... feature Jim talking about:
• Class of 2020 commitment Denver Warren: "He's a stout defensive tackle, who is certainly one of the top three or four players in Illinois, in my book. He's about 6-2, 318, and these are measurements from the Atlanta Nike in March. He ran a 5.47 in that Atlanta Nike, but he's run as fast as a 5.23 for the 40, which is very good speed for a kid that size.
"He's got a great combination of size, power, quickness. He uses his hands well. He has a nice spin move and plays with good leverage. He has a nasty demeanor. It's just a question of doing it on a more consistent basis and becoming even more dominant on the high school level.
"Last year as a sophomore in 10 games, he played for an 8-A team at West Aurora High, and he had 36 tackles, 10 assists, 5.5 sacks. Those were good numbers, but they weren't really monster numbers. What I want to see from him next year is for him to really take it to the next level.
"There were reports that he was ready to [transfer] to IMG Academy in Bradenton for his junior year … I still haven't confirmed that's the case. If he does, his numbers actually may not be as big, because obviously there are going to be a lot of kids he's splitting reps with…
"He's certainly a very, very strong get, and we need that. Frankly, Ohio State's 2019 class, we're right there with them, and in 2020, they're off to a great start. Notre Dame's off to a great start in 2020. Warren is the most highly touted of the three kids we've got committed already in that class. Fortunately, we're in on a lot of good players there. It's going to be an important class for the future of the program."
• Slot receivers/defensive backs to finish 2019: "There's Wandale Robinson, out of Frankfort Western Hills in Kentucky. There's Giles Jackson, who really looked good at The Opening, who is out of Oakley Freedom High in California, and then Mike Sainristil, the receiver/cornerback out of Everett High in Massachusetts.
"I think we like all three of them as inside/slot receiver, although Sainristil certainly has the potential to be a fine corner as well. Both Robinson and Giles Jackson have put up big numbers running the ball, too. So there's a lot of positional flexibility there. There is a possibility we could end up taking two of the three there, but I think that's probably unlikely.
"I suspect it's going to be first-come, first-served."
• Bigger wideouts to finish 2019: "I'm listing three prospects who are on our realistic target board, but you've got to understand, these target lists can always expand. We're still several months away from signing day…
"The top kid on our board is obviously Kyle Ford, out of Orange [Calif] Lutheran, who blew up at The Opening. He had a performance for the ages, caught twice as many receptions as any other receiver at the event, and was essentially uncoverable. He pretty much had hands of glue. He showed the sort of speed that probably has propelled him to be among the top 20 players in the country, and challenging for the top overall spot at wide receiver.
"What's interesting in his recruitment is, first of all, he has an uncle who is on The Fort message board, who posts occasionally, and I know there have been some rumors circulating on another site about him heading to USC. This uncle said that's not the case, that's pure guesswork. He and his father have not even met with USC since the opening.
"I think that guesswork is a function of the fact that people were assuming Oregon was his leader, because of his two visits, Colorado and Oregon. Oregon is supposedly close to receiving a commitment from another elite receiver, and some say they might not have room for Ford, which I would find hard to believe — a five-star, you make room.
"Some people forecast USC, because that's kind of the de facto second choice for any elite, five-star, Southern California athlete. I think it's actually good news for Michigan, if Oregon secures another wide receiver commit. I think it will make our job easier.
"I think it's all going to come down to his visit for the SMU game in September. If we show that the offense has really picked it up this year, and we've got a dynamic passing game, he could be a good fit at Michigan. I think we've got as good a shot as anybody. I wouldn't put it above 50 percent at this point, but I think we're in as strong a position as anyone else for Kyle Ford.
"The other receiver we're very hot on, who is a national top-200 type talent is Cornelius Johnson, out of Greenwich Brunswick High in Connecticut. Now, his mother attended Michigan. His mother attended medical school at Michigan, actually. He's also a very, very strong student. This is one that could come down to that perennial Stanford-Michigan battle. We've got a couple of those going on this year.
"He's got good size. At the Nike camp just a few weeks ago, he came in at 6-2 1/2, 197, and he ran a 4.58 40, a 4.14 shuttle, which is good quickness for a kid his length, 38.5 vertical, and a 116.4 Nike Spark score, which is really good. He's a very talented receiver.
"He's not a the Kyle Ford level, but he's certainly a solid four-star. If we don't land Ford, I would be very, very happy to end up with Johnson."
