State)
97. Daniel Wright - S - FL
100. Dylan McCaffrey - QB - CO

Scout 100 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan
Peoples-Jones is the #25 player nationally

Normally, when a recruiting site releases a top prospect list for the next recruiting cycle, I just list the players who have connections to Michigan or are from the Big Ten imprint. But since Jim Harbaugh have offered over 100 prospects already for the 2017 class, I think it's fair to just list the players Michigan has offered. So here is the initial Scout 100 (LINK), which will be expanded into a top 300 eventually. Below is the list of Michigan's offerees:

5-stars:
2. Calvin Ashley - OT - FL (Auburn)
3. Najee Harris - RB - CA (Alabama)
5. Devon Hunter - S - VA
6. Shawn Robinson - QB - TX (TCU)
7. Trevon Grimes - WR - FL
8. Foster Sarell - OT - WA
9. Austin Jackson - OT - AZ
10. Joshua Kaindoh - DE - MD
11. Joseph Lewis - WR - CA
12. Darnay Holmes - CB - CA
13. Tate Martell - QB - NV
14. Wyatt Davis - OG - CA
15. Josh Myers - OT - OH (Ohio State)

4-stars:
16. Stanford Samuels III - CB - FL
17. A.J. Epenesa - DE - IL
18. Tedarrell Slaton - OT - FL
20. Marvin Wilson - DT - TX
23. D'Andre Swift - RB - PA
24. Jeffrey Okudah - S - TX
25. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - MI
28. Hunter Johnson - QB - IN
29. Anthony McFarland, Jr. - RB - MD
32. Anthony Hines - LB - TX
33. Jeff Thomas - WR - IL
38. Micah Clark - OT - NJ
39. Chevin Calloway - CB - TX
40. Cordarrian Richardson - RB - MO
41. Dylan McCaffrey - QB - CO
42. Daniel Wright - S - FL
43. Toneil Carter - RB - TX
47. Hezekiah Jones - WR - TX (Baylor)
48. Trey Sermon - RB - GA
49. Nate McBride - LB - GA
51. Shaun Wade - CB - FL (Ohio State)
52. Greg Johnson - ATH - CA
53. Isaiah Wilson - OT - NY
55. Jarez Parks - DE - FL
62. Brock Wright - TE - TX (Notre Dame)
64. Jake Moretti - OT - CO
65. Walker Little - OT - TX
67. Jordan Anthony - LB - MD
71. Cam Akers - RB - MS
74. Isaiah Pryor - S - GA
80. Marcus Williamson - CB - OH (Ohio State)
85. James Walker - WR - GA
88. Kayden Lyles - OG - AZ
92. Henry Bainivalu - OT - WA
94. Kedrick James - TE - TX
95. Richard LeCounte - CB - GA

2015 Michigan Summer Camp Participants

Brownsburg (IN) Brownsburg quarterback Hunter Johnson

Thanks to Jeff for the recent donation! If you would like to donate to the site redesign drive, please use Paypal (on the left sidebar) or do some shopping on Amazon (LINK). Thanks for your support!
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The Exposure U camp (for most positions) is from June 14-17th, and the Aerial Assault camp (for quarterbacks) is on June 20th (LINK). Aerial Assault participants are denoted with an asterisk.

2016
*Jacob Baldwin - QB - Wateford (MI) Mott: Baldwin is a 6'2", 195 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He will be throwing to Desmond Fitzpatrick this fall after Fitzpatrick transferred from Farmington.

*Wade Buckman - QB - Holland (MI) Holland: Buckman is a 6'6", 205 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Jacob Cerny - OG - Traverse City (MI) West:

*Reagan Cotton - QB - Traverse City (MI) Central:

Bailey Edwards - WR - Chelsea (MI) Chelsea: Edwards is a 6'1", 177 lb. prospect with offers from Minnesota and a handful of MAC programs. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #183 wide receiver, and #1234 overall. He's the younger brother of former Wolverine wide receiver Braylon Edwards, as well as Minnesota running back Berkley Edwards.

Trenton Fincher - OT - East Kentwood (MI) East Kentwood: Fincher is a 6'6", 280 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

Ezra Gray - WR - Lynn Haven (FL) Mosley: Gray is a 5'9", 175 lb. prospect with no FBS offers at this time. He claims a 4.31 forty.

