jalen bates

Second 2015 QB In Play?

Even with Alex Malzone already on campus, quarterback is a major question mark for Michigan not just for 2015, but moving forward, and it appears Jim Harbaugh is going the extra mile to make sure he gives the program as many options as possible at the position:

Jim Harbaugh coming to Gilmer to see McLane Carter. He has a pretty good eye for qb's. Florida and Texas Tech just called as well.#Winner

— Jeff Traylor (@CoachTraylor) January 11, 2015

Carter has a very interesting profile, in part because he doesn't really have one; he's unranked on Rivals and Scout, while ESPN and 247 don't even have pages for him. Carter is picking up major school interest, however, after a senior year in which he led Gilmer to an undefeated state title season in Texas' 4A Division 2 (a medium-sized classification) while posting this stat line: 220-297 (74.1%), 3969 yards (13.4 YPA), 47 TDs, 2 INTs. Pretty good stats, I say.

There are a couple reasons Carter may have flown under the radar. He transferred back to Gilmer this season after spending his junior year at Salado, where he put up less impressive stats for a worse program. It also doesn't look like he hit the camp circuit much at all; the only camp eval I can find is, oddly, from last spring's RCS Detroit camp, per Rivals' Josh Helmholdt ($):

It was a long trip up to Michigan from northeast Texas for Carter, and he made the trip worthwhile by having a solid showing. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound left-handed passer spun the ball very well on Sunday. His tight spirals cut through the wind when it was blowing hard later in the day. Overall Carter showed good arm strength and decent accuracy on his passes.

There's also a free scouting report from Scout after one of his playoff games:

Carter has a good frame (6-2 1/2, 190) and very smooth, left-handed delivery. His delivery isn't completely overhead, but it's close. He has a deceptively strong arm. That's probably because his southpaw delivery looks so smooth and effortless. He awaits his first FBS offer, but should start getting more attention as signing day approaches.

His senior tape, embedded at the top of the post, is pretty impressive; while his arm strength doesn't jump off the page, his accuracy sure does, especially on his deep throws. He also displays decent mobility, and based on both the film and his stats, his decision-making is excellent. He may not be a five-star talent, but he certainly looks like a guy who should at least have some sort of recruiting profile; with interest from the likes of BYU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and now Michigan and Florida of late, that should happen soon.

Whether or not Michigan makes a serious run at Carter (something I now hope they do given the length of this section), it's encouraging that Harbaugh might take a run at another quarterback in this class. That's no knock on Malzone, who I believe is a quality prospect; it'd just be nice to add some depth to the position, especially after what we've witnessed the last couple seasons. Any attrition at that position in the next couple years, given the current construction of the roster, could be really tough to handle.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

Two New Offers

The new (and still incomplete) coaching staff has hit the recruiting trail running, with a couple new offers to committed 2015 prospects going out this week.

TX WDE Charles Omenihu is a Texas commit whose three-star ranking belies an impressive offer list that also includes Florida, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, and TCU, among others. At 6'5", 232 pounds, he's got the frame to be a rush end in a DJ Durkin defense that'll utilize both three- and four-man fronts. After getting the call from Greg Mattison that he'd earned a Michigan offer, he talked to 247's Steve Lorenz ($):

"I talked to Coach Mattison and he told me I had a scholarship offer," Omenihu said. "Michigan is a program I wanted an offer from since I was a kid. They are a very prestigious school. Coach Harbaugh is a cool guy too. I know he has a plan for them and it's a plan I believe in."

While Omenihu has been firm in his commitment to the Longhorns, he said he'll "definitely" consider an official visit to Ann Arbor.

Michigan also offered three-star FL CB Damon Arnette, a South Carolina commit whose offer sheet—which includes Florida State, Louisville, Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Wisconsin—doesn't necessarily line up with his ranking. At 6'2", 185, Arnette has great size for a corner, something he told The Wolverine's Brandon Brown was a big factor in Michigan offering him; he also talked about his visit schedule, which changed in the wake of the M offer ($):

"All of my visits I've set up are realistic places for me," Arnette stated. "I'm not going just to go. I was originally going to Louisville on the 16th, but I cut them off today for Michigan. My other visits will be to South Carolina and Ohio State. Those three will probably be it."

Brady Hoke's staff didn't recruit Arnette at all, so to jump into the mix this quickly is a good sign for M's chances. As you'll see, the weekend of the 16th—just after the current dead period ends—is shaping up to be a big visit weekend for Michigan.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

Commit Updates: Look, Ma. No Tee.

2015 Michigan commit Andrew David connected on a 58-yard field goal over the weekend, breaking the school record for Ohio powerhouse Massillon Washington in doing so. I'm told that's quite a long way for a high schooler to kick a football accurately, let alone from off the ground instead of a tee. I'm sure there won't be any jokes about trying to sneak this kid onto the team this week. Nope. None at all.

Steve Lorenz has your free wrapup of the rest of Michigan's commits in action over the weekend. Some highlights:

• Alex Malzone finished 13-for-20 for 201 yards and three TDs in a dramatic 28-21 Brother Rice win over Warren De La Salle (Shane Morris' former school). Dave and I were at Wayne State for the game, and I'll have a full breakdown of the tape tomorrow.
• Chris Clark finally began his senior season and did so in style with 14 catches for 165 yards and a TD. Highlights from the game are on his Hudl page.
• Darian Roseboro had seven tackles as a defensive lineman. Oh, and 186 yards and four TDs as a jumbo running back. Sadly, no highlights of this yet.

After dispatching De La Salle on Friday, Malzone attended Saturday's game along with fellow commits Brian Cole, Jon Runyan Jr., and Mike Weber, and according to TomVH he's "confident" that group—and the other commits—will stick with Michigan. At least one anonymous uncommitted target, on the other hand, is reevaluating his stance on the Wolverines after Saturday's debacle ($):

One prospect who has been hearing from Michigan said the season has impacted how he feels about the Wolverines. He has had second thoughts about his interest, not just because of the wins and losses, but because of what he has seen on the field. 

Of note: Tom mentioned specifically that 2015 five-star WDE Keisean Lucier-South and 2016 four-star OT Ben Bredeson haven't changed their opinion of U-M, though KLS attached a disconcerting "yet" to his statement.

[Hit THE JUMP for updates on a pair of 2015 targets, Brian Cole's early enrollment plans, yet another school interested in flipping Chris Clark, and more.]