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.

Michigan Commits and Targets At The Opening

The much anticipated Nike Camp, The Opening, was this past weekend in Beaverton, Oregon. Loaded with talent, it has been said to be one of the best camps of the year, if not the best. On hand were the best high school players from all over the country, including 7 Michigan Commits and several Michigan targets.  Representing the Maize and Blue were QB Shane Morris, DB Jourdan Lewis, TE Jake Butt, OG David Dawson, DE Taco Charlton, OL Kyle Bosch, LB Mike McCray.  All of these players were there, but Kyle Bosch did leave early due to personal reasons so I won't really have much to say about him, but he did show up the first day so he deserves to be mentioned. 


Two of Team 134's members made the all-tournament team. TE Jake Butt and DB Jourdan Lewis.  Both of these guys showed up big time in 7-on-7 play and were definitely deserving of the honors.  If you pay any attention to the recruiting sites, then you will know that people are saying Jourdan Lewis's rankings should skyrocket.  I said before the tournament that he would prove he's one of the best DB's in the country and he showed it this past weekend.  Making big time plays and even an interception in the finals to gave his team a shot at the championship late in the game.  Jake Butt came up big for his team and he quickly became one of his quarterback's favorite targets.  I watched some video and he made some great plays, including a nice grab on the sideline, where he got both feet in and maintained possession.  

Michigan Scores Big In New Rivals Rankings

Alright everybody, first thing's first, I gotta apologize for my "non-existence" as of late. The Navy is crazy demanding and I've been tied up with handling business as far as that goes.  But I'm back and I know I'm late to the party, but as many of you may know the updated Rivals 250 is out! Michigan debuts at #1 in the team rankings for the 2013 recruiting class. But where do the "experts" have our commits at? Well I'll tell you and then I'll let you know what I think about it.

At the tops of the list for Michigan commits is QB Shane Morris at #22. He actually moved down, which confused me.  Max Browne is the only QB commit ranked ahead of him.  I've seen highlight tape from Browne and Morris and I gotta be honest, Shane has a better arm and is more athletic. Now, some could say I'm biased because Shane is commited to Michigan and Browne to USC, but there is a clear difference in the tape. If you watched it, you would feel the same way.  Shane is ranked as a 4 star right now and close to a 5 star (according to Rivals) but in my eyes say he's a 5 star.  This is a recruit that fans should be familiar with and if not, they need to get familiar with him before he arrives on campus.

Next on the list is LB Mike McCray coming in at #55.  Mike is one of many commits that Coach Hoke and co. have "poched" out of ohio haha.  At 6'4" and 230 pounds he will be a beast at LB, and him coming in along with 2012 LB commits he goes along way towards improving a much improved defense from 2011.  Mike was recently in the news when he received an offer from rival "Ohio."  As many of us know, Mike is very close with fellow commit Logan Tulley-Tillman.  We all know about LTT haha.  Some speculated that the Buckeyes were trying to break them up but Mike reassured us all that he is firmly commited to Michigan.  He is ranked as a 4 star as well.  He won MVP honors at the NFTC camp earlier this summer and I believe is very close to a 5 star talent.  Let's see if the experts agree with me as the year goes on.

Chris Fox.  Right behind McCray coming in at #57.  Big time Offensive Tackle out of Colorado coming in at 6'6" 297 pounds.  Brady Hoke is a defensive line coach and we all know how much he believes in winning in the trenches.  Well, Mr. Fox is one of many commits between 2012 and 2013 that is going towards rebuilding the dominance that we are all accustom to Michigan having on the offensive line.  Chris is also a 4 star according to Rivals and is one of many reasons I am excited to see Michigan moving towards what used to be a smashmouth run it down your throat style of offense. I'm sure touted QB commit Shane Morris has no problem with the great talent coming in at offensive line.

#73 is Patrick Kugler.  Monster offensive tackle and son of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler he defintely knows what he's doing playing offensive line.  Patrick is a 4 star according to Rivals and comes in at 6'5" 280 pounds.  The experts all say he has a mean streak but also is very technically sound.  Well why wouldn't he be his father is the line coach for the Steelers and let's face it for many years they have been the blueprint for how to play line in the NFL.  The amazing technique would be enough for me but when you throw in the fact that he has a mean streak oh man just makes it that much better.  I love the offensive line haul and Kugler just makes it that much better.

