Weekend Visitors

4* RB DeVeon Smith (commit watch)

Everyone should be on commit watch this weekend regarding DeVeon Smith because there is a huge possibility he commits. We all know Michigan is looking for (probably) 1 more running back, and with Ty Isaac still undecided, our focus now turns to 4* DeVeon Smith. 

Smith is a running back out of Warren, OH who Scout ranks 58th in the nation and 7th at his position. Impressive. He holds offers from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, and West Virginia. Smith is 5’11” and 195 pounds. Michigan was actually the first to offer Smith, and he grew up a Michigan fan. He is known for being talented enough to run over defenders as well as around them -- a good fit for our pro-style offense. He has also been heralded for his ball security, rarely fumbling even with such a heavy workload. As a junior, he earned Division 2 All-Ohio second-team honors. He racked up nearly 2,200 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. To steal an OSU recruit and life-long Michigan fan would be great. Smith has plenty of potential.

By the way, conspiracy alert: if Smith doesn’t commit this weekend, there’s a huge chance that means Isaac has told the coaches that he will probably commit at some point. My thinking is he really wanted to visit USC (he probably already had his plane tickets, etc.) and we know the coaching staff’s rule of no visits after committing. Maybe Isaac wanted to commit, but couldn’t since he was planning on visiting USC this weekend. If Smith does not commit (assuming he wants to and the coaches tell him to hold off), it’s a strong sign Isaac will commit at one point or another.

Now another point to make is that Smith is probably still wanted in this 2013 class. Him and Isaac are different players, but both excellent players. Isaac is more dynamic, but Smith is a bull, something the coaches like. If there’s room in the class somehow, the coaches will want Smith too. It’s not like we’re loaded at RB. 

TE Scott Orndoff (commit watch)

Finally, Mr. Orndoff will be making his visit. Orndoff was originally a Wisconsin verbal, but has recently decommitted. He has expressed great interest in Michigan, and has been planning a visit for a while now. He has offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. Orndoff stands 6’4” and 240 pounds. He is from Pittsburgh, PA and receives a 3* ranking from both 247 and Scout. Scout ranks him the 13th best tight end in the class, while 247 has him as 23rd. Orndoff received Michigan’s offer right after Signing Day, so he has clearly been someone they’ve been looking at. We know the coaches want a third tight end of this class, and Orndoff seems like a great fit. His recruitment has also been blowing up as of late. 

The other tight end the coaching staff was seriously looking at was Jacob Matuska out of Ohio, who recently committed to Notre Dame (as a DE even though he wanted to play tight end). There aren’t very many offers out to uncommitted tight ends left and Orndoff seems to be the one the coaches will go after the hardest. I would not be surprised if he commits this weekend. 

DL Henry Poggi (commit watch)

Again, another commit watch. This weekend could be crazy. There were rumors circulating on Twitter the other day that Poggi might commit this weekend, but he said himself that that isn’t true. However, this will be Poggi’s third visit to Michigan. According to Scout, he’s also already visited all his “favorites,” albeit only once. Michigan is the only school he’s visited multiple times. His favorites, other than Michigan, include Stanford, Ohio State, Virginia, and Vanderbilt. I don’t understand how those are his favorites considering his offer sheet, but who am I? He has said he wants to make it back to OSU, but who knows if that will change this weekend. You know the rule.

Poggi is a 4* tackle out of Baltimore, MD who Rivals ranks as 43rd overall in the nation. He stands 6’3” and 250 pounds. He finished his junior season with 49 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, and one forced fumble. Poggi is a beast, with about 20 offers from schools like Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, and Stanford. Poggi plays a position of need for Michigan and he would be an excellent get.

RB Derrick Green

Green is a name we don’t hear as often as the rest. This is probably because we are more familiar with Michigan’s top running back options (Wyatt Shallman, Ty Isaac, DeVeon Smith). He is a 4* RB from Richmond, VA and Scout ranks him 20th at his position and 124th nationally. He has over 20 offers including Michigan, Auburn, Miami, Ohio State, South Carolina, and USC He stands 5’11” and 220 pounds and has admitted to favoring a pro-style offense as opposed to a spread. This is interesting because he grew up an OSU fan and has always loved them. Truthfully, I am surprised he is visiting this weekend. However, he is very intrigued with Michigan and does favor a pro-style run offense, like I said. “Seriously considering Michigan is against Buckeye religion,” he has said. Does this mean he’s seriously considering Michigan? We’ll learn more this weekend. 

