Monday Recruitin' Mounts Up
Today's recruiting roundup covers the latest on Michigan's remaining 2013 targets, a surprise move in the 2014 class, and more.
Weekend Visit Recap: One Decision Down, Three To Go
TX TE Durham Smythe is back on the market and looking at Michigan
As signing day rapidly approaches, Michigan's path to closing out the 2013 class becomes more clear. Over the weekend, the Wolverines picked up IN OL Dan Samuelson, who told Scout's Allen Trieu that his decision came down to distance ($):
"It came down mostly to distance," he explained. "I shouldn't say mostly, it was completely distance. It is only about a three hour drive, Nebraska being an 11 1/2 hour drive."
With Samuelson in the fold, Michigan now has six offensive lineman committed; does that leave room for CA OL Cameron Hunt, who was also on campus over the weekend? According to Hunt, per an interview with Scout's Greg Biggins, the answer is 'yes' ($):
“The coaches told me they still had room for me,” Hunt said. “I know six offensive linemen is a lot but I’m not afraid to compete. After taking all my trips, if I feel Michigan is the best spot for me, I’ll still go there and be ready to win a job. There is going to be competition anywhere you go so that doesn’t bother me.”
Hunt went straight from his Michigan official to one at Ohio State, and also has trips lined up to Oregon and Cal (where he's still a very soft commit) before he makes his decision.
OH CB Reon Dawson, an Illinois commit, also took a Michigan official over the weekend; he told ESPN's Jared Shanker that a decision is coming soon ($):
A final decision will come Wednesday after talking with his family and his girlfriend’s mother, with whom he has a very close relationship.
“I’ve been thinking about it ... and first off, education will be big. You can get hurt on any given play and you need something to fall back on,” Dawson said. “I’ll talk to my family, and by Wednesday it’ll be done. I need a couple of days to think about this decision.”
Dawson will choose between Michigan and Illinois; given that he'll be just a few days removed from checking out Ann Arbor when he makes his choice, there's definitely reason for optimism.
That won't be the only decision coming down this week, as in-state kicker JJ McGrath tells The Big House Report that he'll choose between Michigan, LSU, and Southern Miss on Friday. McGrath doesn't hold a scholarship offer—he'd come on as a preferred walk-on—but says that he'd have the opportunity to earn one when Brendan Gibbons graduates. The Wolverines are in a strong position to land McGrath, who also was on campus last weekend.
[Hit THE JUMP for the latest on Derrick Green and Durham Smythe, a surprise commitment to Ohio State's 2014 class, and more.]
Green Decision Set
VA RB Derrick Green announced his decision date on Twitter yesterday—he'll reveal his choice on January 26th at 4:00 pm.
Green told Mike Farrell($) that he's down to three schools—Michigan, Auburn, and Tennessee—and he'll host all three for in-home visits this week as well as Florida State, which had been on the schedule before he eliminated them.
Michigan holds a decided edge heading into the home stretch—they are, of course, the stated leader, while Green is still getting familiar with the new coaching staffs at Auburn and Tennessee (this week's in-home will be his first time meeting the new Auburn coaches).
Four-star TX TE Durham Smythe considered Michigan earlier in the cycle before committing to Texas. Smythe decommitted last month, however, and is now considering the Wolverines with a visit on the horizon, per ESPN's Damon Sayles ($):
Smythe said [last weekend's Stanford] visit received a high score from him, but he still has two visits -- and a possible third -- before he makes a final decision. Smythe, who decommitted from Texas last month, said he will visit Oregon this weekend and Michigan the weekend of Jan. 25. Stanford, Oregon and Michigan are his top three schools, but Nebraska and Notre Dame also are in the mix.
We'll see if Michigan still has a spot in the class left by the time Smythe gets around to making a decision; if they do, he'd be a nice addition to the class. At 6'5", 230, he's a guy who could play with his hand in the dirt.
2014 News: Webb To OSU
In a commitment that came out of the blue, 2014 Cass Tech cornerback Damon Webb pledged to Ohio State yesterday. In an interview with Eleven Warriors, Webb stated that—contrary to popular belief—Michigan was never his leader; he also said he's done with recruiting:
Is your recruitment 100% over?
Yes, it's completely over. I'm not taking visits to any schools other than Ohio State.
There's no way to sugarcoat this one: losing Webb, one of the top two in-state prospects in the 2014 class, to the hated Buckeyes is a big blow to Michigan. There is a long way to go until he signs, of course, but for now Ohio State has won a major battle for one of the most talented recruits in the Midwest.
Per The M Block, Michigan has offered 2014 GA WR Demarre Kitt, who already boasts an impressive slew of offers from the nation's top programs. Getting Kitt on campus, let alone committed, would be an accomplishment.
Wolverine247 has added Steve Lorenz (aka Tremendous/Aquaman) to their full-time staff, and a hearty congratulations goes out to Steve for earning the gig—247 needed a dedicated Michigan guy and he's the man for the job. He caught up with John Harris—the high school defensive coordinator of top-ranked 2014 DE Da'Shawn Hand—after Brady Hoke, Greg Mattison, and Jerry Montgomery stopped by for a visit; it looks like Hand could be a regular fixture in Ann Arbor in the coming year ($):
In previous talks with both Harris and Hand, the plan was for Michigan to get two visits: one unofficial and an official, which will likely be the night game against Notre Dame on September 7th. However, a third trip could possibly be in order.
"We talked about setting up three visits for him. We'd like to get up there to take one unofficial for a spring practice and then come back and camp in the summer (Harris has been asked to coach at the camp). After that we would take the official visit in September for the game against Notre Dame."
