Part I of II, the second (football recruiting) to come Sunday … today, we tackle some fall football, basketball and hoops recruiting.
Starting with football, and an injury report. First, the good news …
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst is already back practicing after being taken from the field with what we’ve heard was a knee injury (contusion) last week. Some close to it were worried, because it looked bad. It was determined shortly thereafter that it wasn’t.
The bad — the depth has taken a bit of a hit, at least (at LEAST) in the short term. We’re hearing freshman Donovan Jeter had a procedure — someone saw it on his snapchat page, too, which seems to support it — and though we haven’t confirmed it, we’ve heard it’s a meniscus injury. We do not know the timetable for his return.
Frosh Luiji Vilain went down with an apparent leg injury recently, and we’ve gotten no updates on this one yet. Like Hurst’s, it didn’t look good … but again, first glances can be deceiving. Redshirt junior Chase Winovich and sophomore Rashan Gary have been “banged up,” but are both expected to be fine for the opener.
It had gotten so bad that Hurst was even taking snaps at weakisde end, the team going with a three-man front for a bit with all the depth issues.
Sophomore linebacker Josh Uche has been out for some time, confirmed by sophomore safety Josh Metellus the other day. He’s so athletic and has so much potential, but he needs to be healthy in order to contribute.
On a positive note, end Kwity Paye is killing it on the edge. He’s going to be a dominant pass rusher at some point, and he’s already disruptive and likely in the two-deep for the opener. Freshman tackle Aubrey Solomon got off to a slow start, but he’s improved every day. He’s starting to understand the consistency needed to play at this level.
As some have reported, freshman defensive lineman James Hudson has moved to the offensive line. Some believe he has All-Big Ten potential on that side of the ball.
As we reported earlier this summer, the team came back in great shape. Only a few weren’t in the best shape of their lives (or close to it), and some in the media were marveling at their size and reshaping of a few bodies the other day. Kevin Tolbert has been an outstanding addition, and the kids really respond to him. It shows.
One who needed to come around in that area — redshirt junior Bryan Mone. But … he is, and folks said he had a rough early summer. We’re not saying he had his bags packed, but there was definitely some concern about him. He’s playing well now, however, and becoming the player we’ve expected him to be the last two years (before injuries took their toll).
We got word of redshirt sophomore Keith Washington’s “likely” decision to leave the other morning before it broke, and were disappointed to hear it actually happened. He was solid in the spring, but guys like frosh Ben St. Juste continued to improve, and though he was in the two-deep and leaves with no hard feelings, he was ready to go somewhere he could play more.
His departure opened the door for safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell’s move, and he’s been good in coverage early. He’s a true corner right now, improving every day.
Corners coach Mike Zordich raised eyebrows when he was brutally honest about his corners last week, saying someone had to complement Lavert Hill. Hill had made great strides, and while it looked like fellow sophomore David Long had, too, just the previous week (when he strung together some really nice practices and appeared to have turned a corner) … well, he took a step back.
Zordich later admitted privately part of it was using the media to motivate his players. They aren’t that bad. But, certainly, the young receivers, who are extremely talented, have gotten the better of this unit in the fall, and there’s still work to be done before the opener.
On offense, the running backs continue to play really well. Jay Harbaugh wasn’t giving coachspeak when he said any of them could play, the top four being Chris Evans, Karan Higdon, Ty Isaac and Kareem Walker. This weekend’s scrimmage will be huge for them, as well as the right side of the offensive line. It’s still very much open on the right side, with Nolan Ulizio, Jon Runyan and Stephen Spanellis all having made huge strides this fall.
Chuck Filiaga is a future star, but the 6-7, 340-pounder might not be ready just yet.
The tight ends, some have said (we believe a bit of hyperbole), are making people say, ‘Jake who?’ in reference to NFL fifth-round pick Jake Butt. They have been very good, and this unit is deep. The competition has brought out the best in all of them, and five will play. Converted quarterback Zach Gentry continues to ‘get it’ and has become a real mismatch with his height.
Finally, it’s redshirt junior Wilton Speight at quarterback. He has had a great fall, and his deep ball has really improved.
The team leaves Weds., August 30, and will have a few days to get used to Jerry World with walkthroughs, etc. There’s a lot of confidence that they’ll start the season off with a big win.
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
This year’s freshman class continues to impress, according to some close to the practices, etc., and has an extremely high ceiling. Some of them would have been locks to start in past years, but the veterans, including some of the young talent that hasn’t played much, have made it hard to predict they’ll see a lot of time this year. They’ll all be very good in time, however.
