Prince Holloway
We're in the middle of a recruiting dead period, and about a month away from signing day. I thought I would give an update on who's left on the board, time frames for when specific recruits will make their decisions, and who will be visiting in the near future.
Who's Left?
| Name | Position | State | Rivals Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demetrius Hart | RB | FL | 4 Star |
| Justice Hayes | RB | MI | 4 Star |
| Brennen Beyer | DE | MI | 4 Star |
| Blake Countess | CB | MD | 4 Star |
| Dallas Crawford | CB | FL | 3 Star |
| Jake Fisher | OL | MI | 3 Star |
| Delonte Hollowell | CB | MI | 3 Star |
| Kellen Jones | LB | TX | 3 Star |
| Chris Rock | DE/DT | OH | 3 Star |
| Greg Brown | DB | OH | 3 Star |
| Jack Miller | OL | OH | 3 Star |
| Desmond Morgan | LB | MI | 3 Star |
| Tony Posada | OL | FL | 3 Star |
| Matt Goudis | K | CA | 2 Star |
That's 14 current commitments, and for argument sake we'll just assume that Michigan will take 20 in this class. Rich Rodriguez has recently said they will take anywhere from 18-20 commits, so we'll go with 20. Here's a look at the most likely recruits left at each position, up to this point. There could be some new names pop up, but this list seems pretty solid for now.
| Name | State | Decision Date | Rivals Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Frost | NC | Army All American Game (Jan 8th) | 4 Star |
| Hakeem Flowers | SC | Either January or Signing Day. May still take visits. | 3 Star |
| Devin Lucien | CA | Signing Day. Visiting Michigan January 7th | 4 Star |
| Prince Holloway | FL | January 15th. Recently said he will commit to Michigan on his January 15th visit. | 3 Star |
Frost is in this category because he will most likely get his chance to try wide receiver before potentially moving to linebacker. The situation for Michigan here is that they may just lead for all four of these receivers.
| Name | State | Decision Date | Rivals Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Lyons (S) | FL | Army All American Game | 4 Star |
| Raymon Taylor (ATH) | MI | Visiting January 7th. Decision after that. | 4 Star |
| Sheldon Royster (S) | NJ | Visiting January 7th. | 4 Star |
| James Richardson (CB) | TX | Deciding in January | 3 Star |
| Roderick Ryles (S) | FL | Planning a visit, decision date unsure. | 3 Star |
Again Michigan is in great position for most of these recruits.
| Name | State | Decision Date | Rivals Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Tabb | NJ | January | 3 Star |
| Frank Clark | OH | Visiting January 7th, decision date unsure. | 3 Star |
| Tanner McEvoy | NJ | Visiting January 7th, decision date unsure. | 3 Star |
Tabb is thinking over his decision, and will be announcing sometime in early or mid January. The coaching situation had been factoring into his decision, and he was also hoping for an offer from Miami. He's not getting the Miami offer, so it will be between Michigan, North Carolina, and Arkansas.
| Name | State | Decision Date | Rivals Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Bryant | IL | January, or Signing Day | 4 Star |
Bryant isn't sure if he wants to wait until signing day to make his decision, or just get it over with. He is waiting to see what happens with the coaches, but Michigan is likely to land Chris.
| Name | State | Decision Date | Rivals Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Zettel (DE) | MI | Likely to decide in January. | 4 Star |
| Darian Cooper (DT | MD | Visiting January 7th, likely to decide signing day. | 4 Star |
| Max Issaka (DE) | NJ | May visit Michigan | 3 Star |
| Deion Barnes (DE) | PA | Visiting January 7th, decision in mid-late January or signing day | 4 Star |
As you can see, there are a lot of recruits left for only roughly 6 spots left. The good news is that there is a lot of quality left on the board. The recruits that are left and still have Michigan in the race are ranked highly, and more importantly could help Michigan in key areas.
Visits
The next visit weekend will be January 7th, and will be host to a good amount of prospects. Here's the list so far, and as usual will be updated as we get closer. These visits aren't set in stone, so they could change from now until the 7th.
- S Sheldon Royster - Michigan is in Royster's top four with North Carolina, Rutgers, and South Carolina
- DE Deion Barnes - Michigan is in Barne's top group with Penn State, South Carolina, and Georgia.
- WR Devin Lucien - Michigan is in a very favorable spot for Lucien. This visit could determine where he ends up.
- DT Darian Cooper - Cooper still lists Michigan in his top group, but definitely has concerns about the coaching situation. He should have some answers by this time.
