HNIC973
R.I.P Bandana P
For all of the publicity Michigan and Jim Harbaugh have garnered on the recruiting trail, one thing that has actually gone a little too unnoticed is the fact that the Wolverines have closed on some races that they may not have been expected to win originally.
Top100 cornerback David Long, four-stars Nick Eubanks, Devin Bush Jr., Dylan Crawford and three-stars Elysee Mbem-Bosse and Josh Uche are players that probably weren't pegged into Michigan's class back in October or November, at least from a national perspective. However, an aggressively intelligent approach has allowed the Wolverines to finish on a majority (not all) of their top targets on the recruiting board.
Now, the final close begins. In a little over 24 hours, Michigan's 2016 class should be all but finalized, barring any LOI delays or hijinks of the sort. To finish, Michigan must close with players they've been recruiting hard for well over a year now, and players that will make this class potentially great.
The race for #1
Regarding Rashan Gary, it's no surprise to us that the drama surrounding the announcement for the #1 prospect in the country has heated up to nuclear levels. He's announcing on national television and going into his Clemson visit, we said that the rumblings for the Tigers would grow approaching the announcement.
This recruitment has become a major test for the Crystal Ball, which is holding steady with the Wolverines as the major leader for his commitment. That's because all of the intel since at least September (BYU official) has been pointing towards the Maize and Blue.
We still haven't heard anything concrete to suggest that Michigan will not be the choice on Wednesday afternoon. Michigan's Signing of the Stars event will run until approximately 1:30 PM and the pieces of the puzzle continue to fit in terms of the staff wanting to close out the event with the #1 prospect in the country pledging to Jim Harbaugh's staff.
We'll get this out of the way, however, just in case: a loss in this recruitment would be devastating in a variety of ways. One, Clemson has been on the periphery of this recruitment for months. They've been involved, but rarely mentioned throughout the season as a legitimate competitor compared to Ole Miss and Auburn among others. Michigan has doubly outworked any other program in this recruitment and has gone the extra mile to ensure Gary and his family's comfort with Ann Arbor, the university and the football program. Two, Gary is the type of talent at a position of importance that can mean the difference between a conference championship and a national one. There's a reason Michigan and others have gone all out for him. It's unfortunate because Michigan has a great class coming in, but the perception nationally will be one of a big, fat "L" if the Wolverines miss on Gary on Wednesday, regardless of who else they reel in.
Big Mike
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech Top50 overall guard Michael Onwenu had been quietly committed to Michigan for months, building a strong relationship with Tim Drevno and Tyrone Wheatley among others.
However, a late Michigan State offer, combined with some slightly negative perceptions about the way the Wolverines handled the commitments of some previous verbals, gave him some pause. He officially visited Michigan State and nearly visited Oklahoma as well, and the Spartans have reportedly given him something to think about.
Onwenu will announce where he will sign on Wednesday on a local radio show Tuesday night. This remains one that we'd be very surprised if anything changed. If anything, Onwenu may want a chance to get some of the spotlight that he didn't by committing early, and one of his teammates will be announcing a college choice during the same show (the two are close friends). A loss here would be nearly as devastating as missing on Gary, as Onwenu is a unique and elite talent. Losing him to Michigan State of all schools would majorly hurt the Wolverines heading into Signing Day.
More Detroit Drama
One of the earlier commitments on Wednesday morning is expected to be Detroit (MI) King Top100 cornerback Lavert Hill, who like Onwenu, appears to be down to Michigan and Michigan State, with Penn State hanging out on the outside as well.
The Spartans deserve credit for making this a race. After Hill reopened his recruitment in October, he was probably the biggest lock on Michigan's board and was set to verbal shortly thereafter. Later on, he was still expected to verbal and enroll early in Ann Arbor as well, but a continued push by Mark Dantonio's staff held the Wolverines off for a second time.
Was it enough? We're still thinking no. While Hill has what I would politely label as "troll potential" as far as surprising people, I think Michigan would have gotten the sense if he was heading elsewhere and pursued another cornerback in the class. Michigan's confidence has remained here, and the chance to play (and learn from) both Jourdan Lewis and his older brother have my Crystal Ball remaining on the Wolverines, as it has been for a while.
West Coast stuff
We'll get the immediate news at hand out first: I put in a 247Sports Crystal Ball for Top100 tight end Devin Asiasi to Michigan.