Here's the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-football-recruiting-podcast-jim-s-with-john-borton-5
• Class of 2020 commitment Denver Warren: "He's a stout defensive tackle, who is certainly one of the top three or four players in Illinois, in my book. He's about 6-2, 318, and these are measurements from the Atlanta Nike in March. He ran a 5.47 in that Atlanta Nike, but he's run as fast as a 5.23 for the 40, which is very good speed for a kid that size.
"He's got a great combination of size, power, quickness. He uses his hands well. He has a nice spin move and plays with good leverage. He has a nasty demeanor. It's just a question of doing it on a more consistent basis and becoming even more dominant on the high school level.
"Last year as a sophomore in 10 games, he played for an 8-A team at West Aurora High, and he had 36 tackles, 10 assists, 5.5 sacks. Those were good numbers, but they weren't really monster numbers. What I want to see from him next year is for him to really take it to the next level.
"There were reports that he was ready to [transfer] to IMG Academy in Bradenton for his junior year … I still haven't confirmed that's the case. If he does, his numbers actually may not be as big, because obviously there are going to be a lot of kids he's splitting reps with…
"He's certainly a very, very strong get, and we need that. Frankly, Ohio State's 2019 class, we're right there with them, and in 2020, they're off to a great start. Notre Dame's off to a great start in 2020. Warren is the most highly touted of the three kids we've got committed already in that class. Fortunately, we're in on a lot of good players there. It's going to be an important class for the future of the program."
• Slot receivers/defensive backs to finish 2019: "There's Wandale Robinson, out of Frankfort Western Hills in Kentucky. There's Giles Jackson, who really looked good at The Opening, who is out of Oakley Freedom High in California, and then Mike Sainristil, the receiver/cornerback out of Everett High in Massachusetts.
"I think we like all three of them as inside/slot receiver, although Sainristil certainly has the potential to be a fine corner as well. Both Robinson and Giles Jackson have put up big numbers running the ball, too. So there's a lot of positional flexibility there. There is a possibility we could end up taking two of the three there, but I think that's probably unlikely.
"I suspect it's going to be first-come, first-served."
• Bigger wideouts to finish 2019: "I'm listing three prospects who are on our realistic target board, but you've got to understand, these target lists can always expand. We're still several months away from signing day…
"The top kid on our board is obviously Kyle Ford, out of Orange [Calif] Lutheran, who blew up at The Opening. He had a performance for the ages, caught twice as many receptions as any other receiver at the event, and was essentially uncoverable. He pretty much had hands of glue. He showed the sort of speed that probably has propelled him to be among the top 20 players in the country, and challenging for the top overall spot at wide receiver.
"What's interesting in his recruitment is, first of all, he has an uncle who is on The Fort message board, who posts occasionally, and I know there have been some rumors circulating on another site about him heading to USC. This uncle said that's not the case, that's pure guesswork. He and his father have not even met with USC since the opening.
"I think that guesswork is a function of the fact that people were assuming Oregon was his leader, because of his two visits, Colorado and Oregon. Oregon is supposedly close to receiving a commitment from another elite receiver, and some say they might not have room for Ford, which I would find hard to believe — a five-star, you make room.
"Some people forecast USC, because that's kind of the de facto second choice for any elite, five-star, Southern California athlete. I think it's actually good news for Michigan, if Oregon secures another wide receiver commit. I think it will make our job easier.
"I think it's all going to come down to his visit for the SMU game in September. If we show that the offense has really picked it up this year, and we've got a dynamic passing game, he could be a good fit at Michigan. I think we've got as good a shot as anybody. I wouldn't put it above 50 percent at this point, but I think we're in as strong a position as anyone else for Kyle Ford.
"The other receiver we're very hot on, who is a national top-200 type talent is Cornelius Johnson, out of Greenwich Brunswick High in Connecticut. Now, his mother attended Michigan. His mother attended medical school at Michigan, actually. He's also a very, very strong student. This is one that could come down to that perennial Stanford-Michigan battle. We've got a couple of those going on this year.
"He's got good size. At the Nike camp just a few weeks ago, he came in at 6-2 1/2, 197, and he ran a 4.58 40, a 4.14 shuttle, which is good quickness for a kid his length, 38.5 vertical, and a 116.4 Nike Spark score, which is really good. He's a very talented receiver.
"He's not a the Kyle Ford level, but he's certainly a solid four-star. If we don't land Ford, I would be very, very happy to end up with Johnson."
Here's the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-football-recruiting-podcast-jim-s-with-john-borton-5
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