Dele' Harding - LB - Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian Academy: Harding committed to Michigan in October 2014 (LINK). He's current a 247 Composite 3-star, the #21 inside linebacker, and #568 overall.

*Joshua Jackson - QB - Saline (MI) Saline: Jackson, the son of former Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson and the brother of former wide receiver Jeremy, committed to Virginia Tech in early June (LINK).

Trishton Jackson - QB/WR - West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield: Jackson, coached by former Wolverine Ronald Bellamy, has earned a bunch of MAC offers and Big Ten teams are starting to ramp up their interest (Iowa and Michigan State have offered).

Daniel Joseph - DE - Lake Forest (IL) Lake Forest: Joseph is a 6'3", 240 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State, among others. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 strongside end, and #262 overall. Michigan State's 247 writer Sean Scherer has him headed to the Wolverines, while a Vandy writer pegs him for the Spartans; however, Michigan State has picked up several defensive line commits in the past week or two, so they're running low on spots.

Jalen Martin - WR - Harper Woods (MI) Chandler Park:

Sean McKeon - TE - Dudley (MA) Shepherd Hill: McKeon committed to Michigan on Monday (LINK).

Jai Nunn-Liddell - WR - Mableton (GA) Pebblebrook: Nunn-Liddell is a 6'3", 185 lb. prospect with no offers at this time.

*Brandon Peters - QB - Avon (IN) Avon: Peters committed to Michigan in April (LINK).

Jalen Phelps - S - Powder Springs (GA) Hillgrove: Phelps is a 5'10", 175 lb. prospect with an offer from Kent State.

David Reese - LB - Farmington (MI) Farmington: Reese committed to Michigan in April (LINK).

Nathan Skene - TE - Hartland (MI) Hartland: Skene is the son of former Michigan lineman Doug Skene.

Devin Taylor - CB - Lansing (MI) Sexton: Taylor is a 6'1", 175 lb. prospect with no offers at this time. He claims a 4.5 forty.

Eyioma Uwazurike - DE - Southfield (MI) Lathrup: Uwazurike is a 6'6", 254 lb. prospect with offers from seven MAC programs. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #59 strongside end, and #1139 overall. As a junior in 2014, he made 74 tackles, 14 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.

Andrew Vastardis - OG - Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge:

*Kurt Walding - QB - West Des Moines (IA) Dowling Catholic: Walding is a 6'1", 206 lb. prospect with no offers right now. He attends the alma mater of redshirt junior wide receiver Amara Darboh.

Devin Waldon - LB - Detroit (MI) East English Village:

Kendrew Wynn - S - Norcross (GA) Norcross: Wynn is a 6'1", 185 lb. prospect with no offers right now.

Hit the jump for a bunch of 2017, 2018, and 2019 prospects.

Visitors: June 12-14, 2015 and Sound Mind Sound Body Camp

Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. (image via 247Sports.com)

The way information trickles out, it's unclear at this point exactly which players will be visiting campus, going only to the Sound Mind Sound Body camp, or doing both. So there may be some overlap here, but I will try to keep track the best I can.

EDIT: I'll be honest - keeping track of all the SMSB visitors is a fool's errand. There are hundreds of players coming from all over the country. I'm doing my best to narrow it down to the elite players from across the country, and some of the more notable guys within the state. Obviously, since it's taking place in Michigan, there are too many non-FBS-level locals to list here.

CAMPUS VISITORS
Harry Ballard III - WR - Florissant (MO) Mccluer North: Ballard is a 6'2", 180 lb. prospect with an offer from Illinois. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #83 wide receiver, and #523 overall.

Devin Bush, Jr. - LB - Pembroke Pine (FL) Flanagan: Bush is a 6'0", 220 lb. prospect who's the son of former Florida State (and Dallas Cowboys) safety Devin Bush. The elder Bush is currently the head coach at Flanagan and hosted Michigan's Summer Swarm camp just outside of Miami, FL. The younger Bush is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #9 inside linebacker, and #221 overall. While Florida State remains the overwhelming favorite (100% of the Crystal Ball predictions on 247 Sports), word is that Michigan has a fighting chance.

Chase Claypool - WR - Abbotsford (BC) Abbotsford: Claypool is a 6'5", 205 lb. prospect out of British Columbia. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #145 wide receiver, and #940 overall. Oregon seemed like the early favorite, and Notre Dame's offer also piqued Claypool's interest. A visit to Michigan shows a fair amount of interest, and Michigan does have some history of developing Canadian players, such as former defensive tackle Renaldo Sagesse. Claypool will be in town on June 11, right before the weekend begins.

