Both from California. Starting with the negative...
Murrieta (Calif.) Mesa offensive lineman Nathan Smith has committed to USC. Michigan hadn't offered him, but the Wolverines were definitely in the evaluation stage, and he'd been considering a visit to Ann Arbor. The 6-7, 276-pounder is the No. 11 offensive tackle and No. 130 overall prospect nationally. He's not originally from California - which had given a glimmer of hope to out-of-state programs, but will play for USC.
The one positive to his coming off the board is that it does take one O-line spot in USC's 2016 class, and Michigan and the Trojans figure to go head-to-head for a few other prospects.
The other development is a top 10 for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star Frank Martin, which Michigan makes. The Wolverines are joined by Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, LSU, TCU, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Martin is a 6-6, 310-pounder ranked the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 67 overall player nationally. USC is considered the favorite for him as well (which tends to be the case with kids from Mater Dei - Matt Barkley, Khaled Holmes, Matt Leinart, Max Wittek to name a few). It's early enough that Smith doesn't take away his spot, especially since Martin can also play guard.
U-M offered MArtin a couple months back, and he's tentatively planning to visit campus at some point this summer.
Murrieta (Calif.) Mesa offensive lineman Nathan Smith has committed to USC. Michigan hadn't offered him, but the Wolverines were definitely in the evaluation stage, and he'd been considering a visit to Ann Arbor. The 6-7, 276-pounder is the No. 11 offensive tackle and No. 130 overall prospect nationally. He's not originally from California - which had given a glimmer of hope to out-of-state programs, but will play for USC.
The one positive to his coming off the board is that it does take one O-line spot in USC's 2016 class, and Michigan and the Trojans figure to go head-to-head for a few other prospects.
The other development is a top 10 for Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star Frank Martin, which Michigan makes. The Wolverines are joined by Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, LSU, TCU, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Martin is a 6-6, 310-pounder ranked the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 67 overall player nationally. USC is considered the favorite for him as well (which tends to be the case with kids from Mater Dei - Matt Barkley, Khaled Holmes, Matt Leinart, Max Wittek to name a few). It's early enough that Smith doesn't take away his spot, especially since Martin can also play guard.
U-M offered MArtin a couple months back, and he's tentatively planning to visit campus at some point this summer.
