Winter Is Coming

I posted most of the post-Opening evaluations of Michigan commits yesterday, but these highlights of Benjamin St-Juste were published after that went up, and they make it clear why he's almost certainly headed for a ratings bump. St-Juste didn't just test well—though he certainly did that, posting the second-best shuttle time at the combine—he also made a lot of plays on the ball in the 7-on-7 portion, and his quickness is on full display in the drills at the end of the video. 247's Barton Simmons:

"(St-Juste) may have been the best big cornerback at the event," Simmons told Wolverine247. "He moves so well for a guy of his size and was the most impressive cornerback physically as well. He was challenged a lot but was rarely beaten. He was really impressive and really stood out throughout the weekend." 

247 hasn't updated their rankings yet; when they do, I'll be surprised if St-Juste is still a three-star. There aren't many 6'3" corners that move like that.

Simmons also went into more detail on Dylan McCaffrey's performance for Steve Lorenz's latest post at the Freep:

"He was an upper-tier quarterback at the event," Simmons said. "The biggest reason for that is the mental grasp he has on the position. He's a guy that was so decisive with his reads. He knows where the ball needs to go and gets it there quickly. In that setting, knowing where the open man is and connecting with him quickly should be routine and he was able to do it all day.

"He has some slight mechanical issues he has to correct, but he has a coaching staff at Michigan that is obviously fully capable of getting him where he needs to be. The coaches at the event raved about his ability to take coaching and wanting to learn about the game. He's far beyond your average quarterback in that regard."

Still no word on the specifics of those mechanical issues, unfortunately, but Simmons clearly isn't too concerned, especially once Harbaugh gets involved—he called the Harbaugh/McCaffrey pairing "a perfect match."

File this away for later: Bleacher Report's Michael Felder, who helps coach at The Opening, had an enlightening exhange with Jaylen Kelly-Powell:

Jaylen Kelly-Powell worked inside CB and S, is strong in his man coverage & is working to feel comfortable in multiple zone looks

— Michael Felder (@InTheBleachers) July 12, 2016

@InTheBleachers Real talk. Have to master my weaknesses

— Jaylen Kelly-Powell™ (@JKellypowell) July 12, 2016

@InTheBleachers Yeah. I'm switching to the up FR this year so I can get use to it. Just used to playing man press/off from the SS and nickel

— Jaylen Kelly-Powell™ (@JKellypowell) July 12, 2016

Playing more free safety should help Kelly-Powell improve on his zone coverage. He's clearly a coachable kid—something that was noticeable at SMSB, too.

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

This Week In Crootin'

A couple of players for whom Michigan has long held the lead declared new favorite schools over the last week. Unless they didn't. Crootin'.

First up is four-star IMG C Cesar Ruiz. 247 reported last week that Alabama had overtaken Michigan, though there wasn't an exact quote to that effect in the post. Ruiz told Sam Webb that wasn't quite the case:

“I didn’t say Alabama is my leader, but you know how that goes,” Ruiz said in smiling disbelief.

“Decision time is a long time away, so whoever the leader is now… the leader can change tomorrow.”

That begs the question… does he actually have a leader at this point?

“I have two,” he replied. “Alabama and Michigan. So it wasn’t wrong that Alabama is my leader, but I also had somebody else with them. (And there are) other schools up there fighting for that top school list as well.”

That changes the equation a bit, though it's clear Michigan will have to battle hard to land him.

A similar thing happened with four-star Paramus Catholic OLB Drew Singleton, who gave 247 what appeared to be a tepid declaration that Clemson leads:

Linebacker Drew Singleton (Paramus, N.J./Catholic) said Clemson has a slight edge among his 24 verbal offers.

"Um yeah they do have a little edge. I like them, I love them," Singleton said. "So I guess you could say they have an edge. I definitely will consider going there."

Just like Ruiz, he had something different to say to Webb:

Singleton took the courtship from his fellow recruits in stride the say way he has done with college coaches. For months he has even shied away from publicly naming a favorite. That’s why when learned of a report suggesting that he had named Clemson his leader, he was quick to correct it.

“They’re one of my favorites,” Singleton said.  “I’m not going to say who the favorite is yet, but they’re one of the favorites.”

There are so many possible caveats in both cases—team-specific reporters vs. national reporters, prospects potentially attempting to build suspense, differences between what a prospect wants and what their family/coaches want—that I'm not going to try to hypothesize what the real case is here. For both players, there's considerable optimism from the local reporters of multiple schools; we'll have to wait and see.

Non-Contradictory Recruiting Updates

Four-star UT DT Jay Tufele is one of the top defensive prospects on Michigan's board, and he told 247's Barton Simmons that Michigan, Ohio State, and Utah comprise his top three. He holds Michigan in high regard after getting to know the coaches at the Utah satellite camp:

"Their coaching staff is so amazing," he said of Michigan. "They brought a satellite camp down there. It was fun getting to know everyone. Coach Jim Harbaugh he's an awesome coach. I know their recruiting class is on the come up. It was amazing. Meeting every one of the coaches, they treated me like I was there own."

Before you assume Michigan leads, however, it should be noted that Tufele called both Utah and Urban Meyer "amazing" as well. He's got some Rona Thorne in him.

Four-star Las Vegas DT Greg Rogers named Michigan among a handful of top schools that are probably chasing USC, where he admitted he nearly committed this spring. Rogers hasn't set up any official visits and plans to decide on December 9th; getting him on campus is paramount.

Four-star AL LB Will Ignont had one of the crootin' moments of the year when he backed off a silent commitment to Alabama a couple months ago. He's closing in on a decision again and plans to see Michigan before that happens, per Scout's Chad Simmons:

"I really want to commit before the season starts," said Ignont.  "I know I am going to check out Florida State, LSU and Michigan before the season starts, so that will help me a lot.  I can get to Auburn and Georgia any time because they are both close to home, so I am working hard to have a decision next month."

UCLA, Auburn, and Georgia are also in the mix.

Four-star IMG LB Jordan Anthony has been considered an under-the-radar favorite to eventually join the class, but the quote he gave 247's Ryan Bartow makes it sound like Michigan isn't pushing too hard for him at the moment:

"I definitely (still hear from) coach (Chris) Partridge and coach (Don) Brown. I sometimes hear from coach (Jim) Harbaugh sometimes."

That could be a temporary hiccup or it could indicate where Anthony stands on Michigan's board.

#FenceTheGarden Update

Heh.

Safety Markquese Bell (Bridgeton, N.J.) said distance, once thought to be the main factor in his recruitment, isn't the decision maker any longer.

"Not any more," Bell said.

That's good news for Michigan, which led for Bell earlier in his recruitment. Clemson and War On Rutgers Ally Ohio State are also among his favorites.

Etc.

2018 top-100 CA CB Brendan Radley-Hiles will visit Michigan this week, according to Steve Lorenz, and his interest is quite strong:

Radley-Hiles is considered to be one of the top overall prospects in the 2018 class, and holds offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Nebraska and a host of others early on. The Wolverines offered him during the spring evaluation period and he says they're a school of high interest to him. 

"It's Michigan. Period," he said upon receiving the offer in April. "It's a blessing to be wanted by a program and a school of that degree." 

Happy trails to four-star OH TE Matt Dotson and three-star Cass Tech OG Jordan Reid, who both committed to Michigan State at The Opening finals.