- ATH Raymon Taylor - Recently offered by Michigan, and recently decommitted from Indiana I suspect that Michigan leads.
- TE Tanner McEvoy
- TE/LB Frank Clark - The Glenville prospect always speaks highly of Michigan, and is excited about the visit.
Prince Holloway
5'9", 155 lbs.
Athlete
Cape Coral, Florida
Prince is an athlete fit for Rich Rodriguez' system, and could fill a spot as a slot in the offense very nicely. Holloway is from Florida, but says he has no problem with distance. As for what schools stand out to him right now, he had this to say:
There's still some other schools I'm looking at, but West Virginia and Michigan are the top two schools right now. I'll most likely take an official visit to Michigan, I'm just not sure when.
I don't think he'll have a good grasp for where he wants to go until he takes his visits. I think West Virginia might have a slight edge right now, but like I said the visits will change a lot of what he's thinking. He would be a nice addition to the offense and return game. [Ed: If Michigan has room. Slot is not a big priority in this class.]
Anthony Zettel
6'4", 247 lbs.
Defensive End
West Branch, Michigan
As everyone knows Anthony is one of Michigan's top priorities for this class. At first it seemed as if it would be a quick and painless courtship, and now it's likely to drag out to the end of the season. Zettel just came back from a visit to Penn State, and had a great time. As far as how his season will pan out, he said this:
I probably won't take officials to Michigan or MSU, because I've been there so many times already. I will most likely take official visits to Penn State and Iowa, though. I'll be at a couple Michigan games during the season, just not officials.
I understand his logic behind not taking official visits to either in state school, but I think it gives Penn State and Iowa a slight advantage, at least relative to where they were before. On an official visit the recruits get to spend the night and hang out with the players, go out at night, and really experience what it's like to be up there. He may have already done that at Michigan, but coming to a game doesn't give that same experience. I am still on the optimistic side though, and I think Michigan is still in prime position. He won't be making his decision any time soon:
My parents and I think it's best to wait until after the season to make a decision.
If Michigan wins, we're golden. If not, it will be a dogfight, or a lot of questions will need to be answered.
Dallas Crawford
5'10", 185 lbs.
Cornerback
Fort Meyers, Florida
Crawford was up at Michigan for the spring game with wide receiver Sammy Watkins, his teammate. It was their first time up to Michigan, and it left a lasting impression for a few reasons:
When we went up for the spring game, it exceeded my expectations. I've heard about the great tradition at Michigan, but being up there and seeing it is a great thing. The campus, everything is great. I had the best hamburger I've ever had at the Brown Jug.
Good food on campus is a plus for Dallas. With the season approaching, it's almost time to start thinking about who's going to make the cut, and what schools are left.
My list right now is LSU, Michigan, Wake Forest, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Miami. I think I'll take all of my official visits. One of those schools I'll have to drop, so I'll drop it down first. I think Michigan has a very, very, very realistic chance with me.
The weather has been mentioned with Dallas, as it sometimes is with Florida kids, and possibly going to the same school as his teammate Sammy.
Weather doesn't really matter to me. It was 30 degrees at the spring game at Michigan, and that would probably be around the coldest game I would play in. Eventually you'd have to play someone up north, so that's no big deal. With Sammy, if it happens it happens. I don't know if it will, we gotta do what's best for us.
It should be noted that Dallas holds a 3.52 GPA, and said he's qualified with the clearinghouse. I haven't confirmed this, but there are rumors that Watkins may have grade issues that could prevent him from choosing certain schools.
Coach Frey has made a great impression on Dallas, and has developed a nice relationship as well. Crawford's high school coach is a Michigan fan, and believes that the Michigan coaches would treat him well, too. He appears to be a reason that the coaches have put LA CB Daren Kitchen on the back burner for now—Michigan is in great position with Crawford.
Dallas is probably going to wait to make his decision, but said it will also most likely be before signing day.
2012 Notes:
- Tommy Schutt - Tommy is a big defensive tackle (6'3", 300 lbs.) from Glenbard West in Illinois. If you feel like that school sounds familiar it's because that's the same school of 2011 OL recruit Jordan Walsh. Not only are they teammates, but they're good friends, too. Michigan will be one of the top schools that Tommy looks at, and his coach had some good news for the future:
My coach told me that Michigan will be offering me on September first. I know Jordan is very interested in Michigan, and if he went there it would have an effect on my decision.
September 1st is the first day that 2012 recruits can get written offers. A name to keep an eye on for sure, as he already has verbal offers from Illinois and Iowa.
