shawn conway

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.

Happy Trails

kevinsousa.JPG

Though the writing has been on the wall for weeks, the decommitment of FL QB Kevin Sousa still came as a bit of a surprise, at least in terms of timing. However, he enjoyed his official visit to Wake Forest enough to switch his pledge to Jim Grobe's Demon Deacons. The kid had been saying for weeks that he wasn't getting as much attention as he'd like, so the decommitment was likely a mutual decision. Best of luck to him in the ACC.

Though I said in the decommitment post that I'm not sure it's worth Michigan's coaches going after another quarterback to fill the slot (assuming they can hold onto all three current signal-callers), the coaches seem to want one in the class. OH QB Cardale Jones is looking like the most likely candidate at this point, but he's not much of a runner, goes to Michigan kryptonite Glenville, and just cancelled a visit this weekend.

Happy Trails, MI DT/DE Damon Knox. He had a final three of Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois ($, info in header), but he's since committed to Michigan State. He has work to do to qualify at the next level.

Elsewhere in Not-So-Happy News

As for the other decommitment scuttlebutt over the weekend, FL RB Demetrius Hart had a "big announcement" following his game on Friday, and speculation was that he would be decommitting for Alabama. That didn't happen, but there's a storm to weather yet, as Alabama will be conveniently holding their Capital One Bowl practices... at Dr. Phillips High School.

Dee tells the Orlando Sentinel he will end up in Ann Arbor as long as Rich Rodriguez is the coach, but Florida is the alternate choice, rather than Alabama. He no longer plans to enroll early. By the way, kid's a National Player of the Year finalist.

THE HITS KEEP COMING, as Shawn Conway will not be able to qualify, and instead will head to a junior college. Better now than after Signing Day, I suppose. This helps explain the staff's increased interest in wide receivers of late. Shawn still plans to attend Michigan eventually ($, info in header).

Looking for a replacement? CA WR Devin Lucien has scheduled a visit to Michigan for the January 7th weekend. That's shaping up to be the Wolverines' next big recruiting weekend after the Big Chill. Highlights:

If you're worried about Michigan's other commitments, most local ones say they'll stick with Michigan no matter what, but also that they'll disappointed if Rodriguez is fired (though most think there's very little risk of that actually happening). Jake Fisher fluff, in which he confirms that position. Delonte Hollowell will also attend Michigan, regardless of whether Rodriguez is retained. Greg Brown is good to go on early enrollment ($, info in header). Right now, it seems he might be the only commit joining the Wolverines in January.

Big Chill, Big Visits

Last week's recruiting update had a working list of visitors for the Big Chill at the Big House this weekend:

  • IL OL Chris Bryant. Tom says a decision is not expected from Chris, but wouldn't be a surprise, either.
  • MI DE/OL Anthony Zettel. He won't pick a school until January, so Michigan's coaching situation should be fully settled by the time he decides.
  • MI LB Desmond Morgan.
  • FL LB Ryan Petro.
  • OH QB Cardale Jones.
  • OH WR Shane Wynn.

The last two aren't coming anymore, but LA CB James Richardson plans to be there ($, info in header). There will undoubtedly be updates, so check out Tom's running list of visitors.

A mentioned above, January 7th looks like the next big recruiting weekend.

Etc.

MI RB Thomas Rawls is visiting soon, but there's still no word on a qualifying test score.

Alabama is starting to show interest in FL RB DeVondrick Nealy. He's said that Michigan leads for his services (even though the Wolverines are unlikely to have room in their class for him).

FL Slot Prince Holloway says (paraphrase) "if I can qualify, I will get a committable offer from Michigan," which leads me to believe that he's unlikely to get a qualifying test score. Justice Hayes probably has the slot position locked down for this class, unless Holloway can play corner (but even there, Michigan has higher prospects on the board).

Still the status quo for NC WR/LB Kris Frost, who will choose between Michigan and Auburn ($, info in header).

NJ TE Jack Tabb enjoyed his Michigan visit a few weeks back, saying:

“I had a great time. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. They definitely have a need and a want for a tight end and that’s a very good thing. In fact, that’s one of the most important things. They would definitely have you moving all over the field, at tight end, in the slot and in the backfield.”

After his Iowa visit, he dropped the Hawkeyes ($, info in header), so his high praise may carry a little more weight than a recruit who loves every visit. He's still planning a decision before Christmas.

