Second guess at the 2019 class...

nickespitia · May 1, 2018

Given all the talk about where the 2019 class is going to end up ranked I thought it would be a good time to update my best guess list for the 2019 class. There have been quite a few changes since my first guess list (quoted below). Some good (Cade McNamera replaces Sam Johnson) and some bad (dropping the St. Louis WRs). Just a reminder that this is just for fun. It's probably not going to be that accurate, but I think it's realistic. I did this in the 2017 and 2018 classes as well. I did a pretty good job predicting the 2017 class, but the 2018 class was way off. Right now, the predicted class looks like it's doing ok.

nickespitia said:
Now that the 2018 class is officially in the books I thought it would be fun to take a first guess at the 2019 class. I've done this the past few years, but the only ones I kept copies of were the 2017 and 2018 classes. My first guess at the 2017 class was pretty close all things considered. The 2018 class not so much haha. My guesses tend to be optimistic, but I do my best to also keep them realistic. All the guys on this list have either mentioned Michigan in more than one interview, visited campus, or both. Keep the "he gone" or "no way we'll land any of those guys" comments to yourself. I know the popular response right now is that Michigan's recruiting is a mess, but we have a lot of built in advantages with a lot of talented players in the 2019 class. If we respond well during the 2018 season we could sign a very good group. Other constructive comments or your own best guess lists are welcomed and encouraged.

It's going to be a small class so I capped the initial prediction at 20. We'll need a lot of attrition, but the numbers always seem to work out. A few final notes: I will keep committed prospects on my prediction list until they actually decommit. I know there was some less than positive news on Herron, but until he actually says he's going to Stanford I'll keep him on his list. Finally, we have just under a year until signing day and a lot will change between now and then. With a 20 man class if I get 8-10 names right I think that's pretty good. That's the threshold I'm using and I'm most certainly likely to more wrong than I do right.

~~QB - Samuel Johnson, MI, 5.6 3 star, unranked, #15 PQB -~~

Johnson is a local kid who has camped at Michigan several times and comes from a family of life long fans. At this point it seems like a matter of when he'll commit vs. if he'll commit. Likely headed to BC. His spot was taken my Cade McNamera

~~RB - Sampson James, IN, 5.8 4 star, #158 overall, #7 RB -~~

James is one of the top backs in the midwest and had visited Michigan several times. He's from the same school as Brandon Peters so hopefully that connection is enough to get him to Ann Arbor. Committed to OSU

RB - John Emery, LA, 5.8 4 star, #179 overall, #8 RB -

Emery is probably the biggest long shot on my list. It's never easy to pull a kid from Louisiana when he has offers from LSU, Alabama, and most of the SEC, but he seemed to really enjoy his visit to Ann Arbor. Michigan has pulled some kids for Louisiana and has a good track record with running backs (A-Train, Howard, etc.) from the region.

WR - Kyle Ford, CA, 5.9 4 star, #74 overall, #12 WR -

This might be the first time that an "uncle" helps Michigan land a prospect (shout out to @mrmich1 haha). Ford has been interested in Michigan for a while and after a slow start the staff seems to have made him a priority. I like where Michigan is sitting right now.

~~WR - Marcus Washignton, MO, #127 overall. #22 WR -~~

Michigan has been considered the leader for Washington for a while. It's going to be a bit of a battle now that Illinois has hired his head coach and more programs are getting involved, but right now Michigan is still in a very good position. Michigan didn't make his top 10

~~WR - Isaiah Williams, MO, 6.0 4 star, #37 overall, #4 ATH -~~

Williams is one of the top playmakers in the 2019 class and Michigan is in a great position to land him. He is teammates with Washington and right now Michigan appears to be the leader. Both guys are going to be heavily pursued so it will be a battle, but Michigan is as good of a position as anyone else right now. Committed to Illinois

OL - Nolan Rumler, OH, 5.9 4 star, #110 overall, #6 OG, committed to Michigan -

Rumler was a huge early pick up. He continues our trend of landing highly thought of interior linemen prospects. Hopefully we can extend that trend to OTs this year.

OL - Trente Jones, GA, 5.7 3 star, #35 OT, committed to Michigan -

I'd be lying if I said I saw this commitment coming, but it's nice to get a talented tackle in the class so early. Jones plays for one of the top high school teams in the country and has 4 other teammates with offers. Hopefully his commitment will help with his teammates, especially Kenyatta Watson (top 100 CB).

