Post-Camp U-M Football Recruiting Thoughts: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

The surprise verbal of Detroit Cass Tech rising junior William Campbell. This was important as Michigan is not heavily involved with many rising senior defensive tackles and it also helps to re-establish the Cass Tech pipeline after landing Boubacar Cissiko this year. The Joseph Barksdale fiasco still lingers…..

Speaking of rising junior class, the state of Michigan looks to be on the verge of producing a third consecutive class that would be considered at least slightly above average. The in-state rising juniors performed well, with a couple of other offers being extended. It looks to be a great year for in-state skill prospects, led by WR/CB James Jackson, WR Cameron Gordon and RBs Larry Capers and Hersey Jackson. I think the summer camp has actually become more important in identifying the top young talent and starting to establish relationships with these prospects. The Michigan coaching staff is starting to do a good job in adapting to the accelerated recruiting time line and kudos have to go to recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary with respect to this.

In my view, a limited number of new camp offers is a good thing. This means that the staff is further along in the evaluation process than they used to be in the old days, when summer camp was once early in the evaluation period.

New offers to rising seniors went out to the following prospects:

QB John Weinke

RB Jonas Gray

OL Rocko Khoury

OL Kevin Zeitler

CB Marc Anthony

The Weinke offer was not a big surprise once I learned he would be attending camp. He is one of the fastest-rising QBs in the nation and Michigan has been cslow in evaluating and offering QBs this year, in part because it is a down year for the position.

Gray finally received his offer after wowing onlookers at the camp, including running a 4.37 forty.

Khoury and Zeitler were the gong show winners among a large group of offensive linemen were were battling for a scholarship offer. A few camp offers needed to be given out here as Michigan has a need at the position and has finished second on a few higher-regarded prospects.

Anthony is one of the fastest-rising CB prospects in the nation. He lacks real jets, but has open hips and excellent coverage skills. It is also a position where Michigan needs to build some depth.

Here are a few campers who did not earn offers but who looked good enough to remain on the offer watch list heading into high summer:

RB/LB Glenn Winston

DE Glen Foster

DE Sean Progar

LB Kenny Demens

QB Nathan Stanley

LB/RB Brandon Beachum

WR Damion Dixon

CB/WR D.J. Woods

OL Deonte Pannell

Winston and Foster are two Glenn’s who have tremendous size/speed ratios and are really put together well. Classic high ceiling types who are still raw as football players.

Progar is a prospect to really watch out for. He has liked Michigan for some time and looked very good at the camp.

Stanley seemed to be possibly third on the Micvhigan QB target list after Mike Glennon and John Weinke. An offer could go out to him at any time.

Demens and Beachum could receive offers if Michigan misses out on some of their top LB targets.

Dixon could receive an offer down the road, especially if the news on Jon Baldwin is true.

The top uncommitted campers who have been offered by Michigan:

1. Ethan Johnson

2. Michael Floyd

3. Jonas Gray

4. Marcus Dowtin

5. Fred Smith

6. Kevin Koger

Michigan really helped themselves with Johnson, who has relatives nearby. Floyd is a longshot and could end up at Notre Dame. Dowtin, Smith and Koger are all seriously considering Michigan but none of them are locks.

The Bad

Thus far, there have been no rising senior verbals. It must also be disconcerting that prospects such as Rocko Khoury and Kevin Zeitler did not commit immediately and are considering Michigan State and Wisconsin, respectively. In the old days, Michigan would have locked up on these kids early.

I’ve heard from three separate sources that Michigan has fallen behind Notre Dame in the Jonathan Baldwin sweepstakes. This is the first bit or REAL bad news in the recruiting front this year. The other prospects Notre Dame has beaten U-M out for this year are all solid kids, but none are the difference-maker type of prospects that Baldwin is. Wolverine fans won’t be able to spin this one away should Baldwin go Irish.

Tyler Hoover to Michigan State. When is the last time Michigan State beat out Michigan for an in-stater that both schools offered. OK, so a lot of people aren’t enamored with Hoover as a DE, and the name Pat Massey is often heard in the conversation. Nevertheless, Hoover is a tall, rangy and athletic DE/TE/OT who I think could make an outstanding OT down the road. A loss, albeit not huge, for Michigan, but a huge get for MSU. These things are relative, after all.

