TomVH: Weekly Update: Chris Fox, Chris Wormley, LaQuon Treadwell and More

Submitted by TomVH on

It was a busy weekend for Michigan with both Chris Wormley and Kyle Kalis making it in to visit. With roughly ten spots left (Ed: Now 9!), remaining recruits are watching every move, and Michigan's coaches must be strategic in their actions. Here's a look at what's been happening and what could happen next. As always you can follow me on Twitter here, and if you have any tips or questions email me at [email protected].

Chris FoxChris Fox (2013)

6'6", 297 lbs.

Offensive Lineman

Parker, Colorado


Fox was a standout performer at Michigan's camp this past week. The Michigan coaches liked the 2013 prospect so much that they offered him once he left.

I talked to Coach Hoke and Coach Funk and they offered me. I got a Colorado offer a few weeks ago, too. The [Michigan coaches] told me that I fit what they're trying to accomplish, and that I look like a Michigan guy. 

Fox traveled all the way from Colorado to Michigan just to camp, the trip ended up being well worth the distance. Not only did he get his offer but he also started the foundation for a relationship with Coach Funk.

I'm definitely comfortable with Coach Funk and all the coaches there now. Coach Funk was out in Colorado and stopped by our school and I actually have some family that lives up in Michigan. I love Michigan, they have great football and it would be awesome to go there. Both my parents were born and raised in Michigan too. My family is kind of split in half with Michigan and Michigan State fans. Right now I've only heard from Michigan, MSU hasn't really contacted me.

The camp gave Fox a good look at how the Michigan coaches interact with players and a good feel for the campus.

I'd definitely like to get out [to Michigan] for a game this season. It would be great to get out there. I liked everything, the campus was incredible and the Big House is incredible. I don't have a list yet, I'm just going through the process with open eyes looking for my best fit. As of right now Michigan and Colorado are my top two because they've offered.

Now that he's been on campus and gained a level of comfort with the staff, he feels great about what Michigan has to offer and where he is in the process.

It just feels good to know that I have options this early and it feels good to know that I could go there. I'd like to make my decision before my senior year so that's probably what I'll do, sometime next summer. 

Fox is a name that seems to be popping up all over the place now, so I wouldn't be surprised if he got some big time attention soon. Early offers for offensive lineman are usually good signs of talent level and Fox should be right up near the top.

Christopher WormleyChris Wormley

6'4", 255 lbs.

Defensive End

Toledo, Ohio


Wormley made a visit up to Ann Arbor this weekend. He's been relatively quiet lately and generally doesn't like talking to the media. I did catch up with him via text to see how his visit went, and where he's going from here. He briefly said the following.

It went very well. Yes I definitely came closer to a decision. My family and girlfriend [went on the visit], and I loved every part of it, but joking around with the coaches was the best part. 

I asked if he knew when he would like to make his announcement or decision and he said he will make it when it feels it's right. I can't imagine that it would be much longer though. This visit seems to have been a positive for Michigan moving him in the right direction, so we'll see when it happens.

LaQuon Treadwell (2013)

6'3", 190 lbs.

Wide Receiver

Crete, Illinois


Treadwell is the younger teammate of 2012 Michigan commit Anthony Standifer. LaQuon accompanied Standifer on his visit to Ann Arbor and immediately saw what his teammate liked so much about Michigan.

Going in I expected it to be great and that's what it was. I think it was overall a great experience, the buildings, the field, and the coaches were great. The field and the academic center where you do all your class work were probably the best parts.

Since he's new to the process he feels that he benefited from Standifer's presence on the visit.

Anthony was asking most of the questions so I was picking off of him and just going off of what he was saying. I'll probably do what Anthony did and decide in the summer too. He talks to me about Michigan a lot and him being committed there helps them with me.

Their coach does not let them visit other schools or decommit once they have committed to a school, so he wants to make sure he gets it right. Treadwell has also been hearing from Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, and Vanderbilt.

Who's Left?

With 16 17 commitments already in this class it seems likely that Michigan will have most of their spots filled by the time the season hits. Here's who's left and where they are in the process.

Offensive line (1-2):

  • Nashville OL Blake Bars: Committed on Sunday.
  • Ohio OL Kyle Kalis: Just took a visit to Michigan. He isn't saying much to reporters right now, but I did speak to him today. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes his decision very soon. There are a lot of rumors out there, but like I said he's not saying much in public so be careful what you believe. 
  • Illinois OL Jordan Diamond: Michigan is still in great position, as they always have been. Jordan's mother says that she's not sure when his decision will come but she wouldn't be surprised if he waited until after the season. He's gone back and forth so we'll just have to wait and see his final decision.
  • Pennsylvania OL Adam Bisnowaty: His athletic director told me that ideally Adam would like to take a few official visits then decide. Adam has also been quiet (a theme here) but I should have something from him soon. He seems to be a forgotten name, but the Michigan coaches do really like him.
  • Arizona OL Andrus Peat: I also reported how Peat's visit to Michigan went a week ago. Don't get too excited about Peat yet, I still think he ends up elsewhere but stranger things have happened. 
  • Washington OL Joshua Garnett: Recently put Michigan in his top eleven and told me back in May that he would like to take an official visit to Michigan, which he still maintains. I should have more on him this week, but spots remaining could end up being an issue here depending on timelines and decisions of his peers.
  • Washington OL Zach Banner: The same can be said for Banner as with Garnett. Timing and space might hinder this, but we'll see how it plays out.