Kyle Bosch comes in at #77.  You guessed it he's another awesome offensive line commit for Michigan.  He adds to the plethera of linemen commits for Brady Hoke at 6'5" 285 pounds he's another big guy on this line.  I'm not saying the offensive line has been horrible but definitely been a bit undersized and Kyle helps add to the bulking up of the line and getting back to Michigan football.  Kyle is a 4-star according to Rivals and is another reason why Michigan debuts with the #1 recruiting class for 2013.  I love me some smashmouth in your face football and I am excited to see Kyle in maize and blue.

Dymonte Thomas at #95.  Now he is also a 4-star and he along with Shane Morris is really the foundation for this amazing class.  He and Shane are the first two commits and don't get me wrong I love Morris but Dymonte is my favorite commit in this class.  Personally I love a badass ball hawking safety that makes plays and will flat lay you out.  Dymonte has put in pretty decent work at RB but he really excels at safety.  At 6'1" 175 pounds he's got good size and with the improvement of the secondary from a year go Dymonte will fight right in when he arrives on campus.  He's ranked 9th at the position but to me he is underrated.  He along with many other Michigan commits will show why. 

TE Jake Butt is ranked #118.  I was real excited when Jaked pledged his commitment.  With Kevin Koger leaving we could definitely use another great TE.  These guys are safety blankets for QB's and are great weapons in the red zone.  Jakie is a 4-star and at 6'6" 230 pounds he will be exactly what I said he is going to be and that's a weapon in the red zone.  He can go up and get the ball, also has great speed and hands.  He is incredibly tough to matchup with for defenders because let's face it at 6'6" he's too tall for corners or safeties and he's too quick for linebackers.  I love this kid's game and he is going to prosper very well being on the opposite end of Shane Morris' passes.

CB Jourdan Lewis comes in at #147.  Jourdan has been blowing up lately with his performances at summer camps.  One of many reasons is his speed.  This kid can flat out fly and I love it.   Jourdan is out of Michigan pipeline Detroit Cass Tech and we all know the type of talent that comes out of there.  He's 5'11" and 170 pounds also rated at a 4-star.  He's rated 10th at his position and I believe he could be a Blake Countess type of talent.  Let's face it he's still got his senior year to develop before he even steps on campus.  I'm very excited for another cornberback with good size and speed to arrive in Ann Arbor.

Monster Guard David Dawson is rated at #171.  As David's twitter name is at MrUnderrated, it definitely fits because let's face it...171?  That's insane in my opinion.  He has dominated every camp that he has been to this summer.  He's rated as a 4-star and is another great product of Detroit Cass Tech.  At 6'5" and 305 pounds he's a beast on the line and literally manhandles defensive linemen.  At the NFTC he won MVP honors and dominated everyone he went up against including touted Ohio commit Billy Price.  Mr. Dawson has made quite the commotion on twitter but let's face it this kid has been through alot and I believe has handled himself very well.  Some people have had him on "decommit watch" but I certainly was not one of them.  He has said on many occasions that he is a Michigan man and I believe him.  Great kid and great talent and another amazing addition to a great offensive line.

Taco Charlton is ranked #175.  Along with Mr. Dawson I believe Taco is underrated.  He has been camping alot this summer and everyone raves about his superior speed off the edge and for good reason.  He has been unblockable in one-on-one drills.  He's another ohio guy and at 6'6" 240 pounds, rated as a 4-star he's a speedy defensive end and has amazing speed off the edge.  Guys seem to have a lot of trouble with his speed.  It's been a while since Michigan has had an "elite" pass rusher and I believe Taco may be it.  Rivals has him rated 8th at his position but let's face it, Taco is a great player and will only continue to improve this summer and in his senior year of high school before coming to Ann Arbor.

