Our latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, with plenty of football, basketball and recruiting information … a bit of football recruiting with a lot more to come.
Our Brandon Brown will have a lot from this big recruiting weekend, and he’s also going to be at camps in Ohio and Atlanta, so Part II will come Sunday, all football recruiting.
If you've missed any of The Wolverine's spring coverage, get caught up on everything at our Spring Ball Headquarters.
Starting this edition with football …
First, the offense …
You guys and gals have been in the loop throughout spring with most of what’s been going on … the fifth-year senior Juwann Bushell-Beatty experiment at left tackle, some offensive line improvement. Redshirt junior right tackle Jon Runyan Jr. has probably been the biggest mover on the line, which head coach Jim Harbaugh seemed to confirm the other day.
Bushell-Beatty has improved a lot, and the offensive line has been pretty good … at times. There are still some, however, who believe the top five will consist of guys more suited to play interior line across the board, perhaps pushing Bredeson back out to left tackle and having redshirt sophomore Stephen Spanelllis on the interior line with junior Mike Onwenu at the other guard and sophomore Cesar Ruiz at center.
Nothing that happens in spring is set in stone. As of now, Spanellis seems to solidly be the No. 6 guy, and at the moment, sophomore Andrew Stueber is No. 7, followed by redshirt freshmen Chuck Filiaga and James Hudson, who are interchangeable.
The 7-9 spots seem to fluctuate often, and all are improving.
Filiaga and Stueber are both working at the tackle and guard spots.
On the quarterbacks, junior transfer Shea Patterson (who they believe will be cleared to play this year by the NCAA, probably within the next few weeks — but again, it’s the NCAA, so …) is No. 1. They still rave about redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey, however, and he’s made clear strides this year. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters has also been throwing well, and again, freshman Joe Milton has impressed. He’s fast and elusive, has a Brandon Inge type cannon for an arm and can make all the throws.
He’s got a lot of confidence too, and when he picks up the offense, he could be really exciting to watch.
We weren’t blowing smoke about the improvement in the receivers, either. We’ve long maintained year two is when even the best emerge at Michigan (Manningham, Edwards, etc. etc.), and sophomores Tarik Black, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and redshirt freshman Oliver Martin, especially, have risen to the challenge. This is going to be a really, really good group, and Peoples-Jones is playing like the five-star he was. There was another sideline catch the other day in which players couldn’t wait to run over to the monitor after practice to see the replay. We’ll probably see it online at some point.
At tight end, redshirt junior Zach Gentry has taken the next step.
“It would be disappointing if he’s not an All-Big Ten guy this year,” according to one close to it.
On defense, of the guys we told you about last week, sophomore corner Ambry Thomas, has made the biggest jump. Corners coach Mike Zordich wasn’t blowing smoke when he said junior Lavert Hill had better get back soon. Thomas has been that good in coverage (though he still needs to be better in run support).
It’s close enough that it could even be called a dead heat.
As we noted in our story last night, Zordich isn’t pleased Hill hasn’t been able to go. The same goes for sophomore corner Ben St-Juste, who has missed all of the bowl practices and spring practices with a hamstring injury.
At safety, sophomore Jaylen Kelly-Powell continues to assert himself and push junior Josh Metellus and senior Tyree Kinnel. If he keeps up his strong play, he could find his way into the lineup. One source even called that one a dead heat, though Kelly-Powell will play a lot (and at nickel, too) regardless.
With Mike McCray moving on to the next level, that leaves one open starting linebacker position for a number of talented young players to compete for. At this stage, sophomore Josh Ross is playing the best of that group and is leading junior Josh Uche in the fight to earn the job. Linebacker may be the deepest position on the team, so expect to see several guys rotate into games, but the linebacker group is an area fans should feel good about.
At defensive tackle, redshirt freshmen Phillip Paea and Donovan Jeter are having great springs as backups. Their development is important, especially since U-M stands to lose several veteran DTs after the season to graduation. Depth across the entire defense is starting to shape up.
