Back in November 2016 things turned dark. The bright glow of optimism among the people was darkened after a closely fought loss to the evil empire. Back then, little did we know just how dark the days ahead would be and just what a turning point that November 2016 loss would be. It slowly became evident that the optimism we all shared before that dark November day had led to divisiveness, not only amongst us, but also among family members. The glory days of our past were, to many, clearly gone. The question became whether it would ever come back. Many have resigned themselves to this new reality and believe things will never be the same. Others have bought into the Kool-aid and continue to have delusions of grandeur irrespective as to looking at the facts of the past four years. Some, myself included, believe that this could be the year when things change. It is often when we are at our lowest that we will surprise and the phoenix rises from the ashes. Now, as we approach the end of October will this be the year when everything is set right or will the dark ages continue? We will soon have our answer. Will the elephant in the room finally disappear or will it continue floating around to be seen, at least by those willing to take a look for it? Some have complained that the 2016 result was unfair as the winner was improperly assisted by the home-cooking of the refs. The game is in Columbus again this year so we shall see. What I do know is that this will be the first season that Harbaugh will have a team that is 100% comprised of players that he recruited. This is HIS team in every which way that one can define it. Now, lets just hope for the best.
Now, on to some random recruiting nuggets. I try and stay ahead of the curve so I will focus on kids that are not yet on the radar of the fan sites.
In Alliance, Ohio there is a 2024 S/QB prospect by the name of Brendan Zurbrugg who is putting together a solid freshman season. He is 6-2, 175 and starting at safety and backing up at QB. In 8 games he has 30 tackles. If the last name sounds familiar, Brendan is the son of former Michigan QB Chris Zurbrugg, who was a teammate of Jim Harbaugh and stepped in to replace him after Harbaugh was injured his sophomore season. One to monitor going forward.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/14844234/Brendan-Zurbrugg
Another 2024 player to watch out for, most likely as a preferred walk-on, is Saline QB C.J. Carr. He is the son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr. His grandparents are former Michigan star safety Tom Curtis and former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. He is the older brother of the late Chad Carr, a child in the heart of all Michigan fans after having passed away from brain cancer in 2016. C.J is 6-2, 175 and backing up talented junior QB Larry Robinson at Saline this year. He is also an outstanding student.
www.hudl.com
The UP has an interesting 2024 prospect who could be the rare kid to garner P5 attention. Callen Campbell is a TE/DE at Sault Ste. Marie and is 6-3, 220. He first caught my attention as a varsity player as an 8th-grader. This season for a 3-2 team he has 7 receptions for 107 yards and 2 TDs, 12 tackles and 3 sacks. Very strong for a freshman TE/DE with a 285 bench press.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/13105812/Callen-Campbell
Getting back to bloodlines, Queen Creek Casteel 2024 DB Kennedy Urlacher (6-1, 180) is the son of former Chicago Bears and New Mexico star linebacker Brian Urlacher. He is starting at CB as a freshman and New Mexico is his only offer. A hidden gem that the staff should get onto early.
The state of Georgia is again absolutely loaded in the Class of 2024. I am only going to mention a couple of kids who are not quite yet that high on the radar of the recruiting service but who I like a lot.
Hevin Brown-Shuler is a 6-5, 260 DT who plays for one of the strongest academic programs in the state at Atlanta Pace Academy. They have also produced several blue-chip players over the years and Hevin will definitely be one of the next ones. As a freshman through 5 games he had 14 tackles, 11 assists and 1 sack.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/14657943/Hevin-BrownShuler
Another 2024 Georgia lineman that I like a lot is Michai Boireau of Lovejoy. He is 6-4, 300 and through 6 games for an unbeaten AAAAA team he had 13 tackles, 6 TFL and 2 sacks. Lovejoy coach Edgar Carson recently said that he sees NFL written on him.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/15141662/Michai-Boireau
Turning to the Class of 2023, I think that it will be a year that Michigan lands a top five or so QB. Best bets are, of course, Detroit King stud Dante Moore (6-2, 180) and Springfield (MA) Central QB William Watson. Both are very dynamic and throw a nice ball. Arch Manning is the highest profile player in the entire class. He will likely stay south, but do not write him off. Mannings do tend to do their own thing and don’t forget that uncle Peyton had a strong interest in Michigan and actually visited before signing with Tennessee. He also happens to be attending the top-ranked academic private school in the state, so perhaps academics will weigh more heavily than some think in the decision-making process. Another kid who could really explode this season Downey (CA) Warren QB Nicholaus (Nico) Iamaleava. Nico has expressed some interest in Michigan. He is 6-6, 200 and only played a small handful of games as a freshman at Long Beach Poly before injuring his ankle. He shined at recent passing camps, including the Pylon passing camp in Arizona last month where he passed for 20 TDs and no interceptions. He is 6-6, 200 and has a 3.5 GPA. He is a first cousin of Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei. Oregon, however, is his dream school. This one will be a hard-fought battle
A 2023 RB/CB to watch out for is Nic Strong (5-10, 175, 4.51) out of Huntsville Randolph in Alabama. Tennessee was the first to offer back in July. As a freshman starter on a 2-7 4A team (SB/RB/CB) and he had 741 yards rushing and 9 TDs on a 123 carries and added 4 receptions for 58 yards and 2 TDs. He is a two-way back with a great motor and good speed, vision and lateral quickness. Of interest is that he is a huge Jim Harbaugh fan. His family is all from Michigan and he has grown up as a Michigan fan.
www.hudl.com
2023 CB Aaron Gates (6-1, 180) out of Sharpsburg Trinity Christian, Georgia is a talented corner prospect with offers from the likes of Georgia, South Carolina and LSU. He is an honors student at a small school and shined as a freshman two-way starter at WR and CB. Last month he recorded 4 interceptions in a single game. He is the best of several talented youngsters at Trinity Christian. His high school principal is a big Michigan fan and a member of this site.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/6174165/Aaron-Gates
Now, on to some random recruiting nuggets. I try and stay ahead of the curve so I will focus on kids that are not yet on the radar of the fan sites.
