matt dotson

Vilain Shuts It Down

A few significant developments emerged from what was a strong recruiting weekend for Michigan. First and foremost is the optimism surrounding Michigan's chances with top-100 VA WDE Luiji Vilain following his weekend visit. Michigan has pursued Vilain, a Canadian import, since he was a freshman and Brady Hoke was still in charge, and they were one of the first Power 5 schools to get in on what's become a legitmately national recruitment. Sam Webb has a lengthy, free post on Vilain's reaction to his visit last weekend, and the Wolverines are in great shape:

“I came in with high expectations, but I was still pretty blown away,” said Vilain.  “It was really good.  Everything was different.  The vibe as soon as I get there, I felt that it was different. There’s change.  I guess that’s the Harbaugh effect.”

Webb issued one of his famous "gut feelings" about an unnamed recruit who will make his choice public in mid-June, and all signs point to Vilain, who told Sam that after last weekend he won't need to take any more visits before making his decision. After speaking with his parents and his trainer, he'll decide between Michigan, Virginia Tech, and USC. It would be a surprise if he didn't end up a Wolverine before the end of the June.

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

A Late Riser Emerges?

The young man you see above displaying a visceral hatred for rims is 2016 Grundy (VA) Mountain Mission SG/SF Harold Baruti, who at the moment looks like the most likely option to fill one of the two open basketball scholarships. Baruti came to Ann Arbor on an official visit last weekend, and it sounds like a scholarship offer is on the way as long as he clears an academic hurdle or two:

Per his HS coach, 2016 wing Harold Baruti has not yet received a scholarship offer from his OV to Michigan. But workout went "very well."

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 5, 2016

Re. Michigan and 2016 wing Harold Baruti: Still no scholarship offer. U-M checking if he'll be cleared academically.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 9, 2016

Baruti, who moved to U.S. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo two years ago, also still needs to pass the TOEFL before U-M will offer.

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) May 9, 2016

At 6'6", ~200 pounds, Baruti could provide much-needed depth on the wing. According to Quinn, Utah and Texas Tech are also showing late interest in Baruti, who holds scholarship offers from SMU, UNC-Wilmington, Utah State, and Tennessee Tech. While he doesn't look like the most polished prospect, he's got plenty of athleticism—he looks like a guy who could eventually fill the GRIII role of cutter/finisher who shoots just well enough on corner threes to keep defenses spaced out.

Speaking of wing depth, the just-released senior highlights of 2016 signee Ibi Watson are worth watching. While the highlight video caveat applies, he looks like a strong finisher and impressive passer; if he can hold his own on defense he can see a significant role right away as a backup at the two and the three.

In other hoops recruiting news, Michigan's offer has vaulted them into the top three for in-state 2017 SF Jamal Cain, per TMI's Josh Newkirk:

“(Michigan) is for sure top-three,” Cain said. “My top three, well, the schools that have been in contact the most have been Michigan, Marquette and Xavier.”

Cain mentioned academic support as something that stood out on his visit, and later said that factor is of significant importance in his decision, which should come during or after his senior season.

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

Michigan Leads For Slaton

Five-star FL OT Tedarrell Slaton has, at previous points in his recruitment, named Michigan his leader before walking back that stance. 247's Ryan Bartow has been going around Florida getting updates on seemingly every recruit in the state; when he hit American Heritage, Slaton once again said the Wolverines are out in front:

Slaton tells Bartow that Michigan "still has the edge" for his services. This is the third time Slaton has publicly placed Michigan ahead of the competition in his recruitment. Per Bartow:

The nation’s No. 7 offensive tackle, Tedarrell Slaton, said Michigan has the edge. Slaton also said Tennessee and Miami are programs he feels are recruiting him consistently.

In an interesting twist, Slaton added that he prefers to play defensive tackle. Oddly, there aren't full-season highlights of Slaton anywhere on his Hudl page or YouTube, and the single-game reels only feature scattered snaps at DT. His positional preference may not matter much anyway; Michigan would certainly take him and worry about the rest later.

Bartow also caught up with Flanagan five-star CB Stanford Samuels, who went further in depth on the top four—consisting of Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, and Michigan—he released over the weekend:

Michigan: “I like all the NFL guys they have on staff. All the guys on that coaching staff have been there and done that. When you have that experience it makes it hard for you not to get the right coaching.”

While Samuels has Michigan connections through his former coach, Devin Bush, and the three Flanagan teammates who will be freshmen this year, it's hard to see him ending up in Ann Arbor. He plans to make a summer decision and enroll early; unless he makes it to campus before then, FSU looks like the choice.

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