Updated 2013 ESPN300 - Michigan Commits And Targets

ESPN has updated its football rankings and released its list of the 300 best football players for the 2013 recruiting class.  Michigan's commits and targets have filled the list.  Brady Hoke and his staff have done an excellent job in all of his recruiting classes, but Michigan's 2013 football recruiting class has been absolutely phenomenal.  


The ratings on this list are not perfect by any means, but they do give us a better understanding of these players, especially after The Opening last weekend where some of Michigan's players had some great performances.  The questions everybody seems to have had over the last week or so is where Michigan's commits and targets would end up if they performed well at the Nike Camp.  Well, some of Michigan's players did great and we can see that in the updated rankings.

Here are the updated rankings for the 2013 ESPN300:


COMMITS

• #26 - Shane Morris
• #63 - Gareon Conley
• #89 - David Dawson
• #92 - Jourdan Lewis
• #94 - Dymonte Thomas
• #102 - Logan Tuley-Tillman
• #108 - Mike McCray
• #112 - Chris Fox
• #116 - Patrick Kugler
• #120 - Taco Charlton
• #126 - Kyle Bosch
• #171 - Jake Butt
• #224 - Jaron Dukes
• #259 - Henry Poggi
• #278 - Ben Gedeon

TARGETS

• #20 - Kendall Fuller
• #38 - Laquon Treadwell
• #40 - Leon McQuay III
• #54 - Derrick Green
• #225 - Jordan Wilkins

Shane Morris actually jumped up 6 spots to #26 overall in the new 150.  He's the only one of the top quarterbacks that didn't see his stock drop, so that's good for Shane.  If some of you don't know, Shane recently picked up his 5th star on 247 sports.  I think that he should see the same happen with the other sites. Not sure why it hasn't happened yet, but if Shane performs well at the Elite 11 like we all expect he will, be ready to see a 5th star consensus for Mr. Morris. Shane is still rated as the #4 Pocket Passing QB.


LaQuon Treadwell is Michigan's top target at WR for 2013 and comes in at #38 on the new rankings.  He's a 4-star across the board.  Proving to be one of the top receivers in the country this past weekend at The Opening, he would be a tremendous pickup if Michigan can get a commitment.  I'm not sure if he will get a 5* by time he arrives on a campus, but he's certainly very talented.  It's rumored a commitment to Michigan for Mr. Treadwell is inevitable and we can only hope.  Just a matter of when it seems like. 


Leon McQuay III comes in at #40.  He is also another top target for the Wolverines and it seems to be a tight race for him between Michigan and Vanderbilt.  Leon showed great playmaking skills this weekend at The Opening and saw his stock rise.  Not sure if he will end up at Michigan I think alot has to depend on Alvin Bailey and where he decides.  Seems like the two will be a package deal and both are high on Vanderbilt as well.


Top RB Derrick Green comes in at #54.  Derrick lived up to his billing at The Opening.  Seemed everytime he touched the ball, he was gaining first downs.  I know Derrick is high on Michigan and he will be attending the BBQ at the end of this month at The Big House with his parents, as they want to have a sit down meeting with Coach Hoke.  If Hoke can pull some magic do we see a commitment out of Derrick? I'm not sure, but Michigan is certainly in decent position.


Garen Conley is ranked #63 and the #9 ranked CB.  Gareon hasn't done too many camps this summer so I think that may be why he isn't getting a lot of movement in the rankings.  He's very solid and he is Michigan's highest ranked defensive commit and for good reason.  Look for him to improve as offseason and this senior season goes on and his stock should rise. Good pickup for the Wolverines.


#89 is David Dawson and also is the nation's #1 OG.  There has been a lot of rumblings about David recently and many thought he may decommit.  Let me just clarify that from day one I have always said that David is solid to Michigan and people are blowing things way out of porportion.  I was backed up when David this past weekend at The Opening when he announced the cancellation of his florida camp trip after he spoke with some Michigan coaches.  We need to remember he's been through a lot recently and deserves to be cut some slack.  David is solid to Michigan and until he says he's decommitting (which I don't think will happen) people need to chill out.  He didn't have the best weekend at The Opening (per his standards) but look to see his stock rise once actual football starts up.  Kid is a monster and glad to have him.


