2010 Michigan Recruiting Board.

PA QB Malik Stokes (younger brother of 2009 signee Je’Ron Stokes) visited Michigan for summer camp, and though he didn’t leave with an offer, picked one up from the Chippewas when he continued to the CMU camp. Central coach Butch Jones is a former RR assistant, and if Stokes ends up selecting the Chippewas, both brothers will be in the state of Michigan together. Malik also has said that the Michigan staff will keep him in mind in case something happens with either of the existing commits.

Removed FL RB Roy Finch, who committed to Oklahoma. It will be interesting to see if this might have an effect on CA RB Brennan Clay, who is also committed to the Sooners. Obviously, Oklahoma has room for 2 running backs in the class, but Clay might be slightly turned off by another prospect (and a similar one at that) at the same position. Clay’s Michigan ties to QB Tate Forcier may give the Wolverines chance to get back in the sweepstakes for his services.

FL WR Quinton Dunbar plans to take one of his officials to Ann Arbor. He also intends to visit West Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida. He won’t make a comitment to any school until National Signing Day. (Photo courtesy of SoFlaFootball).

Be ready to remove PA WR Alex Kenney. ThaRinger.com reports on what is perhaps the least aesthetically-appealing website in history that Kenney will likely commit to Penn State early this week. This is not all that surprising, since Kenney is from State College and his parents reportedly work at PSU.

SC WR/DB Nick Jones visited South Carolina over the weekend along with his high school teammate, RB Marcus Lattimore. While Lattimore is likely long-gone for the Wolverines, Jones continues to list Michigan among his favorites.

MN OL Seantrel Henderson visits both South Carolina schools, and doesn’t mention Michigan among his “offers that stand out” to Phil Kornblut.

Recruiting fluff on NY DE Dominique Easley. The Wolverines are on his offer list, but he didn’t offer up anything else about Michigan in the article. Easley, who plans to trim his current list of schools down to 5 or 6 by the end of the summer, is pictured at right.

MD LB Josh Furman will take one last visit this summer, to Michigan (info in header). He’s already been to a few other schools, but Ann Arbor is the only visit he plans to take before his football season starts back up.

Georgia has secured a commitment from a teammate of FL LB Jeff Luc. LB Deon Rogers had mostly MAC-level offers… and Georgia saw fit to offer him and accept a commitment. This is likely only relevant to Michigan because of how it might affect the Luc recruitment. Even that has seemed to hit the back-burner lately, as Luc news hasn’t been flowing as freely as it was earlier in the spring. Michigan is expected to be one of Luc’s officials, and getting a top-ranked prospect on campus always gives the team a chance to land them.

OH LB Jordan Hicks has trimmed his list to 6, and Michigan is not among them. It was never particularly likely that the Wolverines would get into his recruitment, since he seemed to favor Ohio State, Texas, and USC very strongly from the start. I’ll leave him on the board for now, since his teammate, TE Alex Smith, seems to have a pretty strong interest in Michigan (Duane Long ruminates on his likelihood of getting a Buckeye offer, as well). However, don’t expect Michigan to have a great chance at Hicks.

Removed FL LB Javarie Johnson, who committed to Miami of Florida over the weekend.

MD S Lorenzo Waters has received a Miami of Florida offer. At this time, he appears to be favoring Wake Forest, Michigan, and the Hurricanes.

Removed GA S Alec Ogletree, who committed to Georgia.

Removed FL CB Lorenza Wood, who, as predicted, committed to Notre Dame on Friday.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Compare to the previous edition of the recruiting class rankings. Action since last rankings (caution: there was a ton. Michigan is the only school that didn’t get a commit or 4):

6-21-09 Iowa gains commitment from Austin Vier. Indiana gains commitment from Xavier Whitaker.
6-22-09 Wisconsin gains commitment from Frank Tamakloe. Northwestern gains commitment from Trevor Siemian.
6-23-09 Ohio State gains commitment from Taylor Graham. Wisconsin gains commitment from Jake Irwin.
6-24-09 Illinois gains commitment from Dexter McDonald. Wisconsin gains commitment from Dallas Lewallen.
6-25-09 Notre Dame gains commitment from Andrew Hendrix. Notre Dame gains commitment from Blake Leuders. Michigan State gains commitment from Joe Boisture. Indiana gains commitment from Ryan Phillis. Purdue gains commitment from Charles Torwudzo. Purdue gains commitment from Jeremy Cornelius.
6-26-09 Penn State gains commitment from Evan Hailes. Notre Dame gains commitment from Lo Wood. Minnesota gains commitment from Matt Eggens. Iowa gains commitment from Mike Hardy.
6-27-09 Northwestern gains commitment from Rashad Lawrence. Purdue gains commitment from De’Ron Flood. Purdue gains commitment from Ryan Isaacs.