#182 is versatile player Wyatt Shallman.  Playing DE and RB for Detroit Catholic Central this kid is a monster.   He's rated 8th at his position but at 6'3" 255 pounds have fun tackling him.  Wyatt is a 4-star and is a freakish athlete.  Being able to play both sides of the ball is very important to me.  For one, it shows that he has great endurance and durability, but also has great football smarts having to be knowledgeable in two positions.  Playing RB and DE I believe helps him at both positions.  I'm excited for Wyatt's arrival at Michigan and as good as he is now, he will only be better next year.

#235 Logan Tuley-Tillman and at 6'7" 321 pounds we don't really need to talk about Logan's physical attributes.  I think he's gotten a low rating because of not so good performances at camps this summer, but he has had a bum left shoulder, which has definitely taken its toll on him.  However, I like the fact that he still goes out there and competes and still does a pretty good job, even if he's not 100%.  He's a 4-star and ranked 24th at his position according to Rivals.  If you don't know about Logan on the field, I'm sure many of you do off the field.  There has been a lot of media uproar over his picture on twitter of lighting the Ohio recruiting letter on fire.  Personally, I love what he did, being a Michigan fan myself.  This is the greatest rivalry in sports and he's just adding to it.  He didn't do anything wrong and I think the way many Ohio fans are reacting to him and the things they are saying to him are way inappropriate and uncalled for. Keep doing your thing Logan.  When he gets back to being 100% I belive he will dominate camps and improve on his low ranking.

At #237 is Ben Gedeon.  4-star LB out of you guessed it, Ohio.  Another amazing pick up for Brady Hoke Ben is 6'3" 215 pounds and is another two way player.  Is a pretty darn good RB but Michigan has definitely brought him in for his great skills at LB.  Along with Mike McCray Ben is a great prospect at linebacker and will do wonders for revamping this always improving Michigan defense.

Alright so there's all the Michigan commits in the newly updated Rivals 250.  In my "expert" opinion haha, Michigan has a lot of underrated recruits.  Outsiders looking in could say, oh you're just biased because you love Michigan.  You're right I do love Michigan, but I'm not biased.  Check the tape people.  Michigan has the #1 recruiting class in the nation for a reason.  I definitely think there are people missing such as Deveon Smith the #1 rated running back in Ohio...where is he at?  I would take Morris over Max Browne any day of the week and he even qualified for the Elite 11 finals before Browne did, yet Morris is still rated lower. C'mon man!  Michigan commits have always received low rankings especially on the expert sites.  David Dawson holds offers from every major program in the country  yet he's rated #171.  Something is up.  I'm not questioning the knowledge of the guys at Rivals, but I definitely think the Michigan commits' standings will be changing over the summer and the following year.  Even with the disrespect they are still the #1 class in the country right now and should be for a long time.

The Best Recruiting Weekend of All Time. Literally.

It’s officially that. The best recruiting weekend of all time. Michigan gained 7 (SEVEN!) commits this weekend, all of which are 4-stars. The latest is 4* TE Jake Butt out of Pickerington, OH. Record-shattering weekend. 

Hoke’s Mad Magicians would like to welcome Mr. Jake Butt to the 2013 class!

Read about Saturday’s first 4 commits here.

Read about Saturday night’s commits #5 and #6 here.

And #7 is Jake Butt. Butt is an excellent tight end, a huge position of need for the 2013 class. He visited Ann Arbor on Saturday along with multiple other prospects who are now Wolverine pledges. Butt was one recruit I was really hoping we would land. He seems like a very genuine and stand-up student-athlete. Butt is ranked 96th in the nation according to Rivals and he is listed at 6’6” and 230 pounds. He is very athletic and can also play on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, a few recruiting sites list him as a DE. He says he has great hands and will catch anything that comes his way. He holds almost 20 offers, but says he’s very excited about playing with the #1 quarterback in his class, Shane Morris. When asked about his early decision, Butt replied, "Why wait? They're the perfect fit for me." Once again, Mr. Morris stays true to his word by helping add Butt to this incredible recruiting class. 

I will have an in-depth post on Jake Butt later this week.