~~OL - Spencer Brown, MI, 5.8 4 star, #241 overall, #24 OT, committed to MSU -~~

Brown committed to MSU before he had an offer from Michigan. He is teammates with Johnson and they seem to be pretty close. If Johnson commits to Michigan then I think Brown will flip from MSU. Brown has been on campus recently and also camped at Michigan last summer. It will be fun to watch MSU meltdown if/when he does eventually commit to Michigan. I think he'll stick with MSU

OL - William Harrod, MD, 5.8 4 star, #11 OG -

Harrod has stated that Michigan is his leader. He is a guy who could play OT or OG and would be a solid addition to the offensive line class.

DE - Christoper Hinton, GA, 6.1 5 star, #13 overall, #1 SDE, committed to Michigan -

Michigan's biggest commitment in the 2019 class. Folks are going to worry about whether on not Michigan can hold onto him until he signs, but right now he seems to be very solid in his commitment.

DE - Stephon Herron, KY, 5.9 4 star, #51 overall, #3 WDE, committed to Michigan -

Herron was another huge early commitment but he seems much less solid than Hinton. There are a lot of reports that indicate Stanford is close to flipping Herron. If the Aubrey Solomon and Otis Reese recruitments have shown us anything it's that recruitments like this can take a lot of twists and turns. We'll see what happens.

DE - Marcus Hicks, KA, 5.8 4 star, #214 overall, #24 SDE -

Hicks is a recent offer who has seen his recruitment take off. He is high on Michigan and his dad is a huge fan. Having parents in your corner doesn't always matter, but in this case I think that it will. Michigan is continuing to build really great depth on the DL.

DT - Mazi Smith, MI, 5.8 4 star, #150 overall, #10 DT -

Smith has visited campus several times and Michigan has recently started to make him a priority again. Smith really likes Mattison I think eventually he will be in the class.

LB - Charles Thomas, FL, 5.6 3 star, #28 OLB, committed to Michigan -

Thomas was Michigan's first commitment in the 2019 class and has been an active recruiter for the program. He's athletic and has been compared to Devin Bush. He will be a nice addition to the program.

~~LB - Anthony Solomon, FL, 5.8 4 star, #155 overall, #6 ILB -~~

Solomon is another player we haven't heard much about lately, but the national guys still think he's going to Michigan. He has listed us as one of his leaders in the past and Michigan still seems to be in a good position. Michigan doesn't seem to be recruiting him any longer.

LB - Lance Dixon, MI, 5.7 3 star, #23 OLB -

Dixon looks to be the staff's top recruit at the viper position. He has been on campus several times and really likes Don Brown. He's another local kid that I think joins the class.

CB - DJ Turner, GA, 5.7 3 star, #43 CB -

Turner is another Georgia kid who Hinton and Thomas have been recruiting hard. Michigan looks to be in a good position early, but it's always tough to pull a kid from Georgia if a SEC program turns up the heat.

S - Lewis Cine, TX, 5.9 4 star, #68 overall, #4 S -

Cine looks to be Michigan's top target at safety. He will be a tough pull and is a bit of a long shot. He has said good things about Michigan early, but Michigan will need a good 2018 season to get his commitment.

~~S - Marvin Grant, MI, 5.9 4 star, #126 overall, #8 S -~~

Grant was one of the first in-state kids to get an offer, has visited Michigan often, and had Michigan out in front early. We haven't heard anything about him recently, but you have to think Michigan is the favorite right now. Michigan seems to have stopped recruiting him.

Other recruits I thought about putting on the list but didn't make the cut (think of this as the next tier list). I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan landed any of these guys.

~~QB - Taisun Phommachanh, CT, 5.9 4 star, #145 overall, #5 DTQB -~~

Michigan was one of his first offers and he's from an area where Don Brown is well respected. He might be Michigan's top target at QB and I think Michigan could land him, but I think Johnson is more likely at this point. If there is room for two QBs I could see the staff making a push for both Phommachanh and Johnson. Committed to Clemson

RB/ATH - Quavaris Crouch, NC, 6.1 5 star, #1 overall, #1 ATH -

Michigan is in a good position with Crouch. He has visited campus and seemed to really enjoy the visit. But the smart money is on someplace down south right now. He would be a huge get and could be a great RB or LB. Hopefully the staff can pull off a recruiting upset.

