While we traditionally start with football recruiting, basketball recruiting is the hot topic of the day, where the big question among fans seems to be, 'What are the coaches thinking in bringing in another 2016 center?'
That pertains to Onsted, Mich., three-star big man Austin Davis (6-10, 260), whose recruitment was just about to take off before Michigan grabbed his commitment.
"Davis is a skilled big man with good footwork, solid post moves, and the ability to finish with either hand," SpartanMag.com's Paul Konyndyk said after seeing him in Dallas with the Michigan Mustangs. "It is only a matter of time before the small-school standout begins pilling up major conference offers.
"Look for Davis to improve his recruiting stock with a another strong weekend in front of coaches when the Adidas Gauntlet moves to Indianapolis in two weekends."
We'll be there to see it.
But why two centers in 2016? We did some digging with those close to Medina, Ohio, big man Jon Teske (7-0, Rivals.com four-star prospect, No. 97 overall) and Davis' coach Brad Maska, and they both had something interesting to share: that they might not necessarily be in the same class after all.
Davis is 16 years old with an August birthday and should be a sophomore in high school.
"They talked about Ricky Doyle (U-M's 6-8 sophomore to be) and Teske, and they would have room for all of them," Maska said. "Doyle would be gone by the time Austin was ready to see the floor there."
That was intriguing. And make no mistake; Teske was assured he was not being recruited over. In fact, the Michigan coaches were on hand when he dominated at an AAU event last week, his family told us, and they've assured as much.
It sounds like Davis might finish up at Onsted and possibly prep a year, arrive in 2017 - and if he redshirts a year after that, you're looking at a grown man hitting the floor as a redshirt frosh in 2018-19. He's willing to do that if they ask, Maska implied, because he loves Michigan and is, as head coach John Beilein put it, "kicking down the doors to get to Michigan."
But don't put it past him to be ready to compete in 2017, if it comes to that. Read this email from a friend who coached against Davis in little league baseball a few years back:
"We played baseball against Onsted three years in a row from U11 thru U13. As an 11-year old this kid was taller than me and weighed 300 lbs. He pitched against us, and you can imagine how frightening that would be to fifth graders to have this mountain man throwing erratic seeds all over the place. We were patient, bunted strategically, made him field his position and scratched out enough runs to survive him.
"As a 12-year old, it was similar. On to U13, he LOST 60 pounds, and grew to probably 6-6 at the time. It was an amazing transformation. He played first base nimbly and was gradually growing into his body.
"I had some conversations with their coaches through those years. They were telling me about his bloodlines. He had a couple uncles that were national champs on Grand Valley State football teams, another relative or two that played NCAA ball. I was told his family were not just big oafs, but had killer genes in them - very competitive and fierce.
"Fast forward a few years, and I see a Rivals feature on him that shows him working out alone, using both hands and putting himself through a pretty tough workout. I couldn't believe this was the same kid. And his junior film dwarfed these younger clips, which were from his sophomore year, I believe. So obviously he was improving in a hurry.
"And now I read where he's trying to ADD 20 pounds of muscle. A kid who weighs 40 pounds less at age 16 then he did at 11???
"I will not doubt this kid. His improvement trend has been off the charts, and he has displayed a work ethic and body development slope that I think we are going to like this kid."
He's also a 4.0 student with a 30 ACT. So those writing this off as a panic move, etc., or offering it as proof the coaches don't know what they're looking for - well, think again.
As for this year's team, we still don't expect any attrition unless junior Caris LeVert goes pro (and while we still expect him to stay, we're looking at 65-35 at this point).
Chesterfield, Va., Lloyd C. Bird's Kenny Williams (6-3, No. 97 senior nationally) would be a contingency there should LeVert go, and he's high on the Wolverines.
Marietta, Ga., Wheeler's Jaylen Brown (6-7, No. 2 senior nationally) is still out there as well, but a long shot. If he wanted to come and LeVert is still on the roster, it's possible sophomore-to-be Austin Hatch would go to preferred walk-on status for a year to make room. It wouldn't surprise at all if he suggested it, in fact, given that he has the means to pay his own way and wants everything best for the team.