The feeling that Michigan State could really make a big push when it comes to in-state recruiting. Michigan may have waited too long to offer Jones Gray, and with teammate Kenny Demens not yet sporting a Wolverine offer, I would not be surprised to see both verbal to the Spartans sooner rather than later. The longer this thing plays out the better for Michigan. I also think Michigan has a battle on their hands with Michigan State for both Fred Smith and Nick Perry. Michigan State just seems to be showing the in-staters a lot more love than the Wolverines. Perhaps this is because these are the biggest fish that Mark D’Antonio and company have to fry while Lloyd Carr and crew have a smorgasbord of blue-chippers to recruit and choose from.

Biggest camp disappointments:

None of the in-state quarterbacks (Mifsud, Lum, Follett, Krauss, Kay) emerged as an offer candidate.

People were waiting to see how Mike Hart’s cousin, Anton Harris, who was a star for Bitburg High in Germany, would do. Hes a hard-nosed runner like his cousin but didn’t show the speed to be a top flight recruit.

A lot of people were eager to see how small school in-state OT Zac Hueter would perform. He looks to be MAC-bound.

Was New York LB/RB Latavius Murray a now-show. Hes from Mike Hart’S school and could have earned himself an offer with a good camp performance.

Detroit CB Anthony Hollis was another no-show that puzzled people.

Yet another CB who failed to show was Illinois DB Tommie Thomas.

Pennsylvania WR/DB Vaughn Carraway was another no-show, albeit it one with an offer. Has his love affair with Michigan cooled?

The Ugly

One of the things that has really worried me in recent years has been our recruitment of the “Big Uglies”: the offensive linemen. In the past several years we have only landed a couple of consensus first or second team all-american recruits at that position: Steve Schilling and Justin Boren. And we almost lost Boren, a U-M legacy, to Ohio State because we waited so long in tendering an offer. Jake Long is a great talent and coming out of high school I REALLY liked him (as did a few other astute followers of U-M recruiting), but he was not a consensus national top 100 prospect.

I remember a few months ago when Dan O’Neill committed to U-M and Lloyd Carr told him that he would be part of the best OL class in the nation. Well, that is not necessarily happening. Sure, Kurt Wermers and Elliott Mealer are solid prospects, but they are not super elite linemen. Neither are new offerees Kevin Zeitler and Rocko Khoury. It should tell you something that Mealer failed to receive an Ohio State offer and we are battling Michigan State for Rocko and Wisconsin for Zeitler. Solid prospects, but not the supers we need to compete with the USCs, Ohio State’s and Florida’s of the world.

Here is how I have the linemen/prospective linemen ranked for Michigan as compared to our competitors (cumulative OL rankings, not divided between center, tackle, guard):

Michigan

17 Dan O’Neill

25 Zebrie Sanders

45 Kurt Wermers

48 Elliott Mealer

60 Rocko Khoury

62 Kevin Zeitler

Ohio State

5 Michael Brewster

6 Mike Adams

13 J.B. Shugarts

USC

1 Tyron Smith

3 Matt Kalil

33 Matt Meyer

Nebraska

10 Baker Steinkuhler

16 Trevor Robinson

28 Bryce Givens

31 Dan Hoch

Notre Dame

30 Lane Clelland

50 Braxston Cave

54 Mike Golic

As you can see, USC has managed to receive verbals from two offensive linemen in the past few months who are more highly rated that ANYBODY Michigan has signed at the position in, say, over ten years. Ohio State is on the verge of putting together an offensive line class for the ages. Nebraska’s class is also stronger and includes several kids they beat U-M out for. Currently, Michigan’s class is only slightly better than Notre Dame’s, and that’s simply because of O’Neill and the fact that Notre Dame already has a ton of Offensive line prospects on campus.

