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Brian

Game on in-state

Hutchinson vs 5* 2019 MI OL Devontae Dobbs

Michigan of course picked up a commitment from MI DE Aidan Hutchinson a couple days ago. I was chatting off air with Sam Webb today and we settled on Ryan Van Bergen with a bit more edge rush as a comparable for Hutchinson, FWIW. As a bonus, Harbaugh story:

Harbaugh paid a visit to Divine Child last month and was greeted by school pastor James Bilot.

“The priest meets him when he walked in and Harbaugh said, ‘Give me your top three,’” Hutchinson said, laughing. “The priest didn’t know what he was talking about. ‘Give me your top three saints. You’ve got to have a top three!’ My son’s school was like, ‘Whaaat?’”

I hope Harbaugh has a board on which he has his top saints ranked that he regularly rearranges. Tough day for St. Francis of Assisi, but St. Thomas More is really picking it up lately, etc.

Hutchinson, the #4 player in Michigan per the composite, is a legacy widely expected to end up in Ann Arbor; the rest of the instate crop is far less locked in to any particular school. Of the top ten in state, two are committed to ND already and #8 Jason Whittaker is headed to Northwestern; aside from Hutchinson everyone else is open.

That includes Traverse City West OL Ryan Hayes, who just picked up a Michigan offer and plans a visit next month. Trieu describes him as "Jake Fisher 2.0," referring to the instate lineman who decommitted from Michigan after Rich Rodriguez was fired and went on to have a successful career at Oregon. Fisher was a second round draft pick a couple years back. Per Trieu, Greg Frey recruited both Fisher and Hayes's older brother Connor, who ended up at Pitt. The younger Hayes is up to the #2 player in the state after a significant bump from 24/7.

#1, OL Marquan McCall, was widely regarded a Michigan lean but recently Lorenz said he might not be as high on Michigan's board as that would imply and there might not be room for him in a tight class. #5, OL Tyrone Sampson, is a legit four star but there is one complicating factor. Trieu:

Strong, great balance and base and technically very sound. True center and a potentially elite one.

Michigan took #1 C Cesar Ruiz last year. One or the other could play guard but if Sampson believes his best spot is C Michigan is not likely to be the destination. They haven't offered yet in any case.

File under crootin

GA OL Jalil Irvin, who was briefly a commit, took an unofficial to Ann Arbor and returned saying very positive things:

“I love Michigan after today,” Irvin, a former Michigan commit, said. “Just the campus, coaches, academics, and everything.”

Meanwhile, IN OL Emil Ekiyor, who is currently a commit, has visited multiple schools recently. A trip to Indiana is decidedly unthreatening:

"My main priority right now is Michigan. I'll look at other schools, but I'm pretty focused on them."

Going down to Tallahassee is considerably more alarming, especially considering his recent trip there was his second. That it's part of a southern swing through Georgia, Alabama, and the Noles is... not better, but not worse. Ekiyor, FWIW:

"Just exploring, making sure I am making the right decision," Ekiyor said. "But I am locked into Michigan right now. Nothing has changed with that. I'm just looking."

"I'm locked in ... I'm just looking" is a hefty slab of grade A crootin for you right there. Ekiyor decommit DEFCON is currently at 3, and will move up to 2 if he camps at FSU, like he told 24/7 he was "thinking about."

On the other hand, 4* GA LB Otis Reese seems totally solid. He's planning an April unofficial and Lorenz reports that Michigan has not let their pursuit flag despite the fact he is committed.

Large class complaints will be minimal this year

Per Lorenz, Michigan is currently done(!) at DE and LB with one guy at each spot (Hutchinson and GA LB Otis Reese), and there's some circumstantial evidence to back that up from 4* CA DE Jeremiah Martin, a weakside type:

“(I’m) not really (hearing from them),” said Martin. It just same with some other offers like offered then don't really communicate. I mean mail that's about it.”

Martin still wants to visit but feels like the interest is more on his end than theirs at the moment.

That seems a bit shortsighted to me since there's always attrition even when you don't want there to be attrition (see: Asiasi, Devin). But the depth chart is pretty stocked at both spots now, which was emphatically not the case a year ago.

Anyway: any class with just two guys at DE/LB is going to be pretty small. Especially if they're not going to push for FL DE Nik Bonnito as a result, as Lorenz asserts.

Obligatory Faalele section

FL OL Daniel Faalele checked in at 6'8", 400 pounds at the Orlando Nike Camp. Apparently Mike Onwenu convinced them to get bigger scales at these things. This news was the impetus for that rarest of birds: a Good Tweet.