On 2016 point guards, Detroit U-D Jesuit point guard Cassius Winston (6-0, Rivals.com's No. 24 junior nationally) becomes the priority with Derryck Thornton Jr. likely reclassifying to 2015 and even likelier accepting a scholarship offer from Duke. Four-star Californian DeVearl Ramsey (5-10) is on the radar, and expect other targets to emerge.
Now, on to football recruiting.
Michigan continues its push to lock down the state of Michigan - a departure from early in the 2016 recruiting cycle, but not a bad idea with talented classes among both rising seniors and juniors. The Wolverines will continue to look nationally, but when the talent in-state is good enough to win football games, they can build a base.
The latest push has been with Detroit King cornerback Lavert Hill, who was on-campus for the spring game to see his older brother, Delano, take the field - not for a recruiting visit to U-M. However, he also made the short trip to Ann Arbor just a few days later, and the Wolverines' coaches made a strong pitch for the Penn State commit.
"They gave him the hard sell," said one source familiar with his recruitment. "They want him, but since he didn't commit, I think they'll let him take some time."
An area coach very familiar with Hill thinks that's the right approach. The four-star and No. 19 cornerback nationally has worlds of potential, but hasn't translated it from the no-pads circuit to on-field action. That's a question mark, and one that should probably be answered before they really try to get Hill in the fold.
"Michigan should hold their horses," he said. "Let's see him translate it from camp to games. He has the physical potential, but let's wait and see what he does. He can cover as well as anybody - that's what you see in the camps, and they picked the interest back up after hearing how he did in a camp - and he's actually much better at playing off blocks and laying hits than people realize. He has to do it on the field, though.
"Most of the issues with him have been mental. Like a great quarterback, a great corner has to be able to just let a bad play go. That's something he hasn't been able to do when he gets beat: it affects the next few plays. We'll see if he can do it in a new environment."
That new environment is Detroit King, after transferring this offseason from Cass Tech. That move, along with his early commitment to the Nittany Lions, was undertaken to let Hill focus on his off-field obligations, and be more comfortable on the field because he won't be worrying about those things.
For that reason, it makes sense - and is expected - that Michigan won't pursue in full force until he continues settling in at King. By the time the season rolls around, though, they should have picked things up in his recruitment. We expect that the Maize and Blue will have a strong say in where he ultimately ends up, and if they decide they want him still at that time, there's a very good chance he ends up in a slightly different shade of blue than the one he's expecting to wear right now.
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Farmington (Mich.) High 2016 linebacker David Reese wasn't the most exciting pledge from a rankings perspective - the three-star is the No. 17 inside linebacker nationally - but we've liked his growth over the past couple years, and many who have worked with him agree that he has more potential than some realize.
A local coach who has worked with him in the offseason points out what we've heard repeatedly: nobody is going to outwork him in the offseason.
"We've had him in our training sessions, and he's going to do everything it takes to get to his full potential," this coach said. "A lot of people think he's a fullback - even though Michigan has told him he can start at linebacker, that may be their long-term plan for him - but the improvement he's made in being able to turn and run, and move sideline-to-sideline says to me that he can be a linebacker.
"Even if he's not the most physically gifted, you need some guys who have had to work hard for everything they achieve. Sure, you need some talented kids, maybe even some 'silver spoon' guys who have the talent, but they have to play with some of those hard-working 'earned everything I've got' types to reach their full potential and to have a well-rounded team.
"Guys who aren't naturals but work for it can be 'glue guys,' and when you have the naturals - especially like Jabrill Peppers, who is both a natural and a hard worker - everything can come together."
We've also discussed how important Reese is in convincing other top area players that the mantra "The best players in Michigan play for Michigan" has a grain of truth, but don't think he's around just for recruiting purposes. He should be an important Wolverine on the field when all is said and done.
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Also in-state - and moving to the 2017 class - there are many around Detroit Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones who want to see him end up at Michigan. Family, friends, et al are Maize and Blue supporters and want to see him in the winged helmet. Michigan would like to see that in the end, as well.
One issue with that is an early favorite far from home - Peoples-Jones is enamored with playing his college ball in the state of Florida, and already has an offer from Miami and interest from the other two of the "Big Three." U-M will have to work to keep him interested.
