Tuesday Recruitin' is Cheesin' Comment Count

Ace

This edition of the recruiting roundup welcomes a new 2013 commit, takes a look at 2012 preferred walk-on Dan Gibbs, and discusses a bevy of new junior offers. As always, you're encouraged to email me or hit me up on the twitters with any recruiting tips or news you'd like to see in the next roundup.

Hello: Dan Gibbs

Michigan may not have landed Jordan Diamond or, at least for now, Alex Kozan, but they did manage to pick up a 6'7", 305-pound offensive lineman this week. Birmingham Seaholm's Dan Gibbs accepted a preferred walk-on spot over offers from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and several Ivy League schools. Gibbs is a Michigan lifer and is ranked as a three-star by Scout (#97 OT) and 24/7 (#121 OT) and a two-star by Rivals (NR) and ESPN (#109 OG). He has the versatility to play either guard or tackle at the next level, and it's always nice to pull in a walk-on who had D1 scholarship offers. You can see his senior highlight tape above, and here is ESPN's evaluation ($):

Gibbs is a tough inline blocker who can maul defenders when run blocking; also flashes the explosion and playing strength to knock defenders off the ball when single blocking. Has great size with good athleticism for the offensive guard position at the major level of competition. It appears his frame is very capable on handling additional body mass. We like this guys toughness; comes off the ball aggressive and hard but a little too high at times; must work to lower his pad level on initial contact. Appears to bave some lower body stiffness however we are impressed with his ability to get out of his stance when asked to pull and trap, locating defenders on the move while demonstrating good balance and agility; plays on his feet well in space. Although this prospect is more of a mauler than one who consistently knocks defenders off the line of scrimmage we are impressed with his ability to get movement when single blocking; is a nasty tough finisher who is capable of putting defenders on their backs. If he is to successfully reach for leverage and consistently get a hat on active 1st and 2nd level defenders we see the need to improve initial quickness, first step and pad level. His long arms should be an asset in pass protection; is not heavy legged playing in the center/guard box, flashing the ability to bend and slide his feet. We do feel he plays too tall and must improve his overall balance and base when pass blocking. All areas of hand use will need refinement although we see flashes of strong initial punch and extension.

Gibbs is a developmental prospect, to be sure. His size and physicality should be a great asset on the practice field, however, and he's got the potential to become an in-game contributor down the road.

In more from the class of 2012, four Michigan signees—Devin Funchess, Royce Jenkins-Stone, Terry Richardson, and James Ross—suited up for Team USA in the International Bowl. Although they fell to the World Team, 35-29, the future Wolverines impressed, especially Funchess, who hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass ($):

"I think Devin Funchess is going to be a star. When they put weight on him, he is a long 6-5 guy, but he's just a boy. They'll put 40 pounds of muscle on him. He has great hands, runs great. He had a great attitude. He's going to be a great player - not just a good player, a great player."

...

"He looks like a wide out. He runs great. For a tight end, he has tremendous speed," [Team USA coach Steve] Specht said. "The thing that really impressed me about Devin is how much bigger he's going to get. I said something to him when we were in Austin. I said, 'In a few years, when you get that weight on you, you're going to be special.'

Funchess appears to be in line to take a redshirt year as he works on adding that bulk. After that, he could turn into a very dangerous receiver from that TE/H-back hybrid spot. For highlights of each Michigan commit in the International Bowl, check out MGoVideo—a big thanks to Josh (aka MaizeNBlueJ) for putting those together.

Speaking of Funchess, his senior highlight tape is now available on YouTube. Also releasing senior film is DL Matt Godin; he does a very impressive job of getting skinny and shedding blocks to work his way into the backfield:

Quickly: Greg Mattison was named the Big Ten Recruiter of the Year by Scout and also earned top-25 status nationally on Rivals. 24/7 released their Big Ten superlatives—Ondre Pipkins is one of three players tabbed for immediate impact and the Wolverines have more players (10) on the All-Big Ten team than any other school (Ohio State has seven, Wisconsin two, while Minnesota, MSU, and Nebraska each have one). AnnArbor.com's Kyle Meinke discusses the importance of tight ends in recruiting with Al Borges and Darrell Funk. Stephen J. Nesbitt writes a feature in the Daily on Pipkins and Willie Henry. TTB Andrew interviews Amara Darboh.

Welcome: Khalid Hill

Recruits come in pairs, right? Michigan not only landed Gibbs yesterday, but they got a jump-start on tight end recruiting for 2013 when they pulled in Detroit Crockett's Khalid Hill. You can read the full "Hello" post here. Hill—who committed on the spot after getting his offer on an unofficial visit yesterday—is another life-long Michigan fan, offering up this fantastic quote to Allen Trieu in the aftermath of his commitment ($):

"I feel great," he said. "There's a smile on my face. I'm cheesin'."

