Monday Recruitin' Toughs It Out
Grit: Check
Three-star CB Antwaine Richardson was among of Michigan's spate of June commits after performing for the coaches at the Miami satellite camp. That he earned an offer is all the more impressive given the news that broke today—according to ESPN's Wells Dusenbury, Richardson tore his ACL in May, an injury that will unfortunately end his senior season before it begins. Richardson somehow managed to partake in that camp in June before undergoing surgery in July. The injury shouldn't affect his status as a Michigan commit:
Richardson's knee injury, however, has not affected his commitment to Michigan. In fact, the coaching staff was aware of the injury before Richardson's decision. The three-star recruit verbally committed to the Wolverines on June 12, weeks after being hurt.
"I told [the Michigan coaching staff] I tore my ACL before I committed, so they knew what I was coming into," said Richardson. "They said, 'We'd still love to have you up here. Just rehab real good so you can get back to normal and start cutting the same.'"
"To me it felt good. That meant they really wanted me. Some schools would back off after they found out you tore your ACL, but they still wanted me."
Richardson is aiming to enroll early. Given ACL recovery timelines these days, he'd be on track to participate in spring practice.
Injury news is never good news but in this case at least we have confirmation Richardson is one tough SOB. The mere thought of playing corner with a torn ACL caused me to walk with a slight limp this morning.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
Mitchell Decision Forthcoming
The Philadelphia Enquirer reports four-star NJ WR Ahmir Mitchell is closing in on a decision:
An all-purpose star at Cedar Creek High School, Mitchell has narrowed his college choices to the two Big Ten programs. He said he will decide by the end of the month, probably on August 27.
"It's stressful but I'm enjoying it," Mitchell said after another pre-season practice on Thursday at Cedar Creek, which is located in Egg Harbor City.
Mitchell says that "some days I wake up thinking I'm going to one school and some days I wake up thinking I'm going to the other school."
Despite Mitchell maintaining that Michigan and Ohio State are even on top of his list, all signs point to the Wolverines being the choice if he sticks to this timeline; the Buckeyes have other receivers higher on their board while Michigan would be happy to take his commitment at any time.
Texans Talk Michigan
Four-star TX ILB Dontavious Jackson told Scout's Ahmard Vital he'll take an official visit for The Game this fall ($). Jackson, one of the top targets left on the board, has also set officials to Florida State and UCLA. His high school teammate, three-star S Chris Brown, is also slated to take his official for the OSU game.
Four-star TX DT Chris Daniels visited Michigan, MSU, and OSU last week. He had good things to say about all three schools to Rivals' Jason Howell, but it sounds like one may have stood out to his mom ($):
"When I was little I always wanted to go to Michigan and be a Wolverine, so it was pretty cool to go up there and see how they practice and stuff," Daniels said. "I know their d-line is kind of young but I see a lot of potential in the d-line. Coach Mattison is a really good coach. Like I said, coach Harbaugh is really nice. The facilities and everything were really nice. But one thing that really stood out to me is they say you have a scholarship for life. You can come back and get a degree at any point. That really opened my mother's eyes. I don't know if that's her favorite now, but she really really likes them now."
Between Michigan's significant need for defensive tackles and Rashan Gary taking a hard look at the SEC, Daniels could be a hugely important target down the stretch. He plans to announce a top five at the end of the month—Michigan should make it—before making a decision in December.
Etc.
Four-star CA WR Theo Howard is back on the market after decommitting from Oregon yesterday. He showed high interest in Michigan before pledging to the Ducks, though it looks like USC is the program most likely to land him now.
The father of elite 2018 QB Trevor Lawrence, who added a Michigan offer last week, told The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan they "definitely" plan to make a trip up to Ann Arbor ($).
Happy trails to three-star NC ILB Jonathan Smith, who committed to UNC last week.
Sir Patrick Scott is a first-team cornerback on SBNation's 2016 All-Name Team, which is particularly loaded this year.
August 17th, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 2:53 PM ^
Agreed. I couldn't partake in walking to the fridge to get a beer with an ACL injury much less doing anything athletic. If he heals properly his toughness bodes well for the future.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
I tore mine at the CCRB freshman year. Yeah, it was really bad for a week or so, but once the swelling went down, it didn't really hurt that much. I went back to playing basketball all year and then had it fixed on summer break. It was my understanding that the ACL just stabilizes the knee joint, so I probably did more damage to my miniscus by playing on it, but unless my knee "went out" again, it didn't really hurt.
August 17th, 2015 at 11:50 PM ^
didn't find out about it until I had an MRI 2011- after my initial injury my knee just healed on its own, and I went on to run 8 marathons and cycle tens of thousands of miles without knowing I had torn it. Then I slipped on some ice....