This is an area where U-M's strict adherence to NCAA rules could be something of a disadvantage. During the fall contact period for 2015 prospects (and the recently-opened evaluation period for 2016s), college coaches aren't supposed to have any contact with 2017s. Running backs coach and area recruiter Tyrone Wheatley has been to Cass Tech during each of those periods, and in accordance with the letter of the law, has not met with Peoples-Jones.
It hasn't necessarily rubbed him the wrong way, but the other programs in pursuit haven't been such sticklers for the rule, giving them a chance to build a bit of a bond. Michigan will have to combat that, but fortunately there's plenty of time for Class of 2017 recruiting, and the friendly U-M voices should help keep the Wolverines on his mind.
Look for him to take unofficial visits to campus this summer (including for the U-M summer camp), where the Maize and Blue can make up some of that ground. He'll certainly be a priority, an early four-star still growing at 6-1, 182 pounds in his sophomore year.
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Michigan's desire to keep the best players in-state took another step forward last night when Detroit King 2017 athlete Ambry Thomas picked up a Wolverine offer. The 5-11, 160-pounder is one of the fastest football players in the state - he's been clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, perhaps a time that gets three FAKEs out of five but is impressive nonetheless - and can play defensive back or make big plays with the ball in his hands.
King has become a bit of a hotbed for Michigan after a few years of Spartan-dominated recruiting, and with 2016 wideout Donnie Corley and Hill on the U-M list, Thomas is the first 2017 prospect to earn the honor from the Maize and Blue.
He's still developing as a pure football player, but his athletic tools are unquestioned. Look for him to camp at Michigan this summer to solidify that offer.
Also, he has mentioned the final weekend in May as the date that the U-M coaches will be inviting some of their top 2017 in-state players to campus, perhaps a sign of what will become of the "Barbecue at the Big House" recruiting event. Stay tuned for updates on that developing scene.
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Our focus for this weekend is not in Michigan at all, however, but rather in New Jersey, where the Rivals Camp Series will make its next stop. Counting just those with Michigan offers, 15 players of interest are in attendance, and expanding to those who might earn offers down the road, we're looking at upwards of 40 prospects of U-M interest.
Among them is five-star 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, who Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman informed us yesterday is deep into the works of setting up a return visit to Michigan. Gary took his previous trip along with a few other offered Jersey prospects (Brad Hawkins, Ron Johnson, and Ahmir Mitchell, all of whom will be at the camp this weekend), and this time, it will be mom - who was at Rutgers evaluating the non-football side of things while Gary was in Ann Arbor - who attends with him.
Even though he has family in South Carolina and has mentioned Clemson as a top school most consistently, those close to Gary continue to peg the Paramus Catholic star as an eventual Michigan lean. With former PC coach Chris Partridge on the recruiting staff of the Wolverines, there's a deep connection there (including to mom, who moved Gary from a public school to Paramus Catholic last offseason in part to have Partridge mentor him).
While the "slam-dunk" that some thought Michigan would be for Gary after hiring Partridge hasn't come to fruition, the Maize and Blue are certainly doing everything right to set themselves up for success in that one.
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Other notable U-M targets at the camp include Philly standouts Naseir Upshur (four-star 2016 tight end from Imhotep Charter) and D'Andre Swift (four-star 2017 running back from Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep), along with recent offers such as Paramus Catholic duo Donald Stewart (two-star 2016 wide receiver - though he has a chance to make a statement for being ranked much higher than that) and Drew Singleton (unranked 2017 linebacker).
While the depth of elite talent may not compare to the Georgia camp, for example, it's an exciting event from a Michigan perspective. Keep your browser pointed this way all weekend for updates from the event.
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Speaking of camps, the Michigan football program finally announced its national tour yesterday, and though it didn't end up being the blockbuster it could have been (thanks mostly to a lot of the information already being available), it still shows that this Michigan staff is innovative, and willing to do what it takes to compete on the national scale.
Some of the stops - and the coaches U-M will be working with - are pretty interesting indeed. We've already known about the Prattville (Ala.) camp, on the campus of a high school that will send one 2015 player (cornerback Keith Washington) and one 2016 player (running back Kingston Davis) to Michigan.
How about the stop in Fresno, Calif., where defensive backs program DBGuru is the host. One of that program's star pupils? Five-star linebacker Caleb Kelly, who recently named the Maize and Blue to his top 10.