Michigan recently offered another player at the position, OH TE Darien Bryant. Bryant was 1st-Team All-Ohio, but will need some time in the weight room to contribute at this level.

PA OL/DT Rob Trudo, currently committed to Syracuse, will visit Michigan ($, info in header).

FL DT Tim Jernigan has a top four of Alabama, LSU, Michigan, and Florida State, but he told the Gainesville Sun's Ed Aschoff that "he could go to a school not listed in his top four." He lives within an hour of Jacksonville, so I wonder if he might take a trip to the Gator Bowl.

Michigan is still in the top five for MD DT Darian Cooper ($, info in header).

Recent visitor FL S Wayne Lyons has been selected to the Army All-American Game - and that's where he plans to announce his commitment. The schools in the running for his commitment (in no order) are Stanford, Michigan, Notre Dame, UCLA, Nebraska, Florida, and Auburn. The two SEC schools did not receive official visits from Wayne.

NJ S Sheldon Royster will visit in January.

Michigan is one of the favorites for MD CB Blake Countess, who visited Ann Arbor last week ($, info in header). He was certainly effusive about the visit on Twitter.

Tom gives a couple updates on Michigan's in-home visits, both past and upcoming.

2012

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Like his classmate (MI CB Terry Richardson) a couple weeks ago, Cass Tech LB Royce Jenkins-Stone is the subject of the most recent recruiting column by Sam Webb in The Detroit News. The moneyshot:

Though he covets an offer from the Wolverines, Jenkins-Stone warns against expecting him to make a quick decision on a scholarship. "I would wait (to commit)," he said. "I would probably sign with them later on when I get the papers on signing day after my senior year of football. That is my No. 1 school. I just want to see what else is out there before I commit."

He goes on to say that he's not a lock to eventually go to Michigan... but that's about as close as it gets, right? Scout's Allen Trieu breaks down his game:

"He has good speed, a nice frame, and is comfortable dropping into coverage as well as coming forward. Most of all, I think he really likes contact, he's a strong kid, and a sure tackler. I'd like to see him keep filling out a little more. I think you'd like to see him at 225-235 pounds before he gets to college. He can play in the middle or outside. He's versatile enough to do both."

Since he's buddies with Richardson and MI LB James Ross from Orchard Lake St. Mary's, the three of them could be a great nucleus to an excellent defensive recruiting class in 2012.

MI DE Evan Winston is drawing interest from Michigan, among other Big Ten schools.

A little bit of local fluff on OH S Bam Bradley and his older brothers. Most interesting is that one of the top Ohio prospects in the class of 2012 hasn't heard from the Buckeyes.

For live updates of the games I'm attending, follow me on Twitter @varsityblue. If you can help out finding articles on any of the commits, @reply me on Twitter or e-mail me, and I'll try to include your contribution.

FL QB Kevin Sousa

Before getting into the latest, enjoy video from Sousa's week 5 and 6 games:

Note that even when he's completing passes or making good runs, he's under constant pressure from the opposing defense (and take a look at the number of drops, as well). I wouldn't worry too much about his poor high school stats, especially since he'll have plenty of time in the system before he sees the field.

Last week: Lake Nona beat(!) Celebration 34-14. I couldn't find a game article, so I'll update with Kevin's stats after Tom talks to his coach. UPDATED.

Kevin Sousa 2010
  Passing Rushing
Opponent Result Comp Att % Yds Yds/Att TD Int Rush Yds Yds/Att TD  
Harmony L 17-50 17 39 43.59 256 6.56 2 0 15 184 12.27 0
Oak Ridge L 0-48 6 13 46.15 34 2.62 0 1 7 31 4.43 0
University L 21-59 9 24 37.50 151 6.29 2 3 9 67 7.44 1
Sebring L 7-41 8 17 47.06 126 7.41 1 4 ? 20   0
Lake Wales L 6-42 14 21 66.67 199 9.48 0 1 13 64 4.92 1
Auburndale L 31-35 13 20 65.00 197 9.85 3 0 17 150 8.82 1
Celebration W 34-14 14 26 53.85 247 9.50 2 1 16 131 8.19 1
Totals 1-6 81 160 50.63 1210 7.56 8 9 77 627 8.14 4

This week: Lake Nona visits Tenoroc on Friday at 7:30.

