Thoughts on Michigan's Needs To Finish 2013 Recruiting Class

As we all know, things have been a bit slow lately on the recruiting front following Michigan's red hot start, but there are a few needs that the coaches still would like to fill.  I would have to say DT, WR, and RB.  Here's a few prospects at each position that I believe Michigan is recruiting very hard and would be great fits in Ann Arbor.

Henry Poggi.  Ranked 2nd at the DT position according to Rivals, and is another consensus 4-star at 6'4" and weighing 260 pounds.  He could put on a few more pounds, but he is definitely a great prospect.  He's being recruited by all of the major programs and would be a welcome addition to the class. 

Now onto WR and the person I believe is the most important person left on Michigan's board as far as needs go, Laquon Treadwell.  The top player in Illinois and for good reason.  At the 7-on-7 representing Core6 he pretty much was unguardable, also getting interceptions on the defensive side.  4-star across the board and at 6'3" 185 pounds, he's got great size and also has some good speed.  He's proven to be the best WR at every camp he goes to and has showed some solid interest in Michigan.  He has been to visit and has developed a relationship with some of Team 134 commits especially Shane Morris, which doesn't hurt.  Treadwell is one of the top WR prospects in the country and would definitely be a great "catch" for Michigan. 

Sebastian La'Rue.  At 5'11" and 185 pounds, he isn't the tallest kid on the planet, but he is very talented.  He hails out of California so it could be a difficult pull for Michigan, but is definitely on the board and has shown interest.  Hope to get him on campus this summer, but he is definitely a great prospect and would be a nice get.  However, this will largely depend on what happens with Treadwell.  He's Michigan's main WR priority and would likely fill the class.

RB. I believe the main choice is obvious and that would be monster back Derrick Green.  Derrick has shown that he wants to be in a smashmouth running style of offense and that's what Coach Hoke and company want to use at Michigan.  With the monster offensive line they have recruited, I see that happening very soon and that's why Derrick is such a very important player for Michigan to get.  He has the nickname "Man-Child" and for good reason.  At 6'0" 215 pounds the kid is a freight train and he also happens to be the top tailback in the nation according to Rivals.  He's a 5* with Rivals and a 4* with everyone else.  The recent commitment of Ty Isaac to USC definitely has forced the coaches to put on the fullcourt press.  However, I believe that Green may be the better prospect, he has more size and if you haven't watched his film, I suggest you do so because the kid is an absolute nightmare once he gets the football.  Green should be visiting soon and it will be of vital importance for the coaches to get him on board. 

Another guy that isn't one of the 3 positions that I listed, but would also be a great get for Michigan is DE Joe Mathis.  He happens to be the cousin of heavily touted CB Su'a Cravens.  Su'a is deciding on June 6th and many people have him as a USC lock.  Michigan is in the hunt so maybe we all get surprised.  Joe Mathis has been dominating camps all summer and he's 6'4" 254 pounds and has great speed and strength off the edge.  He has repeatedly shown that he's a nightmare off the edge and would be a great pickup for the Michigan coaches.  4-star across the board and is ranked 6th at his position has at one time named Michigan as his leader, but the next week named Nebraska as his leader.  Could be a long time before we see where Mathis decides to commit, but I think Michigan is in the hunt and has a great shot at landing him.  We shall see where his cousin Cravens decides to go because that could be a factor in Joe's recruitment.

Well, why not talk about Su'a Cravens.  One of the best prospects in the nation and is a 5* across the board.  He has announced he is making his decision on June 6th, which is coming up in a few days.  Many people have him as a USC lock, but I have a bit of hope he may commit to Michigan.  He has said distance isn't a factor and seemed to like the Wolverines.  He's the top ranked safety in the country and rated as the 8th overall player.  He's got great size at 6'1" 205 pounds and with an already improving secondary for Michigan he would be a phenomenal get.  Michigan is in his final three so everyone should pay attention June 6th and hopefully we get an early Christmas present.

Alright, obviously, there are plenty more prospects out there, but these are some of the names for you guys to keep your eye on.  Michigan has been recruiting them very hard as of late which tells me that they are all high on the board.  Maurice Hurst, Jr. has told everyone to be on commit watch, so hopefully he isn't the only one off of this list as these are all great players that all have interest in Michigan.