The Michigan coaches will also make a Florida stop in Tampa for the USF one-day camp. It's the only true college camp on the slate (in comparison to Penn State's much-ballyhooed tour last year, which consisted entirely of two college camps, one at Georgia Southern and one at Stetson University in Florida), but is built on Michigan's relationships with coaches in that program, as well.
Longtime head coach - the first in Bulls history - Jim Leavitt coached the past four years with Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers, and though he's now Colorado's defensive coordinator, has strong ties to the USF program. Current head coach Willie Taggart is a former Harbaugh assistant at Stanford.
The Michigan coaches are doing everything they can to set themselves up well, and a robust Harbaugh coaching tree is certainly helping.
Finishing with football.
Jake Rudock is in. Officially. Now here's the backstory.
When the news that Rudock was transferring first broke back in February, Michigan wasn't interested. Or at least, U-M didn't know if it was interested.
The Wolverines had already landed a transfer from Houston QB John O'Korn, and had signed both Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry to letters of intent. Word was that the coaches talked to a few holdovers from the Brady Hoke regime about junior Shane Morris and redshirt freshman Wilton Speight and were told Morris could be the guy with the right coaching - the kind of coaching Jim Harbaugh and Jedd Fisch are capable of.
However, Morris was up and down in the spring, like he's been throughout his college career thus far, and as week one of spring practices turned into week two and then week three, and it became apparent a lot of the holes in Morris' game - the poor decision-making, tendency to revert to bad arm angles, and lack of touch - remained, U-M sought to add another quarterback to the competition.
In Rudock, Michigan is not getting the next Russell Wilson, and it's imperative the fans understand that. What they're getting is someone that can move the chains consistently, making the right decisions of where to go with the ball while limiting the turnovers.
"He's a Brian Griese-type, not a Drew Henson or Chad Henne," an insider shared. "He's going to take care of the ball. He's going to command the huddle and keep the defense out of bad situations.
"Really, I think you'll see a similar game plan to what we saw in 1997 - and I'm not saying the defense is as good, or we have a Charles Woodson so please don't oversell this, but you'll have an offense that picks its moments, uses the tight ends and the running backs as much as the receivers in the passing game, like we did back then with [tight end] Jerame Tuman and [tailback] Chris Howard because we had Tai Streets at receiver and not much else.
"I think they think they can win with defense. Win a lot of games 24-14 or something like that where they hold the opponent under 17 points, and in that system, Jake Rudock is the right quarterback."
But Michigan is not writing off Morris, Malzone or Gentry. All three possess higher ceilings and could quarterback more prolific offenses, maybe as early as mid-season in 2015, but sources are doubtful any of the three will be ready to be the kind of quarterback Harbaugh needs by the opener Sept. 3, and thus it became critical the Wolverines landed a Rudock type.
"Is Rudock the starter for the Utah game in week one and the Ohio State game in week 12? I don't know if he is, but right now, he's the best bet to start the opener until they coach up some of these other quarterbacks," our insider shared.
Speaking of grad-transfers, Michigan now has three - cornerback Wayne Lyons (though he has not been officially announced) and punter Blake O'Neill - and we know that U-M is looking for a wide receiver. We'd love to provide you with some names but there are very few wideouts that have declared intentions to become a grad-transfer, and they don't have what Michigan is looking for.
What we expect to happen is that as spring practices and academic semesters come to an end, more grad-transfers will become available, and the Maize and Blue will be keeping their eyes and ears open for the right fit.
Will they find one?
Possibly, though there are few cases as slam dunk as Rudock or O'Neill.
"They need one, they want one, if there is an opportunity to grab a receiver, Michigan will make it happen," the source noted.
And get used to this approach. As we discussed on the podcast today, Harbaugh is on a mission to make Michigan a national champion and to do so he has to take advantage of every avenue available to the Wolverines, which includes grad-transfers to address deficiencies.
In the future, it may not be three, four or five a year, but it might be.
Plenty have asked if U-M will even have room for a grad-transfer, with 85 committed scholarships for next season, and the expected answer is yes, because there should be some attrition, and it should happen soon as the winter semester at Michigan draws to its conclusion.
How many? We've heard as many as eight players might leave, and as few as three or four. It's not right to put names out there because of the negative connotation that comes with potentially transferring and because some of these kids haven't made up their minds entirely, but you could guess by looking at the players that were healthy and yet never saw the field in the spring game.