S Delano Hill


Hill is a safety out of Detroit Cass Tech (yet another one!) who stands 6'1" and 185 pounds. He is a 3* on Scout who is ranked 25th at his position. Hill actually joins a bunch of Cass Tech sophomores who are visiting Michigan this weekend. Hill has offers from Illinois, Iowa, and Syracuse but is also hearing from multiple schools. He has been wanting to hear from Michigan, and now has been asked to visit. Although Michigan has been planning on taking one safety in the 2013 class (Dymonte Thomas), there is a chance Hill gets offered. 

March 10th Visitors

Remember, as always, this list can (and probably will) change. I'll update as fast as I can. 

3* WR Zach Bradshaw

Bradshaw is a 6’3” and 210-pound prospect who 247 ranks the 30th overall athlete in the nation. He holds offers from multiple Big Ten and ACC schools. Interestingly enough, Michigan State is not one of the Big Ten schools that offered Bradshaw. I say this is interesting because Bradshaw’s father attended Michigan State and Bradshaw, in turn, grew up a State fan. Bradshaw is taking his time visiting multiple schools. He is a big wide receiver, which is exactly the kind Michigan is looking for. He would be an ideal red zone target. A timeline for his decision has not been set, but Bradshaw says he is very interested in Michigan. 

3* CB Gareon Conley

Conley stands 6’2” and 170 pounds. I believe he fits the frame of the kind of cornerback we’re going after: tall. He holds offers from Michigan and Northwestern although I’m sure he’s going to be getting more offers soon. He is unranked on Rivals but a 3* on 247 Sports so we’ll see where he ends up in a few months. Scout recently came out with a list of the top 2013 prospects from Ohio and Conley ranks 16th, ahead of Jaron Dukes, Jacob Matuska, Kevin Gladney, Shane Jones, and Taco Charlton...just to name a few names you may be more familiar with. Impressive considering the talent coming out of Ohio this year. As a junior, Conley had 4 interceptions, 1 of which was returned for a touchdown. He also led the team with 9 pass break-ups. Tom Greene of Scout calls Conley “one of the top sleeper prospects in Ohio for the class of 2013.” Clearly, Hoke knows what he’s doing.

CB Jaleel Hytchye


Hytche is a late add, but he's a good cornerback from Cincinnati, OH. He stands 5'11" and 165 pounds. He does not hold an offer from Michigan (yet) and only has offers from Kent State, Kentucky, and Western Kentucky. His junior season, he had 3 tackles, 4 interceptions, 14 pass break-ups, and 1 forced fumble. 

4* RB Ty Isaac

Isaac is a name we’ve all heard. He’s Michigan’s #1 prospect at RB. Read all about him here. 

4* OL Colin McGovern

I’m surprised and excited about McGovern’s visit. Considering we already have 5 offensive line commits and the coaches have said they’re (most likely) only taking 5, it’s interesting that McGovern is visiting. He is a top talent though, and if he wanted to commit, the coaches would be hard-pressed to deny him. I’m going to go ahead and assume he has great interest in Michigan. McGovern is a 4* offensive tackle from New Lenox, IL who has offers from schools like Michigan, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. He stands 6’7” and 280 pounds. It’s been said that McGovern is a very humble kid who has a good head on his shoulders. Just the kind of Michigan Man I assume Coach Hoke is looking for. If the coaching staff decides to take another offensive lineman, it will be either McGovern or Ethan Pocic. 




Commits that will be on campus:

5* QB Shane Morris

I really have nothing to say except Shane Morris. 

3* WR Jaron Dukes

Dukes, another UM commit, will also make his way to Ann Arbor this weekend. Read all about him here. 

We will also be hosting a 2014 (!) visitor, DE Dylan Roney. Our friend at Tremendous blog broke him down here. 

Looks like this could be another good weekend for Michigan. 

Which Prospects Have Michigan in Their Top-3?

The Wolverine coaching staff has already secured 13 verbal commits from top prospects. But the class isn’t finished, and there’s many more players who are very interested in playing at Michigan. There are 11 prospects who have Michigan in their top-3. Three of them are visiting Michigan next weekend. Let’s get to know them...