The offensive line class that Michigan is putting together this year reminds me quite a bit, both in terms of numbers and talent level, of the 2005 freshman class of Justin Schifano, Mark Ortmann, Cory Zirbel, Dave Moosman and Tim McAvoy. Schifano had a national ranking similar to O’Neill’s while all the others were more or less middling prospecst who were not national elite top 20 linemen. Entering their third year in the program perhaps one, likely Ortmann, will be a starter, and that is probably due to the fact that Schilling has missed so much time due to injury. Lots of road-graders who are fine agaist the likes of Indiana, Minnesota and even Michigan State, but have a tough time holding up against the athletic defenders at programs like USC. The proof is in the pudding.

It’s interesting to note that U-M has had very little success in recruiting both offensive linemen and the state of Illinois since Andy Moeller has been responsible for both at Michigan.

2007 University of Michigan Football Camp Preview

The University of Michigan football camp kicks off on Monday, June 18.

Below is my overview of some of the top rising senior prospects who have indicated that they will or may be attending the camp. Please keep in mind that this is a very fluid list. Often players who say they plan on attending do not show up while others decide to attend at the last minute.

Quarterbacks

There is a need for Michigan to sign a QB this year as only Ryan Mallett and Dave Cone will be around in 2008. An incoming freshman would likely have a two year gap with Mallett probably not red shirting this year.

Michigan has only offered one QB that I believe it has a legitimate shot at signing and that is Mike Glennon out of Virginia. Don’t be surprised to see the most impressive camp QB receive an offer and possibly even commit. It’s a deep year for borderline U-M caliber QBs in Michigan and Krauss, Kay and Mifsud will all battle for that elusive offer. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see in-staters Adam Follett, Craig Sacha and Chris Lum show up as well.

1 Jacob Charest QB 6′3 178 4.97 Charlotte Butler North Carolina Offers: LOU, NCST, MD, CAL, ILL Will camp Will be interesting to see if this Butler player shows up

2 Spencer Krauss QB/LB 6′1 212 Clinton Michigan Offers: STAN Will camp Fast-rising in-stater has a gun for an arm and is tough, but may be too short

3 Brendon Kay QB/ATH 6′4 218 4.77 Marine City Michigan Offers: EMU Will camp and Camped in 2006 On the radar for a while. Make or break time

4 Anthony Mifsud QB 6′4 184 4.90 Dearborn Michigan Will camp Least touted of the top four QBs camping but for some reason I suspect he is the most likely to receive an offer

Running Backs

McGuffie is the RB that U-M really wants and they may be reluctant to offer a similar sort of back in fear of scaring McGuffie away (which is, in my view, unlikely, as McGuffie loves competition).

Michigan will need to decide what to do about highly touted in-stater Jonas Gray. Ray is another in-stater who has blown up recently and watch out for super sleeper Anton Harris, who played this past year in Germany.

1 Sam McGuffie RB 5′11 191 4.32 Houston Cy-Fair Texas Offers: 20+ April Offers: KAN, TT, A&M, KANST, OK, MICH, GT, ND, FLA, AL, AZ, MIN, BAY, MIA, IAST, FSU, CAL, PSU, OKST, BC, USC Will camp Already offered

2 Jonas Gray RB 5′10 214 4.53 Birmingham Detroit Country Day Michigan Offers: MICHST, COL, ILL, MIN, FLA, IA, CIN, PUR, LOU, TEN, WISC, NEB Will camp and Camped in 2006 If he isn’t offered here, he may never be offered by U-M

3 Caulton Ray RB/DB 5′9 195 4.34 Birmingham Brother Rice Michigan Offers: EMU, CMU, BG, CIN Will camp Blew up at Nebraska camp, but skills may be too similar to McGuffie to earn an offer unless he is willing to play CB

4 Andre Smith RB 5′11 185 4.40 Bakersfield East Bakersfield California Offers: ORE, COLST Will camp Curious to see if he will show up

5 Anton Harris RB/LB 5′9 200 4.50 Bitburg Germany Will camp Mike Hart’s cousin was the top DOD player in Europe this past year. A super sleeper

6 Darrin Williams RB/WR/DB 5′6 163 4.34 Detroit Martin Luther King Michigan Offers: CIN, HOWARD, CMU Will camp Cincinnati verbal who is cat-quick

7 James Cravens RB 6′0 217 4.47 Centerville Ohio Will camp Nice combo of power and speed

8 Jezrel White RB 5′11 190 Kalamazoo Hackett Michigan Will camp Small school stud to keep an eye on

9 DeAndre Johnson RB/DB 5′9 180 4.50 Madison Heights Madison Michigan Will camp Big numbers on the field but a bit small for U-M?