Defensive Line (2-3):

  • Missouri DT Ondre Pipkins: He told me last week that he will be making a visit to Michigan in July or August, we'll see which one it ends up being. He also might choose to move up his decision, which is interesting.
  • Michigan DT Danny O'Brien: Performed well at Michigan's camp this past weekend and told me the coaches were impressed. He also told me the Michigan coaches expressed that they want one interior lineman, which seems to be between Pipkins, O'Brien, and kind of Sheldon Day. I do think there is still a chance they could take both. O'Brien would ideally like to take a couple official visits, but is also watching what Pipkins does in his recruitment.
  • Ohio DE Adolphus Washington: He and teammate Dwayne Stanford are still trying to reschedule their trip to Ann Arbor. Stanford told me they are waiting because of the Fourth of July holiday. I don't think we'll know how interested they really are until they visit. They both were very fond of Ohio State so it could be interesting how it plays out.
  • Ohio DE Chris Wormley: As mentioned above Michigan is in good shape with Chris and he's going to announce when he feels he's ready.

Safety (1):

  • Ohio S Jarrod Wilson: I posted a few days ago that Wilson will be announcing in July 8th at 2:30pm EST per his coach's email and press release. 

Others:

  • The other prospects Michigan is recruiting like Bri'onte Dunn, Ron Thompson, Aaron Burbridge, Amara Darboh, Jehu Chesson, Alden Hill, EJ Fatu, and Sione Houma are still somewhat in limbo. Dunn, for example is still committed to Ohio State according to his father. His father told me Bri'onte would be at Ohio State's camp this past week and it looks like that happened. I still believe they're waiting to see what the sanctions are before making a move.

Extra:

PA running back Greg Garmon told me that he received an offer from Ohio State this weekend. I was told that he worked out at camp as a defensive back and may have been offered as an athlete. It's interesting to say the least that he received an offer from them. He also told me that Michigan is still in it for him and that he, "Loves them."

New Jersey ATH Devin Fuller told me that he's not sure of the exact date but he would still like to make it out to Michigan this summer. 

Comments

Cigarro Cubano

June 26th, 2011 at 5:02 PM ^

Michigan just wont the 7 on 7 tourney.   Quote from Newberg from espnu...

 

@JNewbergESPN Wow.'13 qb Shane Morris has been impressive. Mich up 20-0 

 

- I know he's helping out with the recruitment of other players & hope this goes a long ways in securing some top notch talent at WR.

SCBlue2114

June 26th, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^

That's the best part about Morris IMO.  We all know he's a gifted QB that still has a couple years left to improve his already talented skills.  He's already acknowledged his commitment and dedication to Michigan, so now he becomes one of our greatest assest off the field for 2 more years.  Get in their ears and line 'em up Morris...

redhousewolverine

June 27th, 2011 at 9:30 AM ^

He is listed by Rivals as 5'9 170, so that is probably too small for Hoke. Hoke wants a bigger RB and is choosing among a few elite targets. Probably would have fit better with RR's scheme, but with as many RBs on the roster still might not have gotten an offer. Also, Rivals lists his offers as Tennessee, MSU, and Cincy so he hasn't seemed to build a huge amount of hype.

Belisarius

June 27th, 2011 at 9:43 AM ^

Norfleet is a superb athlete, but he's smaller than some hardy hobbits. He's essentially a scatback. I think he'd only find a home in the Big Ten as a change-of-pace, specialty ninja guy...anything more and he'd be squished. He would be a fine starter at a lower level, or in the Big East, where smaller backs can make big noise. He doesn't fill a real need for us.

As far as it goes, the noise he's making is as a superb athlete in these 7-on-7s. I think it's important to keep in mind that 7-on-7s really aren't a fair gauge of football- if you watch them, they're more of a test on athleticism. You can learn a lot about these kids, but without a D-line, you only learn so much. In a real game setting, Norfleet's athleticism would be less important than his lack of physicality.

ILwolverine

June 26th, 2011 at 5:22 PM ^

It seemed we were in good position with Washington and Stanford. Now it seems even if they want to come it will be difficult to fit them into the class. Bummer

turtleboy

June 26th, 2011 at 9:14 PM ^

we have 5 down linemen so kids as big as Wormley and Godin will/can be inside. The SDE and the WDE will be the true ends. NT takes on Center  and Guard, DT and SDE take on 1 guy each so they don't need to be huge, just big enough and athletic, and the SAM lines up and takes the TE and the WDE takes the LT. The SAM is a bit of a DE/OLB hybrid type playing the true end or in the 4-3 over lineup plays coverage. Honestly Godin Strobel and Wormley are all around the same size, in the 4-3 over-under the 3 techs don't have to be true tackles so any 2 of them could eventually play "inside" if needed.  

