Monday Recruitin' Prefers Queazy

Today's recruiting roundup covers the latest on David Dawson and Gareon Conley, new candidates to round out the 2013 class, the latest wave of 2014 offers, and more.

Guess Who's Back

Talk to me man

Yes, Brian stole my thunder on Friday, but here it is again: David Dawson was re-offered last week after having a "heart to heart"($) with Brady Hoke and will take an official visit to Ann Arbor on December 14th. This is, unequivocally, a good thing; Michigan needs one more offensive lineman in the class and Dawson is easily the best among the available options.

It's also a strike against critics of Hoke's nebulous "Policy"—one that's never been explicitly stated, mind you—as it's clear he deals with these matters on a case-by-case basis, as he should. A commitment taking visits doesn't necessarily mean he's gone from the class forever; it does mean he hold a spot while looking around. This ensures, as much as one can ensure with these things, that members of the class show the same level of commitment given to them by the school.

On that note: Gareon Conley will also take an official visit to Michigan on December 14th, according to ESPN's Brad Bournival ($). He'll also visit Ohio State this Thursday, and all indications are this is a two-horse race between the Wolverines and Buckeyes—Conley wanted an Oregon offer before he took a visit to Eugene and one has yet to materialize.

It seems very possible that both Dawson and Conley could end up back in the class when all is said and done. Dawson seems to regret parting ways with Michigan—there were rumors he tried to talk his way back into the fold shortly after the coaches dropped him—and I'd be surprised if Hoke would re-offer without a pretty good idea of where Dawson is headed. Conley looks to be more of a toss-up, but Michigan has his father in their corner.

[Hit THE JUMP for new 2013 and 2014 offers, the updated 2013 Rivals100, and BAYLE WOLF.]

He Gets It, Fergodsakes

Michigan continues to pick interest in 2013 linebacker recruits; Mike McCray and Ben Gedeon are both solid in their commitments, so this likely indicates potential attrition on the current roster (LBs Antonio Poole and Kaleb Ringer both missed the 2012 season with injuries, FWIW). The Wolverines recently offered NC LB Jamieon Moss, a Virginia Tech commit, who's considering a visit on—yes—December 14th, according to Sam Webb ($).

“Jamieon Moss had one of the best seasons of any player in North Carolina this year,” [Scout analyst Michael] Clark said.  “Moss played at a high level all season, registering 170 total tackles. Although, Northeastern’s defense struggled against Tarboro (in a playoff loss), he was one of the bright spots for the Eagles.”

“Physically, there is a lot to like about Moss. He also has a high football I.Q. and plays under control. Moss is a long, lean prospect. He runs extremely well and does a nice job of diagnosing plays as soon as the ball is snapped. Along with his speed, his long strides give him tremendous range and he can cover a lot of ground quickly. He is also relentless and has a non-stop motor.”

Moss is a three-star and isn't ranked higher than #67 at outside linebacker on any of the recruiting sites, though it sounds like he could get a bump when his senior film goes out.

Also getting interest, though no offer yet, from Michigan is AL CB Marquis McCullum, per Sam Webb ($). McCullum is unranked on all four sites and is so under the radar that 247 doesn't even have a profile for him, but there's good reason for that: he was in a car accident at the end of his junior year and the resulting injuries prevented him from attending any camps or combines. He's fully recovered however, and at 6'1", 185 lbs., he's an intriguing prospect—as a bonus, despite hailing from Birmingham he's familiar with the local lingo:

“When Coach Smith asked him (is Michigan a school he’d really be interested in), Marquis said, ‘it’s Michigan for God Sakes!’  Coach Smith started laughing and said, ‘oh yeah, that’s what Coach Hoke said at his first press conference.’  Honestly I didn’t know that he knew anything about Coach Hoke’s first press conference.  He threw even me off with that one.”

McCullum hasn't pulled in any offers thus far, and given the above you can bet he'd seriously entertain the thought of heading north were Michigan to extend the opportunity.