By the way, if one thing can be said for ESPN, it’s that they really bust their asses to rate kids as quickly as possible after they commit to a school. They don’t always get it done (see: Williamson, DJ), but for the most part, they at least put in the effort.

No change for Michigan.

Evan Hailes and DaQuan Jones brings Penn State right on the cusp of passing Michigan in the rankings. Scout is in love with their class, for what it’s worth.

The Irish have a big week, grabbing 3 commits. Andrew Hendrix, Blake Leuders, and Lo Wood are more than enough to push the Irish past Ohio State.

Taylor Graham fills the void at Ohio State’s QB position.

The Spartans poach Joe Boisture from Boston College. Boisture is considered the best pro-style QB in the state.

Matt Eggen commits to the Gophers.

Dexter McDonald joins the Illini.

The Badgers pick up 3 commits during the week. They pass the Hawkeyes with a couple more quality guys at the top.

Mike Hardy joins the recruiting class for Iowa.

The Hoosiers add Xavier Whitaker, and he becomes their highest-rated commit. Should Northwestern be ahead of them? Not quite yet.

A decent QB joins the class for the Wildcats, along with a target for him to pass it to.

Oh my! A commit! Or 4.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Removed SC QB Dylan Thompson. The signal caller (who actually hadn’t seen much interest from the Wolverines) committed to South Carolina.

MI WR Marcus Beaurem out of Sterling Heights Stevenson was impressive at Michigan’s camp, and was able to earn an offer from Central Michigan last week. Then, he committed to… Bowling Green? yesterday. Kind of a weird whirlwind recruitment.

Removed FL WR DeJoshua Johnson. The Pahokee product and prototypical slot receiver committed to Florida State.

Fluff on PA DT Sharrif Floyd. It’s the type of article that really reminds you that, these aren’t just football players, they’re kids whose lives hang in the balance:

“I was always frustrated at a young age, but growing up in a bad situation, there are only two ways you can go, run the streets and sell drugs, or go another way and do something with your life,” Floyd said. “I grew up in a drug environment. I grew up around all of that stuff. I’ve had people I grew up who were locked up, some of them were shot and killed. After one of my friends died, I stayed away from a lot of things after that.”

Regardless of where this kid ends up, it’s hard to wish him anything but the best of luck in coming out of a bad situation and making something of himself. Floyd will announce his decision at the Army All-American Bowl.

Sam Webb Freep fluff on OH DT Jibreel Black. His final 5 list consists of Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Indiana (where his older brother is a defensive lineman). He grew up a Michigan fan, and though that’s the only campus he’s not visited on his list, the Wolverines have a chance because of that distinction.

DC LB Javarie Johnson has reached a decision on his college destination, and will announce that information this week (info in header). The week is almost over, so I assume that announcement is forthcoming soon. Remember, Johnson is the one who was so enthused about his Michigan visit that his coach thought he had committed to the Wolverines. Still, it’s been a while since he has been to Michigan, and though the Wolverines are featured on his recent top 4 list, I would be mildly surprised if he picked Michigan.

Added GA S Detrick Bonner. The safety from Leulla, GA has been offered by Michigan, and currently says he’s favoring the Wolverines. He also likes Clemson.

Removed FL CB Merrill Noel. The Pahokee Blue Devil committed to Florida State.

Removed GA CB Jonathan Mincy, who committed to Auburn.

Removed FL CB Cody Riggs, whose final list of 5 includes Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Tennessee.

FL CB Lorenza Wood, who was once a strong Michigan lead, is expected to pick Notre Dame tomorrow. If that does indeed happen, he’ll be removed on Monday.

Two more prospects that can probably be crossed off the list: GA LB Tyrone Cornileus, who is likely headed to Miami of Florida, and DT Mike Thornton, who will pick between Georgia and Georgia Tech soon.

