Daren Kitchen

[Ed-M: bumped from diary - MGoBlog's recruiting editor updates the status of defensive recruitment]

Since Justice Hayes just committed, and there were still people looking around to see if it was ok to ask if he plays defense, I thought I would help them out. Here's a look at who's left on the defensive front for Michigan recruiting.

First, who's committed so far:

For those counting at home, that's six commitments out of thirteen that are on the defensive side of the ball. There are around 9 spots left, give or take, for Michigan to fill up this class with. These are the current defensive recruits that Michigan has a shot with. 

2011 Defensive End Prospects

Photo	Name	Vitals	Hometown	Stars	Film
	Anthony Zettel	6'4", 255 lbs.	West Branch, MI	4 Stars	Junior Highlights
	Zettel is waiting until after the season is over to make his announcement. He has already taken his official to Iowa (Nov. 20th), he's visiting Penn State this weekend, and will be at Michigan on December 10th for the Big Chill.
	Deion Barnes	6'5", 230 lbs.	Philadelphia, PA	4 star	Deion Runs Fast
	Barnes has Michigan in his top five along with Georgia, Penn State, Pitt, and South Carolina. He has mentioned several times he plans on visiting after the season. He may visit for December 10th as well.

2011 Defensive Tackle Prospects

Photo	Name	Vitals	Hometown	Stars	Film
	Timmy Jernigan	6'2", 275 lbs.	Lake City, FL	4 Star	Junior Highlights
	Jernigan has Michigan in his top group with LSU, Alabama, and Florida State. He has made some recent trips to Florida, so I wouldn't count them out. I've been hearing a lot lately about Timmy, and a recruit actually told me that Jernigan really likes Michigan. He's concerned with our defensive scheme, however, so we'll see what happens.
	Darian Cooper	6'3", 275 lbs.	Hyattsville, MD	4 Star	Junior Highlights
	Cooper is planning a winter visit to Michigan, and outside of Jernigan, is probably Michigan's best option at defensive tackle. His season ended in the WCAC championship game this weekend, so he's now focusing on recruiting.
	Mickey Johnson	6'1", 310 lbs.	Covington, LA	4 Star	Junior Highlights
	While Johnson continues to list Michigan in his top group, I don't think he'll end up choosing the Wolverines. His name is still on the radar, but not likely.

2011 Linebacker Prospects

Photo	Name	Vitals	Hometown	Stars	Film
	Kris Frost	6'3", 210 lbs.	Matthews, NC	4 Star	Junior Highlights
	As everyone knows, Frost just got back from his official visit to Michigan. This visit came at the perfect time for Frost, and for Michigan. He will take officials to LSU and Cal, and is going to try to make it back up to Michigan again before deciding at the US Army game. Frost will be an early enrollee. I included him here for argument sake, since he is also being recruited for receiver.
	Desmond Morgan	6'1", 225 lbs.	Holland, MI	3 Star	Senior Highlights
	Morgan is a lifelong Michigan fan, and was beyond excited to receive his offer. He took an unofficial visit with his dad to the Illinois game, and will be back for an official visit on December 10th. He's taking his time, but I expect him to be in this class. If Michigan grabs Morgan and Frost, that will be a nice linebacker haul for the 2011 class with Kellen Jones already on board.

2011 Cornerback Prospects 

Photo	Name	Vitals	Hometown	Stars	Film
	Blake Countess	5'10", 170 lbs.	Owings Mills, MD	4 Star	Senior Highlights
	Countess has a top four of Georgia Tech, Maryland, NC State and Michigan. It's been rumored that Michigan is in the lead, but Georgia Tech might be right there with them. Countess plans on visiting December 3rd, and will also be playing in the US Army game.
	Daren Kitchen	6'1", 170 lbs.	Houma, LA	3 Star	N/A
	If Michigan missed on Countess, they may finally offer Kitchen. Kitchen has said he's a big fan of Michigan, and would most likely commit if offered.