I'll give Khalid the benefit of the doubt and assume that's not a South Park reference. Hill also told 24/7 that, upon receiving a verbal offer from Brady Hoke in his office, he immediately accepted and gave the coach a "big hug." He also carries a 4.0 GPA and plans to major in Engineering; this is definitely a commitment worth celebrating. Hill's high school coach shed some light on his future role in a free Scout article:

"He's a great pass catcher. He has the blocking ability of a lineman, the athletic ability of a skill guy, and the hands of a wide receiver, so he's a match-up nightmare. What he brought to the table for us this year was, he created mismatches down seams of the field."

He'll do the same for the Wolverines, but also fill a couple of other roles as well.

"It's a tight end/H-Back kind of deal. He's a utility guy, who will be motioning from fullback, get work done in the slot. They'll move him around a lot. They sat him down and told him how they're going to use him. They said he'd do a lot of what Kevin Koger did last year."

That hybrid role makes sense for Hill, a solid athlete who's a little short for the traditional tight end role at 6'2".

Another 2013 tight end, Pickerington (OH) North's Jake Butt—an early four-star to 24/7 who holds a scholarship offer from the Wolverines—has Michigan as his top school ($):

"Michigan is definitely my leading school right now, by far… it’s not even close,” he reported.  “Their coaches are showing me a lot of attention.  I have been up to the campus twice and loved it there, and seemed to grow a great relationship with coach (Jerry) Montgomery who is my recruiting coordinator.  I already had five (Michigan) coaches come down to school to see me, so that is big. They are telling me I am their leading tight end on the board."

Butt doesn't have a concrete decision date in mind, but he's looking to wrap things up before the start of next football season. If he does, it looks like Michigan will be tough to beat.

Meanwhile, Logan Tuley-Tillman was at Yost on Saturday and plans to return to Ann Arbor this weekend—his fifth visit, and he's hoping to bring his mother along with him—but there's a minor change atop his leaderboard. While the Wolverines were at one point alone at number one, they're now joined by Alabama after Tuley-Tillman visited Tuscaloosa for their Junior Day ($).

Quickly: Cass Tech CB Jourdan Lewis is excited by his recent Michigan offer, but has not yet settled on a timeline while he's playing through basketball season ($). Magnus has a thorough preview of 2013 in-state recruiting over at TTB. He also takes a look at the early scholarship numbers and breaks down Michigan's needs by position. Chantel Jennings does the same—plus identifies some key early targets—over at WolverineNation ($).

Offerpalooza 2013

Just when I think I'm going to be able to sum up Michigan's list of offers in something other than bullet form, they seemingly extend scholarships to half of the free world. Here's what I pulled together since the last recruiting update:

  • Tampa (FL) Wharton CB Vernon Hargreaves III now has a Michigan offer listed. He's a five-star prospect to 24/7 and their #7 overall player in the class; all the major in-state schools have also offered and his father coaches at USF, so he'll be a very difficult pull out of the Sunshine State.
  • Dayton (OH) Trotwood-Madison LB Mike McCray earned offers from Michigan and Oklahoma within the past week ($). The Top247 and ESPNU 150 prospect says those two schools plus Illinois, Tennessee, and Purdue stand out early in the process, but expect Ohio State to become a major factor if (more likely when) they offer.
  • Michigan offered four-star Vorhees (NJ) Eastern CB Eli Woodard, though he's favoring Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Rutgers early ($).
  • Centerville (OH) OL Evan Lisle becomes the latest standout Midwest lineman to earn an offer ($).
  • I forgot to include him last week, but CB Ryan White became the third Louisville (KY) Trinity prospect to receive a Wolverine offer, joining teammates James Quick (WR) and Jason Hatcher (DE). White told Scout that he plans on visiting Ann Arbor at some point ($).
  • The Wolverines offered another wide receiver in Cretin-Derham Hall (MN) standout James Onwualu ($), who plans on visiting within the next couple of weeks.
  • Philadelphia (PA) William Penn OT Mike McGlinchey received a Michigan offer last week ($). He's a four-star prospect to 24/7 early in the process.
  • Cincinnati Moeller LB Shane Jones now boasts offers from Michigan and his hometown Bearcats.
  • Rivals.com's Adam Gorney reports that Michigan also offered Stockton (CA) Lincoln RB Justin Davis.

There are a couple of happy trails to report as well. Toledo Central Catholic DB Jayme Thompson chose West Virginia over Michigan and Notre Dame last week; it's unclear whether or not he had a commitable offer, though I don't believe he did. He's a player to keep an eye on should the Wolverines decide to continue pursuing him. Finally, while Michigan hadn't extended an offer, they had displayed some interest in Flint Carman Ainsworth RB Gerald Holmes, who chose Michigan State on Sunday.