In your occasional 2011 mention, quarterback Christian LeMay from North Carolina has been offered by Michigan (info obvious from header). He joins OH QB Braxton Miller, a likely OSU lock, as the offered quarterbacks in next year’s class.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Somewhat brief update today after the blitzkrieg of news last week. 2010 Recruiting Board.

Moved to committed:
OH CB Courtney Avery, onetime Stanford commit. Commitment post. Michigan offered him Thursday, and he committed Saturday. He’s seen at left tossing the rock as a highly prolific HS QB.

Michigan doesn’t seem to be high on the list of FL RB Roy Finch anymore. Oklahoma and Stanford appear to be his top two choices at this time, though he maintains that he is still open to everyone. Finch plans to make a commitment before his high school seaso kicks off.

FL WR Kenny Shaw, the former high school teammate of Ricardo Miller at Dr. Phillips High School, is still favoring the Florida State Seminoles. He’s had them on top for quite some time, and is expected to end up in Tallahassee.

Removed NC WR Anthony Creecy, who committed to NC State.

FL OL Torrian Wilson visited Michigan last week for a pretty long stay. I don’t expect him to make a decision any time soon, but it does appear a though the Wolverines are still in a pretty strong position.

SC OL Eric Mack seems to be heading towards a commitment to South Carolina. In nearly every article, he mentions that he’s excited at the prospect of playing with several of his former teammates, should he choose the Gamecocks. Still, Mack intends to wait until Signing Day before making a decision, so schools will have plenty of time to get back into his recruitment.

Removed OH OL Dakota Anderson, who committed to Ball State.

MI DT Jonathan Hankins came to Michigan’s summer camp looking to ern an offer from the Wolverines, and prove that he was getting his body into good shape. However, as Sam Webb reprts on the WTKA recruiting roundup, Hankins’ conditioning was still not what the Wolverine coaches were looking for, and he might have to keep waiting to maybe earn that offer.

SC DE Brandon Willis from Byrnes (the same school as 5* RB Marcus Lattimore) will be releasing a top 5 list sometime this week. Neither Clemson nor South Carolina will be on it, and though I’d be moderately surprised if Michigan makes his final 5, the Wolverines did get a shout out in the article, which means there’s maybe a slightly better chance than I give them credit for.

FL CB Lorenza Wood will announce a decision on Friday between Michigan, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech. Though he was once a Michigan lead, conventional wisdom now has him committing to the Irish. He also has a ridiculous plan for his commitment:

Apopka cornerback Lo Wood’s father — Lo Wood Sr. — told the Sentinel on Tuesday night (June 16) that his son will make his college football commitment on June 26, and he won’t know who it will be until his son tells him the night before.

At that time, Lo Jr. and Lo Sr. fly to the city of the school of the younger Woods’ choice, and they make the announcement on campus.

Having fun buying plane tickets on, like, an hour’s notice.

Removed FL CB Lamarcus Joyner, who has officially narrowed his list of suitors to Ohio State, Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

MI P Mike Sadler and FL P Brandon Tarpley each excelled at Michigan’s kicking camp over the weekend. If Michigan looks to extend an offer to a kicking specialist (which they probably will with Zoltan graduating after 2009) it will probably be one of these guys. I won’t add them to the board, because there’s not a listing for punters on it.

In a bit of 2009 news:
Incoming freshman RB Fitzgerald Toussaint participated in the Annual Big 33 Classic, in which he helped lead his Ohio team to a 38-31 victory over Pennsylvania. Toussaint, Michigan’s only commit playing in the game, caught 1 pass for 54 yards and a touchdown, and ran 4 times for 11 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Compare to the previous edition of the recruiting class rankings. Action since last rankings (caution: there was a ton):

6-14-09 Minnesota gains commitment from Allen Veazie. Penn State gains commitment from Kyle Baublitz.
6-15-09 Michigan gains commitment from Cornelius Jones.  Michigan State gains commitment from Mylan Hicks.
6-16-09 Michigan State gains commitment from William Gholston. Northwestern gains commitment from Collin Ellis.
6-17-09 Indiana gains commitment from Leneil Himes.
6-18-09 Illinois gains commitment from Daniel Easterly. Northwestern gains commitment from Shontrelle Johnson.
6-19-09 Michigan State gains commitment from Taylor Calero. Illinois gains commitment from Mark Wilson. Indiana gains commitment from Logan Young.
6-20-09 Michigan gains commitment from Courtney Avery. Indiana gains commitment from Antonio Banks.