That pertains to Onsted, Mich., three-star big man Austin Davis (6-10, 260), whose recruitment was just about to take off before Michigan grabbed his commitment.
"Davis is a skilled big man with good footwork, solid post moves, and the ability to finish with either hand," SpartanMag.com's Paul Konyndyk said after seeing him in Dallas with the Michigan Mustangs. "It is only a matter of time before the small-school standout begins pilling up major conference offers.
"Look for Davis to improve his recruiting stock with a another strong weekend in front of coaches when the Adidas Gauntlet moves to Indianapolis in two weekends."
We'll be there to see it.
But why two centers in 2016? We did some digging with those close to Medina, Ohio, big man Jon Teske (7-0, Rivals.com four-star prospect, No. 97 overall) and Davis' coach Brad Maska, and they both had something interesting to share: that they might not necessarily be in the same class after all.
Davis is 16 years old with an August birthday and should be a sophomore in high school.
"They talked about Ricky Doyle (U-M's 6-8 sophomore to be) and Teske, and they would have room for all of them," Maska said. "Doyle would be gone by the time Austin was ready to see the floor there."
That was intriguing. And make no mistake; Teske was assured he was not being recruited over. In fact, the Michigan coaches were on hand when he dominated at an AAU event last week, his family told us, and they've assured as much.
It sounds like Davis might finish up at Onsted and possibly prep a year, arrive in 2017 - and if he redshirts a year after that, you're looking at a grown man hitting the floor as a redshirt frosh in 2018-19. He's willing to do that if they ask, Maska implied, because he loves Michigan and is, as head coach John Beilein put it, "kicking down the doors to get to Michigan."
But don't put it past him to be ready to compete in 2017, if it comes to that. Read this email from a friend who coached against Davis in little league baseball a few years back:
"We played baseball against Onsted three years in a row from U11 thru U13. As an 11-year old this kid was taller than me and weighed 300 lbs. He pitched against us, and you can imagine how frightening that would be to fifth graders to have this mountain man throwing erratic seeds all over the place. We were patient, bunted strategically, made him field his position and scratched out enough runs to survive him.
"As a 12-year old, it was similar. On to U13, he LOST 60 pounds, and grew to probably 6-6 at the time. It was an amazing transformation. He played first base nimbly and was gradually growing into his body.
"I had some conversations with their coaches through those years. They were telling me about his bloodlines. He had a couple uncles that were national champs on Grand Valley State football teams, another relative or two that played NCAA ball. I was told his family were not just big oafs, but had killer genes in them - very competitive and fierce.
"Fast forward a few years, and I see a Rivals feature on him that shows him working out alone, using both hands and putting himself through a pretty tough workout. I couldn't believe this was the same kid. And his junior film dwarfed these younger clips, which were from his sophomore year, I believe. So obviously he was improving in a hurry.
"And now I read where he's trying to ADD 20 pounds of muscle. A kid who weighs 40 pounds less at age 16 then he did at 11???
"I will not doubt this kid. His improvement trend has been off the charts, and he has displayed a work ethic and body development slope that I think we are going to like this kid."
He's also a 4.0 student with a 30 ACT. So those writing this off as a panic move, etc., or offering it as proof the coaches don't know what they're looking for - well, think again.
As for this year's team, we still don't expect any attrition unless junior Caris LeVert goes pro (and while we still expect him to stay, we're looking at 65-35 at this point).
Chesterfield, Va., Lloyd C. Bird's Kenny Williams (6-3, No. 97 senior nationally) would be a contingency there should LeVert go, and he's high on the Wolverines.
Marietta, Ga., Wheeler's Jaylen Brown (6-7, No. 2 senior nationally) is still out there as well, but a long shot. If he wanted to come and LeVert is still on the roster, it's possible sophomore-to-be Austin Hatch would go to preferred walk-on status for a year to make room. It wouldn't surprise at all if he suggested it, in fact, given that he has the means to pay his own way and wants everything best for the team.
On 2016 point guards, Detroit U-D Jesuit point guard Cassius Winston (6-0, Rivals.com's No. 24 junior nationally) becomes the priority with Derryck Thornton Jr. likely reclassifying to 2015 and even likelier accepting a scholarship offer from Duke. Four-star Californian DeVearl Ramsey (5-10) is on the radar, and expect other targets to emerge.
