*** The first Michigan target I saw in action this weekend was 2022 Rivals250 Traverse City (Mich.) Central linebacker Joshua Burnham. And man, did he impress. Burnham literally did everything for Central and scored six total touchdowns against rival Traverse City (Mich.) West. Burnham passed for four touchdowns, rushed for another score and lined up at wide receiver and mossed a kid for another touchdown. Burnham also recorded five tackles on defense. And oh yeah, he punted, too. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Burnham has a muscular build in both his upper and lower halves — similar to fellow Rivals100 linebacker target Sebastian Cheeks. As much as I love Cheeks, Burnham is even more fluid and athletic. He could fill several roles at Michigan, including the Mike and Viper spots. With his length, I could even see him being a terror off the edge.
*** Burnham is ranked as the No. 185 overall prospect in the country and No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Michigan. While that's nice, our national guys need to get out to TC to see Burnham. I only have him graded behind Will Johnson in terms of in-state prospects and believe he is a firm Top 100 player nationally. For example, I think he's a better recruit than in-state guys like Rocco Spindler and Giovanni El-Hadi that are considered elite recruits this cycle. Burnham has so much upside but also has a high floor. His athletic ability, frame to add weight, sideline-to-sideline speed and high football IQ make him the total package at the linebacker position. As stated, he could play multiple spots in Don Brown's attacking defense, and I think he would absolutely kill it in Ann Arbor. I'm all in on Burnham, and the U-M staff is, too. He is one of the top overall priorities for next cycle.
*** Saturday gave me another opportunity to see Rivals250 Michigan offensive line commit Raheem Anderson. I actually saw Anderson in-game twice last year and at a private workout this offseason. Anderson looks a lot leaner than he did a year ago. You can tell he spent a lot of time conditioning and getting his body right. It showed in his foot speed while pass blocking. And Anderson was asked to do a lot of that this weekend. Last year, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech ran the ball a ton, so Anderson was able to use his brute strength to bury people. While he served up a pancake and had a couple of nice blocks in the interior of the offensive line, Cass Tech mostly aired it out. With that in mind, I know Anderson is capable of being a road grader, so it was nice to see him do something a little different. By the way, he didn't have a single bad snap at the center position.
*** There has been some talk that Greg Crippen will stick at center and Anderson will move over to guard. I can see that because Anderson plays with a nastier attitude than Crippen. However, I just love what Anderson brings to the table at center. If you move him, I think you're taking away what makes Anderson truly special. And that's his leadership ability. Anderson commands his offensive line and has everyone's respect. Anderson actually got in at defensive tackle for a couple of plays, and the sideline was screaming 'Heem!!!' Those guys love him. He's a player that will lift the team and be there when his teammates are struggling and need help with their assignments. Anderson is as great of a leader as I've ever covered.
*** Cass Tech is also home to rising 2022 defensive tackle prospect Deone Walker, who holds a Michigan offer. A mammoth 300-pounder, Walker is the type of prospect that this board seems to want. However, I did not like Walker at all when I saw him at the ESPN Camp in Ohio this summer. Walker looked slow and was carrying some bad weight. I did write that he was a ball of clay waiting to be sculpted. And the sculpting happened pretty rapidly. Walker looked more athletic and dropped some pounds when I saw him at a private workout. After seeing him in pads this weekend, I feel like Walker is putting it all together. He had a very impressive in-game, using his size to his advantage and constantly getting a big push upfront. I'm really excited about Walker's potential and am interested to see how he continues to progress.
*** While Cass Tech came away with a win, elite 2023 Detroit (Mich.) King quarterback Dante Moore was super impressive in defeat. Moore has a ton of hype around him, and he definitely lived up to it on Saturday. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Moore has the athletic profile that I love in quarterbacks. He is listed as a dual but didn't make much plays with his feet. He stood out as a pure passer and showed off elite skills for his age. Moore had a couple of 'wow' throws that only a select few high school quarterbacks can make. He has the arm talent, poise and accuracy. Moore is at his best when rolling out. He threw some beautiful passes on boots to both sides. I would have liked to have seen Moore set his feet in the pocket a little more, but he was under constant pressure. Overall, I'm very high on Moore, and he's the obvious guy U-M should push for in 2023. Though, I am excited to see what Pop Watson looks like in pads.
*** Perhaps the best player on the field on Saturday was four-star Penn State cornerback commit Kalen King. He was terrific in coverage and was an absolute monster on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. Remember, Michigan was in it until the very end with King and with the extended dead period, there could be opportunity to keep him close to home. If I'm Michigan, I'm going all in to try to flip King and his brother Kobe King, who also had a really solid game at the linebacker position. He would fill the WILL spot vacated by Casey Phinney. It almost seems to make too much sense. The situation is perfect for the Wolverines to make a run.
