hasean clinton-dix

Remember, all-time updates can be found on the 2011 Michigan Football Recruiting Board. If you have any recruiting tips or questions, you can e-mail them to me at [email protected] or tweet @varsityblue. For game updates on Wolverine commits, check out the F riday Night Lights series.

On Greg Brown

gregbrown.jpg

Some corners of the Michigan internet are up in arms about OH CB Commit Greg Brown taking an official visit to Syracuse over the weekend. In the aftermath, Scout has classified him as a soft commit, and nobody's quite sure whether he'll end up in Michigan's class when all is said and done.

Brown was an early offer (as in pre-junior year) who hasn't developed like experts were expecting. The reports from his games this year seem to indicate he's a decent offensive player, but all of his speed is straight-line, and he looks more like a high-end MAC recruit than a Big Ten guy.

I'm certainly not rooting for him to decommit from the class, but there's a chance that, should the decommitment come, it's a mutual decision from Greg and the coaches. With higher-level DBs (such as Dallas Crawford) now interested in the Wolverines, it's understandable.

Iowa Visitors

The Wolverines hosted a number of official visitors for the Iowa game. OH TE/LB Austin Traylor gave his opinion to Josh Helmhodt:

“I haven’t really sat down and thought through my visit,” Traylor said Sunday, “but it’s a good program, a good school and I like what I saw on my visit.”

as did NC TE Drew Owens:

"They set a pretty high bar for the other schools to compete with," Owens said. "My interest is still about the same. I just know a lot more about the program, a lot more about the staff, and a lot of questions I had were answered. I feel more comfortable about the school now."

The other official visitors included FL QB commit Kevin Sousa, SC WR Hakeem Flowers, VA WR Quinta Funderburke, and FL DT Tim Jernigan.

In addition, there were a few unofficial visitors in the house, including a top Florida duo in South Fort Meyers teammates WR Sammy Watkins and CB Dallas Crawford ($, info in header). Following the visit, the Wolverines now lead for Crawford ($, info in header). Tom's weekly update had more on Crawford, and his possible effects on Watkins.

There were a few 2012 prospects as well, and they're discussed below. The next big recruiting weekend for Michigan should be Wisconsin, though there's a chance that some recruits come in for the Illinois contest in a few weeks, and FL S HaSean Clinton-Dix's on-and-off consideration of Michigan may be on-again at that time.

Other Guys

Michigan and West Virginia lead Cincinnati for FL slot Prince Holloway ($, info in header), and he plans to pick between those three schools.

IL OL Chris Bryant has "the possibility of a commitment coming soon" ($, info in header). He's previously said he doesn't plan to decide until after his senior season, but keep an eye on Bryant. Michigan, Stanford, and Illinois are his top three, with Arizona just outside that group.

PA DE Deion Barnes will officially visit Michigan, but won't start taking visits until after his senior season ($, info in header).

FL S Wayne Lyons is considering an official visit to Michigan ($, info in header).

Michigan still leads for LA CB Daren Kitchen ($, info in header). Kitchen and the rest of Vanderbilt Catholic's team returned to the field a couple weeks back after the untimely deaths of a pair of their teammates.

MI CB Raymon Taylor is committed to Indiana, but that won't stop him from visiting other schools ($, info in header). No word on if the local product will check out Ann Arbor.

Happy Trails, Ye Wisconsin-Bound

  • OH RB Trayion Durham committed to Wisconsin.
  • OH WR AJ Jordan is deciding tonight . It's been a Michigan-Wisconsin race for quite some time, and it sounds like one the Badgers will win. He cancelled a visit to Ann Arbor for the Iowa game.
  • OH OL Ray Ball committed to Wisconsin.

2012

Tom has film on 2012 OH QB Dimitrious Davis, a dual-threat with a number of teammates who could get a Michigan look in the class.

MI RB Drake Johnson visited Michigan a couple weeks back for the Michigan State contest. He's a local product out of Pioneer High School.

PA OL Tyler Alt has a new highlight tape of his junior season through five games:

He visited Michigan for the UConn game, and has a good relationship with Coach Frey.

OH DE Chris Wormley has received his Michigan offer, and Michigan is steadily improving their standing with him.

But first, we wrap the recruitment of Dee Hart:

Demetrius Hart Goes Blue

hartcommitment.jpg

Still goin' "weeee!" The Orlando Sentinel covers Hart's commitment:

"They had everything that I wanted," Hart said "Academics, family and love"

"I had known a while ago," said Hart in regards to when he knew Michigan was the right school for him. "I had told the (Michigan) coaches that I was going to take it easy and weigh all my options, but I came through."

"I'm a versatile guy and they need that guy at running back who can break tackles and have speed around the edge and I think I can bring that to the table," he said.