10 Glenn Winston RB/LB 6′1 213 4.39 Detroit Denby Michigan Will camp Rare size/speed ratio could make Winston this year’s James Rogers. Watch him closely!

11 Mario Crawford RB/DB/WR 5′8 157 4.40 Romulus Michigan Offers: CMU Will camp Quick but too small

12 Dominique White RB/DB 5′7 171 4.70 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Michigan Camped The best in a down year at St. Mary’s

13 Angel Clybourn RB/LB 6′1 220 4.60 Princeton The Hun School New Jersey May camp Prep school star who is a sleeper as he only played in 3 games as a junior due to transfer rules.

14 Teddy Frommann RB/DL/LB 6′0 231 4.90 Portage Northern Michigan Will camp Nice-looking fullback who may be a step slow.

15 Charles Hollowell RB/WR 5′9 171 4.40 Detroit Renaissance Michigan Will camp Too small

Wide Receivers

U-M is feeling pretty good about current offerees Jon Baldwin, Darryl Stonum and Fred Smith, so I would be surprised to see new WR offers emerge unless someone truly stands out. Damion Dixon could be the most likely prospect to receive an offer (assuming Fuller does not show up).

1 Jeffrey Fuller WR 6′5 200 4.50 McKinney Boyd Texas Offers: 25 June Offers: A&M, OK, BC, BAY, DUKE, OKST, WISC, TCU, COL, MO, ILL, LSU, OHST, NEB, AL, TEX, FLA May camp Great offer list but will he show and will we offer a receiver at the camp? I doubt it for both.

2 Sedrick Johnson WR/LB 6′4 190 4.60 Arp Texas HOU, A&M, OKST, TULSA, NEB, MICH, FLA, COL May camp Reportedly already has an offer but will he show and, if so, will U-M fast-play him. Doubt it on both.

3 D.J. Woods WR/DB 6′0 175 4.35 Strongsville Ohio EMU, MIA (OH), KENTST, BALLST, IN, IA, PITT, NEB, AIR FORCE, WVU, WISC Will camp Tests great but plays a bit stiff. Could project at DB

4 Damion Dixon WR 6′4 180 4.50 Port Allen Louisiana AUB, FLA Will camp Sleeper to really watch out for. This year’s LaTerryal Savoy?

5 Samuel Gaymon WR/DB 6′3 182 4.60 Detroit Renaissance Michigan CMU, EMU, TOL, CIN, BC Will camp One of the top prospects in Detroit but U-M has bigger fish to fry.

6 Jarrett Boykin WR 6′0 185 4.70 Charlotte Butler North Carolina Will camp Another Butler prospect

7 Lars Knudsen WR 6′4 173 4.50 Whitefish Bay Wisconsin Likely camper Good prospect, at least for the state of Wisconsin.

Tight Ends

Brandon Moore is already on board while Kevin Koger and Tyler Hoover are offerees who could also play TE. Ladner is a likely no-show after committing to CAL recently. Graham already has an offer. I don’t really see any new offers at this position during camp week.

1 Spencer Ladner TE/WR 6′7 240 4.81 Kansas City Pembroke Hill Missouri Offers: 19 May Offers: MO, KAN, KANST, WISC, CLEM, WASH ST, NEB, MICH, OK, CAL, IA, COL, MO, UVA May camp Committed to California recently so I doubt he shows up

2 Hubie Graham TE/DL 6′4 225 4.70 Scranton West Scranton Pennsylvania Offers: 25 May Offers: PITT, SYR, VANDY, MICH, MIN, PSU, CLEM, IA, WISC, ILL, GT, VT, CFLA, NCST, SCAR, MICHST, FSU, BUFF, FLA, UCONN, BC, LOU, OK, UCLA, RUT Will camp Seems pretty open so it will be interesting to see if he shows

3 Cody Aughney TE 6′6 220 4.90 Henderson Green Valley Nevada Will camp Sleeper who looked solid at USC skills camp

4 Joe Collura TE/OL/DL 6′4 250 Hyattsville DeMatha Maryland Will camp Solid blocker

Offensive Linemen

Much like QB, there will be a real gong show going on for possible offers on the OL. Pocic may feel some heat to commit before the OL fills up as at least one of several in-staters along with Kevin Zeitler could well emerge with an offer this week.