By the way, if one thing can be said for ESPN, it’s that they really bust their asses to rate kids as quickly as possible after they commit to a school. They don’t always get it done (see: Williamson, DJ), but for the most part, they at least put in the effort.

The Wolverines snag Cornelius Jones. TX LB Holmes Onwukaife also expressed interest in committing, but was told he’d have to play MLB rather than OLB, and promptly changed his mind. Ohio CB Courtney Avery got an accepted a camp offer, switching from Stanford.

The Nittany Lions grab DE Kyle Baublitz.

The Buckeyes haven’t moved in a while (despite a summer camp) and are more likely to go down with a potential loss of Jamel Turner.

Bennett Jackson picks up a 77 rating from ESPN.

MSU finally gets another commit in Mylan Hicks, then follows it up with a huge one (both literally and figuratively) in William Gholston, though Gholston has been basically penciled in for the Spartans for quite some time. Later in the week they added yet another prospect in Taylor Calero.

The Gophers snag Allen Veazie.

Daniel Easterly joins the Fighting Illini, along with linebacker Mark Wilson

No change for the Hawkeyes,

Nothing new for Wisconsin.

All the newest Hoosiers (of whom there are many) are unranked to the main recruiting sites, though a pair of them have ESPN ratings. Kates picks up 2 stars from Scout.

Hey, look who joined the party! The Wildcats pick up a couple lesser (sorry, LTP – “sleeper”) prospects to get on the board. Alas, the Hoosier avalanche keeps Northwestern behind them.

lolPurdue – 0 commits.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Though he had previously been committed to the Stanford Cardinal, GBW’s front page is reporting that OH DB Courtney Avery has dropped his Stanford pledge and committed to the Michigan Wolverines. The cornerback out of Lexington, Ohio stands 5-10, 165. He is Michigan’s 15th pledge in the class of 2010.

Recruiting Notes
Avery was on the 2010 Recruiting Board when it debuted, though it was as a dual-threat QB. However, Michigan never seemed to be in strong pursuit of the two-way player. He committed to Stanford in early April, and I removed him from the board. Avery was not quite done with his recruitment yet, though. He visited Michigan this week for summer camp, where he was one of the more impressive players in attendance. When he left, the Michigan coaches let him know that he would receive a Michigan offer. Shortly after that, Avery changed his mind from the Cardinal to the Wolverines, pledging to the Michigan staff.

Player Notes
As mentioned above, Avery is a quarterback for his high school team, in addition to his duties in the defensive backfield. In fact, he is a rather excellent high school signal-caller, and was named his conference’s Offensive Player of the Year as a junior. However, when he gets to Michigan, he will play strictly defensive back, where he tried out in summer camp. He has good hip fluidity and agility, which help him make up for a slight lack in top-end speed. One of the biggest knocks on Avery is his size: he’s listed anywhere from 5-8 to 5-10, which is small even for a cornerback. However, he is rumored to be up to nearly 5-11 now, which not only indicates that’s he’s made up some of the height disparity, but also that he may continue growing. By the time he hits campus, he could be as tall as 6-1. Camp offers are typically a time to say “throw out the rankings” (NR on Rivals, 3* to Scout), since the coaches have been able to evaluate a prospect in the flesh.

Video

Posted under Football, Recruiting

GBW and TheWolverine are both reporting on their front pages that South Carolina QB/Athlete Cornelius Jones has pledged his word to become a Michigan Wolverine. Jones hails from Spartanburg HS in Spartanburg, SC, and is Michigan’s 14th public commitment in the class of 2010. The signal-caller stands 6-2 and 190 pounds.

Recruiting Notes
Aside from the obvious prospects like Devin Gardner, Jones was one of the first players to enter Michigan fans’ collective radar for the class of 2010. Despite not playing football his freshman or sophomore year, apparently due to a disciplinary issue (or problem with the previous coaching staff; it’s never really been cleared up, Jones’s highlight tape from a spring scrimmage found its way into the hands of Michigan’s coaching staff. Rich Rodriguez and company liked what they saw, and extended a verbal offer (which the Detroit media, in full anti-Rodriguez mode at the time, spun to indicate that Rod was clueless or something). As it turned out, the offer did not come through at that time, but Michigan offered him in January, and was still among his first offers. It was that early interest that helped Michigan stay in the forefront of his recruitment, as the Wolverines led wire-to-wire. Jones always maintained that he was trying to work out a visit to Michigan, and that visit eventually ended up taking place for the Wolverines’ 2009 summer camp. At that time, he realized Ann Arbor was the place for him, and he committed to don the maize-and-blue.