FL RB Demetrius Hart

Last Week: Dr Phillips crushed Evans 62-6. Video link. Hart ran for 178 yards and three TDs... on eight carries. Full stats.

Demetrius Hart 2010
Game Rushing Receiving Returns
Opponent Result Att Yds TD Avg Rec Yds TD Avg Ret Yds TD Avg
Edgewater W 48-7 20 79 2 3.95 1 8 0 8.00 3 47 0 15.67
Osceola W 49-7 19 98 3 5.16 3 47 0 15.67 2 23 0 11.50
Olympia W 49-0 17 224 3 13.18 5 68 1 13.60 1 20 0 20.00
Cypress Creek W 52-0 14 168 4 12.00 1 7 0 7.00 3 24 0 8.00
Boone W 45-0 18 142 3 7.89 5 132 1 26.40 1 0 0 0.00
Evans W 62-6 8 178 3 22.25 1 5 0 5.00 3 57 0 19.00
Totals 6-0 96 889 18 9.26 16 267 2 16.69 13 171 0 13.15

This week: Dr. Phillips hosts Oak Ridge on Friday at 7:30.

MI WR Shawn Conway

Last Week: Seaholm loses to Ferndale 21-28. I was there, but I'm having a fight with Youtube, so I can't embed the video until I get it working. I'll update it in the space below when it's available.

[VIDEO]

Conway was still hampered by his ankle injury, limping between plays. Offensively, he was mostly used as a decoy, either on fly sweeps or combo routes. He caught the ball just once for 14 yards, and ran it once for 7. He was only targeted a couple more times, once drawing a pass interference call, and another time he saw a Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half go over his head... and eventually be run back about 70 yards for a pick-6 (particularly damaging considering the Maples lost the game by seven points). The quarterback play was sketchy as always, with Seaholm rotating between a "passing" (and I use that term loosely) quarterback and a runner.

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In other phases of the game, Conway looked OK. He had kickoff returns of 52, 35, and 37 yards, and on two of them he was very close to taking it all the way back, but the last man brought him down. On defense, he had one pass breakup and committed one pass interference penalty. Ferndale was primarily a running team, so he wasn't tested much, and since he's not expected to play on that side of the ball at the next level, I didn't pay as much attention to his game there.

Shawn Conway 2010
  Offense Special Teams
Opponent Result Rec Yds Avg. TD Ret Yds Avg.  
N Farmington W 26-6 4 32 8.00 1 3 137 45.67
Andover W 35-21 6 134 22.33 1 1 65 65.00
Lahser W 35-17 5 98 19.60 2 1 35 35.00
Country Day L 21-28 3 62 20.67 0 3 32 10.67
Avondale L 24-52       2      
Hazel Park L 10-30 2 7 3.50 0      
Berkley L 21-48 1 23 23.00 1      
Ferndale L 21-28 1 15 19.00 0 3 124 41.33
Totals 3-4 22 375 17.05 7 11 393 35.73

This week: Seaholm travels to crosstown rival Groves on Friday at 7 in their final game of the season.

OH OL Jack Miller

Last week: St. John's defeated Clay 40-7.

This week: St. John's travels to Toledo Waite Friday at 7.

FL OL Tony Posada

Last week: Plant defeated Spoto 36-20. Posada and 5-star Florida State commit James Wilder both returned for the Panthers.

This week: Plant travels to Alonso on Friday.

MI OL Jake Fisher

Last week: TC West wins in a shootout with Alpena 62-37. Fisher caught a 2-point conversion and returned an interception for touchdown:

Fisher intercepted a screen pass and took it 40 yards to paydirt

This week: TC West plays TC Central on Friday at 7.

OH DE Chris Rock

Last week: Pregame fluff. Game preview . DeSales is crushed by Bishop Watterson 7-31.

This week: DeSales hosts LaSalle on Friday at 7:30.

MI DE/LB Brennen Beyer

Last week: Plymouth beat Novi 25-22 on a last-second field goal from Notre Dame commit Kyle Brindza. Beyer caught a 12-yard touchdown pass for the Wildcats. Article 2:

Beyer caught 3 passes for 34 yards.

Beyer also blocked a punt.

This week: Plymouth hosts Adrian on Friday at 6:30.