Hand previously placed Michigan in his top five, and while there's likely work to be done to catch up with Virginia Tech, getting three visits would be a strong indication that the Wolverines are under very serious consideration.
The late, great Nate Dogg's son, 2014 cornerback prospect Naijiel Hale, is getting significant interest from Oregon, UCLA, and... Northwestern. Keep it G-Funk, Evanston.
January 14th, 2013 at 4:20 PM ^
Maybe he just saw himself going to school there?
January 14th, 2013 at 4:39 PM ^
I hate to say it, but OSU has been to a ton of BCS games in this kid's lifetime (and almost always defeated Michigan) and now has a coach who has two national titles and mutliple undefeated seasons. It's hard to argue with OSU if a national championship is your goal.
January 14th, 2013 at 7:49 PM ^
It's hard to argue with OSU if losing a national championship is your goal.
/Fixed it.
January 14th, 2013 at 4:43 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 6:22 PM ^
I know, I know. I can't believe it either.
January 14th, 2013 at 6:48 PM ^
Well maybe Webb was joking too. Seems unlikely, but it's the only solution I can think of.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
and may the negbang ensue...but just because they're not quite as a good of a school as Michigan, doesn't mean that they're a bad school. Or could be the way the academics would work for him, not better or worse, just different than other places. Truth be told, any school in the conference would be good academically for the most part.
January 14th, 2013 at 7:40 PM ^
I think Coaches Coombs and Vrabel from have been spending a lot of time at Cass and SE Michigan in general. From what I've heard, Cass Tech coach Jermaine Crowell has been very happy with his interactions with the OSU coaches.
I suspect Webb just felt comfortable with his position coach and didn't see the point of going through the process. That being said, I think everyone on the OSU side was a bit surprised as well.
January 15th, 2013 at 11:05 PM ^
He claims academics was the biggest factor in his decision. lol Translation 'lack of academics'
January 14th, 2013 at 4:23 PM ^
Not that this makes it any better, But I would say Webb is one of the 3 best prospects in 2014 as opposed to the top 2 that Ace states. I include Drake Harris (MSU) and Malik McDowell in that group. It would be nice to not get shut out on all of them.
January 14th, 2013 at 4:32 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 5:54 PM ^
If Nate Dogg's son commits to Michigan, the headline should read:
Hale to the Victors - the G-Funk Era Begins
January 14th, 2013 at 10:25 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 6:53 PM ^
The Skipper on Gilligan's Island?
January 14th, 2013 at 4:36 PM ^
I think kids who are getting recruited heavily by many schools just go with the school that fits them best, and at the end of the day, someone recruiting elsewhere just keeps a spot open for a kid who would fit in here better.
January 14th, 2013 at 5:31 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 11:25 PM ^
Seems hard to consider any battle for a 2014 kid won or lost at this point... over a year until NSD. Plus, from what I understand, Ferns didn't have an Ohio offer, and Ward has waivered a bit on his early commit... so I'm not sure we can count those as won head to head battles just yet.
January 14th, 2013 at 5:44 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 5:59 PM ^
Let's hope it's not a repeat of last year's letdowns near signing day.... Seemed to me that was one of the reasons why MGoRecruit bailed.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 7:06 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 7:39 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 7:46 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 7:47 PM ^
So 4 guys...3 spots.
RB - Derrick Green
CB - Reon Dawson
OG - Cameron Hunt
TE - Durham Smythe
McGrath isn't included because he's a walk-on at this point.
Anyone want to take a stab at how many we land of the 4? Anyone want to rank in order of confidence or give us percentages?
January 14th, 2013 at 7:48 PM ^
RB | 1 |
|
Derrick Green (Hermitage HS) Richmond, VA |
|
High | Yes | Michigan, Auburn, Florida State, Miami (Fl), Tennessee, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA, USC, Virginia Tech | |
CB | 64 |
|
Reon Dawson (Trotwood-Madison HS) Trotwood, OH |
|
High | Yes | Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin | |
TE | 6 |
|
Durham Smythe (Belton HS) Belton, TX |
|
Med | Yes | Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford, Texas | |
OG | 15 |
|
Cameron Hunt (Centennial HS) Corona, CA |
|
Med | Yes | California, Michigan, Oregon, Ohio State, Arizona State, Boise State, Cincinnati, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Fresno State, Nebraska, Oregon State, San Diego State, UCLA, Utah, Washington, Washington State |
January 14th, 2013 at 8:02 PM ^
I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll get Green and Dawson.
I'm cautiously pessimistic about Hunt and Smythe.
January 15th, 2013 at 11:29 AM ^
January 16th, 2013 at 5:56 AM ^
I doubt it. We haven't been in on either one in a long, long time. And neither one is a real burner, either. They're basically like a couple of the guys we have already.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:29 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^
Best wishes, happy trails to the kid, but Hoke kick Webb's dog or something?
January 14th, 2013 at 9:37 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 10:20 PM ^
Webb could pull a Ward in the coming months. Pull the trigger to early, and then want to start looking around, I don't but for a second that he's done with his recruting process with over 365 days till he signs his letter of intent, especially after we beat ohio next year at the Big House
January 15th, 2013 at 9:38 AM ^
Terry Richardson committed early and then wanted to visit elsewhere. David Dawson committed early and then visited elsewhere. Delano Hill flipped from Iowa to Michigan. There's plenty of recent history at that school to suggest that the door isn't closed.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:40 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 10:24 PM ^
I DON'T THINK HE HAS THE KIND OF CHARACTER THAT A MICHIGAN MAN HAS!!!
But seriously, he's got a rap sheet. Rivals doesn't even list Michigan as an interest. Heck, he doesn't even appear to have an extensive offer list, despite his talent.
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