Player Notes
Jones is a dual-threat quarterback in the same mold as Devin Gardner, who can really hurt you with his feet, and has some improving to do in the passing game (certainly understandable for a high school junior). Jones isn’t quite the physical specimen that Garnder is, but might be a slightly better passer at this time. That’s an exciting prospect for Michigan fans, as he’s only played football (and quarterback) for one year thus far! With further coaching at both the high school and college levels, he should blossom into a true threat in both phases of the game.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Some things that didn’t fit in Thursday’s update is thrown in here as well, so it should be a JAM-PACKED! update. Here’s the 2010 Michigan Recruiting Board.

Super-non-informative article on the recruitment of PA QB Anthony Gonzales (#6). He’s fast enough to play QB for his high school team, and is described as “slippery.” Though Michigan hasn’t offered yet, that certainly fits the description they’re looking for in this class: a good second QB who can potentially change positions down the road if everything works out with the other players. There is no Michigan mention in the article, and Penn State is presumed to be the favorite by the author, with Pitt just behind. Still, if the Wolverines don’t have a second QB committed by the time the season rolls around, Gonzales may be a candidate to pick up an offer.

LSU has jumped into the fray for IA QB/Ath AJ Derby (info in header). He is becoming a bigger and bigger prospect, which means he may be less likely to accept an offer to play second fiddle to Devin Gardner in the QB class of 2010. Of course, it’s still highly likely he plays at Iowa, where his dad played. The Chicago Sun-Times’s Second Season blog thinks it’s Iowa or Florida for him.

Continuing the deluge of QB news, SC prospect Cornelius Jones has set up a summer visit to Ann Arbor (info in header). Smart money is on this visit happening for camp this week. Jones has had Michigan at or near the top of his list for quite some time now, so a good visit with the Wolverines might be enough to convince him to commit.

Removed MI QB Robert Bolden, who does not have the Wolverines on his list of 6 finalists. I’m not disappointed, because I still maintain that Bolden is more of a pro-style QB than a true dual-threat who would thrive in the Rich Rodriguez spread.

Fluff/brief recruiting info on FL RB Cassius McDowell from SoFlaFootball. McDowell is out for the spring with a broken leg, and has been using his newfound free time to pick up the pace with schoolwork, and enroll early in the fall at his school of choice. The teammate of 2009 signees Denard Robinson and Adrian Witty counts the Wolverines among his offers.

Removed FL RB Darion Hall, who committed to Miami. This is not a surprise. You may recall that I was not particularly stoked on Hall, especially considering he apparently has some maturing to do “on and off the field.”

FL/MI WR Ricardo Miller has apparently changed his tune about which Ann Arbor-area high school he’ll be attending, according to Sam Webb. Rampant speculation and semi-disturbing high school fantasy football leagues by Michigan fans have cluttered the interwebs this weekend, but the fact of the matter is, he’s going to go to the school that gives him the best education and opportunity to succeed on the football field.

PA WR Andrew Carswell‘s continued interest in Michigan (they’re in his top 3 with BC and Pitt) may be explained by the fact that he’s a multiple-position player. If he ends up committing to Michigan (I still think it’s something of a longshot at this point), he could end up playing linebacker on defense.

Removed MD WR EJ Scott, who committed to Virginia.

Removed AL WR Soloman Patton, now a Florida Gator.

In your latest breathless MN OL Seantrel Henderson update, a couple fun factoids that may play a role in his recruitment. First, new Gophers OL coach Tim Davis might send his son to Cretin-Derham Hall. That would certainly not hurt Minnesota for Seantrel (unless said son is a total d-bag, but I digress). Another interesting friend item on Henderson:

According to Lemming, Henderson may want to attend the same school as friend J.D. Pride, another Minneapolis-area player. According to Rivals.com, the only offer Pride holds is from Minnesota.