Observers say there’s enough talent on this team to contend for a playoff spot, and those close to it wouldn't disagree … as long as the O-line takes shape. Defensive coordinator Don Brown has already called this his fastest defense he’s ever had, and some close to him are saying he believes it’s going to be the best defense he has had at Michigan.
Finally, quarterback Wilton Speight was not coming back to Michigan, and it was surprising that some were giving off the impression he might. That included head coach Jim Harbaugh, who said the door was ‘still open.’
Speight told a colleague of ours when the Detroit Free Press ran an article months ago on the possiblity that it was “highly unlikely”. He even laughed a bit before saying, ‘well, never say never I guess.’
He was much harsher with his words with people extremely close to us in describing his Michigan experience, and his coaches. We will NOT go into detail, but it was clear Speight was not coming back, which we shared with you.
Speight’s departure is best for both sides, and we wish him well.
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Sophomore guard Ibi Watson’s transfer was not unexpected. U-M was one over the scholarship allotment (13) unless someone left, and that was always the most likely.
There’s been buzz that junior center Moe Wagner could shock everyone and stay for his senior year, but the buzz has been that he’s leaving — and that he’s known for a while.
Folks very close to it said as recently as yesterday that he’s expected to declare. We should know soon.
It also wouldn’t stun to see redshirt sophomore wing Charles Matthews declare without an agent and test the waters a bit.
Head coach John Beilein has been making the rounds on the recruiting trail, and he’s seen some high-profile 2019 players. U-M doesn’t have room for them presently, but again, attrition happens.
Fort Wayne (Ind.) four-star forward Keion Brooks Jr. received a visit from Beilein last week and picked up an offer. He’d been to a few games this year, and the family was blown away by his presentation.
We’ll have more on that in an article soon, but Indiana is now thought to be his leader (he’s been quoted as saying ‘why go somewhere else when I can get everything I want at home?), and Michigan State, which is struggling mightily with its reputation, is still involved, nonetheless. They were the first ones on him.
This one is still early, though. He’s not looking to make a quick decision.
We’d still bet on U-M for Joe Girard III, a three-star shooting guard out of Glens Falls, N.Y. whose father played for Beilein at LeMoyne. Michigan is strong for Detroit Old Redford four-star guard Rocket Watts, as well.
There’s going to be some sorting out to do here. Kids have taken notice of Beilein and his program and the unselfishness with which they play.
Five-star, 2019 Texan Tyrese Maxey is getting a visit from Beilein, and while his dad is no longer coaching at SMU, we don’t see this one happening for the Wolverines. In fact, we highly expect him to end up at Kentucky.
We spoke to an insider at Robert Morris about Dachon Burke, a shooting guard transfer. Burke would have to sit a year and would have two remaining.
“After we played NC State, I knew then that I could play at a higher level,” he told PittsburghSportsNow.com. “We also played Drexel and I shot my best game (25 points and six 3-pointers). As the season went on, personally I knew I could play at the next level and it was just going to come down to my decision of staying at Robert Morris or starting over someplace new."
From our source close to the RMU staff:
“He’s a super athletic two-guard who can guard well, good hands. Doesn’t shoot it great but really improved that aspect a lot after his freshman year. If I had to guess, I’d say his top spots would be Miami, St. John’s, Pitt, and Michigan.
“He’s from Jersey, so any big name programs from that area who are interested in him will be a big pull for him, because i think he might want to be closer to home. But he also believes he can play in the ACC. He had 17 against NC State.”
Regardless of what happens and how it all shakes out, this program is in great shape right now, and while Beilein doesn’t expect to lose any assistants, he did say all his guys will likely be head coaches before too long.
****
Finally, a football recruiting shorty …
Clayton (Ohio) Northmont three-star defensive end Gabe Newburg’s April 2 commitment may have come as a bit of a surprise to some Michigan fans, but it had actually been a long time coming in a lot of ways, according to his head coach Tony Broering.