2011 Safety Prospects

Photo	Name	Vitals	Hometown	Stars	Film
	Avery Walls	5'11", 185 lbs.	McDonough, GA	4 Star	Junior Highlights
	Walls has already been to Michigan several times, including an official visit for the U Conn game. He has since taken visits to Oregon and Cal. I still think Michigan is in a good position, but I think Oregon has made a good impression on him. Due to an illness in his family he had put recruiting on the back burner. He still plans on taking a few more visits before he announces.
	Wayne Lyons	6'0", 190 lbs.	Ft. Lauderdale, FL	4 Star	Senior Highlights
	Lyons recently announced that Michigan will get one of his official visits. That was huge news for the Wolverines, as they seem to be climbing up his list. Wayne plans on being up at Michigan on December 3rd, and then out to Nebraska on December 10th. He has already taken visits to Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA. Michigan is making a move with the talented safety.
	Karlos Williams	6'2", 210 lbs.	Davenport, FL	5 Star	2010 Spring Game
	I'm including Karlos on this list because he still maintains that he will visit Michigan. The visit will probably take place in January. I've heard that it's not likely he will switch from FSU, but there's at least a small chance. He has been recruiting hard for FSU, so don't get your hopes up, but who knows what could happen with a visit.
	Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix	6'2", 190 lbs.	Orlando, FL	5 Star	Junior Highlights
	I'm including Ha'Sean for the same reason that I'm including Karlos, he still plans on visiting Michigan. I have heard that there's a small chance that he changes his mind from Alabama. Don't get your hopes up here either, but with his teammates selling Michigan and his visit you never know.

Michigan obviously doesn't have enough room to take everyone, and they're still looking for a few more offensive positions like tight end and offensive line. Most of the decision time tables for these recruits are after the season, or during the Army All American game. That should give Michigan plenty of time for visits, and a little extra push with coaching visits too.

Jack Tabb

6'4", 230 lbs.

Tight End

Red Bank, New Jersey

Michigan obviously wants a tight end in this class as they've gone after, and missed on, a few so far. Tabb has already taken an unofficial to Michigan, and is contemplating taking an official this weekend for the UConn game.

I'm going to try to make it up there, because that would be perfect timing for a first official. I really like Michigan, so we'll see.

I should know if that's 100% by the end of the day today (Monday) if he's coming. The reason this is such a big deal is because Jack wants to make his final decision in the next few weeks. I would go as far to guess that it may be North Carolina and Michigan at the top. With all the NCAA investigations looming at UNC, this visit could swing things in favor of Michigan.  That would be a decently big pickup; Tabb has offers from two dozen BCS schools.

Marquise Williams

6'3", 218 lbs.

Quarterback

Charlotte, North Carolina

Also in the North Carolina NCAA scandal benefiting Michigan, we move to Marquise Williams. Though he's a UNC commit, Williams had always stated that he would take his official visit to Michigan and possibly some other schools. That is still the case, and the NCAA snooping around Chapel Hill aren't helping any:

I don't want anyone to think I'm not committed to North Carolina still, because I am. I'm just still looking at everybody, and seeing what's out there. You never know what could happen. I'm coming up to Michigan on October 9th, that's the Michigan State game, that's when I'll be there.

He wanted to make sure that everyone knew he was still committed, but he wasn't happy about the looming investigation. He was in contact with Coach Gibson a few days ago, and said he still plans on keeping in touch with him. Also, in his first game he threw for 341 yards and 7 TD's while his team won 61-0. It was against a bad team, but still noteworthy.

Daren Kitchen

6'1", 175 lbs.

Cornerback

Houma, Louisiana

The latest on Daren is that he sent his first game film to three of the Michigan coaches, and they loved it. He had 3 pass break ups, a field goal block, and an INT for a TD. He says (I know he's said this before) that the Michigan offer is now his.

He's coming up for the UConn game on an official visit, as well. I don't know if the offer is officially official, but we should know by Friday if it is. If so, a commit is expected in short order.

Demetrius Hart

5'8", 190

Running Back

Orlando, Florida

If you didn't originally see this thread, then I'll bring you up to speed. Demetrius Hart (as of now) is not coming to the UConn game. There was some paperwork missing from his clearinghouse info, and he can't take an official visit until it's processed. [UPDATE: Hart's visit is seemingly on as of now.]

I spoke with Demetrius' mother today to see what the mix up was. She said that as of today they won't be coming to the U Conn game, and that Demetrius was going to take an unofficial visit to Auburn. She was told that the paperwork that needed to go through would take two weeks to get processed. It seems like they're trying to expedite the process, or figure out what needs to get done, but she wasn't optimistic that they would be able to.

I'm supposed to get a hold of her tomorrow to find out if they were able to work around it, and still make it up this weekend. Like I said, she didn't sound optimistic. We'll see what happens. 2012 QB Nick Patti, Demetrius' teammate, will still be coming. I'm not going to comment on if any of their other teammates will be there, because there's a possibility that teammate doesn't want it reported either way. I have a headache from this already. We'll see what happens, it looks like it could go either way.

Extra:

• The extensive UConn visitor list is here. Anthony Zettel recently decided that he'll be at the game. He's not 100% sure, but leaning towards going.