Now, on to football recruiting.
Michigan continues its push to lock down the state of Michigan - a departure from early in the 2016 recruiting cycle, but not a bad idea with talented classes among both rising seniors and juniors. The Wolverines will continue to look nationally, but when the talent in-state is good enough to win football games, they can build a base.
The latest push has been with Detroit King cornerback Lavert Hill, who was on-campus for the spring game to see his older brother, Delano, take the field - not for a recruiting visit to U-M. However, he also made the short trip to Ann Arbor just a few days later, and the Wolverines' coaches made a strong pitch for the Penn State commit.
"They gave him the hard sell," said one source familiar with his recruitment. "They want him, but since he didn't commit, I think they'll let him take some time."
An area coach very familiar with Hill thinks that's the right approach. The four-star and No. 19 cornerback nationally has worlds of potential, but hasn't translated it from the no-pads circuit to on-field action. That's a question mark, and one that should probably be answered before they really try to get Hill in the fold.
"Michigan should hold their horses," he said. "Let's see him translate it from camp to games. He has the physical potential, but let's wait and see what he does. He can cover as well as anybody - that's what you see in the camps, and they picked the interest back up after hearing how he did in a camp - and he's actually much better at playing off blocks and laying hits than people realize. He has to do it on the field, though.
"Most of the issues with him have been mental. Like a great quarterback, a great corner has to be able to just let a bad play go. That's something he hasn't been able to do when he gets beat: it affects the next few plays. We'll see if he can do it in a new environment."
That new environment is Detroit King, after transferring this offseason from Cass Tech. That move, along with his early commitment to the Nittany Lions, was undertaken to let Hill focus on his off-field obligations, and be more comfortable on the field because he won't be worrying about those things.
For that reason, it makes sense - and is expected - that Michigan won't pursue in full force until he continues settling in at King. By the time the season rolls around, though, they should have picked things up in his recruitment. We expect that the Maize and Blue will have a strong say in where he ultimately ends up, and if they decide they want him still at that time, there's a very good chance he ends up in a slightly different shade of blue than the one he's expecting to wear right now.
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Farmington (Mich.) High 2016 linebacker David Reese wasn't the most exciting pledge from a rankings perspective - the three-star is the No. 17 inside linebacker nationally - but we've liked his growth over the past couple years, and many who have worked with him agree that he has more potential than some realize.
A local coach who has worked with him in the offseason points out what we've heard repeatedly: nobody is going to outwork him in the offseason.
"We've had him in our training sessions, and he's going to do everything it takes to get to his full potential," this coach said. "A lot of people think he's a fullback - even though Michigan has told him he can start at linebacker, that may be their long-term plan for him - but the improvement he's made in being able to turn and run, and move sideline-to-sideline says to me that he can be a linebacker.
"Even if he's not the most physically gifted, you need some guys who have had to work hard for everything they achieve. Sure, you need some talented kids, maybe even some 'silver spoon' guys who have the talent, but they have to play with some of those hard-working 'earned everything I've got' types to reach their full potential and to have a well-rounded team.
"Guys who aren't naturals but work for it can be 'glue guys,' and when you have the naturals - especially like Jabrill Peppers, who is both a natural and a hard worker - everything can come together."
We've also discussed how important Reese is in convincing other top area players that the mantra "The best players in Michigan play for Michigan" has a grain of truth, but don't think he's around just for recruiting purposes. He should be an important Wolverine on the field when all is said and done.
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Also in-state - and moving to the 2017 class - there are many around Detroit Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones who want to see him end up at Michigan. Family, friends, et al are Maize and Blue supporters and want to see him in the winged helmet. Michigan would like to see that in the end, as well.
One issue with that is an early favorite far from home - Peoples-Jones is enamored with playing his college ball in the state of Florida, and already has an offer from Miami and interest from the other two of the "Big Three." U-M will have to work to keep him interested.
This is an area where U-M's strict adherence to NCAA rules could be something of a disadvantage. During the fall contact period for 2015 prospects (and the recently-opened evaluation period for 2016s), college coaches aren't supposed to have any contact with 2017s. Running backs coach and area recruiter Tyrone Wheatley has been to Cass Tech during each of those periods, and in accordance with the letter of the law, has not met with Peoples-Jones.