Broering explained that Newburg’s relationships with many of the U-M coaches is what sealed the deal.
“Gabe had plenty of options,” Broering said. “He had actually just visited Michigan State and Ohio State before committing. The way Coach [Al] Washington, Coach [Greg] Mattison and especially Coach [Jim] Harbaugh interacted with him and his parents is what sold him — when he and his family came back from the visit, they were just blown away. Gabe had actually had a great relationship with Coach Washington from when he was at UC, so that obviously helped.
“The whole family couldn’t talking and raving about Michigan though. The entire U-M staff is full of great guys, though, so it wasn’t a shock or a surprise. The Newburgs were just so impressed with how they treated Gabe on the visit.
“Gabe has actually been a Michigan fan for a long time. I recently had to warn him to stop wearing Michigan clothes to school throughout the recruiting process, because I didn’t want other programs to walk in and see him sitting there in a Michigan sweatshirt. He’s really excited to start wearing all his U-M gear to school again though — every day he has something Maize and Blue on.”
The Newburg family wasn’t the only one who was sold on Michigan though. Broering said he had plenty of interactions with the U-M staff throughout the process as well, and was blown away by how accommodating they were.
“They were all fantastic — every single one of them,” he said. “Coach Harbaugh reached out to me with great messages at first, and Coach [Don] Brown has contacted me several times since the commitment. I’ve known Coach Mattison for a while, and we talked throughout it too.
“Coach Washington especially has really done a great job — he answers every question and always gets right back to me. I had a couple questions about Gabe’s commitment, and Al got back to me within the minute. It’s been an overall great show of class by a classy organization and a classy group of guys.
“You’re talking about the winningest program in America, and one of the great academic schools in the country — it’s a perfect combination with the tradition and history. It’s really a perfect place.”
Watch for some hockey news (a lot of it, including recruiting from our Bob Miller) on Sunday.
Our Brandon Brown will have a lot from this big recruiting weekend, and he’s also going to be at camps in Ohio and Atlanta, so Part II will come Sunday, all football recruiting.
If you've missed any of The Wolverine's spring coverage, get caught up on everything at our Spring Ball Headquarters.
Starting this edition with football …
First, the offense …
You guys and gals have been in the loop throughout spring with most of what’s been going on … the fifth-year senior Juwann Bushell-Beatty experiment at left tackle, some offensive line improvement. Redshirt junior right tackle Jon Runyan Jr. has probably been the biggest mover on the line, which head coach Jim Harbaugh seemed to confirm the other day.
Bushell-Beatty has improved a lot, and the offensive line has been pretty good … at times. There are still some, however, who believe the top five will consist of guys more suited to play interior line across the board, perhaps pushing Bredeson back out to left tackle and having redshirt sophomore Stephen Spanelllis on the interior line with junior Mike Onwenu at the other guard and sophomore Cesar Ruiz at center.
Nothing that happens in spring is set in stone. As of now, Spanellis seems to solidly be the No. 6 guy, and at the moment, sophomore Andrew Stueber is No. 7, followed by redshirt freshmen Chuck Filiaga and James Hudson, who are interchangeable.
The 7-9 spots seem to fluctuate often, and all are improving.
Filiaga and Stueber are both working at the tackle and guard spots.
On the quarterbacks, junior transfer Shea Patterson (who they believe will be cleared to play this year by the NCAA, probably within the next few weeks — but again, it’s the NCAA, so …) is No. 1. They still rave about redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey, however, and he’s made clear strides this year. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Peters has also been throwing well, and again, freshman Joe Milton has impressed. He’s fast and elusive, has a Brandon Inge type cannon for an arm and can make all the throws.
He’s got a lot of confidence too, and when he picks up the offense, he could be really exciting to watch.
