Recruiting Boards: 2009 & 2010

Removed:
2009 FL CB Josh Robinson. Teammate of Vladimir Emilien commits to UCF.
2010 FL DT Todd Chandler. Commits to Miami of Florida.
2010 PA LB Mike Hull. Committed to Penn State a while back.

QB Devin Gardner of Inkster is likely to be one of Michigan's top prospects in the class of 2010. His Vikings played East Grand Rapids in the state finals on Saturday, and we'll hopefully have some video soon.

Some fluff from Sam Webb in the Detroit News:

His attendance this summer at the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback camp, sandwiched by camp visits to Michigan, Notre Dame and Michigan State, all helped to better hone his skills. "I'm stronger, faster, and my throwing motion has gotten better," he said. "(The motion) is way higher than it used to be. Most of (the improvement) is decision-making, though.

There's lots of talk about how awesome the coach at Inkster is. I've heard the same thing from lots of sources (many of them about 2009 WR Cameron Gordon) about Greg Carter. He seems to be a good disciplinarian and teacher of the fundamentals, and one of the best coaches in the state. More from Gardner:

"I think I can fit into Michigan real easy," he continued. "They run the exact same offense that we run right now. I already knew the spread offense, but I'm learning (more). I'm doing everything better -- way better. If I go to Michigan, I wouldn't have to adjust that much."

That sounds promising, but Gardner also has nice things to say about Michigan State and Ohio State, so don't get too excited just yet.

I never really thought Michigan would have a great chance with 2010 CA RB Malcolm Jones (Michigan isn't recruiting California as heavily anymore, the school is a traditional USC pipeline, etc.). I didn't even realize, however, that he has an older brother at USC:

Sarkisian attended Friday night's Oaks Christian High School playoff game. The Trojans have not yet offered a scholarship to junior tailback Malcolm Jones, the younger brother of USC safety Marshall Jones. Several Pacific-10 Conference schools already offered Malcolm Jones.

So he was already included on the board only tenuously - he's now a candidate for removal at the next sign that he won't be interested in Michigan.

2010 OH RB Erick Howard was going to move to Seattle but didn't end up doing so, a factoid that, until recently, had confused the hell out of me. Well, now it's a little more clear:

Howard's mother, Ruth, wanted him to move to Seattle with her so he could spend time with his sister, who had just given birth to her first child. Howard resisted but followed and respected his mother's wishes...
He missed his friends and teammates. He begged his mother to let him return... She was reluctant but eventually gave in.

...and now that makes a little bit of sense.

''Now, I always carry a pencil and I go to all of my classes trying to be as prepared as I can,'' he said. ''I'm working toward stepping it up and being a better student and earning a scholarship to play football in college because my dream is to play in the NFL.''

So he's trying to succeed through football, etc., etc. He was the district player of the year, and Michigan may get involved with his recruitment down the road.

2010 FL OL Jose Jose might be similarly unlikely to end up at Michigan (he loves the hometown Miami Hurricanes), but he is certainly a prospect that Michigan fans may find intriguing. Luke Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com brings the video:


2009 IL OL Commit Michael Schofield is playing in a high school all-star game in Hawaii. That rules.

Luk Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com on Pahokee 2010 Slot De'Joshua Johnson:

When De'Joshua told me before the game he was going to be the starting QB, I didn't believe him. He does like to joke around a bit. After watching him play, he looks to be the best QB Pahokee has put on the field this year. Accurate passer, and when you have the athletes PK does, that's all you really need to be as a QB. He doesn't have the little things true QB's have like knowing when to throw the ball away or when to tuck and run.

Verrry interesting. Might he be the type of guy Michigan tries to bring in to play slot, but giving him a chance to try his hand at QB first? It looks like some of the problems with his game at QB are a matter of inexperience at the position (aside from the fact that he's 5-9, of course).

Ohio All-State teams:

Division 1
WR Michael Edwards (Cle. Glenville) 6-1, 180. 2009
OT Marcus Hall (Cle. Glenville) 6-6, 305. 2009
RB Erick Howard (N. Canton Hoover) 5-10, 210. 2010
LB Scott McVey (Cle. St. Ignatius) 6-1, 215. 2010
LB Jordan Hicks (Lakota W.) 6-2, 210. 2010
LB Jewone Snow (Canton McKinley) 6-2, 237. 2010
DB J.T. Turner (Massillon Washington) 6-2, 180. 2009

Division 2
OL Andrew Norwell (Cin. Anderson) 6-7, 275. 2010
DB Courtney Avery (Lexington) 5-11, 170. 2010 (QB)

Division 3
RB Fitzgerald Toussaint (Youngs. Liberty) 5-10, 195. 2009
DB Isaiah Bell (Youngs. Liberty) 6-2, 215. 2009

So, all of Michigan's commits from Ohio were first team all-state in their divisions. Also: Fitz was the co-offensive Player of the Year in Division III.