In case you missed this from my earlier posts, here are some interesting tidbits:

• Jake Butt is the 10th commitment of the 2013 class. This class will probably end with 20-22 commitments, making it basically half-full. A whole year before Signing Day...
• Butt is the 7th commit of the weekend, but he is also the 7th top-200 player in the nation to commit this weekend
• 9 of the 10 commits of the 2013 class are in the top-200 in the nation
• Kyle Bosch and David Dawson had offers from Alabama 
• Wyatt Shallman and Chris Fox had offers from OSU
• Both Taco Charlton and Jake Butt are from the state of Ohio
• Both Jourdan Lewis and David Dawson are from Cass Tech, showing that Coach Hoke wants to make sure all elite Cass Tech players choose Michigan 
• Michigan now has 9 commits in the Rivals top 200; the 2012 class had 6 total
• Michigan now has now picked up 7 (SEVEN!) 4* commits in the past 36 hours; the 2012 class had 10 total

An In-Depth Look at This Weekend’s Visitors

1. OL Kyle Bosch (4* out of Wheaton, IL)

Bosch is an early 4-star prospect out of Illinois who, according to Rivals, is ranked 60th in the nation. He is 6’5” and 285 pounds and holds offers from over 20 schools, including Michigan, Michigan State, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Stanford. He is not only one of the best offensive linemen in the Midwest, but maybe the country. He would be a welcomed addition to the kind of offensive line we’ve seen Coach Hoke recruit. He says that he’s looking for a program where “there’s a good relationship between the staff and the players, and just a bunch of people I’m willing to go to war with. At the Division I level, all the places have fancy locker rooms and facilities. For me, it’s about the people.” He seems like a very intelligent kid. One would think that quote would eventually favor the Wolverines. He does not plan on making a decision any time soon.

2. TE Jake Butt (4* out of Pickerington, OH)

Butt is one recruit I’m really hoping we land. He seems like a very genuine and stand-up student-athlete. We know tight end is a position of need this year. Butt is the 96th player in the nation and he is listed at 6’6” and 230 pounds and can also play DE. He says he has great hands and will catch anything that comes his way. Most importantly, Michigan is currently his leader and no one else is “even close.” He holds almost 20 offers, but says he’s very excited about the possibility of playing with the #1 quarterback in his class, Shane Morris. Shane, of course, will be doing his best to recruit Jake this weekend. Butt has no definite decision date. 

3.DE Taco Charlton (4* out of Pickerington, OH)

I just published an in-depth post on Charlton yesterday, and you can read it here. 

4. DT Rod Crayton (currently unranked out of Dadeville, AL)

This visitor excites me because he comes from the heart of SEC Country. Although he’s currently unranked on Rivals, we all know how easily that can change. Crayton is a huge lineman (6’1” and 285 pounds) who has multiple offers from all over the nation and is one of the top prospects out of Alabama. He had a great junior season with 162 tackles, 10 sacks, and 40 tackles for loss. Crayton says that he wants to take his time and visit a wide variety of schools. He does not have a timeline on his decision, and also says that location is not a factor.

5. OL David Dawson (4* out of Detroit, MI)

Dawson is one of three Cass Tech players that are a late but welcome addition to the visitor list for this weekend. The other two are DT Kenton Gibbs and DB Jourdan Lewis below. Dawson is a big offensive tackle listed at 6’5” and 305 pounds. He is a 4-star prospect that Rivals ranks as 199th in the nation. He holds offers in the double digits, including an offer from Alabama, but does not hold one from Michigan yet. It is expected he will get offered on his visit this weekend. He says he has a lot to think about, but if he knows what school he wants to go to, there is no point in waiting. He also says distance is not a factor. 

6. DT Kenton Gibbs (currently unranked out of Detroit, MI)

Gibbs is another Cass Tech player who will probably receive a Michigan offer when he visits this weekend. Currently, he only holds a few MAC offers, but is starting to hear from multiple BCS schools. Gibbs is 6’2” and 290 pounds, and said to be able to battle with the best. He has the tendency to play high, but is also athletic and light on his feet. At the Best of the Midwest Elite Big Man Camp, Gibbs went head-to-head with 4-star OT Steve Elmer on at least three reps and got the best of him a majority of the time. He has the ideal three-technique defensive tackle build, and seems like someone Mattison would love to coach. 

