Michigan’s quarterback picture is starting to come into focus, and it will be a little clearer after Saturday.
Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four-star dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set to make his decision on Saturday, and it’s going to be UCLA. The 6-2, 190-pounder has been high on the Bruins for a long time and even though his visit to Michigan went very well last weekend, it’s been UCLA in his mind for over a month. He’s had a UCLA commitment graphic in hand for some time and it’ll play out that way this weekend.
The Michigan coaches did their due diligence though. There were some reports that he was “ignored” to a degree last weekend with Orlando (Fla.) Olympia four-star dual-threat quarterback Joe Milton in town, but that simply was not the case. The coaches did try to alleviate the awkwardness by keeping DTR and Milton apart from each other a little bit, but both received plenty of attention.
Thompson-Robinson’s mother said that Pep Hamilton was planning to head to Vegas, likely today, to see DTR throw and make his presence known at least one last time, but Michigan is going to come in second for the No. 2 dual-threat and No. 41 overall player nationally.
Even though coming in second for Thompson-Robinson may feel like a loss, it may increase U-M’s chances of coming in first for Milton, which could end up being a blessing in disguise.
“You can win titles with a guy like Joe Milton,” one source very close to the Michigan recruiting machine said. The 6-5, 210-pounder blew the coaching staff away in terms of his demeanor and physical stature while he was in town for U-M’s spring game, and Pep Hamilton was around the No. 6 dual-threat quarterback and No. 113 overall player nationally just three days later to watch him work out.
It feels like a three-horse race between Michigan, Florida and Georgia for Milton, with U-M perhaps looking like the favorite after last weekend’s visit. Milton went on and on about his bond with Hamilton and has already started thinking about which staff can best prepare him for the NFL. That’s clearly Michigan. There were a lot of “when” not “if”-type of statements from Milton when talking about what it would be like to play for Michigan, and that has to be viewed as a good thing with his decision looming.
Let’s be clear here, too … Michigan will not feel like it had to settle by getting Milton instead of DTR. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton three-star pro-style quarterback Tyler Shough is also a strong candidate to end up in Michigan’s class. The 6-5, 195-pounder picked up his Michigan offer about two weeks ago and also reeled in a tender from Alabama within the last few days, indicating that his stock is rising. He’s considered the No. 8 player in Arizona but does not hold an offer from either in-state program, making it seem like heading elsewhere is likely.
His father is from Tecumseh, Mich. and that resulted in Shough growing up a Michigan fan. The offer from U-M and Harbaugh meant a lot to him and he’s excited to check out Ann Arbor May 13. Just how much the offer meant will be a lot clearer after that trip.
Stay tuned.
Michigan now has three defensive-back commits in the 2018 class in DeSoto (Texas) High three-star cornerback Gemon Green and his three-star safety twin brother German along with Atlanta Westlake four-star cornerback Myles Sims. There may be room for just one more defensive back, and it could go to Atlanta Hapeville Charter three-star Christopher Smith.
The 6-0, 165-pounder released a top six consisting of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and South Carolina and word on the street is that U-M is firmly atop that list. Smith trains at the same facility as Myles Sims and, while the two aren’t best friends, they do talk and Michigan is one of their topics of discussion.
Smith hasn’t released a commitment date yet but if it were today, it would be Michigan. That bodes well for the Wolverines moving forward and should give them a very real chance to land Smith should they see him as a priority down the line.
Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield also has Michigan firmly at the top of his list of favorites and could be a member of U-M’s class before football kicks off in the fall. The 6-5, 250-pounder was also at Michigan’s spring game last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent around the program with his parents and is getting closer and closer to a decision.
This weekend he’ll be at Notre Dame’s spring game to see what the Irish have to offer. Being from a Catholic high school and caring a lot about academics, Mayfield should like a lot about Notre Dame but it will be tough to unseat the Wolverines from the top spot. Football is obviously a huge part of this decision but Mayfield and his family feel great about what Michigan offers off of the field and Notre Dame will check those boxes as well.
Offensive line coach Tim Drevno and tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey were in Grand Rapids to see Mayfield work out yesterday and apparently Jim Harbaugh FaceTimed in during that workout. The staff is prioritizing him and Mayfield is taking notice.
It looks like Michigan will be tough to beat but the family and Mayfield have made mention of looking forward to taking all five official visits so even though he’s saying he’d like to commit before his senior season, his recruitment has really taken off and he’s looking to take it in. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out with him and U-M but right now, things are in a good spot.
****
To football …
Yet another Glasgow is proving his worth. Jordan Glasgow has taken over the back up Viper spot, having passed Noah Furbush and Josh Uche. He is so much faster and covers better than the other two, gets to the ball quicker and he is a hitter.
Two who really came on in the latter stages of camp: freshman receiver Tarik Black and redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry.