As we first reported last week, there was a growing sentiment that Asiasi's family preferred he stay closer to home, but would not stop him in the end if he wanted to go east. Alabama was not going to be the choice according to our intel, and we were also informed on Monday that he would not be choosing Washington or UCLA. That left USC, and multiple reports have surfaced that it will not be the Trojans either. This choice is about 76% intel, 24% reading between the lines.
This would be a big victory for a couple reasons. One, as illustrated last week, the 2017 crop of tight ends is pretty mediocre early on, and the players Michigan wants (outside of a couple) are already verbally committed to quality programs and would be tough theoretical flips. The 2018 class looks loaded at tight end, and Michigan would be able to focus harder on building good relationships with those top prospects. A 2016 haul of McKeon, Eubanks and Asiasi would be huge and would more than make up for missing on five-star Isaac Nauta earlier in the process. It would also give them maybe their most game-ready tight end as a freshman also, as Asiasi has the size and skill to block effectively and would likely find the field in year one.
As far as Boss Tagaloa, the intel on him remains murky. Maybe the choice will be Michigan, and maybe it won't. It's one race I plan on abstaining from as far as a 247Sports Crystal Ball, but I wouldn't take that as a guarantee he won't choose Michigan. There just hasn't been enough solid out there on him.
On Tuesday, Steve Wiltfong reported that Connor Murphy is likely headed to USC. For the last two weeks or so, we haven't seen him as a viable candidate in this class. It would be a surprise if Michigan got a verbal from him tomorrow afternoon.
Bits/Other stuff
- Michigan soft verbal Nate Johnson will decide really early on Wednesday morning (8:15 AMish). We're fully expecting it to be Michigan.
- Keyshawn Young will also decide tomorrow, and his 247Sports Crystal Ball has become a mess. This really stems from the fact that there are a handful of schools he's considering that he's probably not a take for, but could become one for, depending on how schools finish out tomorrow. We're not expecting Michigan, but if they miss on Hill (example), they may push for his signature.
- Rockford (MI) kicker Quinn Nordin is trying to build drama heading into a Signing Day announcement, but we're not seeing it. Michigan should be the choice for him.
Top100 cornerback David Long, four-stars Nick Eubanks, Devin Bush Jr., Dylan Crawford and three-stars Elysee Mbem-Bosse and Josh Uche are players that probably weren't pegged into Michigan's class back in October or November, at least from a national perspective. However, an aggressively intelligent approach has allowed the Wolverines to finish on a majority (not all) of their top targets on the recruiting board.
Now, the final close begins. In a little over 24 hours, Michigan's 2016 class should be all but finalized, barring any LOI delays or hijinks of the sort. To finish, Michigan must close with players they've been recruiting hard for well over a year now, and players that will make this class potentially great.
The race for #1
Regarding Rashan Gary, it's no surprise to us that the drama surrounding the announcement for the #1 prospect in the country has heated up to nuclear levels. He's announcing on national television and going into his Clemson visit, we said that the rumblings for the Tigers would grow approaching the announcement.
This recruitment has become a major test for the Crystal Ball, which is holding steady with the Wolverines as the major leader for his commitment. That's because all of the intel since at least September (BYU official) has been pointing towards the Maize and Blue.
We still haven't heard anything concrete to suggest that Michigan will not be the choice on Wednesday afternoon. Michigan's Signing of the Stars event will run until approximately 1:30 PM and the pieces of the puzzle continue to fit in terms of the staff wanting to close out the event with the #1 prospect in the country pledging to Jim Harbaugh's staff.
We'll get this out of the way, however, just in case: a loss in this recruitment would be devastating in a variety of ways. One, Clemson has been on the periphery of this recruitment for months. They've been involved, but rarely mentioned throughout the season as a legitimate competitor compared to Ole Miss and Auburn among others. Michigan has doubly outworked any other program in this recruitment and has gone the extra mile to ensure Gary and his family's comfort with Ann Arbor, the university and the football program. Two, Gary is the type of talent at a position of importance that can mean the difference between a conference championship and a national one. There's a reason Michigan and others have gone all out for him. It's unfortunate because Michigan has a great class coming in, but the perception nationally will be one of a big, fat "L" if the Wolverines miss on Gary on Wednesday, regardless of who else they reel in.