~~RB/ATH - Steele Chambers, GA, 5.7 3 star, #30 ATH -~~

In a lot of ways Chambers is a poor man's version of Crouch. He's a big kid who could be very good at RB or LB. He is another recruit who received an early offer but who we haven't heard much about recently. Committed to OSU

RB - Eric Gray, TN, 5.6 3 star, #6 APB -

Gray was one of Michigan's first offers at RB and has already visited campus. He seemed to have Michigan near the top of his list but I haven't seen any recent updates. I'm not sure how hard the staff is recruiting him right now.

WR - David Bell, IN, 5.9 4 star, #92 overall, #19 WR -

Bell seems to have Michigan and OSU on top right now. I left him off the list because Ford and Washington seem slightly more likely at this point. Michigan is in position to land an outstanding WR class in 2019.

WR - Tre Mosley, MI, 5.6 star, unranked -

I'm not sure Mosley has a committable offer right now, but if he gets one he could beat the higher rated guys to the punch. He has the size that the staff looks for, but is less developed than the other targets.

TE - Hudson Henry, AR, 5.9 4 star, #84 overall, #1 TE -

I felt really good about landing Henry when Enos was on staff. He will be a tougher pull now, but he did enjoy the visit and still thinks highly of Herbert. I don't have a TE on the best guess list because there isn't a clear candidate, we have low numbers, and we took 2 TEs last year.

TE - Keon Zipperer, FL, 5.8 4 star, #230 overall, #7 TE -

Zipperer was one of the first recruits that Coach Moore visited after he was hired. If he gets on campus Michigan could be a legitimate threat to land him.

~~OL - Logan Brown, MI, 6.0 4 star, #20 overall, #4 OT, committed to Wisconsin -~~

Losing Brown to Wisconsin was disappointing. Hopefully with Warriner coming in Michigan can revamp Brown's interest a bit. It would also help to finish ahead of Wisconsin in the big ten standings next season. Committed to Wisconsin. @Brandon Brown has been adamant that he won't consider Michigan.

~~OL - Devonate Dobbs, MI, 6.0 4 star, #29 overall, #5 OT -~~

Dobbs wasn't an early priority for Michigan and that seems to have rubbed him the wrong way. It sounds like Michigan still has a some ground to make up, but I suppose it could happen. If he decides late, Michigan has big year, and he continues to bond with Pep and Warriner maybe Michigan can land him late. I don't think it will happen, but we'll see. Update: @Brandon Brown has been adamant that he won't consider Michigan.

~~OL - Dontae Lucas, FL, 5.9 4 star, #72 overall, #4 OG -~~

Lucas is teammates with Charles Thomas at IMG and was featured in the Michigan edit that was a shared on twitter a few weeks back. Hopefully Thomas can talk Lucas into joining him in Ann Arbor. Committed to FSU

OL - Will Putnam, FL, 5.9 4 star, #87 overall #5 OG -

Putnam showed a lot of early interest and has visited campus, but we haven't heard much about him recently. I think Michigan would have a decent chance if they showed more interest in him.

OL - Xavier Truss, RI, 5.9 4 star, #139 overall, #18 OT -

Truss' recruitment has really taken off recently, but Michigan was one of his first offers and he still plans on visiting Ann Arbor. He's from an area where Don Brown has recruited very well and is former teammates with Kwity Paye. This will be another tough battle, but is one Michigan can win. He is a prototypical LT.

OL - Trevor Keegan, IL, 5.8 4 star, #177 overall, #19 OT -

This is beginning to sound a bit repetitive, but Keegan is another kid who showed a lot of early interest in Michigan, visited often, and then kind of fell off the recruiting map. His family has some connections to the University so Michigan is still in good position. He just hasn't done many updates recently.

OL - Charles Turner, FL, 5.7 3 star, #34 OT -

He was in the edit with Lucas, Thomas, and Jones. Warinner was recruiting Turner when he was coaching at Minnesota so it will be interesting to see if he moves up Michigan's board.