Comments

Wolverine0056

February 7th, 2012 at 3:44 PM ^

Geez, I really hope LTT doesn't go somewhere other than Michigan. With him visiting every weekend, it is really getting my hopes up. And now with his mom coming this weekend, hopefully we could see him seal the deal soon. Although, Aqua has made it sound like he is not close to deciding. 

Sweets114

February 7th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^

I too hope LTT picks Michigan, but I don't expect any decision any time soon. With Alabama now in the picture and schools like 0hi0, Florida State and Notre Dame in the picture, you can guarantee LTT will not make decision until he takes all his "official" visits. I hope I am wrong and he picks Michigan during the summer; this would help bring other key recruits in. 

MDubs

February 7th, 2012 at 3:46 PM ^

 

cheesing adj. Used to describe a person with an uncontrolable grin usually caused by a mischievious act of their own doing or as a result of drug use.

 

yeah, thats pretty much how I feel too Khalid.  Welcome aboard. 

Sweets114

February 7th, 2012 at 8:54 PM ^

Michigan landed a solid player in Dan Gibbs. The kid turned down full rides from MAC schools to get a chance at a full ride in 2013 by performing on the field for his dream school. He is a big kid who appears to play with a mean streak what Michigan needs for a team that wants to run the ball down field in the very near future. Welcome to Michigan, Dan and best of luck.

Elmer

February 7th, 2012 at 4:14 PM ^

Gibbs is better than I thought.  Under Funk, I can see this kid getting into the mix after a couple of years.

Godin looks more like a 3-tech than a 5-tech.  Senior video much more impressive than junior year.  He was even able to get tackles when double teamed.

JDKeepsmiling

February 7th, 2012 at 4:32 PM ^

We had to offer Dan Gibbs, he had "mauler," "toughness," and "is a nasty tough finisher" in his scouting report. Sounds like a Hoke special. Oh, and I am new around here, so be nice ;).

BRCE

February 7th, 2012 at 4:43 PM ^

Why do we still say guys are in line for redshirts after what we have seen with freshman contributions in recent years (and in the shocking cases of Desmond Morgan and Ray Vinopal, actually starting)? Maybe if you are an O-Lineman but that's it.

Brian has deemed several guys "obvious redshirts" in his official recruit bios of guys that played in year one. Nobody knows.

Wildebort Jeff…

February 7th, 2012 at 6:11 PM ^

The following can be confirmed at this time:

-Michigan State hosted a number of Detroit-area '13 prospects over the weekend, none of whom were sodomized. Under coach Mark Dantonio, the Spartans have made not sodomizing Detroit-area prospects on unofficial visits a priority.

-'14 DT Thomas Briggs is easily able to lift 275 lbs over his head. I found this out when he hurled me over his grandmother's car on Sunday morning.

-Facebook continues to be the best source of information regarding what chiseled high school athletes look like with and without their shirts on.

-Detroit DePorres ’17 LB Justin Gregor definitely passes the look test. But don’t look too hard, because his parents might have you escorted off the premises.   

More to come...

marco dane

February 7th, 2012 at 6:22 PM ^

a serious look. This kid highlight are SICK. Suga Shane/DG could stretch the field with this kid talent,causing all kinds of fits for any defensive coordinator.

doherty1234

February 7th, 2012 at 7:16 PM ^

I played next to him for 2 years at center. He is in the weight room 24/7, by the time he's a senior he will be able to squat and deadlift 600+. LOVES to pancake kids, gets mean on the field but outside of football a great guy, easy to get along with. He's smart and probably would of gone to Michigan even if he wasnt playing football. With some work on technique I dont see why he cant be a starter.

ironman4579

February 7th, 2012 at 7:22 PM ^

Is it just me or does Funchess remind anyone else of former USC WR Mike Williams?  He's looks much faster than I initially thought after his junior year.  Even though it's a position of (massive) need, it almost seems like a waste to have him put on 40 pounds and play TE.

UMgradMSUdad

February 7th, 2012 at 7:42 PM ^

No, I was thinking the same thing. He looks like he could be a stud WR in college right now with his size and athleticism.  

From the International Bowl highlights, Ross also looks like a game changer--not that there's anything wrong with Richardson and Jenkins-Stone. It was kind of hard to tell from their few highlights.

markusr2007

February 8th, 2012 at 10:35 AM ^

I would like to remind everyone that the word "cheese" is one of the most versatile in the human language. It can successfully occupy all forms of speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition and gerund nouns.  It's also a useful interjection, as in 'Aw cheesus!"