Staying solid at #92 is CB Jourdan Lewis.  Mind-boggling to me that he hasn't moved up in the rankings.  Everyone has praised him for his performances at camps all summer and has looked to be one of the top DB's in the country.  He's listed at 5'10" and some people say his height hurts him, but I honestly think this is just wrong.  Guy like Shaq Wiggins is ranked 36 and he's same height? Absolutely nuts because I think Jourdan has outperformed him, and no that's not Michigan bias, that's just fact and a statement I feel comfortable making from what I've heard from people covering the camps.  Not sure what the deal is with Jourdan not getting any love, but it's just going to put a chip on his shoulder and allow him to play even better.


#94 is Dymonte Thomas at Safety. Not much movement for him but Dymonte is playing at the 7-on-7 national championships in Indiana this weekend.  He's put on some muscle weight this offseason and has looked to be an absolute beast.  Some people say one of the best safeties in the class and has tremendous athletic ability.  He along with Shane Morris really jump-started this Team 134 class and look for his stock to improve.


At #102 is Logan Tuley-Tillman aka Letter Burner .  Logan recently played in the world championships for Team USA earning a silver medal and he also brought home Left Tackle of the tournament honors.  Logan is a big kid and will be great at Left Tackle.  He's part of the massive offensive line haul in this class and they are going to look to dominate in the future.


#108 is Mike McCray.  He has performed very well all summer in camps and hasn't seen his stock fall but hasn't really risen either.  Didn't have the best weekend at The Opening but still performed well.  I think Mike is one of those guys that will show people how good he is once actual football starts.  Look for him to see some stock rise as well once this senior season kicks off.


#112 is OT Chris Fox.  Big time nasty offensive linemen stays right where he has always been in the rankings.  Stock should improve also.


#116 is Mr. Mean Streak Patrick Kugler.  I think he's a sleeper in this offensive line class and very underrated.  His father being a coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers we all know Patrick has great technique and knows the game very well.  If you haven't watched the film I suggest you do so and you will understand the Mean Streak nickname.  Very nasty, strong, and intense and the perfect lineman for the big ten.


#120 is Taco Charlton.  Showing freakish athletic ability this weekend at The Opening and that he is underrated.  Taco has performed very well at camps all offseason.  Little bit of drama on twitter recently as the "Godfather of Recruiting" Mike Farrell from Rivals had said that Taco lost all of his one-on-ones well that wasn't the case.  Taco quickly announced on Twitter that he wasn't allowed to participate in DT drills because he one all of his matchups at one-on-one.  So in my opinion gotta go with Taco himself and say that he had a great performance.  It's a loaded defensive line class so it's going to be hard to improve stock but he could move up a bit.


#126 Kyle Bosch.  Another great offensive lineman in this class Kyle did show up at The Opening but had to leave early due to things going on back home.  I spoke with Kyle last month and he is one of my favorite recruits and absolutely loves Michigan.  Doesn't go to a lot of camps but I suspect we'll see his stock rise once senior season starts.


Making a huge jump up to 171 is TE Jake Butt.  For good reason, he was a monster at The Opening and earned All-Tournament team honors.  Jake was making fantastic catches all over the place and was definitely one of the top targets on his team.  Look for him to keep improving and his stock to rise into the 150 as well.


Jaron Dukes takes spot #224.  This big WR hasn't camped much this summer but when he has still looked pretty good.  Look for him to have a big impact when he arrives in Ann Arbor.  A tall guy at 6'4" is going to be a useful asset down in the red zone.


One of Michigan's newer commits is the monster DT Henry Poggi coming in at #254.  Henry doesn't camp a lot as well and is one of the more mysterious recruits of the class.  Seems to be very private, but if you watch his film, you will love him.  Absolutely dominates kids on the football field and will be very much needed on the defensive side of the football when he arrives in Ann Arbor.  Look for his stock to rise as actual football is played.


Sideline-to-Sideline Ben Gedeon comes in at #278.  Another one of Hoke's great poach jobs from the state of Ohio.  Ben is a great prospect at linebacker and will only improve as the offseason and season move on.


So with these guys, that makes 15 commits for Michigan in the total ESPN 300. Definitely the most of any school and just showing you the depth that this class has and why they are ranked the top.  I think it will be a two-horse race between Michigan and the Trojans of USC for top class, when it's all said and done.  With USC's scholarship reductions I don't see Michigan getting top class being a problem.  USC's class is loaded but so is Michigan's so it should be interesting.  Look for these two teams to be in National Title talks for upcoming seasons.