kevin dillman

Three New Offers

After seeing coveted four-star 2015 IN LB Josh Barajas make a surprise commitment to Penn State a couple weeks ago, Michigan didn't wait long to offer two more four-star Hoosier State linebackers: Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Asmar Bilal. Brandon has the full rundown on both of those offers, as well as a third that went out over the weekend to 2016 WI OT Ben Bredeson, who's expected to be one of the top-ranked linemen in his class.

While the recruitments of Bilal and (especially) Bredeson should take a while to play out, Kirkland plans to announce his decision on May 30th, and his top group is murky; Penn State and Tennessee appear to stand out along with Michigan among schools that have offered him, and his 247 predictions are all over the place. Kirkland told Brandon he may make another trip to Ann Arbor before his decision. If he does, I like Michigan's chances of landing him; if not, it's quite possible James Franklin continues to tear up the recruiting scene.

[Hit THE JUMP for visitor reactions from the spring game, updates on Sterling Jenkins and Kyonta Stallworth, and more.]

QB Position

About three weeks ago I posted an article about which 2015 signal callers could be next in line for an offer. With no game to prepare for this week the coaching staff decided to travel the country checking in on recruits and I decided to do the same thing (from the comfort of my couch) with a focus on the quarterbacks.

I originally created a list of seven prospects consisting of Kevin Dillman, Nick Johns, Sheriron Jones, Kyle Kearns, Alex Malzone, Riley Neal, and Brady White. After a visit to the Indiana game I think Tyree Jackson could also be thrown into the mix at this point.

I was able to talk to each young man this weekend and see how often the coaches have been in contact with them, and try to gauge the interest level from the coaches, as well as from the recruits. In doing so I think I’ve identified a top tier of four targets on the quarterback big board.

Kevin Dillman – La Mirada High School – La Mirada, CA: The coaches have not been in contact with Dillman at all recently which is a bit surprising during a bye week that included traveling across the country as well as social media communication. He appears to be down the list as a secondary target.

Tyree Jackson – Mona Shores High School – Muskegon, MI: Jackson visited Ann Arbor for his first game experience against Indiana and had a great time which I reported here, but since his visit he has had zero contact with the coaching staff. He will continue to be a name to watch, but he also appears to be down the list a bit.

Nick Johns – Gonzaga High School – Washington D.C.: Johns told me that he speaks with Coach Mallory almost every day on Facebook. With so much contact I was curious as to what was discussed when they chat. “He just asks me what kind of team we areNick Johns playing that week and what kind of defense they run. He tells me to try and identify our strengths and weaknesses against that team. He just tries to assess my football IQ.” Johns told me that Coach Mallory hasn’t exactly mentioned an offer yet, but Nick seems to feel pretty wanted based on how often they communicate. He did say that he would love to have an offer from such a great school like Michigan. I believe Johns is one of the top tier targets at this point.

Sheriron Jones – Rancho Verde High School – Moreno Valley, CA: Jones has not had any recent contact with the coaching staff at all and he even said that when he tries to call them, they never answer. That tells me that he is not a top priority at this time.

Kyle Kearns – Foothill High School – Pleasanton, CA: Kearns had a legitimate talk with Coach Borges on Wednesday evening that tentatively set up a “Wilton-Speight-like” visit in the Spring. “Coach Borges said that he plans to make it out this SKyle Kearnspring to check me out. He talked about how they’ve only offered one guy and I’m a guy that he really likes. I see myself fitting in really well in his offensive scheme from what he told me.” I asked Kearns how he’d feel if an offer did eventually come and he simply said, “It would be huge!” He even flirted with the idea of committing on the spot if that did happen. “I can’t say I’d commit on the spot just yet. There are some other schools that I’ve built a strong relationship with and I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse.” (He actually used that phrase. I like this kid.) Kearns talked about how attractive Michigan is with George Campbell and Damien Harris already in the fold for the 2015 class. “With Michigan getting a top running back and wide receiver for 2015 it makes the decision that much easier. Couple that with world class academics and the biggest stadium in football…man.” After talking with Kearns and hearing his very obvious interest and discussing his regular talks with Coach Borges I now believe he may be the front-runner for the next quarterback offer.

Alex Malzone – Brother Rice High School – Bloomfield Hills, MI: Malzone Alex Malzonehas set up a regular communication schedule with Coach Borges that involves him calling the offensive coordinator every Thursday night between 9 and 9:30 pm. Borges also made it very clear to Alex that he is in the top tier of quarterbacks being evaluated. With Malzone being right in Michigan’s backyard and understanding what it means to be the quarterback at Michigan, he is a very real possibility to receive an offer. I believe Malzone will continue to be evaluated and being a Michigander is an advantage that has helped him land in the top tier.

