Recruiting

Things Discussed:

• Draft Takeaways: Nice that Saban kept being like "I love this dude!" Brian: Michigan and Iowa are the best two teams at developing talent; Michigan also recruits in an area where you win a national title if you outperform like that.
• Seth: Harbaugh recruited at the same level as previous Michigan coaches but where they were getting 20% to 33% of their players to the NFL, Harbaugh is putting *60 Percent* of his players in the League:
• JJ McCarthy: Threw as many passes in the first three Qs as the other guys. Would I trade Goff for JJ, Neil? Can't break up a team on a Super Bowl run, but JJ is more valuable than Goff by far; he's gonna be under team control for a long time.
• Junior Colson: Sam shares that Minter told him to go pro after the championship because he and Harbaugh were going to the league and they're gonna come get him.
• Amorion Walker: If he'd stayed at receiver he'd be the breakout player of the year, but he burned his redshirts both years and then was at cornerback and Ole Miss—that is a hard position to play, and it's probably gonna need to be next year before he's a breakout player.
• CJ Charleston: He's here to be a veteran presence. Sinagosa brought him over from YSU. Tough sell getting receivers.
• DT? Looks like PT wasn't there for their top prospect CJ West so they're moving on to the GVSU guy (Suggs).
• Jaden Mangham? Seth: YES TAKE ALL THE FALCONS! Brian: I don't want anybody who thought it was a good idea to play for Mel Tucker. He's also against taking anyone from Belleville.
• Break: Basketball recruits.
• Post-break: NCAA has an opportunity with House negotiations to sit across the table from *somebody* and create a sustainable future. Brian: Pendulum swung too far, single transfer rule was correct. Seth: Best thing would be to create an incentive formula that gets small schools out of a huge tax bill and makes players want to stay put.

[Hit the JUMP for the player, and video and stuff]

UPDATE: Amorion Walker is back as well. Since all he missed was one semester this doesn't warrant a Hello. Since he was one of my 2022 Sleepers of the Class it does warrant a fist-pump. Now back to Charleston.

Michigan's receiver depth was bolstered today with Youngstown State transfer CJ Charleston's announcement. This one:

CAREER THUS FAR

Charleston is a grad transfer, but may have a shot at two years of eligibility; he redshirted in 2019 and lost of all of 2022 to an Achilles injury. He's an athlete, a D1 basketball prospect in high school who won state titles for the long jump and 4x100 relay. Charleston was also an ATH as a recruit, committing to Bo Pelini(!) as an RB/WR/CB. He started in the shortened 2020 season (five games), and caught three passes for 18 yards against MSU as a RS sophomore in 2021, but came off the bench for four of their last six games.

After missing 2022 Charleston was an inside-outside third option for the Penguins behind 6th year Kentucky transfer Bryce Oliver and full-time slot receiver Max Tomczak. Charleston finished 2023 with 33 catches on 46 targets for 504 yards (11 YPT) and 4 TDs, and a 64.6 (meh) score on PFF. The effects of the injury might have played a role; via local press, he was on a limited snap count up until the end of fall camp.

[After THE JUMP: Very limited scouting]

For the second straight year, Michigan picked up a kicking transfer. This time they've nabbed one with two years of eligibility, and off the roster of an upcoming opponent.

Zvada was the kicker who scored all 12 points against Ohio State a couple of years back. He's also one of the best kickers in America; by my statisics his career EPA is fourth among active kickers, behind Boise State's Jonah Dalmas, Arizona's Tyler Loop, and last year's Groza Graham Nicholson, who transferred from Miami (No not THAT Miami) to Alabama. Zvada was a 2022 Groza Semifinalist, and carries a career 34/40 mark with a long of 56 in two seasons with Arkansas State.

RANKINGS

Only On3 has a ranking for him. He's their #3 portal kicker and an 80. Since Zvada was only in the portal for as long as it takes to announce he's going to Michigan, it's reasonable to assume not even On3's really bothered to look at him yet. The players ahead of him there are Nicholson (who's missed 7 extra points over his career), and South Carolina's little-used big leg who committed Notre Dame. They all have 80s.

PFF had Zvada 62nd last year with a 78.8 score, and 5th (one spot behind Jake Moody) in 2023 with a 91.5.

CAREER THUS FAR

Zvada's been the starting kicker for Arkansas State since 2022, when he won the job as a true freshman, hit from 29, 38, 34, and 45 against Ohio State in the opener, and kicked a 56-yarder against Texas State after missing one from 51. Zvada finished his first season 17/18, with an average attempt distance of 36.3. He had a PAT blocked, but went 30/30 on the rest of them and was a Groza Semifinalist.

Because #College Kickers Are Weird, Zvada then whiffed on three of his next four to start the 2023 season, with misses from 44, 43, and 34 yards. He went 17/19 the rest of the way, but one of those misses was a chip shot against Coastal Carolina. He also nailed a 53-yarder against Southern Miss and went 41/41 on extra points. Career kick chart:

[After THE JUMP: Thing this is like]