Michigan's Options at Wide Receiver

The 2013 class has one wide receiver committed, 3* Jaron Dukes out of Columbus, OH. This means we will take at least one more receiver and possibly two. Luckily for Michigan, the wide receivers in the 2013 class are incredible. I didn’t even realize how many spectacular ones there are until I wrote this piece. I know everyone has their hopes on Treadwell (as do I), but there are many fantastic options. What I’ve noticed the most about the guys we’re going after is their height (they’re all very tall), and their athleticism. Most of them have played and can play multiple positions, which is clearly something the coaches like. 

Michigan has multiple wide receiver recruits who are very interested, and many of the names are brand new. You’ll probably notice there’s few recruits from California, as the coaches have some pretty great connections out there. Since we’ll probably take 2 more receivers, my wish list would have to include Laquon Treadwell and Eldridge Massington, but truthfully I’d be happy with any 2 on this list. Here is a little bit about the most popular ones:

4* Laquon Treadwell

Treadwell is definitely Michigan’s #1 target at WR. Read all about him here. He will be making his FIFTH visit to Ann Arbor in the next couple weeks to check out a spring practice. Lucky #5? We can only hope. 

4* Marquez North

North is a 4* wide receiver out of Charlotte, North Carolina. He stands 6’3” and 205 pounds. Rivals ranks him 24th nationally and 3rd at his position, which makes him a prime candidate for a 5th star. He also runs a 4.48-second 40 time. He holds almost 20 offers including ones from Michigan, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, and South Carolina. As a junior, he had over 1,000 receiving yards on 39 receptions and 19 touchdowns. He also had 400 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. North plans on visiting Michigan in May and says he’s been hearing from the staff weekly. Getting North on campus would be huge, as it seems he has some real interest in Michigan. He has never visited the campus but does have family in Flint, MI and actually has family attending Michigan. He plans on making a summer decision. 

4* Demorea Stringfellow

Stringfellow is a 4* wide receiver out of Moreno Valley, CA. He stands 6’2” and 185 pounds, probably the ideal height the coaches are looking for in a wide receiver. Rivals ranks him 107th in the nation and 14th at his position. Stringfellow holds offers from Michigan, Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Nebraska, UCLA, and Washington State. Stringfellow’s recruitment will probably continue to heat up but he seems to have genuine interest in Michigan. As a junior, he had 46 receptions for 1,080 yards and 19 touchdowns. Impressive considering he started playing football in the 9th grade. Yes, you read that correctly. Michigan sees Stringfellow as an impact player who can be a big-time player on the field. Stringfellow says he has no favorites but is trying to come out to Michigan for a spring practice. It’s going to be difficult since he’s coming from California, but he’s working on convincing his parents to let him come out for an unofficial visit. 

4* Devon Allen

Allen is a 4* wide receiver out of Phoenix, AZ. He stands 6’1” and 190 pounds and he also runs a 4.4 second-40. Rivals ranks Allen 110th in the nation and 15th at his position. Allen holds over 20 offers including ones from Michigan, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Stanford. Allen is known as a “speedster” and is lauded for his speed more than anything. As a sophomore, Allen was named 1st team all-region after catching 60 passes for 915 yards and 6 touchdowns. As a junior, he caught 44 passes for 844 yards and 14 touchdowns and he was named all-state. Impressive, to say the least. The Michigan coaches have told him that he would probably be their deep threat, considering his speed. Allen says he doesn’t have a preference in terms of location and deciding his future school. He plans on taking a little midwest trip during his Spring Break (2nd week of April) and wants to see Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska. Nothing is set in stone yet. He does not have a timeline but also said he’s not into the whole “picking hats” thing on Signing Day. 

4* Marcell Ateman

Ateman is a 4* wide receiver out of Wylie, TX. He stands 6’4” (wow) and 189 pounds. He also runs a 4.5-second 40. Rivals ranks Ateman 140th in the nation and 20th at his position. He holds more than 25 offers, including ones from Michigan, Arkansas, Baylor, and Tennessee. Michigan is definitely his best offer, but again, it will be hard to pry him from the south. Ateman would be a real threat on deep balls and jump balls mainly because of his height and 27.5-inch vertical. He’s admitted being a Texas fan but does not hold a Texas offer yet. Ateman says he wants to visit Michigan sometime this summer. Visiting Michigan will make a big difference in Ateman’s recruitment, as he’s not even close to making a decision. He says he wants to feel at home, and there’s no way of that happening unless he gets out to Ann Arbor. 