*** Very quickly, Michigan is evaluating 2022 Cass Tech offensive lineman Jackson Pruitt. I though he had a really good game overall. He's a very high floor player as a guard. Cass Tech has some huge guys in the trenches, and fellow 2022 offensive lineman Massai Reddick is one to watch as well. He has a massive frame and could be a guard or defensive tackle at the next level. Rising 2023 King athlete Jameel Croft holds a couple of early offers. He flashed at both cornerback and wide receiver and is another to keep an eye on.
*** Burnham is ranked as the No. 185 overall prospect in the country and No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Michigan. While that's nice, our national guys need to get out to TC to see Burnham. I only have him graded behind Will Johnson in terms of in-state prospects and believe he is a firm Top 100 player nationally. For example, I think he's a better recruit than in-state guys like Rocco Spindler and Giovanni El-Hadi that are considered elite recruits this cycle. Burnham has so much upside but also has a high floor. His athletic ability, frame to add weight, sideline-to-sideline speed and high football IQ make him the total package at the linebacker position. As stated, he could play multiple spots in Don Brown's attacking defense, and I think he would absolutely kill it in Ann Arbor. I'm all in on Burnham, and the U-M staff is, too. He is one of the top overall priorities for next cycle.
*** Saturday gave me another opportunity to see Rivals250 Michigan offensive line commit Raheem Anderson. I actually saw Anderson in-game twice last year and at a private workout this offseason. Anderson looks a lot leaner than he did a year ago. You can tell he spent a lot of time conditioning and getting his body right. It showed in his foot speed while pass blocking. And Anderson was asked to do a lot of that this weekend. Last year, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech ran the ball a ton, so Anderson was able to use his brute strength to bury people. While he served up a pancake and had a couple of nice blocks in the interior of the offensive line, Cass Tech mostly aired it out. With that in mind, I know Anderson is capable of being a road grader, so it was nice to see him do something a little different. By the way, he didn't have a single bad snap at the center position.
*** There has been some talk that Greg Crippen will stick at center and Anderson will move over to guard. I can see that because Anderson plays with a nastier attitude than Crippen. However, I just love what Anderson brings to the table at center. If you move him, I think you're taking away what makes Anderson truly special. And that's his leadership ability. Anderson commands his offensive line and has everyone's respect. Anderson actually got in at defensive tackle for a couple of plays, and the sideline was screaming 'Heem!!!' Those guys love him. He's a player that will lift the team and be there when his teammates are struggling and need help with their assignments. Anderson is as great of a leader as I've ever covered.
*** Cass Tech is also home to rising 2022 defensive tackle prospect Deone Walker, who holds a Michigan offer. A mammoth 300-pounder, Walker is the type of prospect that this board seems to want. However, I did not like Walker at all when I saw him at the ESPN Camp in Ohio this summer. Walker looked slow and was carrying some bad weight. I did write that he was a ball of clay waiting to be sculpted. And the sculpting happened pretty rapidly. Walker looked more athletic and dropped some pounds when I saw him at a private workout. After seeing him in pads this weekend, I feel like Walker is putting it all together. He had a very impressive in-game, using his size to his advantage and constantly getting a big push upfront. I'm really excited about Walker's potential and am interested to see how he continues to progress.
*** While Cass Tech came away with a win, elite 2023 Detroit (Mich.) King quarterback Dante Moore was super impressive in defeat. Moore has a ton of hype around him, and he definitely lived up to it on Saturday. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Moore has the athletic profile that I love in quarterbacks. He is listed as a dual but didn't make much plays with his feet. He stood out as a pure passer and showed off elite skills for his age. Moore had a couple of 'wow' throws that only a select few high school quarterbacks can make. He has the arm talent, poise and accuracy. Moore is at his best when rolling out. He threw some beautiful passes on boots to both sides. I would have liked to have seen Moore set his feet in the pocket a little more, but he was under constant pressure. Overall, I'm very high on Moore, and he's the obvious guy U-M should push for in 2023. Though, I am excited to see what Pop Watson looks like in pads.
*** Perhaps the best player on the field on Saturday was four-star Penn State cornerback commit Kalen King. He was terrific in coverage and was an absolute monster on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver. Remember, Michigan was in it until the very end with King and with the extended dead period, there could be opportunity to keep him close to home. If I'm Michigan, I'm going all in to try to flip King and his brother Kobe King, who also had a really solid game at the linebacker position. He would fill the WILL spot vacated by Casey Phinney. It almost seems to make too much sense. The situation is perfect for the Wolverines to make a run.
*** Very quickly, Michigan is evaluating 2022 Cass Tech offensive lineman Jackson Pruitt. I though he had a really good game overall. He's a very high floor player as a guard. Cass Tech has some huge guys in the trenches, and fellow 2022 offensive lineman Massai Reddick is one to watch as well. He has a massive frame and could be a guard or defensive tackle at the next level. Rising 2023 King athlete Jameel Croft holds a couple of early offers. He flashed at both cornerback and wide receiver and is another to keep an eye on.