Extremely grudging 2019 stuff

MI OL Devontae Dobbs is an early five star on 24/7 and continues tracking that direction after an impressive Elite Big Man camp:

Trieu asserts that he's "a blue chipper without a doubt."

FL LB Anthony Solomon took an unofficial last week and returned saying Michigan was his new leader, displacing Alabama. Solomon is at St. Thomas Aquinas, which is now Harbaugh's favorite saint. STA sends a lot of guys to ND and various northern schools, so it's not out of the question Michigan hangs on. Solomon told Sam Webb that he's very close with Devin Bush—"their family and my family grew up together"—and that can't hurt.

Another recent visitor who Michigan leads for is KY DE Stephon Herron Jr, per Lorenz. Here is the default sentence about vague leaders two years out.

Etc.

Brice Marich reports that Michigan is keeping tabs on 3* MI OL Michael Furtney. 4* IL OL Verdis Brown was "super excited" to get a Michigan offer, has vague visit plan. 3* AL DT Timaje Porter very much wants a Michigan offer. Michigan offers GA ATH Quindarious Monday, and yes I just mentioned this because of the name.

Comments

Magnus

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^

The problem is that one guy often doesn't want to sit for four years behind the other guy. It's the same reason why sometimes when you get an elite QB, you have to settle for a lower-tier one for the next one or two classes.

CalifExile

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^

The situation would be eased if Ruiz burns his redshirt, which seems quite possible to me. If Sampson does redshirt then there are 2 years between them. Spot appearances in 2019, more time in 2020 followed by 2 years as starter. That's what he would be looking at if he chose other top schools like Alabama or OSU.

He has to decide if he wants to play for a championship team with coaches who have proven they can send players to the NFL or get immediatemplaying  time at an MSU type school.

skegemogpoint

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^

highly doubt interest in McCall has waned given our needs on OL and fact that he and Ja'Raymond are super tight.  I expect him and Ryan Hayes to be in this class sooner rather than later and Big Daniel Faalele to join eventually.

schreibee

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:47 PM ^

There's something going on with McCall that Magnus, Lorenz, et al keep dropping hints about but don't feel they can elaborate on at this time.

I'd take very seriously JH may feel Michigan doesn't have a spot for him based on those hints, at this juncture. Unfortunately...

Good thing it's still 50 weeks til NSD!

war-dawg69

February 24th, 2017 at 2:37 AM ^

Agree 100%. McCall is the #3 guard in the country. Hayes is rated Quite high and he has only played TE. Both future studs and should be in class period. This class avg. may be higher than anyones, but doubt they are done at DE or LB but look to the five stars to fill those positions. When we start backing off relatively high four stars at any position that is a great sign. I trust that Mr. Harbaugh has a good feel for the recruits he is in on and the ones he wants. I also believe the staff will play it close to the vest and not give up to much. Verdis is a guy osu is after so taking him has a bonus. I believe Michigan has more athletic talent on ther team right know then they have ever and it will lead to a selective and highest star avg. ever in Michigan football history Imo.

Blue in Paradise

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:39 PM ^

I noticed that he is still only 16 and doesn't turn 17 until August - making him a full year younger than many of hte 2018 kids.

Just a feeling (I am biased having seen his dad play live - man that guy had a motor), but I think this kid is going to blow up into a star once he puts some muscle on his frame.

901 P

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^

When my eyes glanced over "Anthony Solomon" at the bottom of the page I initially saw "Aubrey Solomon" and immediately wondered, "Oh no, what happened now?"

A little 'crootin PTSD.

Maizen

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^

I'm not buying Michigan is done at DE and LB. Even Lorenz said in a later post they are still recruiting both those positions.

StateStreetApostle

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:39 PM ^

I just can't believe nobody made an "Archie Manning, Pat Swilling, and Drew Brees" joke yet.

Anyway I feel like any list like that is really a top-3-besides-the-Mother-of-God because she's a seven-star recruit.

StateStreetApostle

February 23rd, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^

OK.  Honest guess at a Harbaugh Top 3 Saints. 

  1. St. James the Greater -- his saint name, and we know he wouldn't pick the younger because why would Harbaugh settle for Less?
  2. Venerable Solanus Casey--THE BEST PRAYERS IN MICHIGAN PRAY FOR MICHIGAN
  3. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati--basically like the Italian Harbaugh 100 years ago.

evenyoubrutus

February 23rd, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^

2016/17 LB's

Devin Bush

Mbem-Bosse

Devin Gil

Josh Uche

Drew Singleton

Jordan Anthony

Josh Ross

 

2016/17 DE's

Rashan Gary

Ron Johnson

Carlo Kemp

CMH

Luiji Vilain

Kwity Paye

 

I guess I can kind of understand why they are only going after 1 of each position in 2018,