4* Sebastian LaRue

LaRue is a 4* wide receiver out of Santa Monica, CA. He stands 5’11” and 185 pounds. Rivals ranks him 141st nationally and 21st at his position. LaRue holds over 20 offers including ones from Michigan, Florida State, and Oklahoma. When asked about what he knows about Michigan, LaRue responded, “All I really know about them is Denard Robinson,” he replied laughing. Well, you can’t blame the guy. He also knows that we produce great players like Charles Woodson though, and LaRue is open to playing either wide receiver or cornerback at the next level. He plays both positions in high school and as a junior had almost 1,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns on offense, and 4 interceptions on defense. LaRue says he has no problem leaving his home-state and neither does his mom. He also said he wants to play whatever position his coach wants him to play, so he definitely seems like a team player. I think to have a shot at someone like LaRue, we need to get him out to Ann Arbor. He wants to visit so we’ll see. 

4* James Quick

Quick is a 4* wide receiver out of Louisville, Kentucky. He stands 6’1” and 180 pounds and also runs a 4.41-second 40. Rivals ranks Quick 194th nationally and 26th at his position. Surprisingly, he holds only 10 offers, but in this case, quality is better than quantity. Quick holds offers from Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. It’s worth noting that Quick is a 5* on Scout. As a junior, he had 82 (!) receptions for 1,434 yards and 21 touchdowns. Wow. Interestingly enough, Michigan is also very interested in Quick’s teammate, Jason Hatcher (a DE). He plans on visiting in the spring, and hopefully Quick comes with him. Quick was also the first-ever freshman to start a game at his high school. That’s saying something. 

4* Uriah LeMay

LeMay is a 4* wide receiver out of Matthews, North Carolina. He stands 6’2” and 188 pounds. Rivals ranks him 212th in the nation and 28th at his position. LeMay holds over 25 offers including ones from Michigan, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. LeMay wants to visit Michigan for a spring practice, but nothing is set in stone yet. As a junior, he had 43 receptions for 842 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 38 times for 397 yards and 5 touchdowns. Dual-threat, my friends. LeMay says that Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU are recruiting him the hardest so prying him away from SEC-country may be difficult. He plans on making a summer decision, so sooner rather than later.  

4* Eldridge Massington

Massington is a 4* wide receiver out of Mesquite, TX. He stands 6’3” and 205 pounds. Rivals ranks him 245th nationally and 32nd at his position. He holds over 20 offers including ones from Michigan, Baylor, Notre Dame, and Tennessee. His list doesn’t have many big-time schools, but that could play to our advantage if he’s willing to go out-of-state. Massington has some real interest in Michigan. He realizes that his biggest offers to-date are Michigan and Notre Dame and he plans on finding out a lot more about both of them. He wants to visit both unofficially and wants to make his decision before his senior season. This could also play to our advantage because his recruitment is surely to blow up. I say this because as a junior, he was only able to play in 5 games due to having turf toe. Eldridge is very fond of Steve Lorenz of the Tremendous blog and has been updating him before anyone else. He has told Tremendous that Michigan is at the top of his list when it comes to his recruitment, which is fantastic news. He originally wanted to make a Spring decision, but it now appears as though he wants to take his time. 

4* ATH Darrell Daniels

Daniels is a 4* athlete out of Oakley, CA who Michigan is recruiting at wide receiver. He stands 6’4” and 205 pounds and also runs a 4.5-second 40. Rivals ranks him 170th in the nation and the 13th best athlete. He holds double digit offers including ones from Michigan, Arkansas, Auburn, and Nebraska. I haven’t personally watched Daniels on tape, but I hear he’s a complete freak. As a junior, Daniels ran for 266 yards on 44 carries with 4 touchdowns. He had 30 receptions for 526 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also had 63 tackles, 3 pass break-ups, an interception, and added 2 returns for touchdowns on defense. Talk about an athlete. I don’t know if Daniels will make it out to Michigan for an unofficial but he is considering using one of his official visits on Michigan. If we can get him out here, that will make a difference. Otherwise, he’s a long-shot. 

Others with offers: 

3* Rob Wheelwright out of Columbus, OH

3* Richard Benjamin out of Tampa, FL

3* Kevin Gladney out of Akron, OH