Initial 2015 Top247 Released
http://247sports.com/Season/2015-Football/RecruitRankings?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool
It might be a bit early to think too much about 2015 for some people, but 2014 recruiting will be done before you know it.
Of interest to Michigan:
#2 SDE Terry Beckner, Jr.
#5 QB Josh Rosen
#16 WR George Campbell
#18 OLB Jashon Cornell
#23 RB Soso Jamabo
#25 RB/WR Jaason Lewis
#47 OLB Malik Jefferson
#72 CB Brian Cole
#86 OT Sterling Jenkins
#87 RB Jacques Patrick
#90 RB Damien Harris
#92 TE Devonaire Clarington
#113 RB Mikey Weber
#149 CB Shaun Crawford
#163 RB/OLB Osa Masina
#167 OT Garrett Thomas
#187 SDE Joshua Alabi
#207 OLB/WDE Anthony Wheeler
#212 TE Tyrone Wheatley, Jr.
#218 WDE Hjalte Froholdt
#224 SDE Darian Roseboro
#239 OLB Cameron Townsend
Michigan targets:
George Campbell #16
Soso Jamabo #23
Eh, you might think it's a great name, but I just think it's soso.
You sir, are PUNderful
But Devonaire Clarington is a close second, if only for the first name
Either it's a very bad year in the midwest for talent in 2015 or they haven't gotten as much exposure as the southern schools where there seem to be more camps and spring football. In the top 100, the only Michigan kid is Brian Cole and there are only 4 Ohio kids.
Damien Harris is #90?!! I thought he was supposed to be a top RB. Don't want.
/s
Obviously ESPN is the best. However, this is subject to change next year.
Berea, Kentucky is quite isolated. It's not near Louisville. And knowing the quality of football in rural Kentucky, he does not play against great competition. He's still plenty good, though. I hope he commits early.
#5.
Yesterday's offer: validated.
Plus, imagine a Green & White backfield. We'll have Sparty cheering "Go Green/Go White" which will inadvently Uber-Hype both Brady and Derrick, and they'll both have the games of their careers when we visit Spartan Stadium in 2016.
I didn't know Hart was in Newhall. I always thought it was in Valencia/Santa Clarita. As I'm typing this, I'm not even sure if Valencia is even an actual city.
Come on, fella. We aren't even close to the 2014 finish yet. It's ridiculous to even care about the 2015 recruits right now (the fans I mean, not coaches of course).
And Josh Rosen, the Qb that we just offered is at #5. WOW.
not sure how they came up with the top targets but here is 247's take on the coach's priorities for the 2015 class
I fixed it. Formatting issues....
Interesting that so many DEs are being picked as top recruits: 2014 - Hand, 2012 - Nkemdiche, 2010 - Clowney, and 2015 - Kaumatule.
With the importance of the passing game, it's become the defensive position where HS coaches put their freakiest athletes.
69 - Ricky DeBerry
236 - Kyonta Stallworth
It reminds me of ignominious, or equanimous. Also of a Quentin Tarantino character.
Equanimeous St. Brown is a 6-4, 200-pound wide receiver from Anaheim (Calif.) Servite. St. Brown is a 4.0 GPA student who also speaks four languages (French, Spanish, German, English) and can read and write in three (English, German, French).This kid is what 15(?) and already knows more languages then I will in my lifetime.
How the hell can anyone speak Spanish without being able to read or write it?
Working in a school, I know tons of people that can't read English but can't write. Now, it's not considered a very phonetic language, but still. And when I visited Guatemala a couple years ago, most people could speak Spanish but I would say a large percentage of those I encountered couldn't read or write it.
But he's obviously not illiterate, which those people presumably are.
Shocked to see Damien Harris that low. Word out of Rivals is that kid is a top 5 lock to them.
We're talking about kids who have played two seasons of high school ball, and won't be on a college campus for another 2 1/2 years. It's not surprising to see some minor disagreement about how good they are.
Also, Kevin Dillman at #12. Coaches like him, too - but apparently won't offer until Rosen has had a chance to think about his.
So I was taking a peek through these and it seemed to me like the rankings were light on Midwestern prospects. Caveats apply obviously (these are not final rankings, this is just one sites opinion, etc.), but that definitely seems to be the case and it would seem to signal that the rust belt/sun belt trend is deepening.
For the three major midwestern states, the ones that Michigan draws upon most heavily at least, the "High blue chip talent" is falling.
2008 Rivals Rankings:
OH: 5 top 100 players and 16 top 247
MI: 4 top 100 players and 7 top 247
IL: 2 top 100 players and 5 top 247
2009 Rivals Rankings:
OH: 3 top 100 players and 14 top 247
MI: 2 top 100 players and 6 top 247
IL: 2 top 100 players and 6 top 247
2015 247 Sports Rankings:
OH: 4 top 100 players and 10 top 247
MI: 1 top 100 player and 4 top 247
IL: 2 top 100 players and 4 top 247
This may not seem like a lot, but I think it does have some pretty major ramifications for the Big Ten and Michigan. Michigan is going to have to dig deeper down south to get their talent, which is why I think you're seeing them hit a more vulnerable place like Virginia so hard. The Big Ten is going to be fighting for fewer and fewer scraps as well. There's a lot more to be said, maybe I'll throw together a diary on this if people would be interested.
2012 Rivals:
OH: 4 top 100 and 14 top 247
MI: 0 top 100 and 7 top 247
IL: 1 top 100 and 6 top 247
2013 Rivals:
OH: 3 top 100 and 14 top 247
MI: 2 top 100 and 5 top 247
IL: 3 top 100 and 5 top 247
I said there were some caveats, but I do think it's still a downward trend. All of these sites do have dedicated midwest scouting guys, so I don't necessarily think it's a scouting issue. More guys always get discovered, but you players from all over move up and down throughout the process, not just Midwest guys.
Yes, they each have a Midwest guy, but because more talent comes out of the big football states, they always start there. Plus, most of the 2015 guys haven't been to campst yet, so guys from different parts of the country haven't yet been compared in the same setting. Think about it - a kid from CA or TX or FL who looks good on film will get a higher initial rating than a kid from MI who looks just as good and it's not until these guys are put up against other elite players that their ratings shake out.
Like I said, we'll see where 2015 is when it's 2015, but there is certainly not a trend from 2008-2013 based on the numbers you posted. Plus, 2015 could just be an anomoly.
Based on 2013 it doesn't look like much has changed over the last 6-7 years. Thanks for the data, though.
for 2015. Seems about right for how many we'll take for this class.
I think you misspelled "Committing"- was spelled "Of interest".
Also, we should have at least 75% of the 2015 class and 50% of the 2016 class signed by now. Wish Hoke and Co. would do some damn recruiting already!
to the list of guys who were locks to be 5 stars before the rankings came out along with Marvin Robinson and Ricardo Miller
It's amazing that some of these guys like Josh Rosen already have crystal ball predictions and still have 2 years of high school football left to play. Nothing like speeding things along for these kids.