One of the more interesting tidbits … how athletic freshman point guard/two guard Eli Brooks is. He has ‘elite’ athleticism, according to those in the know, and that’s more than just jumping ability. He moves very well laterally and has really impressed. He’ll be in the mix for time at point guard, but grad transfer Jaaron Simmons has been outstanding, and sophomore Xavier Simpson has really, really improved this summer.
Simpson jumped 42.5 inches on his vertical recently, and he’s also very good athletically in other areas. Soph Ibi Watson jumped 44.5, a Michigan record, and he has made gains in other areas, too. He’s still working on lateral quickness, etc., but he’s shooting the ball well and works very hard.
Minutes at point guard will be earned this year, to say the least.
Head coach John Beilein let slip recently what we’ve heard rumblings about — center Moritz Wagner could see some time at the four. Redshirt frosh Austin Davis has been so impressive at times that having the two on the floor together could really pay dividends.
It will be very interesting to see how the minutes are allocated this year. Redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews, for example, will be nearly impossible to keep off the floor, and Beilein said Simmons would be, too. There’s a lot of talent this year, and some really high expectations that this team could be really good.
On the recruiting front, the coaches have made it clear to everyone on their 2018 list that there isn’t much room left … only one scholarship available. That’s NOT to say they wouldn’t take two more in this class, however. They will oversign if necessary, and we expect at least two more 2018s to join.
Versailles (Ohio) three-star Justin Ahrens is one to watch closely. He has a Sept. official set up, and is planning on going to Ohio State the following week. Those close to him say he understands what a great fit he’d be at Michigan, though, and the fact that his brother is at MSU is not a factor.
Grand Rapids native Duane Washington Jr., another three-star, is playing in California for his last year, and he’s gone silent after picking up his offer. He also received an OSU offer, but he’s in no rush.
Houston three-star Miller Kopp is “really, really good,” and a great fit at Michigan, Rivals.com’s Corey Evans told us. He had a great summer, and he also realizes what a great fit he’d be at U-M. He does have a brother at Vanderbilt, so that’s one to watch, too. It could be a factor. He will visit officially, however, and he’s underrated.
Finally, on San Jose St. transfer Brandon Clarke (story on the front page) … there is serious mutual interest, but is there time to get him on campus? He’s sitting out a year due to transfer rules, but he’d have to enroll for this semester. Some have noted schools like Oregon operate on a different academic calendar, so he'd have some more time with them.
As always, thanks for visiting TheWolverine.com!
Starting with football, and an injury report. First, the good news …
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst is already back practicing after being taken from the field with what we’ve heard was a knee injury (contusion) last week. Some close to it were worried, because it looked bad. It was determined shortly thereafter that it wasn’t.
The bad — the depth has taken a bit of a hit, at least (at LEAST) in the short term. We’re hearing freshman Donovan Jeter had a procedure — someone saw it on his snapchat page, too, which seems to support it — and though we haven’t confirmed it, we’ve heard it’s a meniscus injury. We do not know the timetable for his return.
Frosh Luiji Vilain went down with an apparent leg injury recently, and we’ve gotten no updates on this one yet. Like Hurst’s, it didn’t look good … but again, first glances can be deceiving. Redshirt junior Chase Winovich and sophomore Rashan Gary have been “banged up,” but are both expected to be fine for the opener.
It had gotten so bad that Hurst was even taking snaps at weakisde end, the team going with a three-man front for a bit with all the depth issues.
Sophomore linebacker Josh Uche has been out for some time, confirmed by sophomore safety Josh Metellus the other day. He’s so athletic and has so much potential, but he needs to be healthy in order to contribute.
On a positive note, end Kwity Paye is killing it on the edge. He’s going to be a dominant pass rusher at some point, and he’s already disruptive and likely in the two-deep for the opener. Freshman tackle Aubrey Solomon got off to a slow start, but he’s improved every day. He’s starting to understand the consistency needed to play at this level.
As some have reported, freshman defensive lineman James Hudson has moved to the offensive line. Some believe he has All-Big Ten potential on that side of the ball.
As we reported earlier this summer, the team came back in great shape. Only a few weren’t in the best shape of their lives (or close to it), and some in the media were marveling at their size and reshaping of a few bodies the other day. Kevin Tolbert has been an outstanding addition, and the kids really respond to him. It shows.
One who needed to come around in that area — redshirt junior Bryan Mone. But … he is, and folks said he had a rough early summer. We’re not saying he had his bags packed, but there was definitely some concern about him. He’s playing well now, however, and becoming the player we’ve expected him to be the last two years (before injuries took their toll).
We got word of redshirt sophomore Keith Washington’s “likely” decision to leave the other morning before it broke, and were disappointed to hear it actually happened. He was solid in the spring, but guys like frosh Ben St. Juste continued to improve, and though he was in the two-deep and leaves with no hard feelings, he was ready to go somewhere he could play more.