Interesting comment from Black Shoe Diaries on Jelani Jenkins's recruitment:

I have no concerns in this area whether we get Jenkins or not.

I'm sure it's intended to sound so flippant, but it really comes off as though PSU fans couldn't care one way or the other whether they land Jelani Jenkins. I'm sure Michigan fans don't feel that way, and want Jenkins as the cornerstone of the 2009 LB class, not some cherry on top of it.

The new format for recruiting posts is still something of a work-in-progress, so feel free to comment on it.

Labels: cameron gordon, dejoshua johnson, devin gardner, erick howard, jelani jenkins, jose jose, josh robinson, malcolm jones, michael schofield, mike hull, recruit2010, recruiting, todd chandler

The Board

New Information
MD RB Tavon Austin. Will visit North Carolina this weekend, then decide between the Tarheels and UM. Considering he never visited Ann Arbor...
FL Slot commit Jeremy Gallon. Selected to the Army AA bowl, and named the district player of the year.
SC OL Quinton Washington. Selected to the Shrine Bowl.
IL OL Commit Michael Schofield. Der uberfluff.
SC DE Sam Montgomery. Selected to the Shrine Bowl.
MD LB Jelani Jenkins. Fluff.
SC S Devonte Holloman. Choosing between Clemson and Michigan for 5th official.
FL S Angelo Hadley. Deciding whether to visit Michigan with Mywan Jackson or not.
FL CB Mywan Jackson. Recently suspended for disciplinary purposes. Bad boy.

Removed:
Travis Hawkins. Maryland commit.

Etc.
Freep fluff on recruiting teammates. Sam Webb in the News about which recruits fans probably don't have to worry about.

Analysis
Austin will be off the board soon, though that's no surprise considering he suddenly cancelled a Michigan visit early this year. It's sounding more like Michigan probably won't have a chance with Devonte Holloman. They'll get a shot at Mywan Jackson, though it sounds like Angelo Hadley isn't all that interested in Michigan (however, see the Freep article about recruiting teammates).

Labels: angelo hadley, devonte holloman, football, jelani jenkins, jeremy gallon, michael schofield, mywan jackson, quinton washington, recruiting, sam montgomery, tavon austin, travis hawkins

Added:
CA QB Tate Forcier. He refuses to stop mentioning Michigan, so it would be inappropriate to not at least include him on the board.
FL QB Eugene Smith. Ditto.
CA OG Michael Philipp. Michigan is interested and he wants to visit AA.
MD DE Jason Ankrah. Offered:

Jason has offers from Illinois, Oregon, Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Syracuse and others. Jason said he attended North Carolina, North Carolina State, Syracuse and Penn State Junior Days.

New Information:
IL OL Commit Michael Schofield. Linked to his junior highlight video.
VA QB Commit Kevin Newsome. Can't play on the post-grad team at Hargrave?

“We have a rule that, even if that young man, Newsome, wanted to come to our school, he would have to play on the high-school team. We don’t jump over our high-school team.”

FL LB Brandon Hawthorne. Decision after officials.
AL CB Dre Kirkpatrick. Fluff.

Removed:
NC QB Everett Proctor. Michigan seemed to be offering him as a draw to Xavier Nixon, who has eliminated Michigan.
PA OL Adam Gress. Final 2 doesn't include Michigan. And also, he committed to Penn State.
IL OL Chris Watt. Wolverines out of his final 8.
PA DT Levi Brown. Committed to Temple.
MS DT Josh Boyd. Committed to Mississippi State.
AZ DE Devon Kennard. Michigan did not make his final 5 (USC, UCLA, ASU, Cal, Texas).

Analysis:
So, uh, any other DTs? At this point, there doesn't seem to be a high correlation between guys who have offers and guys that Michigan can realistically land. If the coaches want another tackle in this class, I expect to see some more offers go out soon. If they landed somebody like Chris Bonds, he could conceivably move from end to tackle, but there isn't exactly a glut of DEs, either.

Labels: brandin hawthorne, dre kirkpatrick, eugene smith, jason ankrah, kevin newsome, michael philipp, michael schofield, tate forcier

The Board.

Moved to Committed:
IL OL Michael Schofield. Commitment article from Sun-Times.

Added:
SC TE Jim Teknipp. He wants to visit Michigan this summer.
FL TE Orson Charles. He has a Michigan offer. Most consider him a Florida lock, however.
MD RB Malek Redd. Impressive at Michigan camp.
MD RB Caleb Porzel. Teammate of Jelani Jenkins, and he seems like a good fit for the spread. Michigan is probably playing catch-up, however.
TX WR DeWayne Peace. There is clearly mutual interest for the camper (info in header).