“He just keeps catching the damn ball when it is thrown his way. He is clearly ahead of Eubanks,” was the quote we got.
Kareem Walker has started to show some explosion at running back, and he looks healthier than he has in a long time. Folks in his hometown said he had an injury some schools knew about, others didn’t when he arrived at U-M, and that has set him back. There was talk he might not recover from it, in fact, but he seems to be making progress.
Veteran Ty Isaac, meanwhile, is running well between the tackles and improved his pass blocking. Those are obviously good signs.
It was clear Jim Harbaugh was not pleased with Wilton Speight’s performance in the spring game, and Speight, while still No. 1, is on notice. Harbaugh noted in Detroit recently that he expects his quarterbacks to compete in everything they do, play the spring game like the Super Bowl in that respect.
Speight … well, certainly didn’t seem to. But those close to it say he has gotten the message.
On defense, they love the athleticism. Right now, though, they are looking for more in run support from their corners. The chemistry has been good in the secondary, but the cornerbacks need to be more physical, and that’s been the message sent.
Defensive end Carlo Kemp went beast mode at the end of spring, and Mo Hurst and Rashan Gary elevated their games to new heights. That is going to be one scary combination. And there’s a big battle at linebacker between Bush and Mike Wroblewski.
“That isn't just coach speak anymore.”
They expect this defense to be very, very good … in time.
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Michigan has not yet gone the grad transfer route, but barring something unforeseen, that’s about to change. The Wolverines are looking at point guards first with their one available spot, and we believe — strongly ¬ Ohio U.’s Jaaron Simmons will be that guy.
Those close to Simmons’ recruitment have said this one was going to be under the radar by design. The kid isn’t looking for attention, only the right fit, and those closest to it say he found what he was looking for in Ann Arbor last weekend.
Simmons has a cousin on the football team, and he understands he could be the missing piece of something special. He was eighth in the country in assists last year and will have a wealth of talent around him.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the pecking order, either, especially with only one spot. Five-star big man Mohamed Bamba is all but off the board — this is fact — and we believe it’s Texas. U-M brought in Simmons for a visit and scheduled Pitt guard transfer Cam Johnson and Howard point guard transfer James Daniel III for the end of May.
Simmons’ people have told us he did get the offer, and Simmons himself informed us he wouldn’t be speaking to anyone until after he made his decision. So why all the cloak and dagger? Dayton and Ohio State are also on his list, and he still has to let Ohio U. coaches know of his intentions (we assume he has at this point).
Again, if everything is in order (as we expect), this one ends well.
The only way U-M would have another scholarship, then, is if one of the NBA declared big men decided to stay in the draft. We’ve said all along we expected both to return, and that’s on good information. Barring a complete blowup at an NBA combine, Moritz Wagner will be back … and he might anyway. He loves Michigan.
Wilson apparently has some close to him in his ear telling him he’s ready. There have been rumors that he was not going to class on a regular basis, but those have been debunked. He is still saying all the right things about needing to be ready before he goes … based on his draft grades as of now, he’d be coming back, and that’s the line he continues to give.
Did that have something to do with Cam Johnson leaving U-M out of his top six? Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio St, UCLA, Arizona and TCU are the teams he’s most interested in now after he reached out to Michigan but his visit wasn’t set until end of May. That, of course, is when we’ll know for sure about Wilson.
Daniel III, too, isn’t slated to come in until the end of May, at which point (again) we expect U-M may be full.
Of course, you never know how transfers can affect kids already on the roster, too. How will sophomore to be Xavier Simpson feel about U-M taking another point guard, for example? We don’t expect him to leave, but who knows?
It’s always good to have too many on the table than not enough.
As for Bamba … the obligatory “how was Michigan in it one week and then not the next?” questions have surfaced, and here’s the obvious answer:
It’s recruiting. The kid is paring his list toward a decision in three weeks or so, and that means dropping teams he likes off his list. Texas and even Kentucky’s recruits have been much closer to him throughout this recruitment and he has strong bonds with them.
He is and was recruitable, however, unlike the typical five-star, so those looking to criticize the recruiting and ability to close … well, ‘he got paid’ isn’t an excuse here. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.
We shared everything we know about the 2018 class in an update yesterday. Cleveland Revere’s Pete Nance is the guy the Wolverines are strongest with right now, and he’s now the No. 39 player in his class. Crazy, but Northwestern is starting to become one of the bigger threats to the Wolverines on the recruiting trail. Kids like Chris Collins and the academics there, and there’s a new facility going in.
The Wildcats are preaching becoming the “Duke of the Midwest” under Collins, and they’re making inroads.
****
Finally, we continue to hear that Mel Pearson is the leader in the clubhouse to replace Red Berenson as Michigan’s hockey coach. We’re not sure when it will be announced, but that’s the expectation.