His departure opened the door for safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell’s move, and he’s been good in coverage early. He’s a true corner right now, improving every day.
Corners coach Mike Zordich raised eyebrows when he was brutally honest about his corners last week, saying someone had to complement Lavert Hill. Hill had made great strides, and while it looked like fellow sophomore David Long had, too, just the previous week (when he strung together some really nice practices and appeared to have turned a corner) … well, he took a step back.
Zordich later admitted privately part of it was using the media to motivate his players. They aren’t that bad. But, certainly, the young receivers, who are extremely talented, have gotten the better of this unit in the fall, and there’s still work to be done before the opener.
On offense, the running backs continue to play really well. Jay Harbaugh wasn’t giving coachspeak when he said any of them could play, the top four being Chris Evans, Karan Higdon, Ty Isaac and Kareem Walker. This weekend’s scrimmage will be huge for them, as well as the right side of the offensive line. It’s still very much open on the right side, with Nolan Ulizio, Jon Runyan and Stephen Spanellis all having made huge strides this fall.
Chuck Filiaga is a future star, but the 6-7, 340-pounder might not be ready just yet.
The tight ends, some have said (we believe a bit of hyperbole), are making people say, ‘Jake who?’ in reference to NFL fifth-round pick Jake Butt. They have been very good, and this unit is deep. The competition has brought out the best in all of them, and five will play. Converted quarterback Zach Gentry continues to ‘get it’ and has become a real mismatch with his height.
Finally, it’s redshirt junior Wilton Speight at quarterback. He has had a great fall, and his deep ball has really improved.
The team leaves Weds., August 30, and will have a few days to get used to Jerry World with walkthroughs, etc. There’s a lot of confidence that they’ll start the season off with a big win.
****
To basketball and recruiting now …
This year’s freshman class continues to impress, according to some close to the practices, etc., and has an extremely high ceiling. Some of them would have been locks to start in past years, but the veterans, including some of the young talent that hasn’t played much, have made it hard to predict they’ll see a lot of time this year. They’ll all be very good in time, however.
One of the more interesting tidbits … how athletic freshman point guard/two guard Eli Brooks is. He has ‘elite’ athleticism, according to those in the know, and that’s more than just jumping ability. He moves very well laterally and has really impressed. He’ll be in the mix for time at point guard, but grad transfer Jaaron Simmons has been outstanding, and sophomore Xavier Simpson has really, really improved this summer.
Simpson jumped 42.5 inches on his vertical recently, and he’s also very good athletically in other areas. Soph Ibi Watson jumped 44.5, a Michigan record, and he has made gains in other areas, too. He’s still working on lateral quickness, etc., but he’s shooting the ball well and works very hard.
Minutes at point guard will be earned this year, to say the least.
Head coach John Beilein let slip recently what we’ve heard rumblings about — center Moritz Wagner could see some time at the four. Redshirt frosh Austin Davis has been so impressive at times that having the two on the floor together could really pay dividends.
It will be very interesting to see how the minutes are allocated this year. Redshirt sophomore Charles Matthews, for example, will be nearly impossible to keep off the floor, and Beilein said Simmons would be, too. There’s a lot of talent this year, and some really high expectations that this team could be really good.
On the recruiting front, the coaches have made it clear to everyone on their 2018 list that there isn’t much room left … only one scholarship available. That’s NOT to say they wouldn’t take two more in this class, however. They will oversign if necessary, and we expect at least two more 2018s to join.
Versailles (Ohio) three-star Justin Ahrens is one to watch closely. He has a Sept. official set up, and is planning on going to Ohio State the following week. Those close to him say he understands what a great fit he’d be at Michigan, though, and the fact that his brother is at MSU is not a factor.
Grand Rapids native Duane Washington Jr., another three-star, is playing in California for his last year, and he’s gone silent after picking up his offer. He also received an OSU offer, but he’s in no rush.
Houston three-star Miller Kopp is “really, really good,” and a great fit at Michigan, Rivals.com’s Corey Evans told us. He had a great summer, and he also realizes what a great fit he’d be at U-M. He does have a brother at Vanderbilt, so that’s one to watch, too. It could be a factor. He will visit officially, however, and he’s underrated.
Finally, on San Jose St. transfer Brandon Clarke (story on the front page) … there is serious mutual interest, but is there time to get him on campus? He’s sitting out a year due to transfer rules, but he’d have to enroll for this semester. Some have noted schools like Oregon operate on a different academic calendar, so he'd have some more time with them.
As always, thanks for visiting TheWolverine.com!