This is my guess, of course. The only way I can think of explaining the coaches taking only 1 interior lineman, while taking so many big ends. If it ends up Strobel-Godin-Pipkins-Wormley-SAM then maybe Ojemudia plays SAM as a tweener. If Ojemudia ends up not playing SAM then we still have a Woodley/Graham type end position available.  

turtleboy

June 26th, 2011 at 9:34 PM ^

they way these kids will grow into Hokes Defense. With 5 down linemen at times the 3techDT and SDE don't have to get so big because they're never double teamed, but the 4-3 over/under can need the WDE and SAM-tweener to be bigger than average so at 17years old the DT-SDE-WDE-SAM prospects all look pretty close to each other, time will tell where they all fit best. They also need DE depth as well as starters in this class so overlap won't be bad if it happens. 

Bodogblog

June 27th, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^

The SDE will be on the strong side of the formation, and will often be doubled by the TE and Tackle.  This leaves the SLB free, but the FB or pulling guard can blow him out.  Very common tactic in the B1G, and MANBALL generally. 

If the SDE is too small and gets moved out of position, the SLB is alone to take on a blocker and make the tackle.  Having a SDE who holds up to that double team makes it hard for the blockers to reach the SLB, leaving him as a free hitter to make the play.

Dizzo

June 26th, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^

I have come up with a formula to read between the lines of Tom's posts.

I based the formula on his goal to keep things subtle, keep the recruits best interest in mind, give us as many hints as possible, and also keep expectations set.

Keeping that in mind and seeing he did talk to Kalis, but didn't really give us anything, AND didn't tell us to start thinking of life without him (similar to the way it was worded that we shouldnt get excited about Peat), I think this bodes well. If my calculations are correct, we will know by July 8th at 8pm the for all 3 guys (Wormley, Kalis, Wilson). I do not BKFinest this post.

Logan88

June 26th, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^

There appears to be a noticeable absence of QB's mentioned in Tom's summary. Does anyone know if any QB's were offered at the recent UM camp?

fatbastard

June 26th, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^

Does that mean that Kiel is going to decide bofore then?  There was something out the Indy Star last week that implied Kiel would be deciding before the end of June.  Would Michigan bite on Maulk if Kiel still out there, Tom?

ken725

June 27th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^

There was reports of a 2014 class kid(Chance Stewart) from Stugis, Michigan was taken to the side with couple other QBs to throw passes to the elite WR at the camp.

People were saying that he reminds them of a young Ryan Mallett without quite the velocity just yet.  He is a big kid at 6'6" and I'm sure he will grow into his body as he gets older.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Chance-Stew…

 

MichiganWolf

June 26th, 2011 at 5:47 PM ^

Is my favorite prospect out of all this guys.The athleticism to play different positions and he has blake countess in his ear talking about michigan.Hopefully he makes this years class.

Hill.FootballR…

June 26th, 2011 at 6:33 PM ^

Tom if you can answer this without giving too much away it would be appreciated. You said "it seems likely that Michigan will have most of their spots filled by the time the season hits". Do you believe the coaches will leave atleast 1 spot open (not including what I expect to be Diamonds) for players like Garnett, Burbridge, Washington and Stanford who plan on deciding later or even a wild card like Dunn? Or do you think they are going to stick with the first come first serve policy that has worked so well this far? 

I am just curious because as much as I love all of these guys film and love the problem we have at this point, I wouldn't mind leaving a spot in case Garnett, Dunn, or Banner decided they love Michigan after an official visit.

Bb011

June 26th, 2011 at 8:41 PM ^

Well the whole "don't believe what you hear" thing about kalis actually has me a little worried since all of the rumors have been pretty much been point to us....

Leroy Hoard

June 26th, 2011 at 10:09 PM ^

Tom,
What do you think the effect of a down year from the transition would be - say if the team ended up 6-6? I'm not asking you to name names, but are there kids already committed that you think would react badly and look elsewhere if that happened? Everything looks great right now, but curious if the transition is rougher than we all expect/hope.

Thorin

June 27th, 2011 at 1:09 AM ^

Wormley made a visit up to Ann Arbor this weekend. He's been relatively quiet lately and generally doesn't like talking to the media.

O RLY? He did an interview with Fox Toledo 3 days ago:

Mr Mackey

June 27th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^

I feel like Peat and Shittu are the same-ish. We're technically still in it for both of them, but they seem like pipe dreams. Also, their spots will probably be taken by others (Pipkins/O'Brien and Kalis/Diamond most likely) before they are ready to decide.

So it seems like we're not really counting on either Peat or Shittu, even though we're technically in it for them. That's just my opinion, though