Las Vegas Bishop Gorman four-star dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set to make his decision on Saturday, and it’s going to be UCLA. The 6-2, 190-pounder has been high on the Bruins for a long time and even though his visit to Michigan went very well last weekend, it’s been UCLA in his mind for over a month. He’s had a UCLA commitment graphic in hand for some time and it’ll play out that way this weekend.
The Michigan coaches did their due diligence though. There were some reports that he was “ignored” to a degree last weekend with Orlando (Fla.) Olympia four-star dual-threat quarterback Joe Milton in town, but that simply was not the case. The coaches did try to alleviate the awkwardness by keeping DTR and Milton apart from each other a little bit, but both received plenty of attention.
Thompson-Robinson’s mother said that Pep Hamilton was planning to head to Vegas, likely today, to see DTR throw and make his presence known at least one last time, but Michigan is going to come in second for the No. 2 dual-threat and No. 41 overall player nationally.
Even though coming in second for Thompson-Robinson may feel like a loss, it may increase U-M’s chances of coming in first for Milton, which could end up being a blessing in disguise.
“You can win titles with a guy like Joe Milton,” one source very close to the Michigan recruiting machine said. The 6-5, 210-pounder blew the coaching staff away in terms of his demeanor and physical stature while he was in town for U-M’s spring game, and Pep Hamilton was around the No. 6 dual-threat quarterback and No. 113 overall player nationally just three days later to watch him work out.
It feels like a three-horse race between Michigan, Florida and Georgia for Milton, with U-M perhaps looking like the favorite after last weekend’s visit. Milton went on and on about his bond with Hamilton and has already started thinking about which staff can best prepare him for the NFL. That’s clearly Michigan. There were a lot of “when” not “if”-type of statements from Milton when talking about what it would be like to play for Michigan, and that has to be viewed as a good thing with his decision looming.
Let’s be clear here, too … Michigan will not feel like it had to settle by getting Milton instead of DTR. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton three-star pro-style quarterback Tyler Shough is also a strong candidate to end up in Michigan’s class. The 6-5, 195-pounder picked up his Michigan offer about two weeks ago and also reeled in a tender from Alabama within the last few days, indicating that his stock is rising. He’s considered the No. 8 player in Arizona but does not hold an offer from either in-state program, making it seem like heading elsewhere is likely.
His father is from Tecumseh, Mich. and that resulted in Shough growing up a Michigan fan. The offer from U-M and Harbaugh meant a lot to him and he’s excited to check out Ann Arbor May 13. Just how much the offer meant will be a lot clearer after that trip.
Stay tuned.
Michigan now has three defensive-back commits in the 2018 class in DeSoto (Texas) High three-star cornerback Gemon Green and his three-star safety twin brother German along with Atlanta Westlake four-star cornerback Myles Sims. There may be room for just one more defensive back, and it could go to Atlanta Hapeville Charter three-star Christopher Smith.
The 6-0, 165-pounder released a top six consisting of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and South Carolina and word on the street is that U-M is firmly atop that list. Smith trains at the same facility as Myles Sims and, while the two aren’t best friends, they do talk and Michigan is one of their topics of discussion.
Smith hasn’t released a commitment date yet but if it were today, it would be Michigan. That bodes well for the Wolverines moving forward and should give them a very real chance to land Smith should they see him as a priority down the line.
Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield also has Michigan firmly at the top of his list of favorites and could be a member of U-M’s class before football kicks off in the fall. The 6-5, 250-pounder was also at Michigan’s spring game last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent around the program with his parents and is getting closer and closer to a decision.
This weekend he’ll be at Notre Dame’s spring game to see what the Irish have to offer. Being from a Catholic high school and caring a lot about academics, Mayfield should like a lot about Notre Dame but it will be tough to unseat the Wolverines from the top spot. Football is obviously a huge part of this decision but Mayfield and his family feel great about what Michigan offers off of the field and Notre Dame will check those boxes as well.
Offensive line coach Tim Drevno and tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey were in Grand Rapids to see Mayfield work out yesterday and apparently Jim Harbaugh FaceTimed in during that workout. The staff is prioritizing him and Mayfield is taking notice.
It looks like Michigan will be tough to beat but the family and Mayfield have made mention of looking forward to taking all five official visits so even though he’s saying he’d like to commit before his senior season, his recruitment has really taken off and he’s looking to take it in. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out with him and U-M but right now, things are in a good spot.
****
To football …
Yet another Glasgow is proving his worth. Jordan Glasgow has taken over the back up Viper spot, having passed Noah Furbush and Josh Uche. He is so much faster and covers better than the other two, gets to the ball quicker and he is a hitter.
Two who really came on in the latter stages of camp: freshman receiver Tarik Black and redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry.