1 Dan O’Neill OL/DL 6′8 291 Grand Haven Michigan Offers: WMU, CMU, PUR, MICH, MICHST, NEB, UCLA, FSU May camp and Camped in 2006 Michigan verbal

2 Graham Pocic OL 6′7 313 5.62 Lemont Illinois Offers: 20+ May Offers: ILL, WISC, NW, VANDY, IN, DUKE, PUR, MD, PSU, FSU, NCST, TEN, COL, FLA, MICH, BC, MIN, MIA, NCAR Will camp Already has an offer. From the same school as Dave Molk but a very different sort of lineman.

3 Elliott Mealer OL/DL/TE 6′6 280 5.20 Wauseon Ohio Offers: 13 April Offers: MIA (OH), BG, PUR, CIN, NW, DUKE, EMU, IN, MICHST, MICH Will camp Michigan verbal

4 Deontee Pannell OL/DL 6′6 300 Birmingham Groves Michigan Offers: MICHST, EMU, CMU, MIN, PUR, PSU, WISC Will camp Really blowing up this spring and has as good a chance as any lineman to land an offer at the camp. I so, the commitment watch would begin.

5 Rocko Khoury OL/DL 6′6 282 5.00 Traverse City West Michigan Offers: WMU, EMU, CMU, MICHST Will camp Right up there with Pannell as one who has a legit shot of receiving an offer with a solid camp

6 Kevin Zeitler OL 6′4 288 Milwaukee Wisconsin Lutheran Wisconsin Offers: AIR FORCE, ARMY, MIN, PUR, WISC, NILL Will camp One of the top prospects in Wiscosnin and has a great chance to receive an offer.

7 Zac Hueter OL/DL/TE 6′6 270 5.10 North Branch Michigan Offers: CMU Will camp Sleeper OT with a great frame and quick feet. With a great camp another offer, and commitment watch, possibilty

8 Andrew Sampson OL/DL 6′4 275 Aurora Overland Colorado Offers: WASH, AZST, COLST, UTAH May camp Will he show?

9 Chad Hounshell OL/DL 6′6 302 5.36 Mentor Lake Catholic Ohio Offers: 6 May Offers: COL, KAN, WMU, KENT ST, IN, MIA (OH) May camp; 2006 Camp Similar in a lot of ways to Pocic and has had a good spring

10 Carlin Landingham OL 6′2 275 5.69 Muskegon Michigan May camp May be too short to receive an offer

11 Matt Lipski OL 6′9 362 5.56 Ashland Oregon Will camp Athletic for a big guy, but needs to redistribute his weight.

12 Mohamad Moukdad OL 6′2 315 5.47 Dearborn Fordson Michigan Will camp Powerful road grader whose lack of ideal height hurts

13 Chris Groth OL 6′4 295 South Lyon Michigan May camp Sleeper OG prospect who is certainly on my possible offer radar

14 Ethan Ruhland OL 6′6 257 5.51 Lake Orion Michigan Offers: ARMY, AIR FORCE, EMU, CMU, WMU, MIA (OH) Will camp Plays for a strong program and has a nice frame

15 Marc Stevens OL/DL 6′5 298 5.59 Lexington Ohio Offers: 6 MAC Offers as of May: AKRON, BG, BALLST, WMU Will camp Stevens and everyone listed below would really have to surprise to be offered