OL - Karsen Barnhart, MI, 5.7 3 star, #44 OT -

Barnhart just got his offered and visited. Michigan will be in it until the end. Committed to Michigan.

SDE - Micheal Fletcher, MI, 5.7 3 star, #41 SDE -

One of the recent instate offers. Michigan just started recruiting him so we'll see where it goes.

~~SDE- Adam Berghorst, MI, 5.7 3 star, #43 SDE -~~

~~Berghorst is another recent instate offer. It's not clear to me if he's being recruited as a TE, OT, or DE. Either way he seems to be down the board a bit. No longer considering Michigan.~~

~~DT - Jowon Briggs, OH, 5.9 4 star, # 107 overall, #3 DT -~~

A poster on the board who is connected to the recruitment mentioned that Briggs liked Michigan a lot over the summer. We haven't heard much since then, but hopefully Al Washington can work his magic. No longer considering Michigan

~~LB - Shane Lee, MD, 6.0 4 star, #36 overall, #1 ILB -~~

Biff Poggi is Lee's head coach and he has said great things about Michigan in the past. This is going be a big time recruitment, but Michigan will be in a good position if they win during the season. Committed to Alabama

~~LB - Marcell Lewis, MI, 5.6 3 star, unranked -~~

~~I'm not sure if he has a committable offer, but if he could very easily end up in the class. Committed to MSU.~~

~~CB - Chris Steele, CA, 6.1 5 star, #17 overall, #2 CB -~~

At one point it looked like Steele was really interested in Michigan. That interest has wained a but since the summer, but if Michigan is able to land Kyle Ford and Michigan has a big year then maybe they can get a visit. I think Steele is likely to stay out on the West coast. Eliminated Michigan

CB - Keyonta Watson, GA, 5.9 4 star, #112 overall, #13 CB -

Watson is teammates with Trente Jones and will be visiting soon. If the visit goes well Michigan will have a very good shot. Creating a pipeline to Grayson would be great. They have one of the top programs in the country.

~~ATH - Luke McCaffrey, CO, 5.7 3 star, #42 ATH -~~

Luke is Dylan's little brother. I haven't heard much about his recruitment, but I assume that Michigan will have a shot if they want McCaffrey to be in the class. Michigan doesn't seem to be recruiting him.

Here is the updated list:

QB - Cade McNamera, CA, 5.8 4 star, #9 PQB, committed to Michigan -
- Committed quickly and somewhat surprisingly. He's a solid pick up, but wasn't a correct prediction.
RB - John Emery, LA, 5.8 4 star, #179 overall, #8 RB -
- Emery is probably the biggest long shot on my list. It's never easy to pull a kid from Louisiana when he has offers from LSU, Alabama, and most of the SEC, but he seemed to really enjoy his visit to Ann Arbor. He also seems like Michigan's most realistic RB target right now. Michigan has pulled some kids for Louisiana and has a good track record with running backs (A-Train, Howard, etc.) from the region.
WR - Kyle Ford, CA, 5.9 4 star, #74 overall, #12 WR -
- This might be the first time that an "uncle" helps Michigan land a prospect (shout out to @mrmich1 haha). Ford has been interested in Michigan for a while and after a slow start the staff seems to have made him a priority. I like where Michigan is sitting right now.
- Update: Per @mrmich1Michigan is still in a good position. This is speculation on my part, but if he have a good season I think Ford will end up in Ann Arbor.
WR - John Dunmore, FL, 5.9 4 star, #41 overall, #7 WR
- Dunmore was committed to McElwain at Florida and recently visited campus during spring practice. @Austin Fox indicated that he nearly committed during the trip and he seems to be very high on Michigan. His teammate Te'Cory Couch recently committed to Michigan and I think all three Chamindade Madonna recruits will end up in the class.
OL - Nolan Rumler, OH, 5.9 4 star, #110 overall, #6 OG, committed to Michigan -
- Rumler was a huge early pick up. He continues our trend of landing highly thought of interior linemen prospects. Hopefully we can extend that trend to OTs this year.
OL - Trente Jones, GA, 5.7 3 star, #35 OT, committed to Michigan -
- I'd be lying if I said I saw this commitment coming, but it's nice to get a talented tackle in the class so early. Jones plays for one of the top high school teams in the country and has 4 other teammates with offers. Hopefully his commitment will help with his teammates, especially Kenyatta Watson (top 100 CB).
- Update: Jones looks better and better every day. He did very well at his last camp and looked more like a tackle. He was long lean and has the frame to add more weight. I think by the end of the cycle he'll be a 4 star player and Michigan will be very happy to have him on the roster.
OL - Karsen Barnhart, MI, 5.7 3 star, #44 OT, committed to Michigan -
- Barnhart just got his offered and visited. Michigan will be in it until the end.
- Update: committed to Michigan.
OL - Jack Stewart, CT, 5.4 2 star, unranked, committed to Michigan -
- Definitely a sleeper, but comes from an area that Michigan tends to recruit/scout well. This is a definite trust the coaches type of pick. If you trust the coaches you're fine with it, if you don't you're probably wondering why Michigan accepted his commitment so soon.
OL - William Harrod, MD, 5.8 4 star, #11 OG -
- Harrod has stated that Michigan is his leader. He is a guy who could play OT or OG and would be a solid addition to the offensive line class.
DE - Christoper Hinton, GA, 6.1 5 star, #13 overall, #1 SDE, committed to Michigan -
- Michigan's biggest commitment in the 2019 class. Folks are going to worry about whether on not Michigan can hold onto him until he signs, but right now he seems to be very solid in his commitment.
DE - Stephon Herron, KY, 5.9 4 star, #51 overall, #3 WDE, committed to Michigan -
- Herron was another huge early commitment but he seems much less solid than Hinton. There are a lot of reports that indicate Stanford is close to flipping Herron. If the Aubrey Solomon and Otis Reese recruitments have shown us anything it's that recruitments like this can take a lot of twists and turns. We'll see what happens.
DE - Gabe Newburg, OH, 5.6 3 star, #53 WDE, committed to Michigan -
- Another sleeper/surprise commitment. He has good measurables and it's tough to question Brown and Mattison.
DE - Marcus Hicks, KA, 5.8 4 star, #214 overall, #24 SDE -
- Hicks is a recent offer who has seen his recruitment take off. He is high on Michigan and his dad is a huge fan. Having parents in your corner doesn't always matter, but in this case I think that it will. Michigan is continuing to build really great depth on the DL.
- Update: Still high on Michigan.
DT - Mazi Smith, MI, 5.8 4 star, #150 overall, #10 DT -
- Smith has visited campus several times and Michigan has recently started to make him a priority again. Smith really likes Mattison I think eventually he will be in the class.
LB - Charles Thomas, FL, 5.6 3 star, #28 OLB, committed to Michigan -
- Thomas was Michigan's first commitment in the 2019 class and has been an active recruiter for the program. He's athletic and has been compared to Devin Bush. He will be a nice addition to the program.
LB/Viper - Lance Dixon, MI, 5.7 3 star, #23 OLB -
- Dixon looks to be the staff's top recruit at the viper position. He has been on campus several times and really likes Don Brown. He's another local kid that I think joins the class.
- This looks like a Michigan vs. MSU vs. PSU battle. A good season and wins over MSU and PSU would help.
Viper - Keontra Smith, FL, 5.8 4 star, #30 CB, committed to Kentucky -
- Listed as a CB, but is being recruited as a Viper.
- Recently visited campus with his teammates Couch and Dunmore. All three had a great visit and I think there is a good chance they all end up in the class.
CB - Te'Cory Couch, FL, 5.8 4 star, #20 S, committed to Michigan -
- Committed during his visit to spring practice and teammates with Dunmore and Smith. He's listed as a safety but is coming in as a corner. He will need to add weight but has very good cover skills.
CB - DJ Turner, GA, 5.7 3 star, #43 CB -
- Turner is another Georgia kid who Hinton and Thomas have been recruiting hard. Michigan looks to be in a good position early, but it's always tough to pull a kid from Georgia if a SEC program turns up the heat.
- Just visited again and Michigan is considered his leader.
S - Lewis Cine, TX, 5.9 4 star, #68 overall, #4 S -
- Cine looks to be Michigan's top target at safety (other than Daxton Hill). He will be a tough pull and is a bit of a long shot. He has said good things about Michigan early, but Michigan will need a good 2018 season to get his commitment.