1. 4* RB Ty Isaac

We all know who Ty Isaac is. He’s Michigan’s #1 prospect for the remaining spot at running back. And he’s a beast. Click here to check out an in-depth post I wrote on Isaac.

Isaac is visiting Michigan next weekend (March 10th). 

2. 3* RB DeVeon Smith

Smith is a 3* running back out of Warren, OH who 247 ranks 31st in the nation at his position. He holds offers from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, and Penn State. Smith is 5’11” and 195 pounds. Michigan was actually the first to offer Smith, and he grew up a Michigan fan. He is known for being talented enough to run over defenders as well as around them -- a good fit for our pro-style offense. He has also been heralded for his ball security, rarely fumbling even with such a heavy workload. As a junior, he earned Division 2 All-Ohio second-team honors. He racked up nearly 2,200 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. To steal an OSU recruit and life-long Michigan fan would be great. Smith has plenty of potential. 

3. 4* WR Laquon Treadwell 

Treadwell is another player we’re all familiar with. That’s because he’s the #1 WR on Michigan’s board. Check out the in-depth post I wrote on him here. 

4. 3* WR James Onwualu

Onwualu is a 3* wide receiver out of St. Paul, MN who 247 ranks 50th in the nation at his position. He holds double digit offers from schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Stanford. Onwualu is 6’1” and 205 pounds and is the #1 prospect out of Minnesota. One of the reasons I’m sure Onwualu interests the Michigan coaching staff is his athleticism. He carries the ball from the backfield, catches passes split as a wide receiver, and even lines up on defense on occasion. There’s even been talk of him playing corner or safety at the next level. Multi-positional athletes have been a recurring them this year. Onwualu would be an excellent slot receiver, considering his size and athleticism. I believe Onwualu is vastly underrated and that Michigan would be lucky to get him. 

Onwualu is visiting Michigan next weekend (March 10th). 

5. 3* CB Gareon Conley

Conley is someone I wrote about yesterday when I wrote about Michigan’s options at the cornerback position. 

Conley is a 3* cornerback out of Massilion, OH who stands 6’2” and 170 pounds. I believe he fits the frame of the kind of cornerback we’re going after: tall. He holds offers from Michigan and Northwestern although I’m sure he’s going to be getting many more offers soon. Scout recently came out with a list of the top 2013 prospects from Ohio and Conley ranks 16th, ahead of Jaron Dukes, Jacob Matuska, Kevin Gladney, Shane Jones, and Taco Charlton...just to name a few you may be more familiar with. As a junior, Conley had 4 interceptions, 1 of which was returned for a touchdown. He also led the team with 9 pass break-ups. Tom Greene of Scout calls Conley “one of the top sleeper prospects in Ohio for the class of 2013.” Clearly, Hoke knows what he’s doing.

Conley is visiting Michigan next weekend (March 10th).

6. 4* DL Henry Poggi

Poggi is a 4* tackle out of Baltimore, MD who Rivals ranks as 43rd overall in the nation. He stands 6’3” and 250 pounds. He finished his junior season with 49 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, and one forced fumble. Poggi is a beast, with about 20 offers from schools like Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, and Stanford. It’s too early to say much about his options, but Poggi is very interested in Michigan. He has already visited Michigan twice, but is planning another visit soon. Poggi plays a position of need for Michigan and he would be an excellent get.

7. 4* LB Mike McCray

McCray is a 4* outside linebacker out of Trotwood, OH. Rivals ranks him 44th overall in the nation. He has more than 20 offers including ones from Michigan, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. I’m surprised he does not have more big-time offers, although I’m also kind of relieved. Hopefully he is impressed with how early on Michigan realized his talent. This kid is a beast. He stands 6’4” and 230 pounds and runs a 4.61 40. McCray came from the same high school as Roy Roundtree, Michael Shaw, and Brandon Moore. His 2013 teammate Cameron Burrows, however, is already committed to Ohio State. Even though McCray doesn’t have an OSU offer yet, I can promise you he will eventually. Luckily for us, I don’t think that will matter. McCray has a large interest in Michigan right now and plans to make a decision on March 7th or 8th. He is good friends with Michigan commits from Ohio, Taco Charlton and Jaron Dukes. He has said that he could see himself at Michigan. It would have been an easy and educated guess to assume Ohio State would land McCray but like I said, they haven’t offered him yet. Not to mention he has said they aren’t recruiting him right now, unlike Michigan who is going after him hard. McCray will choose between Michigan, Illinois, and Tennessee next week.