TX LB Kellen Jones

Last week: St. Pius X defeated Houston Christian 37-13. I'll update with Kellen's stats once Tom talks to him. UPDATED

Kellen Jones 2010
Opponent Result Tackles TFL Sack FFum  
Trinity Christian W 33-7 11 5 1 0
Sealy L 7-56 13 3 0 2
Episcopal W 31-27 6 3 1 0
Worthing W 20-12 DNP - ankle
St. Thomas W 28-10 11 3 1 0
Kelly W 28-0 14 4 1 1
Houston Christian W 31-17 9 3 1 0
Totals 5-1 64 21 5 3

This week: St. Pius hosts Kelly in a rematch of a couple weeks ago on Friday at 7:30.

OH CB/S Greg Brown

Last week: Fremont Ross defeated Napoleon 21-14 in overtime.

The opening possession of the game, a 61-yard drive was capped off by a 5-yard TD run by Brown

The Fremont Ross Forum Blog didn't mention Brown.

This week: Ross hosts Lima Senior on Friday at 7:30.

MI CB Delonte Hollowell

Last week: Cass Tech defeated Cody 41-14.

Next Week: Cass Tech plays Detroit Crockett on Saturday at 2:30 at Renaissance.

For live updates of the games I'm attending, follow me on Twitter @varsityblue. If you can help out finding articles on any of the commits, @reply me on Twitter or e-mail me, and I'll try to include your contribution.

FL QB Kevin Sousa

Last week: Lake Nona lost to Lake Wales 6-42.

The Lions' only touchdown came on a 6-yard run by quarterback Kevin Sousa with 19.8 seconds left in the game. Sousa was 12-for-16 passing with 171 yards and an interception by Highlander linebacker David Jones.

The second article reveals that he ran for a total of 21 yards in the game. Again, I'll urge you to not read too much into his poor numbers, because his offensive line is pitiful.

Kevin Sousa 2010
  Passing Rushing
Opponent Result Comp Att % Yds Yds/Att TD Int Rush Yds Yds/Att TD  
Harmony L 17-50 17 39 43.59 256 6.56 2 0 15 184 12.27 0
Oak Ridge L 0-48 6 13 46.15 34 2.62 0 1 7 31 4.43 0
University L 21-59 9 24 37.50 151 6.29 2 3 9 67 7.44 1
Sebring L 7-41 8 17 47.06 126 7.41 1 4 ? 20   0
Lake Wales L 6-42 12 16 75.00 171 10.69 0 1 13 64 4.92 1
Totals 0-3 52 109 47.71 738 6.77 5 9 31 282 9.10 2

This week: Lake Nona hosts Auburndale on Friday at 7:30pm.

MI WR Shawn Conway

Last Week: Seaholm falls to Hazel Park 10-30.

“We held their No. 1 receiver in check and that was the key,'' said Damon Hannon, who was covering Seaholm’s No. 1 receiver Shawn Conway to just two catches and seven yards.

More importantly, Hazel Park has a player named Dakota Ogles(!). Article 2:

Seaholm is feeling the loss of defensive back/wide receiver Chris Barr, who has been sidelined the last two weeks with an ankle injury. In addition, wide receiver/defensive back Shawn Conway is back on a limited basis because of his ankle sprain.



"We're playing without, arguably, our two best players right now," Seaholm coach Chris Fahr said, "With Shawn Conway at about 50 percent and Chris Barr isn't playing. He hasn't played in two weeks. It's not an excuse, we need to have people step up, but it's definitely two big players that can't bring it to the table."

As always, FridayNightHighlights.tv has the video evidence:

Seaholm vs Hazel Park on 10/1/10 from Friday Night Highlights on Vimeo.

Shawn Conway 2010
  Offense Special Teams
Opponent Result Rec Yds Avg. TD Ret Yds Avg.  
N Farmington W 26-6 4 32 8.00 1 3 137 45.67
Andover W 35-21 6 134 22.33 1 1 65 65.00
Lahser W 35-17 5 98 19.60 2 1 35 35.00
Country Day L 21-28 3 62 20.67 0 3 32 10.67
Avondale L 24-52       2      
Hazel Park L 10-30 2 7 3.50 0      
Totals 3-1 20 333 16.65 6 8 269 33.63

This week: The Maples travel to Berkley Friday at 7.

OH OL Jack Miller

Last week: St. John's beat Toledo Start 31-16.