We weren’t blowing smoke about the improvement in the receivers, either. We’ve long maintained year two is when even the best emerge at Michigan (Manningham, Edwards, etc. etc.), and sophomores Tarik Black, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and redshirt freshman Oliver Martin, especially, have risen to the challenge. This is going to be a really, really good group, and Peoples-Jones is playing like the five-star he was. There was another sideline catch the other day in which players couldn’t wait to run over to the monitor after practice to see the replay. We’ll probably see it online at some point.
At tight end, redshirt junior Zach Gentry has taken the next step.
“It would be disappointing if he’s not an All-Big Ten guy this year,” according to one close to it.
On defense, of the guys we told you about last week, sophomore corner Ambry Thomas, has made the biggest jump. Corners coach Mike Zordich wasn’t blowing smoke when he said junior Lavert Hill had better get back soon. Thomas has been that good in coverage (though he still needs to be better in run support).
It’s close enough that it could even be called a dead heat.
As we noted in our story last night, Zordich isn’t pleased Hill hasn’t been able to go. The same goes for sophomore corner Ben St-Juste, who has missed all of the bowl practices and spring practices with a hamstring injury.
At safety, sophomore Jaylen Kelly-Powell continues to assert himself and push junior Josh Metellus and senior Tyree Kinnel. If he keeps up his strong play, he could find his way into the lineup. One source even called that one a dead heat, though Kelly-Powell will play a lot (and at nickel, too) regardless.
With Mike McCray moving on to the next level, that leaves one open starting linebacker position for a number of talented young players to compete for. At this stage, sophomore Josh Ross is playing the best of that group and is leading junior Josh Uche in the fight to earn the job. Linebacker may be the deepest position on the team, so expect to see several guys rotate into games, but the linebacker group is an area fans should feel good about.
At defensive tackle, redshirt freshmen Phillip Paea and Donovan Jeter are having great springs as backups. Their development is important, especially since U-M stands to lose several veteran DTs after the season to graduation. Depth across the entire defense is starting to shape up.
Observers say there’s enough talent on this team to contend for a playoff spot, and those close to it wouldn't disagree … as long as the O-line takes shape. Defensive coordinator Don Brown has already called this his fastest defense he’s ever had, and some close to him are saying he believes it’s going to be the best defense he has had at Michigan.
Finally, quarterback Wilton Speight was not coming back to Michigan, and it was surprising that some were giving off the impression he might. That included head coach Jim Harbaugh, who said the door was ‘still open.’
Speight told a colleague of ours when the Detroit Free Press ran an article months ago on the possiblity that it was “highly unlikely”. He even laughed a bit before saying, ‘well, never say never I guess.’
He was much harsher with his words with people extremely close to us in describing his Michigan experience, and his coaches. We will NOT go into detail, but it was clear Speight was not coming back, which we shared with you.
Speight’s departure is best for both sides, and we wish him well.
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
Sophomore guard Ibi Watson’s transfer was not unexpected. U-M was one over the scholarship allotment (13) unless someone left, and that was always the most likely.
There’s been buzz that junior center Moe Wagner could shock everyone and stay for his senior year, but the buzz has been that he’s leaving — and that he’s known for a while.
Folks very close to it said as recently as yesterday that he’s expected to declare. We should know soon.
It also wouldn’t stun to see redshirt sophomore wing Charles Matthews declare without an agent and test the waters a bit.
Head coach John Beilein has been making the rounds on the recruiting trail, and he’s seen some high-profile 2019 players. U-M doesn’t have room for them presently, but again, attrition happens.
Fort Wayne (Ind.) four-star forward Keion Brooks Jr. received a visit from Beilein last week and picked up an offer. He’d been to a few games this year, and the family was blown away by his presentation.
We’ll have more on that in an article soon, but Indiana is now thought to be his leader (he’s been quoted as saying ‘why go somewhere else when I can get everything I want at home?), and Michigan State, which is struggling mightily with its reputation, is still involved, nonetheless. They were the first ones on him.