- Vin Ascolese - Vin is an outside linebacker (6'2", 196 lbs.) from New Jersey. Ascolese was an attendee at the spring game this year, and has also taken visits to Penn State, Boston College, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. Everything is still fresh in his mind, and he said the spring game was very energetic. The Michigan coaches say they like his size and athleticism, and are going to keep in contact with him. You can take a look at his sophomore highlights here.
Extra:
- As I mentioned the other day, DE/LB Austin Traylor out of Ohio narrowed his list down this weekend. The list consists of (in no order) Michigan, Minnesota, MSU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Kentucky. A pretty broad narrowed down list, if you ask me. We'll see if Michigan decides to show him enough interest, they may wait to see how some other prospects pan out first.
- Don't expect OL Chris Bryant to make his decision in the near future. He loves Michigan, but told me he will be waiting to make his decision at least a few games into the season. He wants to see how everyone's season starts off before deciding.
James Elliott
6'4, 285 lbs.
Offensive Tackle
Pensacola, Forida
Elliott has started to see his recruitment take off. With around 14 offers so far, he is hoping for and expecting a few more offers to roll in. James was offered by Michigan this past Tuesday, and was very excited that the Wolverines have chosen him for a scholarship offer. He told me that Michigan is in his top five even if he gets those offers that he's hoping for.
He will most likely have to use an official visit to come see Ann Arbor since it's an expensive trip from Florida. Elliott has a very close relationship with his offensive line coach, and it just so happens that Elliott's line coach played at FSU with Michigan offensive line coach Greg Frey. They have that instant connection and trust that's needed during recruiting, so we'll see how this plays out. Distance won't be a factor for Elliot.
Prince Holloway
5'10, 165 lbs.
Athlete
Cape Coral, Florida
Holloway is an interesting prospect who only holds a few offers from Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, and Western Kentucky. Although the local schools haven't offered they've had their eye on Holloway, and at least one of them should jump into the mix soon.
Holloway told me that Michigan is in his top two with West Virginia. He said that even if one of the local schools does offer, Michigan will still be up there in the top group. Just because they're a local school doesn't mean he would pick them. He's looking for the right fit, and the right school for him. Holloway doesn't know the exact date yet but he will be visiting Michigan sometime either this month, or next.
One complicating factor for Holloway and Michigan is that, like his former teammate Spencer Boyd, Holloway has a child. Boyd recently transferred from Notre Dame to be closer to his family. You have to think that would have an effect on Prince, too.
A look at Prince's spring game this year:
Kris Frost
6'3, 210 lbs.
Linebacker/Wide Receiver
Matthews, North Carolina
Kris Frost will be in Ann Arbor this coming weekend for camp with his family. This is a huge visit for Michigan, as it will be the first time his family will be seeing Michigan. Frost recently took an impromptu visit to Auburn and enjoyed himself. He's been to Auburn quite a few times now, and the proximity to his home is a plus in the eyes of his mom and dad.
Michigan needs to roll out the red carpet for his family. If Michigan can impress them, then it would be safe to say that Michigan will be the clear front-runner. I sent Kris a text the other day, and said, "You're still coming up to Michigan for camp right?" His reply was, "THAAATTTT'SSS RIIIIIIGGGHHTT!!!!!!!!" So… he's a little excited.
[Editor's note: Camp will be critical in Frost's recruitment. The frequent visits to Auburn have Tiger fans feeling optimistic; Michigan's main chance to sway him back will be this weekend.]
Ed Davis
6'4, 215 lbs.
Outside Linebacker
Detroit, Michigan
Ed was offered by Michigan this past weekend. I spoke with him afterwards, and he said he's going to get together with his family and talk about what's next. "What's next" could be an quick commitment. I'm expecting that Ed's commitment will come sooner rather than later, once he has all of his questions answered. He said he will be ready to make his decision once he feels right about a school.
Michigan is in good shape here.
Extra:
- There was an article brought to my attention in which Andre Yruretagoyena (I don't even need to look that up anymore) said he didn't think it was fair that USC's new coaches were being punished for what the old staff did. The sanctions against USC are coming from 2004, and you have to remember, Andre was only 10 or 11 years old at that time. He didn't know that Lane Kiffin was part of that staff. He does now, and he doesn't feel as strongly about it. Yruretagoyena said he "want[s] to say it doesn't affect me, but it does."
- MD ATH Brandon Phelps has a Michigan offer, plans a visit, and lists Michigan in a list of five schools that are recruiting him hard.
- OH LB Sean Duggan's visit to Michigan was "awesome" and Michigan is now solidly in his top three.
99