ESPN's Corey Long talks to Hart about the commitment as well:

"The Michigan fans are such friendly people, they make you feel comfortable and calm," Hart added. "They want you to enjoy the Michigan experience and take it all in. And the coaches are the same way. They wanted us to be around the team and experience everything first hand."

For more details on Hart's abilities, check out Hello: Demetrius Hart. If he were a more NFL-sized back, he'd be a lock for 5-star status, and his lack of height won't be an issue in Michigan's system. Video of his commitment (at 3:25) along with some highlights from his game Friday:

Hart's teammate LB Darryl Monroe, a Washington State commit, plans to visit, and S Roderick Ryles plans to give Michigan a look, as does WR Chris Gallon. The ESPN article linked above points out that S Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix probably isn't an option:

And there are some hoping that Hart's commitment to Michigan will have an affect on Clinton-Dix, but the running back says that his teammate is happy with his choice at Alabama and they will not pressure each other... "But we'll find out for sure in 2012, because that's when Michigan plays Alabama. I'm happy for HaHa and he's happy for me. It's all about finding the right fit for you."

Darn. And yes, that defense has 4+ D-1 prospects on it. There should be a mass visit by several Dr. Phillips guys (including Hart, 2012 QB Nick Patti, and the above listed guys) for either the Illinois or Wisconsin game.

Visits

Before getting into the upcoming weekend, let's see how a few of the visitors to last weekend's game enjoyed themselves:

FL RB Devondrick Nealy has Michigan on top coming out of his official visit, and even came close to a commitment.

VA WR Quinta Funderburke has narrowed his list to Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, and West Virginia, with the Hogs currently on top.

FL OL James Elliott enjoyed his Michigan visit ($, info in header) enough for the Wolverines to be in front for his services. He doesn't hold an offer yet, as Michigan's coaches are waiting on players like Chris Bryant and Anthony Zettel.

OH LB Sean Duggan is down to BC, Duke, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He enjoyed the visit to Michigan.

As for the upcoming week, Tom hath compiled the usual list of game visitors:

  • DT Timmy Jernigan - 6'2", 275 lbs, 4 star, Lake City, Florida
  • TE Drew Owens - 6'5", 225 lbs, 3 Star, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • DB Dallas Crawford - 5'10", 185 lbs, 3 Star, Fort Myers, Florida
  • WR Sammy Watkins - 6'1", 180 lbs, 4 Star, Fort Myers, Florida
  • WR Hakeem Flowers - 6'2", 175 lbs, 3 Star, Greenville, South Carolina
  • WR Quinta Funderburk - 6'5", 204 lbs, 3 Star, Chesapeake, Virginia
  • WR AJ Jordan - 6'2", 165 lbs, 3 Star, Trotwood, Ohio

2012

  • DE Chris Wormley - 6'4", 255 lbs, Toledo, Ohio
  • RB Will Mahone - 5'11", 205 lbs, Austintown, Ohio (He confirmed he will be there)
  • DB Luc Haupt - 6'0", 180 lbs, Austintown, Ohio
  • DB Chris Davis - 5'10", 183 lbs, Austintown, Ohio
  • QB Demitrious Davis - 5'10", 183 lbs, Austintown, Ohio

The list is always changing, so be sure to click through for the latest update.

Other Guys

Last week's Sam Webb article in the Detroit News covered how Michigan's recruiting efforts could benefit from the national popularity of one Denard Xavier Robinson. Scout Southeast expert Chad Simmons on NC QB Marquise Williams:

I definitely don’t think his recruiting is done. After talking to him and his coaches when I was there for a couple of hours, he is still on that commitment list for North Carolina, but he is definitely reevaluating everything. He still does like North Carolina and they still are the team to beat for sure, but Michigan is up there.

Williams was yet another of Michigan's visitors for the Michigan State game, so we'll see how his recruitment turns out.

OH Slot Tyler Williams, a high school quarterback, has been hearing from the Wolverines lately:

Williams has scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Kent State, Buffalo, Ohio and Akron. He has also received strong interest from the likes of Michigan and Louisville.

If he receives an offer, it won't come until much later in the process.

SC WR Hakeem Flowers named Michigan to his final five ($, info in header), along with LSU, Oregon, UCLA and Georgia Tech.

frostarmy.jpg

NC WR/LB Kris Frost (at right) was recently selected to the Army All-American Bowl, and gave a brief recruiting update:

"At this point Michigan, Auburn, LSU, (UNC) Chapel Hill and Cal are really starting to stick out a little bit. These colleges are really coming at me, showing me all they can, and I'm loving it. I'm just taking it all in," he said.

Frost hasn't yet taken any official visits, but he currently plans to be in Ann Arbor for the Wolverines' game with Wisconsin the weekend of November 20.

