3* Nevada RB Micah Kaapana commits to Michigan

Submitted by Communist Football on June 17th, 2023 at 3:11 PM

247 profile here. 3* at both 247 and the composite. Writeup here.

Kaapana is the nation’s No. 55 rated running back and No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Nevada for the 2024 class, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings...

Kaapana also took trips to Oklahoma State and Hawaii, and had been drawing strong interest from the likes of Nebraska, Utah and Washington State.

“These guys came off a College Football Playoff run and it’s one of the best teams in the nation,” Kaapana told 247Sports recently. “For coach Hart to see the things he sees in me is a blessing. What I like about Michigan is their consistency. They’re always a dominant team year after year.”

A heady runner with an aggressive style, Kaapana doesn’t shy away from attacking gaps between the tackles and shows tremendous acceleration once he reaches the second level. In the high-profile matchup against powerhouse Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, which featured several elite Power Five defenders, Kaapana averaged more than five yards per carry and flashed terrific vision and anticipation, waiting for lanes to develop before wiggling through traffic for positive gains. The 15 carries that night in late August were a season-high for Kaapana, who proved he belonged.

Earlier this week Kaapana was announced as a selection for the prestigious Polynesian Bowl all-star game.

 

matt1114

June 18th, 2023 at 9:23 AM ^

I still think Tatum is in play. Our RB room outside of THE DON and Corum is unproven. Stokes hopefully get some meaningful playing time this year to get more experience and I'm hoping Cabana can get some playing time as a freshman just like THE DON did. With both Cabana and Hall already enrolled, I hope they are developing.

Our RB room in the 2024-25 season could be super inexperienced, so if we take an extra RB this year I don't see a problem with it. RB is such a physically tough position that I think we should be taking 2+ every year. I don't think Mullings should be an RB, as I don't believe position switches work often(Yes I know Mikey is a beast). Seems like quite a few times over the last couple of years we had a few unknown(at the time) guys taking meaningful snaps at RB. Gash, Franklin, Hughes, or as mentioned above guys who switched over to RB due to injuries(Mullings). 

NJblue2

June 18th, 2023 at 10:50 AM ^

I hope so because Tatum seems like a great Edwards replacement and Marshall for Corum. I think they're both elite recruits who be big time in college. Guys like Hall and Stokes seem like they can be good, Higdon level which is pretty good, but not elite like we have now. Cabana seems like he has higher upside, but I think Tatum and Marshall will instantly be the best when they get to campus. 

 

matt1114

June 18th, 2023 at 1:14 PM ^

Who knows though. Kaapana could end up as one of the top RB prospects of this class. Just look at the 2017 class. Travis Etienne was a low 4*, Chuba Hubbard dominated at Okla St and was a 3*, Jonathan Taylor is arguably the top nfl RB and dominated at Wisconsin and was a 3*, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire was great at LSU as a 3*. 

Another great example is Kenneth Walker, who was nearly a 2* RB, position 138, and arguably the top RB prospect out of that class

Perkis-Size Me

June 18th, 2023 at 11:53 AM ^

Interesting that he plays for a national powerhouse in Bishop Gorman, ran extremely well against Mater Dei, which churns out elite prospects year after year, and is still only a three star. 

Wonder if he is just not on the camp circuit, is considered a “late bloomer,” sits behind 1-2 guys who are top-100 to 200 guys and doesn’t get a ton of visibility, etc. 

Well, given what Hart has done with the RB room I trust whoever he opts to throw out there. Bummed in that this probably closes the door on Tatum, but this staff turned Haskins into a star so they get the benefit of the doubt.