If the Wolverines ever offer Pride, a QB/Ath, it would certainly help their case. Also, maybe Pride could net an Eastern Michigan offer? That could still help the Wolverines land Henderson. I believe both Henderson and Pride are camping at Michigan, and Eastern’s coaches traditionally head across town to take part.

Recruiting info on GA DT Jeff Whitaker, with nary a mention of Michigan. It sounds like he probably won’t end up with an offer. With the Wolverines perhaps having less of a need for DTs in the unconventional defense of Greg Robinson, perhaps they’ll only need one tackle in this class.

MI DT Jonathan Hankins may be their guy at the position, as a camp offer is likely to come through, especially considering even the stingy Buckeyes have deemed him worthy of a scholarship. Sam Webb had a “gut feeling” on the Recruiting Roundup Thursday that Hankins would be blue if offered. For those who are unfamiliar with the WTKA morning show, Sam’s “gut feeling” means that he has heard directly from a source that the information is true.

Removed SC DT AJ Cann. He is down to a final list that does not include Michigan, and the Wolverines are out of the race for his services.

FL DE Lynden Trail is favoring Florida as he quests to add more weight to give his body a more appropriate DE size (he’s currently at 210 pounds, standing 6-7).

Removed PA DE Dakota Royer. He has released a final five list that does not include Michigan. He plans to make a commitment in July. In a really odd twist, especially considering The Sporting News’s Recruitnik blog has an article on Royer from the same timeframe, also featuring direct quotes, that Royer is down to a top 10, with narrowing to a top 5 by the end of July. Either way, Michigan isn’t on his list, so he gone. Adios, guy who did this:

Removed PA DE Kyle Baublitz, who will be a Nittany Lion.

FL DE/LB Corey Lemonier is playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense this year at Hialeah, which is probably fairly comparable to the hybrid roles in Michigan’s new defense under coordinator Greg Robinson. It should come as no surprise, then, that Lemonier plans to use one of his official visits on a trip to Ann Arbor. DE/LB is the new WR in this recruiting class, as far as “how many of these guys can we fit in the class?”

MI S/LB/Ath Daniel Easterly currently favors Illinois, but his feelings about the Wolverines are hard to tell, because he won’t name schools that haven’t offered him among his favorites. He is going to camp at Michigan, so if he earns an offer there, the Wolverines would likely be a serious player in his recruitment.

Michigan is a reported offer for OH S/WR Bobby Swigert. He’s apparently camping this week as well.

Removed SC S Bashaud Breeland, now a Clemson commitment.

Removed MD S Jeff Knox, who committed to Pittsburgh.

FL CB Nickell Robey is going to visit Ann Arbor this summer along with FL S commit Marvin Robinson (info in header). This is obviously good news as far as Robey’s recruitment, but there’s also some moderately bad news that relates to Robinson: he still wants to take a visit to Chapel Hill to check out the Tar Heels (info in header). He still plans to honor his verbal commitment, so this isn’t exactly “ACK FREAK OUT”-type news, but the verbal is less than solid, it seems.

Removed OH CB Jordan Paschal. The Trotwood-Madison (Roundtree, Shaw, Moore) product committed to Louisville.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Compare to the previous edition of the recruiting class rankings. Action since last rankings:

6-7-09 Iowa gains commitment from Louis Trinca-Pasat.
6-9-09 Michigan gains commitment from Ken Wilkins.

The Wolverines pick up Pennsylvania linebacker Ken Wilkins.

No change for PSU.

The Buckeyes have been chillin’ at 5 commits for quite some time.

Bennett Jackson picks up a 77 rating from ESPN.

No change for Minnesota.

Nothing new for the Illini, they’ve stagnated for quite some time.

No change for State.

Chicago DE Louis Trinca-Pasat picks the Hawkeyes.

Nothing new for Wisconsin.

Still just Kates, the unrated one.

Northwestern, Purdue – 0 commits.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

2010 Michigan Wolverines Recruiting Board.

Moved PA DE/LB Ken Wilkins to committed. Commitment post. Local paper article. I didn’t really want to, but I’ll have to fisk:

The word on Wilkins? Well, a good source at Trinity who knows the football program well said Wilkins is talented, but isn’t as athletic as  Andrew Sweat, a Trinity linebacker two seasons ago who is now at Ohio State. “He doesn’t have the agility that Sweat had,” the source said.

Wow, a defensive end doesn’t have the same agility as a linebacker. You deserve a medal for figuring that one out, guy.