Should Frost pick the Wolverines at the game, expect him on campus in January, as he plans to enroll early.

GA S Avery Walls will take a few more visits instead of deciding within a couple weeks. Things are still looking good for Michigan, but other schools have plenty of time to persuade him.

Though he comes from a past class (2009), CA S Byron Moore, a USC transfer, may consider Michigan.

Check out Tom's weekly update for the latest on a couple more prospects, including 5-star safety Karlos Williams.

2012

In last week's Sam Webb column in the Detroit News, Scout Midwest recruiting expert Allen Trieu ran through a number of the top prospects in Michigan and Ohio for the 2012 class,

AL LB Reggie Ragland, a top prospect in next year's class, has early interest in the Wolverines. He's already been offered by Alabama and Auburn, so he'll certainly be no easy pull.

Remember, all-time updates can be found on the 2011 Michigan Football Recruiting Board. If you have any recruiting tips or questions, you can e-mail them to me at [email protected] or tweet @varsityblue. For game updates on Wolverine commits, check out the Friday Night Lights series.

The past couple weeks have been heavy with updates on official visitors, but with MIchigan taking on a couple lesser opponents i the next two weeks, important visits are likely on hold until the Michigan State game. Stay tuned later for a visitor's list for that game.

marquise.jpg

NC QB Marquise Williams (at right) is committed to North Carolina, but that won't stop him from officially visiting Michigan ($, info in header). No word on how serious the interest is, or whther Michigan is even in a position where they can use a second scholarship on a quarterback.

FL RB Demetrius Hart (whom you may have heard of) still favors Michigan over Auburn and Alabama, but has added Arkansas to his list as well. He's officially visiting the Tigers this weekend, but is expected to pick Michigan sometime soon. He will enroll early at his school of choice, so a decision will be coming soon.

NJ TE Jack Tabb will take his time finishing up the recruiting process. Michigan, North Carolina, and the Florida schools seem to be out front for him at this point.

According to WTKA, MI DE/OL Anthony Zettel skipped out on an official visit to Iowa... to watch Michigan play on TV. That sounds pretty positive for the Wolverines' chances of landing him. He intends to visit both Michigan and MIchigan State on Saturday. He now plans to wait until the end of the season to make a decision.

MGoBlog's own TomVH runs down a list of recruits who may be swayed toward Michigan with the strong start to the football season. Anthony Zettel and IL OL Chris Bryant are just a couple of the prospects who have taken notice of the Denarding. Click through to the Diary to see who else is being convinced. Tom's weekly update contains more information on several prospects.

TN OL Antonio Richardson might try to visit Michigan at some point this year.

Recruiting fluff on MI DT Eric Crume. With Michigan's need for DTs, they probably aren't interested in him if they haven't offered by now.

IL DE James Adeyanju has narrowed his list to five schools ($, info in header), and Michigan isn't among them.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution runs down the recruitment of NC LB/WR Kris Frost:

Auburn, Cal, FSU, Michigan, North Carolina and Southern Cal are all supposed to get visits. So there are plenty of takers out there.

Michigan's strong season may be helping convince him that Ann Arbor is a place he can come to win championships.

dixfsu.jpg

FL S Ha'sean Clinton-Dix (pictured at right) is about "85 percent" committed to Alabama. Despite softening up his commitment status, MIchigan is not one of his top schools. Florida, Florida State, and USC are his top non-Alabama suitors.

FL CB/S Jonathan Aiken currently favors Rutgers and Illinois.

Despite his commitment to Florida State, FL S Karlos Williams is still interested in a few schools, including MIchigan:

"I'm committed to FSU, but I'm still watching FSU, Miami, USC, Michigan, and Ohio State," he said. Karlos had previously stated that he may take some of his official visits, if the schools he's monitoring are having good seasons, and if he has the time.

Though he sounds likely to stick with FSU, the Wolverines' chnces will improve dramatically if he takes a visit to Ann Arbor.

LA CB Daren Kitchen is thinking about visiting for the Michigan State game ($, info in header). Though he doesn't hold an offer from the Wolverines yet, Michigan and Texas A&M are his top two.

The Distant Future. The Year 2012

Local fluff on FL OL Abraham "Nacho" Garcia, including a list of top schools:

"I'm looking at LSU, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan and UM. I've visited a lot of colleges. For right now, those are the top [ones]. So until I see other colleges that's how it's going to stay for a while."

He's' previously said SU leads for him, but there's plenty of time to sway him.

MIchigan is among the suitors for IL DT Vincent Valentine. He'll take his time making a decision (which means there's a looooooong way to go in his recruitment).

OH DE Chris Wormley visited Michigan for the UConn game ($, info in header), as did MI LB James Ross ($, info in header).