Riley Neal – Yorktown High School – Yorktown, IN: Neal has alreadRiley Nealy been talking to Coach Borges quite regularly, also on Thursdays, for a few weeks now. They usually talk about his film, each other’s seasons, and just the general recruiting process. Neal and I talked about some other quarterbacks getting attention from Michigan and he was very informed about the entire situation. He knew of Dillman, Malzone, and Kearns and also that the coaching staff was evaluating his position right now, which tells me he is interested and intuitive when it comes to the process. He is in the top tier. 

Brady White – Hart High School – Newhall, CA: From what most here have expressed about Brady White this will be an unfortunate update, but he has not been hearing from the coaching staff at all lately and didn’t once during the bye week. His interest in Michigan seems legitimate but he may be tough to lure from the west coast.

In conclusion I feel like the top tier of four targets consists of Nick Johns, Kyle Kearns, Alex Malzone, and Riley Neal. These four quarterbacks are in regular contact with the coaching staff and all express sincere interest in being recruited by Michigan. At first glance I thought Dillman, Jones, and White all hadn’t heard from the coaches simply due to the fact that they are all California kids, which can be problematic due to the time difference and the fact that those kids just don’t leave their geographic area too often. That notion is of course debunked by the fact that fellow California native Kyle Kearns may be atop the big board right now. After this week my list does, in fact, put Kearns at the top and looks like this (last time's ranking in parentheses):

  1. Kyle Kearns (2)
  2. Riley Neal (3)
  3. Alex Malzone (7) 
  4. Nick Johns (6)

Others: Dillman (1), White (5), Jones (4), Jackson (NR)

This is not necessarily my wish list, this is just how I feel the big board may look somewhere in Schembechler Hall, based on frequency of contact, expressed interest from both sides, and skill-set for Borges’ system. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out over the next couple of months.

2015 Quarterbacks: The Overview



Kevin Dillman (L) and Kyle Kearns (R)

The most pressing question regarding the 2015 class is which quarterback Michigan will offer next; our own Brandon Brown posted a detailed overview of the candidates on Sunday, and since we had a lot of content over the weekend I'd like to highlight it again. Here's the upshot, though you're strongly encouraged to check out the whole thing:

As the high schools seasons near and pass the midway point, evaluations are beginning to take shape and I heard Sam Webb say that he expects an offer or offers to be dealt within the next month or two to a 2015 quarterback prospect. I believe it will be to someone on this list and I’d rank these prospects as follows:

  1. Kevin Dillman
  2. Kyle Kearns
  3. Riley Neal
  4. Sheriron Jones
  5. Brady White
  6. Nick Johns
  7. Alex Malzone

I think Dillman should be priority #1 based on his film. He’s a gamer and has a toughness and a quality about him you like to see at the quarterback position.

We've reached something of an MGoConsensus in wanting Dillman to get the next offer.

There's a lot of local support for Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone, and while he doesn't appear to be in line for the next offer or two right now, he'll get a chance to prove himself in front of the coaches, per Scout's Allen Trieu ($):

"Coach Borges said I'm definitely on their radar and that I'm having a great year. He wants to see me throw live, so I think they're going to try to come to the Catholic League Championship Game on October 26th since it's their bye week."

Malzone was at Saturday's game and said he "loved the visit." If offered, he's probably a lock to commit. With Michigan's very limited 2015 class size, they'll take only one quarterback in the cycle—with Malzone in their backyard, the coaches can wait to offer him while evaluating all of their potential options and guaging their interest.

Well, Yeah

Rivals released an unordered list of the top ten "out of state steals" for the 2014 class, and the obvious choice is obvious:

DB Jabrill Peppers, Paramus (N.J.) Paramus Catholic

Peppers is the type of player that can fill that Charles Woodson/Patrick Peterson role for Michigan. It was very impressive that the Wolverines' staff was able to go out to the East Coast, away from their traditional recruiting grounds, and grab one of the top players in the country. In addition to his abilities on the field, Peppers' character and leadership attributes are something that coach Brady Hoke and company really like.

Damon Webb also makes the list; if you feel sad about that at all, look up.

Speaking of Peppers, he's at #3 in the latest 2014 Top247. Michigan's commits all stayed in essentially the same place; you can see the full rundown at Touch The Banner.

[Hit THE JUMP for the latest Wolverine commit to get an All-American invite and a roundup of the top statistical performances from last weekend.]