New 2014 Offers

Michigan also sent out its latest wave of 2014 offers at the end of last week. Four-star IL LB Nyles Morgan, Crete-Monee teammate of Laquon Treadwell, got his from Jeff Hecklinski on an in-school visit. NJ DE/TE Garrett Dickerson, a top-50 level recruit, was offered by Curt Mallory as a defensive end. Southfield DE Lawrence Marshall was offered in-person by Fred Jackson, which must be one of the greatest single ways to boost one's self-esteem. Marshall told Tremendous in the above article that he has no favorites, but a quote he gave 247 last week indicates Michigan has the early edge ($):

Marshall told Wolverine247 on Tuesday that Michigan is his early favorite.

“I wouldn’t commit right away but Michigan would definitely be my top school,” said Marshall. “I love their tradition and just the way they do things. I know they have great academics.”

Of the three new offers, Marshall seems the most likely to end up in the class, though Michigan has been in regular contact with both Morgan and Dickerson as well.

Updated 2013 Rivals100, DetNews Dream Team

Rivals is updating their 2013 rankings this week—always starting the day after I do the recruiting rankings, I swear—and today they unveiled the new Rivals100. Here's where Michigan's commits and key targets landed:

• Laquon Treadwell—#10 overall (five-star)
• Derrick Green—#14 overall (five-star)
• Leon McQuay III—#19 overall (five-star)
• Shane Morris—#25 overall (five-star)
• Henry Poggi—#68 overall (four-star)
• Patrick Kugler—#79 overall (four-star)
• Mike McCray—#88 overall (four-star)
• Kyle Bosch—#99 overall (four-star)

In a bit of a surprise, Shane Morris held onto his fifth star despite a senior season marred by mono. Meanwhile, Laquon Treadwell's stellar senior season was met with the requisite rise to five-star status. It'll be interesting to see where Michigan recruits land in the Rivals250 and beyond, especially Channing Stribling, who certainly will rise from his current two-star rating.

The Detroit News released their all-state squads and the 2012 All-State Dream Team last week, featuring several Michigan commits and targets. The Dream Team included Jourdan Lewis (end, which is really WR), David Dawson (OL), Malik McDowell (DL), and MSU commit Jon Reschke (LB). Da'Mario Jones (end) and Damon Webb (DB) earned all-state honorable mention for Division 1-2. Csont'e York (end) got first-team honors for Division 3-4, where Khalid Hill (end) and Tommy Doles (OL) garnered honorable mention.

Patrick Kugler, the only Michigan commit still alive in his high school football playoffs, was featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review last Friday, an an opposing coach gave him a glowing scouting report:

“He looks like an NFL guy playing with middle-school kids,” McDowell coach Mark Soboleski said before his Trojans lost to North Allegheny, 56-6, Friday night in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal at Seneca Valley.

“You know he’s a coach’s kid. You can just tell. He’s got great technique. He gets off the ball so hard. He does not look like he should run as fast as he does. You see kids that big and they’re slow and gawky. But he’s got great, great feet. I think he’s in a class by himself. He stands alone.”

The article also contains a few areas for improvement for Kugler: strength, stamina, and—most importantly—mustache-growing.

Ben Gedeon was named to the U.S. U-19 national team, which will compete in the International Bowl in February.

Etc.

Scout's Yancey Porter caught up with Laquon Treadwell after his visit to Ole Miss last weekend ($). The bad news: he talks about a top three of Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, failing to mention Michigan. The good news is that he's got a great nickname [emphasis mine]:

"I enjoyed Ole Miss a lot," said Laquon, whose friends call Quon, L.T. and his favorite, Queazy. "Ole Miss has a lot of pluses for me."

Due to his high school's policy on early graduation, IL RB Ty Isaac will not enroll early at USC, per ESPN's Blair Angulo ($, info in header). While Isaac has given no indication that he'll consider a decommitment from the Trojans, this at least gives Michigan—and Notre Dame, as well—more time to make their pitch.

Chelsea RB Berkley Edwards committed to Minnesota, which is noteworthy only because Braylon Edwards again made an ass of himself on Twitter (scroll down to Nov. 29th if you're so inclined).

BAYLE WOLF! Unfortunately was the main reason Michael Ferns's St. Clairsville squad lost in the state title game, but... BAYLE WOLF, y'all.