Other notable prospects -

RB/ATH - Quavaris Crouch, NC, 6.1 5 star, #1 overall, #1 ATH -
- Michigan is in a good position with Crouch. He has visited campus and seemed to really enjoy the visit. But the smart money is on someplace down south right now. He would be a huge get and could be a great RB or LB. Hopefully the staff can pull off a recruiting upset.
RB - Eric Gray, TN, 5.6 3 star, #6 APB -
- Gray was one of Michigan's first offers at RB and has already visited campus. He seemed to have Michigan near the top of his list but I haven't seen any recent updates. I'm not sure how hard the staff is recruiting him right now.
WR - David Bell, IN, 5.9 4 star, #92 overall, #19 WR -
- Bell seems to have Michigan and OSU on top right now. I left him off the list because Ford and Washington seem slightly more likely at this point. Michigan is in position to land an outstanding WR class in 2019.
WR - John Metchie, MD, 5.8 4 star, #170 overall, #28 WR
- Listed Michigan as one of his top schools and recently visited.

WR - Tre Mosley, MI, 5.6 star, unranked -
- I'm not sure Mosley has a committable offer right now, but if he gets one he could beat the higher rated guys to the punch. He has the size that the staff looks for, but is less developed than the other targets.

TE - Hudson Henry, AR, 5.9 4 star, #84 overall, #1 TE -
- I felt really good about landing Henry when Enos was on staff. He will be a tougher pull now, but he did enjoy the visit and still thinks highly of Herbert. I don't have a TE on the best guess list because there isn't a clear candidate, we have low numbers, and we took 2 TEs last year.

TE - Keon Zipperer, FL, 5.8 4 star, #230 overall, #7 TE -
- Zipperer was one of the first recruits that Coach Moore visited after he was hired. If he gets on campus Michigan could be a legitimate threat to land him.

TE - Luke Deal, SC, 5.6 3 star, #24 TE -
- Deal might be the most realistic target at TE. He has had positive things to say about Michigan recently.

OL - Xavier Truss, RI, 5.9 4 star, #139 overall, #18 OT -
- Truss' recruitment has really taken off recently, but Michigan was one of his first offers and he still plans on visiting Ann Arbor. He's from an area where Don Brown has recruited very well and is former teammates with Kwity Paye. This will be another tough battle, but is one Michigan can win. He is a prototypical LT.
- PSU is the favorite followed by Georgia and then Michigan.

OL - Trevor Keegan, IL, 5.8 4 star, #177 overall, #19 OT -
- This is beginning to sound a bit repetitive, but Keegan is another kid who showed a lot of early interest in Michigan, visited often, and then kind of fell off the recruiting map. His family has some connections to the University so Michigan is still in good position. He just hasn't done many updates recently.
- OSU is most likely his leader, but he doesn't plan on making a decision anytime soon. Michigan still has time to get him back on campus.

OL - Charles Turner, FL, 5.7 3 star, #34 OT -
- He was in the edit with Lucas, Thomas, and Jones. Warinner was recruiting Turner when he was coaching at Minnesota so it will be interesting to see if he moves up Michigan's board.

SDE - Zach Harrison, OH, 6.1 5 star, #15 overall, #2 SDE -
- Harrison is going to be tough to pull away from OSU, but he keeps visiting Ann Arbor and still hasn't committed to the Buckeyes. This would be a huge recruiting win for the staff.

SDE - Micheal Fletcher, MI, 5.7 3 star, #41 SDE -
- One of the recent instate offers. Michigan just started recruiting him so we'll see where it goes.

CB - Keyonta Watson, GA, 5.9 4 star, #112 overall, #13 CB -
- Watson is teammates with Trente Jones and will be visiting soon. If the visit goes well Michigan will have a very good shot. Creating a pipeline to Grayson would be great. They have one of the top programs in the country.

CB - Salim Turner-Muhammad, VA, 5.8 4 star, #34 CB -
- Turner-Muhammad played with Vilain and has Michigan in his top 2 along with ND. He recently visited and is planning on making a June decision. I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan is the choice.

S - Daxton Hill, OK, 5.9 4 star, #44 overall, #2 S -
- Oklahoma seems to be the favorite here, but he has very positive things to say about Michigan. If he visits and is blown away Michigan could become a serious contender for his signature.

mikev66 · May 1, 2018