16 Blaec Walker OL 6′6 317 Middletown Ohio Offers: BG, ILL, EMU Will camp

17 Neal Dieters OL 6′9 342 Elmhurst York Illinois Offers: UVA, TOL Will camp

18 Chip Robinson OL 6′6 370 6.41 Middletown Ohio Offers: BG, EMU, ILL Likely camper

19 Donald Mathis OL/DL 6′2 317 5.10 Detroit Crockett Michigan Will camp

20 Lawrence Young OL/DL 6′3 270 Detroit Renaissance Michigan Offers: CMU Will camp

21 Cory Christianson OL 6′2 278 5.30 Richfield Academy of Holy Angels Minnesota May camp and Camped in 2006

22 Guy Reynolds OL 6′2 314 5.44 Avondale Westview Arizona Offers: ID May camp

23 Austin Holtz OL 6′5 265 5.20 Holt Michigan Offers: EMU, BUFF Will camp

24 Paul Hashagen OL 6′4 270 5.00 West Grove Avon Grove Pennsylvania Will camp

25 Jeremy Snook OL/DL 6′4 289 Highland Milford Michigan May camp and Camped in 2006

26 Cameron Wagner OL 5′11 310 Batesville South Panola Mississippi May camp; Camped in 2006

27 Erik Radzilowski OL 6′3 300 Birmingham Groves Michigan Will camp

28 Lloyd Morrison OL/DL 6′3 271 Oradell Bergen Catholic New Jersey Will camp

Defensive Linemen

U-M really needs defensive linemen, especially DEs, in this class. Not a deep group of prospective campers but pretty top-heavy. Johnson will be camping the entire week and is the top prospect in Oregon. Koger could well commit this week. Glenn Foster is a very athletic edge rusher who is one of my top offer candidates this week.

1 Ethan Johnson DL/OL 6′5 253 5.16 Portland Lincoln Oregon Offers: ORE, ORE ST, COL, ND, AUB, USC, MIN, AZST, NEB, WASH, MICH, UVA Will camp One of the top DEs in the nation and will camp the entire week. Which is a good thing

2 Michael Martin DL/OL 6′1 290 4.89 Novi Detroit Catholic Central Michigan Offers: 15 June Offers: NW, IA, PUR, MICHST, PSU, IN, MIA (OH), DUKE, MICH Will. Camp Michigan verbal

3 Kevin Koger DE/TE 6′4 2404.55 Toledo Whitmer Ohio Offers: MICH, OHST, several others. Will camp. Has been offered and there is a very good chance that he will verbal this month.

4 Glenn Foster DL/LB 6′4 233 4.40 Chicago Mount Carmel Illinois Offers: 14 June Offers: COL, IN, ILL, BALLST, EMU, WMU, WYO, KANST, NEB, MICHST, AKRON, TOL, BG, MIA (OH) May camp U-M needs DEs and Foster, who was cut from the 60 man frosh team in 2004, is a high ceiling type who could fit the bill

5 Eric Herman DL/OL 6′4 265 4.90 Toledo Central Catholic Ohio Offers: OHIO, WMU Will camp A good year for linemen in Toledo area, and Herman is a sleeper as he was injured much of his junior campaign

6 Dan Giordano DL 6′4 245 Frankfort Lincoln-Way East Illinois Offers: EMU, EASTERN ILL Will camp Road grader

7 Chinedum Umachi DL/TE 6′6 235 4.70 Detroit Renaissance Michigan Will camp Outstanding frame and athleticism but VERY raw

8 David Dick DL/OL 6′3 290 5.00 Dayton Chaminade-Julienne Ohio Will camp Plays hard

9 Josh Lott DL/TE 6′2 230 4.70 Warren Howland Ohio Will camp

Linebackers

Another position of need for U-M this year. Wilson is actually being recruited by U-M as an H-Back and already has an offer, as does Perry. Beachum, Demens and Murray are all blue-chippers who are battling for an offer. They all have a decent chance of eventually receiving one.

