branden jennings

That sound you hear outside is your FSU friend. For your health and safety, please read this before answering the door.

YOINK

So Michigan finally has a 2016 offensive tackle! Last night they secured a commitment from LA Tech (and onetime LSU commit) 2021 grad transfer OT Willie Allen. The 6'6"/345 Allen sat out this season because of COVID and entered the transfer portal a couple of days ago. Experiencing their own tackle hell, 247's FSU site jumped on the news that the Seminoles had been in contact. Alas, one of the OL super-rich wanted him more. Allen plans to enroll here next spring, when Mayfield is expected to be in the NFL.

I'll get more into it when I get around to a Hello next week but it's a good idea for Michigan to pursue grad transfers for the 2021 class. The NCAA won't be counting any current senior against the 85 cap next year, and a year of graduate education at a top-echelon grad school is some world-class bait. 

Your FSU friend is peeved about this, but not as much as he's going to be now that…

YOINKY YOINK.

As you no doubt noticed, Recent 4.5* FSU decommit Branden Jennings, a top-100 LB, is committing sometime today committed at exactly the same time this article was scheduled to post. Not that we were surprised; 247's Miami guy Andrew Ivins noted when the date was announced($), that Miami (YTM) hasn't communicated lately and Clemson is full, leaving just the M hat. This is how a near-5* sneaks into your class without raising an explosion.

Ace's hello post was a couple of hours ago but that's enough time for the sites to get their react articles up. 247's Steve Wiltfong has more from Jennings's head coach about Branden's college preparedness and what he meant by "Big Ten linebacker":

““He could go to practice with them tomorrow night after our game and you wouldn’t know which kid is from high school and he would look better than 75 percent of their linebackers and be just as intense as they are. ... They got themselves a vicious linebacker that just wants to hit. When I say vicious it’s between the rules. He plays football the way it’s supposed to be played and you’re going to be hit and driven. That kid is a Big Ten linebacker. I told him you remind me of (James) Laurinaits, those big inside Michigan, Michigan State linebackers hitting that 225-pound running back from Wisconsin on inside zone on 4th and 1.”

Rivals says Jennings is already up to 235 and also got Geis on record about readiness, though this time the Big Ten LB comp was to a former Illini:

“Branden breaks helmets. He plays so violent. He’s just different. He plays like Dick Butkus played back in the 1960s."

I take it he means Butkus when he wasn't getting planted on his ass by Jim Conley. There's some question about what position Jennings might play on the next level. We also neglected to mention his nickname is Godzilla. Quick watch of that tape (all at MLB) bears that out—he tackles, you stop—but his bend is his most impressive/translatable asset. Immediate and close comp is Victor Hobson, and I'll let you use Brown's imagination to figure out what that is in a modern defense—they're even ranked close together.

Sucks for the Noles; he was their highest-rated recruit, in addition to a legacy.

[After THE JUMP: Michigan may not be done raiding the Noles 2021 class. Little Bro wants to play Brandball. Your author adds recruits to the board]

Ed. note: Seth began this before we realized I had more free time to take care of it (see: other recent posts), so this is a bit of a franken-post.

After a tumultuous offseason, Florida State is off to an ugly 1-3 start under new coach Mike Norvell. Why are we talking about the Noles? Their failures on and off the field have impacted recruiting in the far-off locale of Ann Arbor, as top-100 Jacksonville (FL) Sandalwood linebacker Branden Jennings announced his commitment to Michigan this afternoon.

The flip comes not long after Jennings decommitted from FSU, where his father, Bradley Jennings Sr., was the starting middle linebacker in 1999. He is older brother, Bradley Jennings Jr., starts at linebacker for Miami (YTM); Bradley Jr. also decommitted from FSU during his recruitment.

Jennings is the 21st commitment in Michigan's 2021 class and the fourth linebacker, joining four-star TN OLB Junior Colson, four-star FL ILB Jaydon Hood, and three-star IL OLB Tyler McLaurin. At #82 overall in the 247 Composite, he slots in just above Colson as the fourth-highest M commit in the rankings. He's expected to enroll early.

GURU RATINGS

Bottom row is Seth’s conversion of the above to a 5-star scale. Links are to profiles.

Rivals and ESPN are particularly bullish on Jennings, placing him not far outside their top 50 overall prospects. While 247 is the relative skeptic, they still have him well within their top 200 overall. He reached as high as #66 overall in the Top247 last spring before dropping near his current placement this February. 

There's some disagreement about whether Jennings in an inside or outside linebacker, with some suggesting he may become more of a rush end. All three sites list him around 6’3", 225 pounds—247 adds a half-inch.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]

A similar note as the recent basketball crootin post: I'm taking these posts over for the time being and am still in the process of catching up on target boards and needs and the like. Also, my tabs app crashed the first time I tried to put this together, so I'm missing some stuff from before the last few days. Not making this easier: much of the recent action is with the 2021 class, and it's gonna take me a little longer to get up to speed with that group. I appreciate your bearing with me.

Commit Updates: RJ Moten is an Athlete

While RJ Moten is probably going to wind up at safety or VIPER, one can learn a few things by watching him on the other side of the ball:

#Michigan 2020 DB commit RJ Moten has some wheels. He runs for the 42 yard TD for Delran. @SamWebb77 @TremendousUM @BriceMarich @JoshHenschke @BrianDohn247 @rjmoten_ pic.twitter.com/mPAhXSF64P

— Josh Newkirk (@JoshNewkirk7) September 13, 2019

Invisible jetpack: check.

The Wolverine's new hire, EJ Holland, has hit the ground running. He provided updated scouting reports on each of Michigan's linebacker commits; he's highest on Kalel Mullings, but the Cornell Wheeler writeup caught my eye:

If you are looking for an old school thumper, look no further than West Bloomfield’s (Mich.) Cornell Wheeler. At 6-foot, 230 pounds, Wheeler is built like a true inside linebacker. While he’s a bit undersized, he fills gaps quickly and is a violent hitter.

If he's got some mobility in coverage, that profile sounds familiar.

High school stats are often hard to contextualize, but it's easier when you play against the best program in the country. Blake Corum posted 252 scrimmage yards and a score in St. Frances's 34-18 loss to national #1 Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei; he's now inside the Top247 and may continue to move up.

MGoFish's Harry Hillman posted lengthy scouting reports on two of Michigan's more under-the-radar commits, OT Jeffrey Persi and DL Aaron Lewis. He's quite high on both, comparing Persi to Taylor Lewan and Lewis to Chris Wormley.

One bit of recruiting news among the 2020 commits: Jordan Morant took an official visit to Texas A&M, but heading into the trip there wasn't much concern on Michigan's end. Sam Webb posted a previously unpublished quote from Morant's coach—Anthony Campanile's brother, Vito—in which he said Morant would take a visit to A&M because of a long-standing relationship with DC Mike Elko. There's been nothing from the A&M end since the trip; it doesn't seem like Morant had his recruitment change dramatically.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]