More Nike Camp recap from Josh Helmholdt in the Free Press. Relevant players include MI QB commit Devin Gardner:

the 6-5, 210-pound Gardner is dual-threat quarterback and many of his best attributes are not showcased in a non-contact camp setting. Still, Gardner showed that he has spent a good portion of the offseason working on his passing. His footwork is vastly improved and even though he still has an atypical throwing motion, he was able to make all the throws and did so with adequate arm strength and accuracy.

Livonia Stevenson’s Austin White took home the MVP honors at the running back position with considerable ease. The 6-1, 185-pound White was nearly unstoppable in the one-on-one portion of the camp, using his speed to outrun would-be defenders. White’s footwork and agility in the drills portion of the camp also solidified his MVP honors.

Although they did not take home MVP honors, Southeastern defensive linemen Johnathon Hankins and William Gholston both had good performances, too. The 6-3, 320-pound Hankins has put a lot of work into his conditioning this offseason and it showed in his performance Saturday. The 6-7, 240-pound Gholston is the state of Michigan’s top ranked prospect and his combination of size, speed and athleticism is hard to find anywhere in the country.

Other standout performers for the state of Michigan included Saginaw class of 2011 wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett, Inkster running backs/safeties Daniel and Nathan Lindsey, Ypsilanti Willow Run defensive tackle Garret Davis, Warren Fitzgerald linebacker Austin Gray, Cass Tech athlete Daniel Easterly, Lansing Sexton quarterback Taurean Jackson and Hartland 2011 wide receiver Matt Poches.

Removed OK AB/WR DeMarco Cobbs. He’s down to a top 8, which Michigan is nowhere near. He also plans to go down to a top five soon, so there’s little room to sneak onto his top list.

Shortly after a visit to Michigan for the Big House BBQ, and slightly opening the door on his recruitment, OH TE Alex Smith (seen at left) has fully decommitted from Cincinnati. Michigan will probably among the favorites to land his signature, as he’s been on campus multiple times. If they’re able to land Smith, it would certainly help with his teammate, LB Jordan Hicks. Hicks is one of the top linebacker prospects in the nation, and plans to graduate early. He has a top 6 list that he plans to reveal in short order. Ohio State and Texas are locks to be on the list, and Cincinnati will probably make it as well. Your guess is as good as mine for the last three.

MD OL Arie Kouandjio has landed a coveted Ohio State offer, and considering how selective they can be with offensive line recruits (though the results may not be there over the past two years), it certainly means he’s kind of a big deal. He plans to narrow his scholarship offers to a top five by the time his senior season rolls around.

Speaking of OL prospects (and one Michigan has a much better shot with), FL OL Torrian Wilson has modified his top 5, removing Tennessee in favor of… FIU? Lol Kiffin and whatnot. Alabama, Stanford, and Miami of Florida are the others in his favorites list, along with the Wolverines.

OH DE Darryl Baldwin is likely staying close to home when he ultimately selects a school. Though that immediately makes one think he’s likely to be a Buckeye, that’s certainly not set in stone. The original quote from his coach was “Everybody across the country was interested in him, but he’s a Midwest guy and he’s leaning towards staying close to home.” That sounds a bit more positive for coaches across the midwest, no?

Video fluff on FL LB Christian Jones. He still sounds like he’s going to Florida State, so I wouldn’t give him tooooo much thought.

I just added him Monday, but don’t expect GA LB Tyrone Cornileus to stay on the board long. He has a top 3-ish substance without Michigan in it, and he plans to make a commitment within a month.

MI S/LB Daniel Easterly will camp at Michigan in hopes to land an offer from the Wolverines. He hails from the developing Michigan pipeline of Cass Tech.

Removed LA S Ronnie Vinson, who committed to LSU. He spoke early about really liking Michigan, partially due to a connection to Adam Kraus. However, he hadn’t mentioned the Wolverines in a while, and was probably no longer a realistic option.

Added OH twins DT Terry Talbott and CB Terrence Talbott. Michigan has offered both of the brothers (info in header).

This may be weird coming from me, but how about some hoops-related recruiting news? 2009 commit Darius Morris will report to Ann Arbor on June 22 for enrollment in summer classes (info in header).

This update is getting FULL. The rest of the info will be saved for a Monday update.

Posted under Basketball, Football, Recruiting