New Information:
SC DB Damario Jeffery. Michigan is in his top 6 (contrary to Monday's recruiting post).
LA WR Rueben Randle. Miami of Florida leads (info in header).
OK RB David Oku. Sam Webb News fluff.

Removed:
SC DB David Sims. He has dropped Michigan.
LA DT Chris Davenport. It doesn't appear that he has any interest in the Wolverines.

Etc.:
You can ignore most of the article, but take note of the blurb at the bottom:

ESPN television is currently in production on a special that will profile the top prospects at the Nike and Elite 11 training camps. The information used in this article was gathered as part of the television production process.

Analysis:
Schofield is a good get for Michigan. This is partially because offensive line was a position of some need in this class, and also because he is a particularly good fit with great athleticism. He is moving upward in the rankings.

Labels: caleb porzel, damario jeffery, david oku, dewayne peace, football, jim teknipp, malek redd, michael schofield, orson charles, recruiting, rueben randle

Michael Schofield, Michigan's 10th 2009 commit, is an offensive lineman hailing from Orland Park, Illinois. The Sandburg High School product stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and tips the scales at around 270 pounds.

Schofield's height seems to be evidence that he will be capable of being an offensive tackle down the road. His lighter weight shows the difference between the athletic linemen preferred by the new coaching staff, as Schofield will put on some weight, but probably never play above 290lbs.

Want more evidence that Schofield is athletic? How about taking note of the fact that he is a hurdler on the Sandburg track team?

110 Meter Hurdles
Finals

Place   Heat  Lane   Wind   Competitor, School                                       Time
 1      1     4           Ryan Buchanan (Fr), Bolingbrook                         16.3
 2      1     5           Mike Schofield (So), Sandburg                           16.3 

While his time of 16.3 may not be particularly impressive when compared to Kevin Newsome's 14.15, there are a few factors to keep in mind. 1) Kevin Newsome is an all-american in track. 2) Michael Schofield is an offensive lineman. Schofield also shows his strength by chucking the discus for Sandburg.

Schofield seems like a future left tackle at this point, with good height and exceptional athleticism. Rivals and Scout are in disagreement on him at this point, with Rivals considering him a 4-star (#15 offensive tackle) and Scout a 3-star (#47 offensive tackle). Judging by offers from schools like Miami of Florida, Penn State, and Wisconsin, Rivals is likely to be a more accurate ranking.

Labels: commitments, football, michael schofield, recruiting

Michigan's offensive line recruiting for the class of 2009 has kicked off with the commitment of Michael Schofield. Schofield (6-6, 280) hails from Orland Park, Illinois, where he attends Sandburg High School. He is Michigan's 10th overall commit for the class.

Recruiting Notes
Schofield attended the BBQ at the Big House recruiting event. He received a scholarship offer from Rich Rodriguez shortly thereafter. Michigan was the most prestigious school pursuing Schofield, and he decided to end his recruitment on June 16th.

Player Notes
Schofield is a tall, nimble lineman. He has very good height (listed anywhere between 6-5 and 6-7) and will likely end up as a tackle in college, though it remains to be seen if he has the skill set to protect the quarterback's blind side.

Etc.
Thanks to commenter Obes for tearing me away from the Utah preview I was working on to break the news of this commitment, and also to RJ, who text messaged me the news minutes later.

Labels: commitments, football, michael schofield, recruiting

The Board. Pretty much all stuff will be in guys whose status (offered, on/off the board, etc.) has changed. Additional substantive update coming Monday.

Moved to Committed
MN WR Bryce McNeal.
FL WR Jeremy Gallon. Also added to the board in this update. He will probably be a slot.

Added
NJ DE Anthony LaLota. Michigan has offered.
FL WR Jeremy Gallon. Offered and also committed.
IL OL Michael Schofield. Offered.

New Information
TN OT Alex Bullard. He will make a decision today. Probably for TN or ND, though M is still in it until the end.
FL RB Vincent Smith. Offered.
Others Monday.

Removed
MI TE Reid Fragel. Ohio State commit.
NY DE Andre Civil. Rutgers commit.
LA OL Chris Faulk. LSU commit.
NC RB Desmond Scott. Rutgers commit.
FL WR Nu'Keese Richardson. Florida commit.
NC OL Xavier Nixon. Eliminates Michigan.

Analysis
It seems like tons of guys were removed, but keep in mind that this is three weeks of action. A couple commits from somewhat highly-touted players should keep people satisfied, at least somewhat. With camps coming up fast, it should be a fun time to follow recruiting.

Labels: alex bullard, anthony lalota, bryce mcneal, commitments, cornelius byrd, david sims, football, jeremy gallon, michael schofield, recruiting, vincent smith