Bri'Onte Dunn

I decided to compile a chart listing when all of our recruits plan on making their decisions. Here it is:

All dates reflect what the recruit has most recently stated, to the best of my knowledge.

I traveled down to Canton, Ohio yesterday to check out the game between GlenOak and Firestone, and spent my time observing a few key players. I'm sure everybody is aware of Bri'onte Dunn on GlenOak, but there were a few more high level players on the field. Below are my notes on a few of them.

Bri'onte Dunn

GlenOak

2012, RB , # 25 ,Committed to Ohio State

6'1 220lbs

Pros:  As the star of GlenOak, there are going to be some high expectations for Bri'onte this year and he didn't disapoint in this game. Bri'onte is a big, strong runningback and certainly looks the part as a downhill runner who makes his living going between the tackles. He has good quickness and sees the hole well, getting through it with a good burst. Once he gets into the second layer he shows good vision and spots the open space to the left or right. He's a tough and violent runner, often delivering a blow to the first guy that gets to him. He's a tough guy to bring down, rarely being tackled by the first guy. He keeps his feet moving and made a few good plays after breaking an early tackle.

Cons: There didn't appear to be many flaws in his game, but he's definitely not perfect. He lacks elite speed. He was unable to gain the corner on a few pitches and never broke any long runs. He's not slow, but he's no burner out there. I was also a little  concerned about his hands. I think he dropped two pitches and fumbled another. He was not thrown to from what I can recall, but he did put the ball on the ground once or twice. 

Overall: Bri'onte had a very good game. I believe he ended up at around 140 yards on about 25 carries in three quarters (Numbers are not exact). GlenOak dominated Firestone and they had the luxury of sitting Bri'onte and getting some other guys playing time. Ohio State is getting a good one, assuming he sticks.

(Here's a shitty video of a kick return by Bri'onte)

Kevin Gladney

Firestone

2013 WR, #8

6'4 190lbs

Pros: Kevin is a big time wide receiver who should get interest from some good programs. The current word on the street is that he is a heavy OSU lean, and he looked like he had that kind of potential. He's got good size and looked every bit of his listed 6'4. He displayed good speed on a few routes and came down with a great catch on a long ball over the middle. This catch in particular was over the shoulder with a defender right on him and it required him to make a good adjustment to the ball. He also displayed tough side and made a few good blocks on running plays.

Cons: He disappeared for long stretches of the game. This was probably caused by his QB to an extent, who wasn't very good. 

Overall: This was short because I didn't see him make a lot of catches. My impression was mostly based on a few routes that didn't materialize into anything and that one good catch.He has the physical abilities to be a good one and should do better as the season progresses and he sees more balls thrown to him.

(A few photos below. Dunn is #25, Gladney is #8. Kinda hard to see)

Other Guys To Keep an Eye On / Guys Who Impressed Me:

GlenOak:

1. 2012 QB Christian Manns: He looked bigger than his listed  5'10 183 lbs. He displayed a good arm and even made a few good runs on QB draws. Starting quarterback Reid Worstell did not play.

2. 2013 OL Steve Mathie: He looked like the biggest kid out there at 6'4 and 275 lbs. Glenoak ran to his side quite a bit and had success doing it. I didn't focus on him, but there were no obvious break-downs in blocking. He should be a big time prospect and already reports an offer from UCLA.

3. 2012 WR Lunden Butler: He made a few good touchdown catches. 6'0 195 lbs

4. 2012 WR Jordan Autrey: This kid is a burner. He was a real home run threat and took it to the house.He's diminutive though at 5'6, 145 lbs.

5. 2012 WR/LB DaShawn Hall: Made a few great plays on both sides of the ball. 6'0   210 lbs.

Firestone:

1.  Something Shaw: I don't have any information on him besides he's number 32, but he made some good plays as a ? (TE, FB, RB, WR?). and is a big, bruising kid.

I plan on catching a few games tomorrow (St. Edwards vs Glenville and Medina vs Mayfield) and hope to continue this throughout the season so I would appreciate any comments, things you like, things you don't like, requests etc. Feel free to ask any questions below and I'll try to answer them.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @NStank. I might do some live tweeting or whatever.  

The college and high school football seasons are almost here which means things will slow down a bit. Michigan only has around five spots left so it's a numbers game from here on out. Here's a look at what happened this week and what's happening in the future. As always you can follow me on Twitter @TomVH or email me with any tips or questions at TomVH@MGoBlog.com.

Kyle Bosch

6'5", 275 lbs.

Offensive Lineman

Wheaton, Ilinois

The 2013 offensive lineman was on Michigan's campus Sunday [the 7th]. It was his first trip to Ann Arbor and he came away impressed.

We met with Coach Funk, talked to him for about half an hour. After that they took us around the campus, showed us the facilities, the locker room, and the stadium. I feel really good about Michigan, I really liked it. I didn't know much about them going into it, but I was really impressed.

Bosch is going to be one of the top lineman in the midwest, so this was a good opportunity for the Michigan staff to show him what they have to offer.

They told us about the program a little bit. We got to meet with Coach Borges, and Coach Hoke too. They were telling us that they'll be going back to the pro style offense. I didn't really know much about Michigan until today. I didn't know that they had the Big Ten and National titles. I had no idea that they have the biggest stadium; I thought Penn State's was bigger. The facilities were great and the locker room was great too.