McCray is visiting Michigan next week (March 6th).

8. 4* LB E.J. Levenberry

Levenberry is an early 4* outside linebacker out of Woodbridge, VA. Rivals ranks him 15th overall in the nation, which means he will probably end up getting a 5th star. He stands 6’3” and 226 pounds. He holds over 20 offers, including ones from Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. An impressive offer sheet, to say the least. E.J. Levenberry is one of my favorite recruits because not only is he one of the top ranked of the bunch, but his top schools are currently Michigan, Florida, and Florida State. Yep, that’s correct. It’s Us vs. The Florida Schools. And ESPN has reported that Michigan is currently on top. Apparently Levenberry loves Hoke. Him and I have that in common. Levenberry has met Shane Morris and Dymonte Thomas, and has heard from both of them how much Michigan impresses them. He is also very impressed with Coach Mattison and how he has coached Ray Lewis. Last but not least, Levenberry’s father went to school with (Michigan sophomore CB) Blake Countess’s father, so they go way back. He said that Blake’s father said great things about Michigan. All in all, I’d say we have a great shot. Granted it will be hard to overcome the Florida schools, but I think Levenberry has made a great connection with Michigan so far. 

Levenberry is visiting Michigan for the Spring Game (April 14th).

9. 4* LB Dorian O’Daniel

O’Daniel is a 4* outside linebacker from Olney, MD (Our Lady of Good Counsel HS). Rivals ranks him 37th overall in the nation. O’Daniel stands 6’1” and 205 pounds. He runs a 4.55 40. He holds more than 20 offers including ones from Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. The reason I mentioned his high school is because it may sound familiar. Our Lady of Good Counsel is the same high school that sophomore CB Blake Countess came from. This is the second linebacker recruit with a connection to Blake! It’s also the high school where (class of 2013) highly touted 5* cornerback Kendall Fuller comes from. I wrote about him recently here. He is another recruit we are after. Could we get two from Our Lady of Good Counsel HS? Hmm... O’Daniel has Michigan at the top of his list right now. Interestingly enough, during our big 8-recruit weekend haul, Florida also had a big weekend. I mention this because Florida is (was?) one of O’Daniel’s favorites, yet during that weekend, they took 4 linebackers. We’ll see if that plays a part in his decision.

O’Daniel is visiting Michigan for the Spring Game (April 14th) along with teammate Kendall Fuller.

10. 4* LB Ben Gedeon

Gedeon is a favorite LB prospect of mine but I hadn’t really considered him an option since he’s from Ohio. Not that Hoke hasn’t been recruiting the hell out of Ohio, but Gedeon has Michigan and Ohio State in his top group. Ugh. That shouldn’t take away from his excellent ball skills though. Rivals ranks Gedeon 224th overall in the nation. He stands 6’3” and 215 pounds and has lots of offers. Offers include Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford, and Tennessee. Gedeon is actually an excellent athlete, but is mainly being offered as a linebacker. He wasn’t planning on taking any more visits until after his basketball season, but the coaches got him to visit this weekend. He should be on campus tomorrow. They know as well as we do how fast this class is filling up. To get Gedeon on campus (other than for a game) would be huge, because it’s basically a forgone conclusion that he would be blown away. To steal another one from under Urban’s nose? Would be oh, so nice...

11. 4* LB Peter Kalambayi

Kalambayi is one prospect I don’t think we hear as much about. He’s an all-star though. Kalambayi is a 4* prospect out of Matthews, NC. Rivals ranks him 62nd in the nation. He holds double digit offers including Michigan, Arkansas, Florida, Ohio State, and Oregon. As a junior, Kalambayi had 79 tackles, 6 sacks, and 13 tackles for loss. He is an excellent pass rusher, which is something we could use. Kalambayi actually had an offer from Rich Rod as a sophomore, but Coach Hoke has visited his school since then and let him know the offer still stands and we want him to join the 2013 class. He is thinking of deciding at the Army All-American game, but we’ll see if that changes anytime soon. 

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

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