UConn Visitors:

This is the home of the U Conn visitors list. I'll update the list as I talk to more players. As always you can get more updates from me on my Twitter Page. 

2011:

• Demetrius Hart - The visit is back on, according to his mom. 
• Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix - He's coming with Demetrius.
• AJ Jordan - Trotwood wide receiver. Wisconsin may lead right now, so it's good to get him on campus.
• Anthony Zettel - He said he thinks he's coming, so it's not 100%. If he does it will be unofficially. Either way it will be good to have him on campus for a game..
• Avery Walls - Safety out of Georgia has been to Michigan twice, and rumors are that Michigan leads.
• Daren Kitchen - Defensive back from Louisiana might not be coming.
• Jake Fisher - Michigan commit will be there.
• Delonte Hollowell - Michigan commit.
• Brennen Beyer - Michigan commit.

2012:

• Coy Brown - running back from Indiana
• Brian Blackburn - Instate quarterback.
• Terry Richardson - Cass Tech DB.
• Chris Wormley - Ohio defensive end.
• Matt Godin - Instate defensive tackle from Detroit Catholic Central will be there. He's best friends with Danny O'Brien, and they'll be traveling together. They're both very high on Michigan.
• Danny O'Brien - Instate defensive tackle, big time prospect. 6-foot-3, 278-pound defensive tackle from Flint Powers. He has Michigan and Tennessee as his top two so far. He still wants to look at some other schools, though, so that's an early list. Says he was a Michigan fan when he was really young, and he has started to really like them this summer. Talking with Coach Rodriguez and seeing the facilities has brought his interest up.
• Tyler Alt: Tyler is a Defensive/Offensive Lineman from Greensbug Central Catholic in Pennsylvania. I've been emailing back and forth with his dad, and they will be in for the first game. Michigan is recruiting Tyler as a guard/center, or DE/DT. As a sophomore Alt was All State honorable mention, and listed by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette as one of the top 10 sophomores in western PA. He plays OT and DE now in high school, but at 6-foot-3, 260-pounds he'd be better suited as mentioned before on the interior of either line. Here's a look at his sophomore film. His dad said he is very interested in Michigan.
• Nick Patti (Still coming even if D. Hart doesn't) - 2012 QB, teammate of Demetrius Hart will be up with his Dad, and potentially with his trainer Tom Shaw. Shaw trains a ton of football players in Florida, including Florida State commit Karlos Williams. Nick told me that Shaw will play a big role in his decision, and he considers Tom to be an uncle. Getting him on campus could be a good thing for a few reasons.
• Hunter and Cam Stanley - 2012 offensive linemen from Toledo, Ohio. They're twins! The 6-foot-4, 260-pound linemen are both very high on Michigan. They camped at Michigan's four-day camp, and jointly took home the offensive line MVP award (they do everything together!). Hunter actually ran his best 40 time at Michigan's camp with a 4.75. Michigan is in their top three along with Notre Dame and Northwestern. They both want to make their decision relatively early, and as you can tell by their list they think they fit best in a spread offense.
• .....AND TWINS!! (I had to)
• Kaleb Ringer - 2012 linebacker from Clayton, Ohio. His uncle is Javon Ringer, former MSU star running back. He told me his family affiliations won't play into anything, and he's actually a Michigan fan (FWIW). He currently holds verbal offers from Cincinnati and Iowa, which is a good sign of his talent level. He and his teammate Jeremy Campbell (DL) will be there. Campbell is listed at 5'11-6'0, weighing in at around 250-pounds. Ringer says that Campbell can squat 750 pounds, which seems like a lot to me. [Ed: me too.]
• Royce Jenkins-Stone - 2012 Cass Tech linebacker will be there. He loves Michigan.
• Chase Deback - 2012 instate offensive lineman from Charlotte, Michigan. Says he's a fan of Michigan State, but will put his fandom to the side for his recruitment. He wants to go wherever he feels is the best place for him. Being a fan of MSU growing up won't play into it. It's often hard for 16-17 year olds to distinguish the difference, though.
• Nathan Ricketts - 2012 instate linebacker. Shameless plug here. Ricketts is a 6-foot-2 linebacker with some good speed from Holland, Michigan.

Louisiana DB Daren Kitchen just told me that Fred Jackson, his recruiter, extended him a verbal offer. Rich Rodriguez is on vacation, so the written offer won't be in the mail until he gets back. Kitchen has been long saying that he wanted an offer from Michigan, and would commit once he gets one.

That is the same feeling he has today. He said, "I'll probably just commit right away, because that's the one I've been waiting for." Kitchen is a 3 star according to Rivals, and stands at 6-foot-1, and 172-pounds. He holds offers from Kansas, Memphis, Nebraska, and Stanford, as well. 