While he doesn't currently have an offer the Michigan coaches made it known that they will be recruiting Kyle.

They told me they're extremely interested in me. They want me to play interior, either guard or center. A lot of schools have said both guard or tackle so that's fine. 

As for his timeline he plans on taking a strategic approach to see where he fits best.

I've been out to all the schools that have offered except for West Virginia and Stanford. I think at the end of the season I'll put all my offers on the table and try to get it to a top five. After I find a top five or top ten I'll look more in depth and talk more to coaches to try to find the best fit.

It was big for Michigan to get this visit in before the season starts. Since Kyle is going to narrow his choices down after his season this gives him a chance to see what Michigan is like on a regular basis as opposed to a game-time atmosphere.

Yuri Wright

6'2", 180 lbs.

Cornerback

Ramsey, New Jersey

As I reported earlier in the week, Michigan is back in the top three for Armani Reeves. Michigan told Reeves that they are looking to add another elite corner to this class. Yuri Wright happens to be an elite cornerback that Michigan is also pursuing. The four-star defensive back told me how he feels about Michigan.

I would say Michigan is in my top two, I've always liked Michigan. I haven't really cut my list down yet, but they're in the top somewhere. Just the tradition that's at Michigan, the winningest program, the coaches, and the whole experience of going to school there. Coach Mallory has been telling me it's just about getting a chance to come to Michigan and getting better when I get there, and hopefully make it to the league.

While Wright hasn't cut his list down he does think that Michigan will get one of his official visits.

I talked to Coach Mallory the other day. I'm definitely going to take one of my officials there, but I'm not planning on making my decision until the Army All American game. I'll take all of my officials and then decide. I don't know what other schools I want to visit yet, but I've always liked Colorado, Georgia, Cal, and Michigan State too. Those are some of them.

When it comes to New Jersey high school athletics Stephen Spiewak from MaxPreps is one of the top sources for information. I also caught up with him to get his thoughts on Yuri. He had the following to say.

Yuri didn't play football as a sophomore, he's a converted basketball kid. I think he's going to be the best kid from the Bosco [Yuri's high school] group this year. He joined the team as this 6-foot-2 athletic freak with a mean streak who just shut everyone down.

So, he's pretty good then. Spiewak also thinks there's a good chance that Wright will leave the New Jersey area for school. Since he's not making a decision for awhile there's a lot that can happen between now and then, but Michigan has a shot. The cornerback situation has been a hot topic lately. WIth Michigan getting back in the mix for Armani Reeves everyone immediately thought it had to do with Terry Richardson.

While I don't think anyone knows exactly what Terry will do I am under the impression that this coaching staff wants to add another cornerback on top of Terry and Anthony Standifer. That will be interesting to see how that scenario plays out.

Dymonte Thomas

6'1", 180 lbs.

Defensive Back

Alliance, Ohio

2013 DB Dymonte Thomas was in Ann Arbor last week or the Big House BBQ. He came up with his cousin Bri'onte Dunn, and seemed to enjoy himself.

Michigan's pretty nice. Coach Mattison is a character, he was joking and making funny remarks the whole time. I feel really comfortable with Michigan and their coaching staff. The campus was really nice, they showed us the business building and that's what I want to go into. They also showed us the 'M' that you can't walk on.

As usual the Michigan commitments were doing their best to recruit the non-committed kids, which included Dymonte and Bri'onte.

I took Bri'onte up and we met the quarterback [Shane Morris] that committed and Kyle Kalis was trying to recruit us. He was trying to get me to go to Michigan. I just want to wait for my colleges to offer and take some visits to all the schools though. I'll probably be up for the Notre Dame game and the Michigan-Ohio State game too. I really like Michigan, I think they're at the top. Michigan State isn't very far behind, I like their coaching staff too.

It's a good sign that he wants to make it up for multiple games, especially if he can bring Bri'onte along to those events too.

Extra:

I recently went out to see 2013 WR Jake Roh at practice. Jake is the younger brother of Michigan defensive end Craig Roh. They're built completely different, and Jake is a good sized receiver with great hands. Here's a few clips from practice with an interview, I'll have more highlights from him after their scrimmage on Wednesday.

2013 WR Laquon Treadwell was also at the BBQ last week. He told me he had a great time and was just trying to find out more about Michigan. With each visit he's getting more and more comfortable. He said again that Michigan is on top, but even if they were to offer he wants to wait and take some other visits before making a decision.

The news that WR Darryl Stonum is redshirting this year could potentially affect the recruiting numbers for this class. But the coaches are the ones that made the decision to redshirt him so they obviously knew about it. If that hasn't changed their recruiting plans then there will have to be more attrition elsewhere, presumably.

Ohio State commit Bri'onte Dunn was in Ann Arbor yesterday for the BBQ. I caught up with his father to talk about how it went and if it helped Michigan at all. Here's what he had to say.

He said it made him more comfortable and that he's liking [Michigan] more and more. Kyle Kalis and him talk to each other, too [Kalis was also at the BBQ]. The [Michigan] coaches told him that there's playing time there and that he could be the man.

As you can see by what he said this was a success for Michigan. It seems like they're chipping away and making more and more progress. With football starting up his dad doesn't think that he'll decide anything one way or the other any time soon. It's clear though that Michigan is doing an excellent job.