7. DB Jourdan Lewis (4* out of Detroit, MI)

Lewis is an excellent cornerback also out of Cass Tech. He is listed at 5’11” and 170 pounds, and Rivals ranks him as the 167th player in the nation. He does hold an offer from Michigan and is very high on them. He had Michigan high even before he received an offer. He only holds one more offer from Toledo. It looks like Hoke wants to make sure he gets the best players out of Cass Tech every year, as Lewis’s teammates, LB Royce Jenkins-Stone and CB Terry Richardson are a part of our 2012 class. Lewis wanted to commit immediately after receiving his offer, but his mom wants him to take his time. As soon as his basketball season ends, he will be focusing more on his recruitment, and a commitment seems more likely then. 

8. OL Ethan Pocic (4* out of Lemont, IL)

Rivals ranks Pocic as 27th in the nation. He is a big tackle at 6’7” and 285 pounds. He holds more than 15 offers, including Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, and USC. Pocic is a special recruit because he comes from the same high school David Molk came from. His older brother, however, plays at Illinois. He says he wants to stay in the Midwest, which bodes well for Michigan. He is a very talented tackle with very long arms. What he’s looking for most is whether he “fit[s] in with the players, the coaches, and the schemes.” He has no leader and does not plan on deciding any time soon.

9. OT Logan Tuley-Tillman (4* out of Peoria, IL)

Tuley-Tillman is an excellent offensive tackle who Rivals ranks as 109th in the nation. He has decided to join the long list of visitors this weekend, but he’s a regular at Michigan to be honest. Tuley-Tillman loves Michigan, but he’s a popular prospect with basically every offer one could imagine. He stands 6’7” and 280 pounds and has offers from schools like Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and just about any other BCS school. Before everything is said and done, Tuley-Tillman will probably receive a 5th star. He is good friends with Shane Morris and will probably be a help in bringing in other top-notch recruits to round out our 2013 class. 

Photo Credit: Rivals

Michigan Signees and Targets Receive Prestigious Ohio Award

The Buckeye Blue Chip Award is a prestigious award given to 20 of the top Ohio high school seniors and 10 of the top Ohio underclassmen. It is selected by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. The 2011 recipient list includes Michigan 2013 targets and also 2012 commits. Quite an impressive list, actually! 

2012 Signees:

1. OL Kyle Kalis

2. DE Tom Strobel

3. DE Chris Wormley

2013 Commits/Recruits:

1. S Dymonte Thomas (Commit)

2. TE Jake Butt

3. DE Taco Charlton

4. LB Ben Gedeon

5. DT Billy Price

This is a pretty long list and quite impressive as this award is awarded only to Ohio athletes. Michigan has a legitimate shot at all of the 2013 recruits on this list.

Past Michigan athletes who have won this award include DE Jibreel Black, RB Fitzgerald Toussaint, TE Kevin Koger, TE Brandom Moore, and WR Mario Manningham. 

February 18: Revenge and Recruits

Next Saturday, February 18, the Buckeyes visit Crisler Arena for a rematch. But that's not the only big thing going on that weekend. Next weekend, Michigan will also host multiple big-time recruits and the list is growing every day. So far...

1. OL Kyle Bosch (4* out of Wheaton, IL)

2. TE Jake Butt (4* out of Pickerington, OH)

3. DE Taco Charlton (4* out of Pickerington, OH)

4. DT Rod Crayton (currently UR out of Dadeville, AL)
5. OL David Dawson (4* out of Detroit, MI)
6. DT Kenton Gibbs (currently UR out of Detroit, MI)
7. DB Jourdan Lewis (4* out of Detroit, MI)

8. OL Ethan Pocic (4* out of Lemont, IL)
9. OT Logan Tuley-Tillman (4* out of Peoria, IL)

I will add more names as I hear, as I'm sure the list will grow. 

And of course, QB commit Shane Morris will also be there. Hopefully the Wolverines can put up a good showing against the Bucks and sway some recruits. Go Blue!

Note: Rankings obtained from Rivals. 

Photo Credit: Rivals