It hasn't necessarily rubbed him the wrong way, but the other programs in pursuit haven't been such sticklers for the rule, giving them a chance to build a bit of a bond. Michigan will have to combat that, but fortunately there's plenty of time for Class of 2017 recruiting, and the friendly U-M voices should help keep the Wolverines on his mind.
Look for him to take unofficial visits to campus this summer (including for the U-M summer camp), where the Maize and Blue can make up some of that ground. He'll certainly be a priority, an early four-star still growing at 6-1, 182 pounds in his sophomore year.
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Michigan's desire to keep the best players in-state took another step forward last night when Detroit King 2017 athlete Ambry Thomas picked up a Wolverine offer. The 5-11, 160-pounder is one of the fastest football players in the state - he's been clocked at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, perhaps a time that gets three FAKEs out of five but is impressive nonetheless - and can play defensive back or make big plays with the ball in his hands.
King has become a bit of a hotbed for Michigan after a few years of Spartan-dominated recruiting, and with 2016 wideout Donnie Corley and Hill on the U-M list, Thomas is the first 2017 prospect to earn the honor from the Maize and Blue.
He's still developing as a pure football player, but his athletic tools are unquestioned. Look for him to camp at Michigan this summer to solidify that offer.
Also, he has mentioned the final weekend in May as the date that the U-M coaches will be inviting some of their top 2017 in-state players to campus, perhaps a sign of what will become of the "Barbecue at the Big House" recruiting event. Stay tuned for updates on that developing scene.
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Our focus for this weekend is not in Michigan at all, however, but rather in New Jersey, where the Rivals Camp Series will make its next stop. Counting just those with Michigan offers, 15 players of interest are in attendance, and expanding to those who might earn offers down the road, we're looking at upwards of 40 prospects of U-M interest.
Among them is five-star 2016 defensive tackle Rashan Gary, who Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman informed us yesterday is deep into the works of setting up a return visit to Michigan. Gary took his previous trip along with a few other offered Jersey prospects (Brad Hawkins, Ron Johnson, and Ahmir Mitchell, all of whom will be at the camp this weekend), and this time, it will be mom - who was at Rutgers evaluating the non-football side of things while Gary was in Ann Arbor - who attends with him.
Even though he has family in South Carolina and has mentioned Clemson as a top school most consistently, those close to Gary continue to peg the Paramus Catholic star as an eventual Michigan lean. With former PC coach Chris Partridge on the recruiting staff of the Wolverines, there's a deep connection there (including to mom, who moved Gary from a public school to Paramus Catholic last offseason in part to have Partridge mentor him).
While the "slam-dunk" that some thought Michigan would be for Gary after hiring Partridge hasn't come to fruition, the Maize and Blue are certainly doing everything right to set themselves up for success in that one.
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Other notable U-M targets at the camp include Philly standouts Naseir Upshur (four-star 2016 tight end from Imhotep Charter) and D'Andre Swift (four-star 2017 running back from Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep), along with recent offers such as Paramus Catholic duo Donald Stewart (two-star 2016 wide receiver - though he has a chance to make a statement for being ranked much higher than that) and Drew Singleton (unranked 2017 linebacker).
While the depth of elite talent may not compare to the Georgia camp, for example, it's an exciting event from a Michigan perspective. Keep your browser pointed this way all weekend for updates from the event.
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Speaking of camps, the Michigan football program finally announced its national tour yesterday, and though it didn't end up being the blockbuster it could have been (thanks mostly to a lot of the information already being available), it still shows that this Michigan staff is innovative, and willing to do what it takes to compete on the national scale.
Some of the stops - and the coaches U-M will be working with - are pretty interesting indeed. We've already known about the Prattville (Ala.) camp, on the campus of a high school that will send one 2015 player (cornerback Keith Washington) and one 2016 player (running back Kingston Davis) to Michigan.
How about the stop in Fresno, Calif., where defensive backs program DBGuru is the host. One of that program's star pupils? Five-star linebacker Caleb Kelly, who recently named the Maize and Blue to his top 10.