Big Mike
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech Top50 overall guard Michael Onwenu had been quietly committed to Michigan for months, building a strong relationship with Tim Drevno and Tyrone Wheatley among others.
However, a late Michigan State offer, combined with some slightly negative perceptions about the way the Wolverines handled the commitments of some previous verbals, gave him some pause. He officially visited Michigan State and nearly visited Oklahoma as well, and the Spartans have reportedly given him something to think about.
Onwenu will announce where he will sign on Wednesday on a local radio show Tuesday night. This remains one that we'd be very surprised if anything changed. If anything, Onwenu may want a chance to get some of the spotlight that he didn't by committing early, and one of his teammates will be announcing a college choice during the same show (the two are close friends). A loss here would be nearly as devastating as missing on Gary, as Onwenu is a unique and elite talent. Losing him to Michigan State of all schools would majorly hurt the Wolverines heading into Signing Day.
More Detroit Drama
One of the earlier commitments on Wednesday morning is expected to be Detroit (MI) King Top100 cornerback Lavert Hill, who like Onwenu, appears to be down to Michigan and Michigan State, with Penn State hanging out on the outside as well.
The Spartans deserve credit for making this a race. After Hill reopened his recruitment in October, he was probably the biggest lock on Michigan's board and was set to verbal shortly thereafter. Later on, he was still expected to verbal and enroll early in Ann Arbor as well, but a continued push by Mark Dantonio's staff held the Wolverines off for a second time.
Was it enough? We're still thinking no. While Hill has what I would politely label as "troll potential" as far as surprising people, I think Michigan would have gotten the sense if he was heading elsewhere and pursued another cornerback in the class. Michigan's confidence has remained here, and the chance to play (and learn from) both Jourdan Lewis and his older brother have my Crystal Ball remaining on the Wolverines, as it has been for a while.
West Coast stuff
We'll get the immediate news at hand out first: I put in a 247Sports Crystal Ball for Top100 tight end Devin Asiasi to Michigan.
As we first reported last week, there was a growing sentiment that Asiasi's family preferred he stay closer to home, but would not stop him in the end if he wanted to go east. Alabama was not going to be the choice according to our intel, and we were also informed on Monday that he would not be choosing Washington or UCLA. That left USC, and multiple reports have surfaced that it will not be the Trojans either. This choice is about 76% intel, 24% reading between the lines.
This would be a big victory for a couple reasons. One, as illustrated last week, the 2017 crop of tight ends is pretty mediocre early on, and the players Michigan wants (outside of a couple) are already verbally committed to quality programs and would be tough theoretical flips. The 2018 class looks loaded at tight end, and Michigan would be able to focus harder on building good relationships with those top prospects. A 2016 haul of McKeon, Eubanks and Asiasi would be huge and would more than make up for missing on five-star Isaac Nauta earlier in the process. It would also give them maybe their most game-ready tight end as a freshman also, as Asiasi has the size and skill to block effectively and would likely find the field in year one.
As far as Boss Tagaloa, the intel on him remains murky. Maybe the choice will be Michigan, and maybe it won't. It's one race I plan on abstaining from as far as a 247Sports Crystal Ball, but I wouldn't take that as a guarantee he won't choose Michigan. There just hasn't been enough solid out there on him.
On Tuesday, Steve Wiltfong reported that Connor Murphy is likely headed to USC. For the last two weeks or so, we haven't seen him as a viable candidate in this class. It would be a surprise if Michigan got a verbal from him tomorrow afternoon.
Bits/Other stuff
- Michigan soft verbal Nate Johnson will decide really early on Wednesday morning (8:15 AMish). We're fully expecting it to be Michigan.
- Keyshawn Young will also decide tomorrow, and his 247Sports Crystal Ball has become a mess. This really stems from the fact that there are a handful of schools he's considering that he's probably not a take for, but could become one for, depending on how schools finish out tomorrow. We're not expecting Michigan, but if they miss on Hill (example), they may push for his signature.
- Rockford (MI) kicker Quinn Nordin is trying to build drama heading into a Signing Day announcement, but we're not seeing it. Michigan should be the choice for him.
Gawdbaugh pulls Long Crawford Asiasi Boss out of Cali
Hill&Gary are blue
the old Michigan administration would of never let this happened