“He just keeps catching the damn ball when it is thrown his way. He is clearly ahead of Eubanks,” was the quote we got.
Kareem Walker has started to show some explosion at running back, and he looks healthier than he has in a long time. Folks in his hometown said he had an injury some schools knew about, others didn’t when he arrived at U-M, and that has set him back. There was talk he might not recover from it, in fact, but he seems to be making progress.
Veteran Ty Isaac, meanwhile, is running well between the tackles and improved his pass blocking. Those are obviously good signs.
It was clear Jim Harbaugh was not pleased with Wilton Speight’s performance in the spring game, and Speight, while still No. 1, is on notice. Harbaugh noted in Detroit recently that he expects his quarterbacks to compete in everything they do, play the spring game like the Super Bowl in that respect.
Speight … well, certainly didn’t seem to. But those close to it say he has gotten the message.
On defense, they love the athleticism. Right now, though, they are looking for more in run support from their corners. The chemistry has been good in the secondary, but the cornerbacks need to be more physical, and that’s been the message sent.
Defensive end Carlo Kemp went beast mode at the end of spring, and Mo Hurst and Rashan Gary elevated their games to new heights. That is going to be one scary combination. And there’s a big battle at linebacker between Bush and Mike Wroblewski.
“That isn't just coach speak anymore.”
They expect this defense to be very, very good … in time.
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Michigan has not yet gone the grad transfer route, but barring something unforeseen, that’s about to change. The Wolverines are looking at point guards first with their one available spot, and we believe — strongly ¬ Ohio U.’s Jaaron Simmons will be that guy.
Those close to Simmons’ recruitment have said this one was going to be under the radar by design. The kid isn’t looking for attention, only the right fit, and those closest to it say he found what he was looking for in Ann Arbor last weekend.
Simmons has a cousin on the football team, and he understands he could be the missing piece of something special. He was eighth in the country in assists last year and will have a wealth of talent around him.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the pecking order, either, especially with only one spot. Five-star big man Mohamed Bamba is all but off the board — this is fact — and we believe it’s Texas. U-M brought in Simmons for a visit and scheduled Pitt guard transfer Cam Johnson and Howard point guard transfer James Daniel III for the end of May.
Simmons’ people have told us he did get the offer, and Simmons himself informed us he wouldn’t be speaking to anyone until after he made his decision. So why all the cloak and dagger? Dayton and Ohio State are also on his list, and he still has to let Ohio U. coaches know of his intentions (we assume he has at this point).
Again, if everything is in order (as we expect), this one ends well.
The only way U-M would have another scholarship, then, is if one of the NBA declared big men decided to stay in the draft. We’ve said all along we expected both to return, and that’s on good information. Barring a complete blowup at an NBA combine, Moritz Wagner will be back … and he might anyway. He loves Michigan.
Wilson apparently has some close to him in his ear telling him he’s ready. There have been rumors that he was not going to class on a regular basis, but those have been debunked. He is still saying all the right things about needing to be ready before he goes … based on his draft grades as of now, he’d be coming back, and that’s the line he continues to give.
Did that have something to do with Cam Johnson leaving U-M out of his top six? Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio St, UCLA, Arizona and TCU are the teams he’s most interested in now after he reached out to Michigan but his visit wasn’t set until end of May. That, of course, is when we’ll know for sure about Wilson.
Daniel III, too, isn’t slated to come in until the end of May, at which point (again) we expect U-M may be full.
Of course, you never know how transfers can affect kids already on the roster, too. How will sophomore to be Xavier Simpson feel about U-M taking another point guard, for example? We don’t expect him to leave, but who knows?
It’s always good to have too many on the table than not enough.
As for Bamba … the obligatory “how was Michigan in it one week and then not the next?” questions have surfaced, and here’s the obvious answer:
It’s recruiting. The kid is paring his list toward a decision in three weeks or so, and that means dropping teams he likes off his list. Texas and even Kentucky’s recruits have been much closer to him throughout this recruitment and he has strong bonds with them.
He is and was recruitable, however, unlike the typical five-star, so those looking to criticize the recruiting and ability to close … well, ‘he got paid’ isn’t an excuse here. So they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.
We shared everything we know about the 2018 class in an update yesterday. Cleveland Revere’s Pete Nance is the guy the Wolverines are strongest with right now, and he’s now the No. 39 player in his class. Crazy, but Northwestern is starting to become one of the bigger threats to the Wolverines on the recruiting trail. Kids like Chris Collins and the academics there, and there’s a new facility going in.
The Wildcats are preaching becoming the “Duke of the Midwest” under Collins, and they’re making inroads.
****
Finally, we continue to hear that Mel Pearson is the leader in the clubhouse to replace Red Berenson as Michigan’s hockey coach. We’re not sure when it will be announced, but that’s the expectation.
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