This one is still early, though. He’s not looking to make a quick decision.
We’d still bet on U-M for Joe Girard III, a three-star shooting guard out of Glens Falls, N.Y. whose father played for Beilein at LeMoyne. Michigan is strong for Detroit Old Redford four-star guard Rocket Watts, as well.
There’s going to be some sorting out to do here. Kids have taken notice of Beilein and his program and the unselfishness with which they play.
Five-star, 2019 Texan Tyrese Maxey is getting a visit from Beilein, and while his dad is no longer coaching at SMU, we don’t see this one happening for the Wolverines. In fact, we highly expect him to end up at Kentucky.
We spoke to an insider at Robert Morris about Dachon Burke, a shooting guard transfer. Burke would have to sit a year and would have two remaining.
“After we played NC State, I knew then that I could play at a higher level,” he told PittsburghSportsNow.com. “We also played Drexel and I shot my best game (25 points and six 3-pointers). As the season went on, personally I knew I could play at the next level and it was just going to come down to my decision of staying at Robert Morris or starting over someplace new."
From our source close to the RMU staff:
“He’s a super athletic two-guard who can guard well, good hands. Doesn’t shoot it great but really improved that aspect a lot after his freshman year. If I had to guess, I’d say his top spots would be Miami, St. John’s, Pitt, and Michigan.
“He’s from Jersey, so any big name programs from that area who are interested in him will be a big pull for him, because i think he might want to be closer to home. But he also believes he can play in the ACC. He had 17 against NC State.”
Regardless of what happens and how it all shakes out, this program is in great shape right now, and while Beilein doesn’t expect to lose any assistants, he did say all his guys will likely be head coaches before too long.
****
Finally, a football recruiting shorty …
Clayton (Ohio) Northmont three-star defensive end Gabe Newburg’s April 2 commitment may have come as a bit of a surprise to some Michigan fans, but it had actually been a long time coming in a lot of ways, according to his head coach Tony Broering.
Broering explained that Newburg’s relationships with many of the U-M coaches is what sealed the deal.
“Gabe had plenty of options,” Broering said. “He had actually just visited Michigan State and Ohio State before committing. The way Coach [Al] Washington, Coach [Greg] Mattison and especially Coach [Jim] Harbaugh interacted with him and his parents is what sold him — when he and his family came back from the visit, they were just blown away. Gabe had actually had a great relationship with Coach Washington from when he was at UC, so that obviously helped.
“The whole family couldn’t talking and raving about Michigan though. The entire U-M staff is full of great guys, though, so it wasn’t a shock or a surprise. The Newburgs were just so impressed with how they treated Gabe on the visit.
“Gabe has actually been a Michigan fan for a long time. I recently had to warn him to stop wearing Michigan clothes to school throughout the recruiting process, because I didn’t want other programs to walk in and see him sitting there in a Michigan sweatshirt. He’s really excited to start wearing all his U-M gear to school again though — every day he has something Maize and Blue on.”
The Newburg family wasn’t the only one who was sold on Michigan though. Broering said he had plenty of interactions with the U-M staff throughout the process as well, and was blown away by how accommodating they were.
“They were all fantastic — every single one of them,” he said. “Coach Harbaugh reached out to me with great messages at first, and Coach [Don] Brown has contacted me several times since the commitment. I’ve known Coach Mattison for a while, and we talked throughout it too.
“Coach Washington especially has really done a great job — he answers every question and always gets right back to me. I had a couple questions about Gabe’s commitment, and Al got back to me within the minute. It’s been an overall great show of class by a classy organization and a classy group of guys.
“You’re talking about the winningest program in America, and one of the great academic schools in the country — it’s a perfect combination with the tradition and history. It’s really a perfect place.”
Watch for some hockey news (a lot of it, including recruiting from our Bob Miller) on Sunday.
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