August 18th, 2015 at 8:36 AM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 2:57 PM ^
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August 17th, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
Not sure if that decision date is 100% accurate. Mitchell tweeted that he will announce his decision date himself.
August 17th, 2015 at 6:00 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
As for Mitchell, I don't like it when commits for whom all signs "point to Michigan" delay, delay and delay for seemingly unknown reasons. There's a reason, and it's not usually good...
August 17th, 2015 at 2:36 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 2:49 PM ^
Richardson deserves all the credit in the world for choosing to camp knowing that he was hurt. Most guys would have backed off knowing they didn't have a chance to impress at 100%. I am always going to be a fan of his. That was a gutsy decision!
August 17th, 2015 at 3:04 PM ^
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August 17th, 2015 at 5:19 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 3:13 PM ^
Damn, Mitchell's teammate #29 is a real asshole. At around the 1:20 mark of the highlight video, a kid for the opposing team #45 pulls up lame with a pulled hammy and falls down, and #29 taunts him for a good 10 seconds after.
August 17th, 2015 at 4:40 PM ^
Well, Ace, Magnus et al - have we offered this #29? Or does he have offers from any of our rivals? (sounds like Sparty material!)
Let's hope he's not Amir's homey, his ace, or he might slap the taste out chur mouth Monk!!!
August 18th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
I don't know who #29 is, but we haven't offered anybody else from Mitchell's school.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
Thought I heard Howard was looking more like a UCLA guy, not USC...
August 17th, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^
I think that was Tim Sullivan at Rivals who said that. Sounds like he got bad intel, which wouldn't be the first time for thewolverine.com crew.
August 18th, 2015 at 2:15 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 3:24 PM ^
This excellent new article on James Ross in Scout (free) has some fascinating insight into Harbaugh and why he would want to offer a guy like Richardson who played on a torn ACL.
http://www.scout.com/college/michigan/story/1575348-harbaugh-lessons-resonating-with-ross
August 17th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 3:27 PM ^
Am I the only one who believes UM is getting slow played by Ahmir Mitchell and that he will eventually choose osu if/when they show him a little more love? Not feeling good here.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
I always become uneasy when a presumed favorite holds out for a very long time.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:48 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 5:12 PM ^
Glad someone else feels just like I do. Mitchell was supposed to commit after his visit in July. Then he postponed his decision until the BBQ. 247 CB has Mitchell at 96% to the good guys. OSU is not even mentioned. Yet we are neck to neck with them? Something doesn't feel right. I hope I'm wrong because the Laquon Treadwell episode totally stressed me out.
August 17th, 2015 at 3:51 PM ^
Enlighten me, for I am an ignoramus.
What does tearing an ACL actually do? I've known a few athletes who tore them and were like, "Well, shit. Better bind this up tight, it'll probably impact my performance for awhile" but then played anyway. Then I've known some other people who've torn ACLs but were still able to do basic everyday activities, albeit rather more carefully than usual.
Then this.
So is a torn ACL not something where you automatically, physically can't use that leg? Is it not like a broken bone?
I want to understand.
August 17th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^
I think there's difference between ripping it completely and having a slight tear. I remember Rondo played some of a game a year or two ago on a torn ACL since I think it was a slight tear.
August 17th, 2015 at 5:12 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^
But from what I remember when I tore mine freshman year... The ACL just stabilizes the knee joint, prevents movement of the lower leg in relation to the upper leg. I remember the "field test" the doctor did before ordering an MRI. I sat on the table with my legs out in front of me. I bent my knee toward my chest, keeping my foot on the ground, and he grabbed behind my calf and pulled towards him. If he could feel excessive looseness, I think that's a sign that the ACL is torn.
But you are right. I tore mine a month into my freshman year, and finally got it fixed the following summer. It hurt like hell right away and was swollen for a week or so, but after that, it was ok. For me, it was more the mental aspect of trusting my knee. I was always worried it would "go out" again, and I'd have to go through all that pain again.
August 17th, 2015 at 5:11 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 4:23 PM ^
you can perform day-to-day activities w/o an acl. however, to do athletics, my knee was unstable if I cut left or right. one would need a good knee brace to get by.
August 17th, 2015 at 5:14 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
August 17th, 2015 at 4:33 PM ^
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August 17th, 2015 at 6:14 PM ^
I knew it was a longshot anyway, but I've always thought it would be really cool if a player from my high school in my tiny hometown wound up at Michigan. Even cooler when it's someone who has the same first name as me. Just not meant to be. Sigh.
Happy trails, J Smith. Best of luck to you at UNC.
August 17th, 2015 at 7:14 PM ^
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August 17th, 2015 at 10:53 PM ^
August 18th, 2015 at 4:34 PM ^
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