Wolverine Nation: Channing Stribling interview

Tom VanHaaren talks to incoming cornerback Channing Stribling.

Rivals 250 for 2014 released

Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra linebacker Dwight Williams finished just outside the list of top 100 prospects
(image via ESPN)

Yesterday Rivals released its Rivals 100 for the class of 2014, which I broke down here.  Today Rivals released the entire Rivals 250.  Altogether, 72 of Michigan's 89 offerees are in the Rivals 250.  Neither committed quarterback Wilton Speight or former offensive tackle commit Denzel Ward appears on either list, a development that probably surprises very few of us.

101. Dwight Williams - LB - California
107. Mason Cole - OG - Florida
109. Saeed Blacknall - WR - New Jersey
111. John Smith - WR - California
117. Troy Vincent, Jr. - CB - Maryland
122. Sam Mustipher - OG - Maryland
132. Kevin Crosby - ATH - South Carolina
137. Dexter Wideman - DT - South Carolina
155. Devon Thomas - RB - Oklahoma (Oklahoma State)
157. Dravon Henry - S - Pennsylvania
158. Nick Watkins - CB - Texas
159. Shai McKenzie - RB - Pennsylvania
164. Jeb Blazevich - TE - North Carolina
167. Otaro Alaka - LB - Texas
172. Bryan Mone - DT - Utah
177. Garrett Dickerson - TE - New Jersey
179. T'Kevian Rockwell - LB - Texas
183. Roderick Johnson - OT - Missouri
189. Adarius Pickett - CB - California
195. Christian McCaffrey - RB - Colorado
200. Brandon Simmons - CB - Texas
201. Daniel Helm - TE - Illinois
204. Kyle Berger - LB - Ohio
213. Parrker Westphal - CB - Illinois
224. Corey Holmes - WR - Florida
228. Erick Smith - S - Ohio
236. D'Andre Payne - CB - Washington, D.C.
243. Melvin Keihn - LB - Maryland
245. Petera Wilson - LB - Georgia
248. Javon Harrison - S - Florida (Virginia Tech)
249. Jay Hayes - DT - New York (Notre Dame)

B-Ball Highlights: Wisconsin 65, Michigan 62

2013 Recruiting Awards

Derrick Green is dressed properly for the occasion

You can go ahead and glance back at my 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 recruiting award posts.

Best Overall Recruit: RB Derrick Green
Green is widely considered to be the top recruit in Michigan's class, and running backs are often fairly easy to scout.  Based on the way Michigan is recruiting the offensive line, I think there's a good chance that Green becomes an All-Big Ten player and perhaps an All-American.  That kind of performance at a place like Michigan would likely set him up for a high NFL Draft pick.

Best Offensive Recruit: RB Derrick Green
Considering the above paragraph, this is obvious.

Best Defensive Recruit: S Dymonte Thomas
Thomas is listed at 6'2", 192 lbs.  He has good speed and shows excellent hitting ability.  I was particularly impressed with him as a hitter/tackler during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.  I think his long-term potential might be somewhat limited because he hasn't spent much time in coverage, and NFL teams love those ball hawks.  But as for playing strong safety in college, Thomas looks like an excellent prospect.  I'm excited about his future.

Recruit Most Likely to Make an Early Impact: RB Derrick Green
Until Green committed a couple weeks ago, I would have chosen tight end Jake Butt.  However, Green enters the program when Michigan is looking for a viable #2 tailback, if not a starter while Fitzgerald Toussaint recovers from his broken leg.  I don't think it's out of the question for Green to be the leading rusher in 2013.

Fastest Recruit: CB Delano Hill
Hill is a workout warrior who puts up good numbers, and while his speed doesn't always show up on the field, he did have a laser-timed 4.44 time in the forty.  There really aren't a whole lot of blazing-fast players in this class.  A couple of the cornerbacks - including Hill - might end up at safety, and a couple of the wide receivers are bigger, slower guys.  None of these guys has speed that jumps out at you, but there are a few guys who can scoot a little bit - Green, Hill, Thomas, Ross Douglas, Reon Dawson, and Da'Mario Jones.