1 Christian Wilson LB/RB 6′3 235 4.65 McKees Rock Montour Pennsylvania Offers: 44 May Offers: LOU, MICH, OHST, MD, UVA, VT, AUB, IA, CLEM, PITT, PSU, PUR, FLA Will camp Already offered so unsure if he will camp

2 Nick Perry LB/DL/TE 6′3 211 4.51 Detroit Martin Luther King Michigan Offers: MICHST, MICH, WVU, IN, PUR, MIN, ILL, BG, IA, TOL, OHST, PSU, WISC May camp Already offered but U-M needs to do some selling here

3 Brandon Beachum LB/DB/RB 6′0 214 4.82 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Ohio Offers: 25+ June Offers: CIN, MIA(OH), OK, NEB, IN, IAST, PITT, ILL, WISC, COL, MICHST, SYR, LSU, STAN, WVU, FSU, PSU, NCST, OK, BC, LOU May camp Highly touted but yet to be offered. A good perfomance could change that

4 Kenny Demens LB/RB 6′1 211 4.60 Birmingham Detroit Country Day Michigan Offers: MICHST, PUR, ILL, IA, NEB, BC, MIN, WISC Will camp Package deal with Gray and is an offer possibility

5 Latavius Murray LB/RB 6′3 215 4.64 Nedrow Onondaga New York Offers: SYR, BC, CFLA, UCONN, MD Will camp Two-way back from Mike Hart’s school. Runs well and has a nice frame. Could emerge with an offer

6 Brett Nagel LB/TE/QB 6′4 218 Lemont Illinois Offers: NW, VANDY, PUR, KANST, COL, STAN, IN, COLST, MICHST, AIR FORCE, BC May camp Bigger than older brother Aaron (ND signee), but the Domers have not yet offered

7 Dexter Heyman LB/DL/TE 6′4 216 5.09 Louisville Male Kentucky Offers: LOU, CIN, NW, IN, KY Will camp Was once more highly touted but offer list does not justify earlier AA status

8 Celester Barnes LB/TE 6′2 225 Montclair New Jersey Will camp Szabo has really been digging the Jersey shore in search of ‘backers

9 Nick Schneider LB 6′3 225 4.70 Cincinnati St. Xavier Ohio Offers: BG, EMU Likely camper Prep star who may lack the athleticism and speed to play at U-M

10 Chad Sprayberry LB 6′3 230 4.70 Oak Forest Illinois Offers: AIR FORCE Will Camp Sleeper who has been moving up a bit in the spring, but doubt he will be offered

11 Mitch Zajac LB/OL 6′1 245 4.80 Holt Michigan Offers: WMU, CMU Will camp Run-stuffer who is an offer longshot, as are those listed below

12 Matt Carroll LB/QB 6′3 220 4.60 Kennett Square Unionville Pennsylvania Will camp

13 Zach Fortier LB/DL/RB 6′2 215 Spring Lake Michigan Will camp

14 Armond Staten LB/DL 6′2 210 Inkster Michigan Will camp

15 Matt Eisenzoph LB/RB/DB 6′0 202 Menominee Michigan May camp

16 Paul Swan LB/RB 6′1 190 Oconomowoc Wisconsin Will camp

Defensive Backs

Safety is a top priority for U-M this year, but there are a few big names that U-M has already offered and has a decent shot at landing (in particular the two New Jersey backs Will Hill and Brandon Smith), so offers may not be handed out so easily. McCarthy and Carraway already hold offers. Three CBs who are fighting for an offer are Marc Anthony, Tommie Thomas and Anthony Hollis. I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one emerge with an offer.

1 Boubacar Cissoko DB/WR 5′9 175 4.40 Detroit Cass Tech Michigan Offers: MICH, MICHST, PSU, IA, TEN Michigan verbal

2 Daniel McCarthy DB 6′2 190 4.50 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Ohio Offers: 13 March Offers: OHST, AKRON, IN, MICH, LSU, OK, ND, MIA (OH), STAN, IA Will camp Talented safety who has a brother at ND and also likes the Buckeyes. Already offered.

3 Vaughn Carraway DB/WR 6′2 170 4.57 Laureldale Muhlenberg Pennsylvania Offers: UCONN, MICH, PSU, BC, PITT, WVU, SYR, TEN, TEMP, AKRON Likely Camper Has an offer, but he may want to play WR while U-M likes him at safety

4 Eddie Whitley DB 6′1 169 4.40 Charlotte Butler North Carolina Offers: LOU, DUKE, NCAR, UVA, NCST, KY, CAL, ORE, MD, ILL, GA Will camp and camped in 2006 and 2005 Possibly the only Butler DB who will show up, and the only one without an offer

5 Marc Anthony DB/WR 6′0 175 4.75 Chandler Arizona Offers: UTAH, WASH, BOISE ST, WASHST, AZST, WY, OREST, SDST, COLST, ILL, COL, UTEP Will camp On the rise prospect who could hang with Cleopatra but not Jerry Rice. Definite offer possibility.