Away from the football side of things, Miller was profiled in the Toledo Blade, mostly focusing on the loss of his father, PJ:

“In 15 years, my dad taught me more about how to be a man and to do the right thing and be a good person than most parents could ever teach their kids. That might have been through his sickness, too, but that's the way it was. It pulled our family together and made us close.”



P.J. never lived to see Jack and Matt, a St. John's sophomore, playing right next to each other on the defensive line donning jersey numbers 55 and 56, respectively. But, before he departed, he made sure his kids were well prepared for life without him.

Also a quick update from Miller's game a couple weeks back against Whitmer, where a Rivals header ($), says he notched two pancake blocks with no sacks allowed on offense, and had three tackles for loss on the other side of the ball.

This week: St. John's hosts Libbey Friday at 7.

FL OL Tony Posada

Last week: Plant lost to Armwood 0-17. Posada missed the game with his MCL sprain.

This week: Plant travels to Gaither on Friday. No word on whether Posada will play.

MI OL Jake Fisher

Last week: Traverse City West beat Dearborn Edsel Ford 28-13 at Ferris State.

This week: TC West plays at Petoskey Friday at 7pm.

OH DE Chris Rock

Last week: DeSales defeated Maumee 20-6. The Stallions' quarterback gave Rock and the rest of the offensive line a shoutout:

"My offensive line with Chris Rock, A.J. Begeny and Santino Cua made a push for us," Gentile said. "In the second half we just had a great scheme against them."

Article 2.

This week: DeSales faces Lakewood St. Edward Friday at 7:30.

MI DE/LB Brennen Beyer

Last week: Plymouth crushed Westland John Glenn 48-0. Beyer had a big game:

That led to a 23-yard strike from Austin to senior wideout Brennen Beyer. That combo struck again for a 14-yarder, with 1:08 remaining in the half.

In the first minute of the third quarter, Austin and Beyer worked their magic for the third time, expanding the margin to 35 points. Beyer (three catches, 128 yards,

three TDs) caught the pass at his own 45 and raced down the right sideline for a 91-yard six-pointer.

That's an impressive 42.67 yards per catch - with every one ending in the endzone. MyFox Detroit has video:

This week: Plymouth faces cross-parking lot rival Canton on Friday at 7pm.

TX LB Kellen Jones

Last week: St. Pius X defeated St. Thomas Catholic 28-10. I'll fill in Jones's stats when they become available.

Kellen Jones 2010
Opponent Result Tackles TFL Sack FFum  
Trinity Christian W 33-7 11 5 1 0
Sealy L 7-56 13 3 0 2
Episcopal W 31-27 6 3 1 0
Worthing W 20-12 DNP - ankle
St. Thomas W 28-10 11 3 1 0
Totals 3-1 30 11 2 2

This week: St. Pius travels to Monsignor Kelly on Friday at 7:30.

OH CB/S Greg Brown

Last week: Fremont Ross beat Findlay 43-35. Brown's performance was notable:

A series of strong carries from Trautwein and Stout got Ross (5-1, 1-0) out to their own 40-yard line from the 16. That set the stage for Brown to reel off the first of his game-high four touchdowns. The senior would finish with a team-high 164 yards on 12 carries.

Playing quarterback in the wildcat formation, Brown eluded two Findlay tacklers, before racing 60 yards down his own sideline to even the game at 7 early in the second quarter.

“It felt really good to be involved tonight,” Brown said. “Coach told me he was going to give me the ball more, and anytime that ball is in my hands, I feel like we got a real good shot at winning the game.” ...

“It feels good to beat the Findlay Trojans,” Brown said. “It’s been two years too long.”

As much as I can tell, that's by far the most involved in the offense Brown has been this season. The Fremont Ross Forum blog:

If there were any questions about Senior Greg Brown and his turnaround, his leadership, his committment to his team and about his talent, last night answered those questions. I was particularly hard on young Mr. Brown on forum posts and in this blog last year. At the time it may have been well deserved. The credit he deserves this season is also well deserved. Good job Greg. Keep up the good work.

This week: Ross faces Marion Harding on Friday.

MI CB Delonte Hollowell

Last week: Cass Tech beat Detroit Mumford 34-6.

Next Week: Cass Tech hosts Detroit Henry Ford on Friday at 4pm.