Strongest Recruit: OG Kyle Bosch
Bosch is a big, thick kid who probably doesn't need to add much size before seeing the field.  He enrolled early at Michigan, and insiders are already saying that he might be in line for a little bit of playing time as a true freshman.  While I'm not sure that will be necessary (unless there are injuries), it's still a positive tidbit about his future.

Best Under-the-Radar Recruit: WR Da'Mario Jones
Jones is a 6'2", 185 lb. receiver with good speed.  He needs some polishing, but his speed should allow him to be a deep threat a little more than several other guys on the roster.  When he committed to Michigan, he was sitting on several MAC offers and one from New Mexico.

Most Overrated Recruit: CB Delano Hill
Hill is a 4-star to three of the major recruiting sites (ESPN ranks him as a 3-star), but I think he's closer to a 3-star prospect.  He is a very good athlete, but I'm not sure he has the football instincts and playmaking ability to justify those 4-star rankings.

Most Likely to Redshirt: OT Chris Fox
Fox, who tore his ACL toward the end of his senior season, will miss some developmental time while he recovers.  Additionally, Michigan returns both starting tackles (Taylor Lewan, Michael Schofield) and has a couple decent redshirt freshmen (Ben Braden, Erik Magnuson), so there's not much need for Fox to play this year.

Personal Favorite Recruit: S Dymonte Thomas
Thomas was a two-way star in high school who put up excellent numbers on both sides of the ball.  He also seems to be a heady kid who reportedly improved quickly during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, so I think he'll be fun to watch.  Jordan Kovacs was fun to watch over the past couple seasons, and Thomas should eventually take that strong safety position and play at an even higher level.

Wolverine Nation: Mike McCray interview

Alexandra Markina

Chantel Jennings talks to incoming linebacker Michael McCray II.

Rivals 100 for 2014 released

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns is Michigan's lone representative on the initial Rivals 100

Rivals released its first Rivals 100 for the class of 2014.  Rivals typically starts off with just a few 5-star prospects, but then grows the list throughout the year to a number between 25-35.  Here's a list of the Michigan offerees on the list:

5-stars:
1. Da'Shawn Hand - DE - Virginia
2. Jabrill Peppers - CB - New Jersey
3. Leonard Fournette - RB - Louisiana
4. Quin Blanding - S - Virginia
6. Andrew Brown - DT - Virginia
7. Cameron Robinson - OT - Louisiana
8. Adoree' Jackson - CB - California
9. Lorenzo Carter - DE - Georgia
12. Elijah Hood - ATH - North Carolina

4-stars:
15. Jalen Hurd - RB - Tennessee
17. Bo Scarbrough - ATH - Alabama (Alabama)
19. Braden Smith - OT - Kansas
21. Malik McDowell - DE - Michigan
27. Jalen Tabor - CB - Washington, D.C.
28. Solomon Thomas - DE - Texas
31. Damian Prince - OT - Maryland
32. Damon Webb - CB - Michigan (Ohio State)
33. Jamal Adams - S - Texas
38. Edward Paris - S - Texas
41. Marshon Lattimore - ATH - Ohio
47. Montae Nicholson - S - Pennsylvania
49. Tyler Luatua - TE - California
50. K.C. McDermott - OT - Florida
55. Alex Bars - OT - Tennessee
56. Drake Harris - WR - Michigan (Michigan State)
62. Jackson Barton - OT - Utah (Utah)
67. Demarre Kitt - WR - Georgia
69. Khairi Clark - DT - Florida
70. Nyles Morgan - LB - Illinois
71. Casey Tucker - OT - Arizona (USC)
72. Josh Malone - WR - Tennessee
82. Joe Mixon - RB - California
84. Michael Ferns - LB - Ohio (Michigan)
85. Andrew Williams - DE - Georgia
86. Bentley Spain - OT - North Carolina
87. Mark Andrews - WR - Arizona
88. Demetrius Knox - OG - Texas (Texas)
92. Andy Bauer - OT - Missouri
93. Artavis Scott - WR - Florida
94. Jamarco Jones - OG - Illinois
99. Dante Booker - LB - Ohio

Video: Michigan Signing Day Recap