The Michigan coaches will also make a Florida stop in Tampa for the USF one-day camp. It's the only true college camp on the slate (in comparison to Penn State's much-ballyhooed tour last year, which consisted entirely of two college camps, one at Georgia Southern and one at Stetson University in Florida), but is built on Michigan's relationships with coaches in that program, as well.
Longtime head coach - the first in Bulls history - Jim Leavitt coached the past four years with Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers, and though he's now Colorado's defensive coordinator, has strong ties to the USF program. Current head coach Willie Taggart is a former Harbaugh assistant at Stanford.
The Michigan coaches are doing everything they can to set themselves up well, and a robust Harbaugh coaching tree is certainly helping.
Finishing with football.
Jake Rudock is in. Officially. Now here's the backstory.
When the news that Rudock was transferring first broke back in February, Michigan wasn't interested. Or at least, U-M didn't know if it was interested.
The Wolverines had already landed a transfer from Houston QB John O'Korn, and had signed both Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry to letters of intent. Word was that the coaches talked to a few holdovers from the Brady Hoke regime about junior Shane Morris and redshirt freshman Wilton Speight and were told Morris could be the guy with the right coaching - the kind of coaching Jim Harbaugh and Jedd Fisch are capable of.
However, Morris was up and down in the spring, like he's been throughout his college career thus far, and as week one of spring practices turned into week two and then week three, and it became apparent a lot of the holes in Morris' game - the poor decision-making, tendency to revert to bad arm angles, and lack of touch - remained, U-M sought to add another quarterback to the competition.
In Rudock, Michigan is not getting the next Russell Wilson, and it's imperative the fans understand that. What they're getting is someone that can move the chains consistently, making the right decisions of where to go with the ball while limiting the turnovers.
"He's a Brian Griese-type, not a Drew Henson or Chad Henne," an insider shared. "He's going to take care of the ball. He's going to command the huddle and keep the defense out of bad situations.
"Really, I think you'll see a similar game plan to what we saw in 1997 - and I'm not saying the defense is as good, or we have a Charles Woodson so please don't oversell this, but you'll have an offense that picks its moments, uses the tight ends and the running backs as much as the receivers in the passing game, like we did back then with [tight end] Jerame Tuman and [tailback] Chris Howard because we had Tai Streets at receiver and not much else.
"I think they think they can win with defense. Win a lot of games 24-14 or something like that where they hold the opponent under 17 points, and in that system, Jake Rudock is the right quarterback."
But Michigan is not writing off Morris, Malzone or Gentry. All three possess higher ceilings and could quarterback more prolific offenses, maybe as early as mid-season in 2015, but sources are doubtful any of the three will be ready to be the kind of quarterback Harbaugh needs by the opener Sept. 3, and thus it became critical the Wolverines landed a Rudock type.
"Is Rudock the starter for the Utah game in week one and the Ohio State game in week 12? I don't know if he is, but right now, he's the best bet to start the opener until they coach up some of these other quarterbacks," our insider shared.
Speaking of grad-transfers, Michigan now has three - cornerback Wayne Lyons (though he has not been officially announced) and punter Blake O'Neill - and we know that U-M is looking for a wide receiver. We'd love to provide you with some names but there are very few wideouts that have declared intentions to become a grad-transfer, and they don't have what Michigan is looking for.
What we expect to happen is that as spring practices and academic semesters come to an end, more grad-transfers will become available, and the Maize and Blue will be keeping their eyes and ears open for the right fit.
Will they find one?
Possibly, though there are few cases as slam dunk as Rudock or O'Neill.
"They need one, they want one, if there is an opportunity to grab a receiver, Michigan will make it happen," the source noted.
And get used to this approach. As we discussed on the podcast today, Harbaugh is on a mission to make Michigan a national champion and to do so he has to take advantage of every avenue available to the Wolverines, which includes grad-transfers to address deficiencies.
In the future, it may not be three, four or five a year, but it might be.
Plenty have asked if U-M will even have room for a grad-transfer, with 85 committed scholarships for next season, and the expected answer is yes, because there should be some attrition, and it should happen soon as the winter semester at Michigan draws to its conclusion.
How many? We've heard as many as eight players might leave, and as few as three or four. It's not right to put names out there because of the negative connotation that comes with potentially transferring and because some of these kids haven't made up their minds entirely, but you could guess by looking at the players that were healthy and yet never saw the field in the spring game.