Alphonso Cornish, Jr. - OT - Towson (MD) Calvert Hall: Cornish has no significant recruiting profile, but the guy is listed at 6'6", 400 lbs. Wow.

Micah Croom - S - La Mirada (CA) La Mirada: Croom is a 6'2", 190 lb. prospect who committed to Utah in November 2014; he also has offers from Colorado, Illinois, and Indiana, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 safety, and #662 overall. It's unclear at this point when exactly Croom plans to be in Ann Arbor, but his midwest tour starts on June 10th and he plans to visit Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Michigan State.

Hit the jump for several more names.

Visitors: June 2, 2015

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones

This event is a meet-and-greet for in-state 2017 prospects. It will take place at 3:30 p.m.

Carter Dunaway - TE - Bloomfield Hills (MI) Brother Rice: Dunaway committed to Michigan in April (LINK).

Ja'Raymond Hall - OT - Oak Park (MI) Oak Park: Hall is a 6'5", 255 lb. prospect with offers from Miami-OH and Michigan. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #13 offensive tackle, and #82 overall. He is thought to be leaning toward the Wolverines.

K.J. Hamler - WR - Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary's: Hamler is a 5'9", 155 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and several others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #45 wide receiver, and #279 overall. While he has the size to also play cornerback, he wants to play offense, although he would have to be a slot guy and maybe a kickoff returner. He is considered to be a Michigan State lean.

Hit the jump for a few more visitors.

2015 Rivals 5-star Challenge participants

Detroit (MI) King wide receiver Donnie Corley

The 2015 Rivals 5-star Challenge will be taking place in Baltimore on June 5-7. This is Rivals' counter to Nike's The Opening, and it's an event where some of the top talent from around the country will be competing against each other. While it's not as exciting as The Opening because it lacks the same kind of television coverage, there are always news bits and interviews coming out of the camp. Here are some participants who are being recruited by Michigan:

Sam Bruce - WR - Florida (Miami)
Devin Bush, Jr. - LB - Florida
T.J. Chase - WR - Florida (Clemson)
Jack Coan - QB - New York*
Donnie Corley - WR - Michigan
Nate Craig-Myers - WR - Florida
Ben Davis - LB - Alabama
Terrance Davis - OG - Maryland
Wyatt Davis - OT - California*
Landon Dickerson - OT - North Carolina
Rashan Gary - DT - New Jersey
Joey Gatewood - QB - Florida**
Maleik Gray - LB - Tennessee*
Trevon Grimes - WR - Florida
Mecole Hardman - WR - Georgia
Daelin Hayes - LB - Michigan (USC)
Lavert Hill - CB - Michigan (Penn State)
Anthony Hines - LB - Texas
Devon Hunter - S - Virginia*
Ron Johnson, Jr. - DE - New Jersey
Jack Jones - CB - California
Kendell Jones - DT - Texas (Alabama)
Caleb Kelly - LB - California
Xavier Kelly - DE - Kansas
Dexter Lawrence - DT - North Carolina
Richard LeCounte - CB - Georgia*
Greg Little - OT - Texas (Texas A&M)
Frank Martin - OT - California (USC)
Jared Mayden - CB - Texas
Nate McBride - LB - Georgia*
Richard Merritt - OG - Washington, DC
Ahmir Mitchell - WR - New Jersey
Byron Murphy - CB - Arizona
Isaac Nauta - TE - Georgia (Florida State)
Jeffrey Okudah - S - Texas*
Michael Onwenu - DT - Michigan
Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan*
Jamal Pettigrew - TE - Louisiana (LSU)
C.J. Pollard - S - California
William Poole III - CB - Georgia*
Isaiah Pryor - S - Georgia*
Demetris Robertson - WR - Georgia
Shawn Robinson - QB - Texas*
Stanford Samuels - CB - Florida*
Miles Sanders - RB - Pennsylvania (Penn State)
Trevon Sidney - WR - California
Eli Stove - WR - Florida (Auburn)
Lokeni Toailoa - LB - California (UCLA)
Naseir Upshur - TE - Pennsylvania
Binjimen Victor - WR - Florida
Kareem Walker - RB - New Jersey (Ohio State)
Devin White - LB - Louisiana
LeAnthony Williams - CB - Georgia*
Lyndell Wilson - LB - Alabama
Marvin Wilson - DT - Texas*
Jaquan Yulee - LB - Virginia

