2014 Season Countdown: #75 Patrick Kugler

Patrick Kugler (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Patrick Kugler
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 295 lbs.
High school: Wexford (PA) North Allegheny
Position: Center
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #57
Last year: I ranked Kugler #87 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

Kugler had surgery to repair his injured shoulder between his senior year of high school and his freshman year of college, so his rehab impaired his ability to contribute last season. Even so, a true freshman playing offensive line in college is somewhat rare, let alone at center. Kugler was a full go for the latter part of the season in practice, and he seemed none the worse for wear during the spring game.

Kugler enters the 2014 season as the third center on the roster. Redshirt junior Graham Glasgow leads the way, followed by redshirt junior Jack Miller, who started the first few games last year before being passed by Glasgow. So there's a fair amount of experience ahead of the redshirt freshman. Despite being listed at 295 lbs., Kugler looked pretty thin this spring and could afford to add some mass before he hits the field in the regular season. I think he will eventually take over the position and could even help out at guard in the meantime, but that's probably still a year or two away.

Prediction: Backup center

MLive: Re-ranking Michigan's 2009 recruiting class

Nick Baumgardner takes a look back at Michigan's 2009 recruiting class.

Hit the jump for some beautiful ladies.

2014 Season Countdown: #76 Blake Bars

Blake Bars (image via Go Blue Wolverine)

Name: Blake Bars
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 290 lbs.
High school: Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #62
Last year: I raned Bars #77 and said he would be a third-string offensive guard. He played in one game against Central Michigan.

As I mentioned during his first couple years on campus, the competition on the offensive line is tough and Bars is playing a little from behind. He did not play during the 2013 season except for a short stint against CMU in the season-opening blowout of the Chippewas. This spring he was running mostly with the third string and appears to be a backup option once again.

During the last couple years, Bars has shown some positional flexibility, playing some guard and some tackle. He also snapped the ball a little bit behind centers Graham Glasgow and Jack Miller, but Bars is just an emergency option there. He is a little bit heavier than last year (up six pounds on the roster), but 290 is still rather thin for a Big Ten offensive guard, especially one who stands 6'5". Unfortunately for him, he has been passed by guys in his own class (Kyle Kalis, Erik Magnuson, Ben Braden), the class below him (Kyle Bosch, David Dawson), and even a true freshman tackle (Mason Cole), albeit not at Bars's natural guard spot. It's tough to see where Bars breaks through unless injuries or early departures occur, but having a veteran offensive lineman to back up several spots is a bit of a luxury.

Prediction: Third string offensive guard

Video: Ian Bunting raps

Incoming freshman tight end Ian Bunting tries his hand at rapping in the video below. On the one hand, 17-year-old kids are going to do things like post videos of themselves, post to Instagram, etc. That's what teenagers do. On the other hand, videos like this are something that might come back to haunt you in 5 or 10 or 20 years.

Recruiting Update: June 2, 2014

Lake Stevens (WA) Lake Stevens QB Jacob Eason

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2016
Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Santa Margarita Catholic quarterback K.J. Costello was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'4", 213 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, and Virginia. 247 Sports ranks him as a 4-star, the #5 pro-style quarterback, and #139 overall in his class. Costello has a bit of a hitch in his throwing motion that slows down his release, but otherwise, he's got a strong arm with good accuracy. Michigan has now offered four quarterbacks in the 2016 class (two more are listed below, plus Dwayne Haskins, Jr. received his two weeks ago), and Costello seems the most enthusiastic about Michigan.

Lake Stevens (WA) Lake Stevens quarterback Jacob Eason was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 205 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 247 Sports 5-star, the #1 pro-style quarterback, and #5 overall. As a sophomore in 2013, he completed 209/350 passes for 2,941 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Eason is a tall, lanky kid with a very strong arm, good accuracy, and a high football IQ. Eason's father is Tony Eason (not that Tony Eason), a former wide receiver for the Fighting Irish.


Thousand Oaks (CA) Westlake quarterback Malik Henry was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'3", 180 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin, among others. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 dual-threat quarterback, and #13 overall. Henry has a strong arm, and while he's listed as a dual-threat guy, he seems like one of those guys who likes to throw first but can move the chains well with his feet. Somewhat like a Devin Gardner, he can make plays from the pocket but his feet are an added bonus.

Panama City (FL) Bay defensive end Janarius Robinson was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 230 lb. prospect with a 4.62 forty. He has offers from Clemson, Florida State, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 weakside end, and #65 overall. The front-runner appears to be Florida State, but Robinson is planning a trip to Ann Arbor for later in June.

Reisterstown (MD) Franklin wide receiver Steven Smothers was offered by Michigan. He's a 5'9", 152 lb. prospect with a 4.39 forty. He has offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia, among others. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 wide receiver, and #62 overall. In a recent interview with MGoBlog, Smothers claimed to be from another planet and said he's the most dominant player in the 2016 class, so confidence is not lacking in this one. His teammate is 2015 offensive guard prospect Patrick Allen, who also holds a Michigan offer.