I'm not sure the exact date of when RR gets back from vacation, but it will be soon. Look for his commitment to drop shortly after. I like Kitchen, I think he's a good addition to the class. He will be the third defensive back already, so we'll see how that plays out for the other recruits we're after, like Kyshoen Jarrett.  

I can't find his highlight tape on YouTube, but you can go to his profile on one of the recruiting sites to watch it. I'm just trying to fill up the two hundred word minimum now, I don't really have anything else to say about him.

Corey Marshall

6'2, 240 lbs.

Dinwiddie, Virginia

Defensive End

As everyone knows, Corey Marshall recently took the trip up and over to Michigan for the BBQ. Marshall came away impressed with what Michigan had to offer, and has been analyzing all of the schools he's interested in. Marshall:

The Michigan visit was the most impressive from the standpoint that I got to stay a little longer, and see more of what they had to offer. I'll be going to West Virginia next, and then back to Tennessee to talk to Chuck Smith.

So far, Marshall has taken visits to Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Virginia. As he said, West Virginia is up next. He spoke highly of Michigan, and the academic department, but I have a feeling that Virginia Tech and Tennessee are probably in the lead. There's a lot that can change, but the fact that he's taking a second visit to Tennessee says something. We'll see what happens there.

Giorgio Newberry

6'6", 255 lbs.

Fort Pierce, Florida

Defensive End

Giorgio is one of the top ranked players in the country and was recently named in the Rivals top 100l. He told me tonight that he plans on taking an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor to check out what Michigan has to offer.

They (Michigan) love me up there. It's looking good, so far, with them. I'm not sure when it will happen, but I'm definitely trying to make it up there sometime this summer.

An interesting tidbit: Rod Smith is recruiting Newberry. He previously coached with one of Giorgio's current high school coaches. Michigan has a guy in their corner, and Newberry has always spoken highly of Michigan. If the visit happens, Michigan could be a player here.

Kris Frost

6'3", 210 lbs.

Matthews, North Carolina

Linebacker/Wide Receiver

Frost, like Newberry, was also recently ranked in the Rivals top 100, sitting high on the list at number 27. Kris has been trying for awhile now to make it up to Michigan, and has finally found the right time. Frost, along with his mother, father, and possibly brother, will be coming up to Ann Arbor on June 18th for Michigan's camp. They'll be coming up for the camp, but also treating it as an unofficial visit. To say he's excited is an understatement:

My whole family is excited about it, we can't wait. It's happening 100%, too, which feels good. I haven't been up there since last summer, and this is the first time my family will be there, so that will be good. They'l be able to see everything that I have.

Kris is going to wait for signing day to make his decision, but is very vocal about his feelings towards Michigan. He told me he is very high on Michigan, and is planning on trying to make it up for two or three games this season. He's already set his official visit:

We're coming up for the Michigan State game in October, and I'm actually coming with (QB) Marquise Williams. We met at the Shrine Bowl practices, and it's cool to talk to him about how he feels about Michigan too. I know they're in his top five, so it's cool to have someone else that feels like that for Michigan, too.

Michigan is most definitely in Frost's top five, with the others being Auburn, LSU, Cal, and North Carolina. His parents have been to Auburn and North Carolina so far, so they already have a barometer for other schools, and what they have to offer. Don't expect a commitment yet, but this visit further shows his genuine interest in Michigan.

Extra:

• A new name to add to the list is Ohio defensive end Deonte Gibson out of St. Edwards. Gibson told me that he spoke with Coach Tall before the weekend, and that Tall was recommending him for an offer. They are now waiting on Rich Rodriguez to give the approval, or not. He thinks he'll find out sometime this week. His highlight film is here, if you care to look. 
• Louisiana defensive back Daren Kitchen is 95% sure he will be at Michigan's elite camp this weekend. I asked him if it will be over if Michigan extends an offer. His response was an emphatic, "Oh yeah." 
• Illinois offensive lineman Pat Flavin will also be at Michigan's camp this weekend. I spoke to his coach, Patrick New, and he told me Flavin is definitely interested in Michigan's tradition, and what they have to offer. He also said that Patrick gets the sense that he might not be on the top of Michigan's list. They both understand that some schools like to see athletes in person at camp before extending offers, especially on the offensive line. Flavin is likely to make a decision at the end of the summer.
• Michigan has also offered GA DE Ray Drew. Drew is the #6 DE in the country to Scout and his getting heavily recruited by area schools, so he will be a tough guy to pull.