In Alliance, Ohio there is a 2024 S/QB prospect by the name of Brendan Zurbrugg who is putting together a solid freshman season. He is 6-2, 175 and starting at safety and backing up at QB. In 8 games he has 30 tackles. If the last name sounds familiar, Brendan is the son of former Michigan QB Chris Zurbrugg, who was a teammate of Jim Harbaugh and stepped in to replace him after Harbaugh was injured his sophomore season. One to monitor going forward.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/14844234/Brendan-Zurbrugg
Another 2024 player to watch out for, most likely as a preferred walk-on, is Saline QB C.J. Carr. He is the son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr. His grandparents are former Michigan star safety Tom Curtis and former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. He is the older brother of the late Chad Carr, a child in the heart of all Michigan fans after having passed away from brain cancer in 2016. C.J is 6-2, 175 and backing up talented junior QB Larry Robinson at Saline this year. He is also an outstanding student.
CJ Carr on Hudl
Watch CJ Carr's videos and highlights on Hudl. More info: Saline Area Schools - Boys' Middle School Football / QB / Class of 2024 / Saline, MI
www.hudl.com
The UP has an interesting 2024 prospect who could be the rare kid to garner P5 attention. Callen Campbell is a TE/DE at Sault Ste. Marie and is 6-3, 220. He first caught my attention as a varsity player as an 8th-grader. This season for a 3-2 team he has 7 receptions for 107 yards and 2 TDs, 12 tackles and 3 sacks. Very strong for a freshman TE/DE with a 285 bench press.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/13105812/Callen-Campbell
Getting back to bloodlines, Queen Creek Casteel 2024 DB Kennedy Urlacher (6-1, 180) is the son of former Chicago Bears and New Mexico star linebacker Brian Urlacher. He is starting at CB as a freshman and New Mexico is his only offer. A hidden gem that the staff should get onto early.
The state of Georgia is again absolutely loaded in the Class of 2024. I am only going to mention a couple of kids who are not quite yet that high on the radar of the recruiting service but who I like a lot.
Hevin Brown-Shuler is a 6-5, 260 DT who plays for one of the strongest academic programs in the state at Atlanta Pace Academy. They have also produced several blue-chip players over the years and Hevin will definitely be one of the next ones. As a freshman through 5 games he had 14 tackles, 11 assists and 1 sack.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/14657943/Hevin-BrownShuler
Another 2024 Georgia lineman that I like a lot is Michai Boireau of Lovejoy. He is 6-4, 300 and through 6 games for an unbeaten AAAAA team he had 13 tackles, 6 TFL and 2 sacks. Lovejoy coach Edgar Carson recently said that he sees NFL written on him.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/15141662/Michai-Boireau
Turning to the Class of 2023, I think that it will be a year that Michigan lands a top five or so QB. Best bets are, of course, Detroit King stud Dante Moore (6-2, 180) and Springfield (MA) Central QB William Watson. Both are very dynamic and throw a nice ball. Arch Manning is the highest profile player in the entire class. He will likely stay south, but do not write him off. Mannings do tend to do their own thing and don’t forget that uncle Peyton had a strong interest in Michigan and actually visited before signing with Tennessee. He also happens to be attending the top-ranked academic private school in the state, so perhaps academics will weigh more heavily than some think in the decision-making process. Another kid who could really explode this season Downey (CA) Warren QB Nicholaus (Nico) Iamaleava. Nico has expressed some interest in Michigan. He is 6-6, 200 and only played a small handful of games as a freshman at Long Beach Poly before injuring his ankle. He shined at recent passing camps, including the Pylon passing camp in Arizona last month where he passed for 20 TDs and no interceptions. He is 6-6, 200 and has a 3.5 GPA. He is a first cousin of Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei. Oregon, however, is his dream school. This one will be a hard-fought battle
A 2023 RB/CB to watch out for is Nic Strong (5-10, 175, 4.51) out of Huntsville Randolph in Alabama. Tennessee was the first to offer back in July. As a freshman starter on a 2-7 4A team (SB/RB/CB) and he had 741 yards rushing and 9 TDs on a 123 carries and added 4 receptions for 58 yards and 2 TDs. He is a two-way back with a great motor and good speed, vision and lateral quickness. Of interest is that he is a huge Jim Harbaugh fan. His family is all from Michigan and he has grown up as a Michigan fan.
Nic Strong on Hudl
Watch Nic Strong's videos and highlights on Hudl. More info: Randolph High School - Boys JV Football / Class of 2023 / Huntsville, AL
www.hudl.com
2023 CB Aaron Gates (6-1, 180) out of Sharpsburg Trinity Christian, Georgia is a talented corner prospect with offers from the likes of Georgia, South Carolina and LSU. He is an honors student at a small school and shined as a freshman two-way starter at WR and CB. Last month he recorded 4 interceptions in a single game. He is the best of several talented youngsters at Trinity Christian. His high school principal is a big Michigan fan and a member of this site.
https://www.hudl.com/profile/6174165/Aaron-Gates