OFF THE BOARD
Merrillville (IN) Andrean linebacker Josh Barajas flipped from Penn State to Notre Dame. Penn State had some significant recruiting momentum, and this is a bit of a blow to what is still a very good recruiting class for the Nittany Lions. New coaches often bring at least a short wave of hype, so we'll see how long at lasts with James Franklin.

Jefferson City (MO) Helias tight end Hale Hentges committed to Alabama. Hentges had visited Michigan, but he has always been at least the third-most likely player at his position to commit to Michigan (behind Chris Clark and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.), so this isn't a big blow.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here's a list of various kinds of lists:

• Weekend visitors to Michigan (LINK)
• Players attending the upcoming Michigan summer camp (LINK)
• Players attending Sound Mind Sound Body in Detroit (LINK)
• Players visited by Michigan's coaching staff in May (LINK)

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne wide receiver A.D. Miller will be visiting Michigan today. He's a 6'4", 175 lb. prospect with offers from Cal, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, and Tennessee, among others. He's a 247 Composite 3-star, the #130 wide receiver, and #1091 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 38 catches for 500 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Last week on Recruiting Season, I profiled Saginaw Swan Valley's Alex Grace, Farmington's David Reese, Greenville's Stephen Eipper, and Battle Creek Harper Creek's Brandon Hutson.

Visitors: May 30-June 1, 2014

East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis defensive tackle headlines an impressive group of campus visitors (image via Maxpreps)

2015
Terry Beckner, Jr. - DE - East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis: Beckner is a 6'4", 293 lb. prospect with offers from all over the country and a top group that includes Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, and USC, with Missouri the declared leader. He's a 247 Composite 5-star, the #3 strongside end, and #21 overall. Beckner started off as an end prospect but with the size he's already added, he's more likely to play defensive tackle, in my opinion. Michigan's coaching staff does not seem to be recruiting defensive tackles heavily in the 2015 class, but they would almost surely take a commitment from someone as talented as Beckner, regardless of his position.

Miles Boykin - WR - New Lenox (IL) Providence Catholic: Boykin is a 6'4", 212 lb. prospect with offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Oregon, among others. He's 247 Composite 4-star, the #22 wide receiver, and #185 overall. Boykin visited Michigan for the spring game in early April and was offered shortly thereafter. He was supposed to visit next week but changed plans.


Natereace Strong - RB - East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis: Strong is a 6'1", 210 lb. prospect who committed to Missouri in April; he also has offers from Florida State, Illinois, Michigan State, and Ohio State. He's a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 running back, and #238 overall. As a junior in 2013, he had 67 carries for 595 yards and 5 touchdowns. He's pretty solid in his commitment and wants to stay close to home so his family members can see him play, but you never know what might happen with a good campus visit. Michigan has been expanding its running back offer list, and Strong would seem to fit in line with what Michigan wants - a big, physical running back with good straight line speed.

2016
Brendan Ferns - LB - St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville: Ferns is a 6'3", 223 lb. prospect with offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Pitt, Virginia, and West Virginia. He's a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 athlete, and #51 overall. He's also the younger brother of current Michigan freshman linebacker Michael Ferns. Despite no offer from either school, Penn State was considered to be ahead of Michigan early in the process. He will be getting a visit from the coaching staff early this week and then heading up to campus at the end of the week.

2017
Jeff Thomas - WR - East St. Louis (IL) East St. Louis: Thomas is a 5'10", 170 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. As a freshman in 2013, he had 54 catches for 944 yards and 12 touchdowns. He claims a 4.45 forty time. Michigan was his first offer and he grew up as a Michigan fan, so that was a big deal for him. This will be his first time on campus. As you may have noticed, he will be visiting with teammates Beckner and Strong. Michigan also recruited East St. Louis in 2014 with an offer to linebacker Kyron Watson (Kansas).

2014 Season Countdown: #77 Dan Samuelson

Dan Samuelson (image via Scout)

Name: Dan Samuelson
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 282 lbs.
High school: Plymouth (IN) Plymouth
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #74
Last year: I ranked Samuelson #92 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.

It's not very often that freshman linemen play, so Samuelson's redshirt last year should not have surprised anyone. After his freshman year, however, he is still listed at just 282 lbs. Aside from the fact that Michigan has a fair number of players with experience, offensive guards in the Big Ten have to weigh more than 282 lbs. Samuelson looked thin in the spring game, and he also needs to continue working on pass protection. He was a third-stringer in April, and I see no reason why he would rise any higher by fall. Two of his classmates have inched ahead of him (Kyle Bosch and David Dawson), so it may be a few years before Samuelson gets a real shot.

Prediction: Backup offensive guard