*Denotes 2017 prospects
*Denotes 2018 prospects

Top 247 for 2017 released

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell (image via Twitter)

247 Sports released its top 247 prospects for 2017 (LINK).

Here are the players who have been offered by Michigan:

5-stars:
2. A.J. Epenesa - DE - Illinois
3. Josh Myers - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)
4. Calvin Ashley - OT - Florida

4-stars:
8. Marvin Wilson - DT - Texas
9. Hunter Johnson - QB - Indiana
10. Anthony McFarland, Jr. - RB - Maryland
13. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan
15. Shaun Wade - CB - Florida (Ohio State)
16. Najee Harris - RB - California
17. Osiris St. Brown - WR - California
18. Devon Hunter - ATH - Virginia
20. D'Andre Swift - RB - Pennsylvania
22. Jeffrey Okudah - S - Texas
23. Jeff Thomas - WR - Illinois
28. Isaiah Pryor - S - Georgia
33. Joseph Lewis - WR - California
39. Stanford Samuels - CB - Florida
42. Greg Johnson - ATH - California
44. Tyrell Ajian - ATH - Ohio
46. Dylan McCaffrey - QB - Colorado
47. Richard LeCounte - ATH - Georgia
48. Maleik Gray - ATH - Tennessee
55. Darnay Holmes - ATH - California
58. Brock Wright - TE - Texas
68. Jake Moretti - OT - Colorado
76. Anthony Hines - LB - Texas
77. Juwan Burgess - WR - Florida
81. JaRaymond Hall - OT - Michigan
87. Marcus Williamson - CB - Ohio
88. Hezekiah Jones - WR - Texas
99. M.J. Webb - DE - Texas
106. Jamyest Williams - CB - Georgia
111. Josh Ross - LB - Michigan
125. Kedrick James - TE - Texas
136. J.T. Cauthen - WR - North Carolina
139. Paris Ford - S - Pennsylvania
150. Todd Sibley - RB - Ohio
178. Corey Bolds - DE - New Jersey
180. Jaylen Kelly-Powell - S - Michigan
183. Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - Michigan
229. Darnell Ewell - DT - Virginia
240. Juan Harris - DT - Iowa

Rivals 100 to Watch for 2017

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones

Rivals released their early top 100 prospects to watch for 2017 (LINK); while the players are not listed numerically, they have been given star ratings. Below is a list of the players Michigan has offered:

5-stars:
Calvin Ashley - OT - Florida
Najee Harris - RB - California
Darnay Holmes - CB - California
Devon Hunter - S - Virginia
Josh Myers - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)

4-stars:
A.J. Epenesa - DE - Illinois
Darnell Ewell - OT - Virginia
Paris Ford - ATH - Pennsylvania
Anthony Hines - LB - Texas
Dylan McCaffrey - QB - Colorado
Jake Moretti - OT - Colorado
Jeffrey Okudah - ATH - Texas
Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan
Stanford Samuels III - ATH - Florida
Jeff Thomas - WR - Illinois
Shaun Wade - CB - Florida (Ohio State)
Jamyest Williams - ATH - Georgia
Marcus Williamson - CB - Ohio

247 Sports: Top 116 for 2017 updated

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is within the range of being an eventual 5-star to 247 Sports

247 Sports updated their top prospect list for 2017 back in November (LINK), although I missed it at the time. Here's what it looked like back in August of 2014 (LINK). At that time I included players who might have Michigan interest or vice versa. This time I'll include only the players Michigan has actually offered.

5-stars:
3. Josh Myers - OT - Ohio (Ohio State)

4-stars:
6. Calvin Ashley - OT - Florida
7. Devon Hunter - S - Virginia
12. Donovan Peoples-Jones - WR - Michigan
14. Shaun Wade - CB - Florida (Ohio State)
21. Jeff Thomas - ATH - Illinois
31. Darnay Holmes - ATH - California
42. Najee Harris - RB - California
56. Josh Ross - LB - Michigan
70. Isaiah Pryor - S - Georgia
84. Jamyest Williams - ATH - Georgia
111. Corey Malone-Hatcher - DE - Michigan
114. Anthony Hines - LB - Texas