6 Tommie Thomas DB/QB/ATH 6′0 165 4.40 Oak Lawn Richards Illinois Offers: PUR, ILL, IN, BALLST, CIN, COL, KANST, AKRON Will camp TomTom is definitey one who could receive an offer with an impressivge performance.

7 Anthony Hollis DB/WR 5′10 175 4.40 Detroit Northwestern Michigan Offers: BALLST Will camp and camped in 2006 A couple of inches away from being a definite offer type, but he still may get one

8 James Wade DB/WR 6′3 180 4.50 Ann Arbor Pioneer Michigan Will camp Rangy safety makign the voyage across the street in search of a schollie.

9 Russell Ellington DB/WR 6′3 205 4.60 Flossmoor Homewood-Flossmoor Illinois Offers: LOU, WMU, EASTERN ILL Will camp Safety is a need so Russell has a shot, albeit a long one, at an offer

10 Bruce Horner DB/WR 6′1 170 4.45 Birmingham Groves Michigan Offers: EMU, BUFF, CIN Will camp Cincinnati verbal who is part of a strong Groves senior class. Did I say Groves?

11 Dan Atwood DB/RB 6′0 185 4.50 Gaithersburg Maryland Will camp Longshot for an offer

12 Darius Reeves DB/RB/WR 6′1 170 4.50 Gahanna Lincoln Ohio Will camp Son of former U-M safety Jeff Reeves. Could he surprise like another rising son, Troy Woolfolk, did last year?

13 Eli Biakabatuka DB 6′2 200 Montreal Lynx Canada May camp and Camped in 2006 Touchdown Tim’s bro has a great frame for a safety but laskd brother’s great skill set.

14 Cortez Smith DB/LB/RB 5′11 196 4.54 Detroit Cass Tech Michigan Offers: BALLST, IN May camp and Camped in 2006 Cortez is one of deep group of PSL DBs who just may be a step too slow or a bit too small to earn a U-M offer

15 Quinn Parnell DB/RB 5′9 168 4.40 Detroit Renaissance Michigan Will camp

16 Jeray Carraway DB/QB 5′11 179 Detroit Renaissance Michigan Will camp

17 Floyd Simmons DB/LB/TE 6′0 185 4.50 Detroit Crockett Michigan Will camp

18 Kyle DeMaster DB 6′1 180 4.50 Macomb Dakota Michigan Offers: EMU, BALLST Will camp

19 Chris Lopes DB/WR 5′9 170 4.50 Brockton Massachusetts Will camp

Most Likely To Be Offered (Assuming They Show Up)

1 Jeffrey Fuller
2 Brandon Beachum
3 Glenn Foster
4 Deontee Panell
5 Rocko Khoury
6 Kevin Zeitler
7 Kenny Demens
8 Latavius Murray
9 Zac Hueter
10 Jonas Gray
11 Tommie Thomas
12 Damion Dixon
13 D.J. Woods
14 Marc Anthony
15 Anthony Hollis
16 Anton Harris
17 Spencer Krauss
18 Brendan Kay
19 Chris Groth
20 Chad Hounshell
21 Glenn Winston
22 Caulton Ray

Most Likely To Commit In the Next Month (Including Non-Campers)

1 Fred Smith
2 Sam McGuffie
3 Kevin Koger
4 Darryl Stonum
5 Tyler Hoover
6 Christian Wilson
7 Nick Perry
8 Deontee Panell
9 Vaughn Carraway
10 Graham Pocic
11 Rocko Khoury
12 Latavius Murray
13 Kevin Zeitler
14 Glenn Foster
15 Brandon Beachum
16 Zac Hueter
17 Anthony Hollis
18 Tommie Thomas
19 Hubie Graham
20 Anthony Mifsud
21 D.J. Woods
22 Anton Harris
23 Spencer Krauss
24 Brendan Kay
25 Sedrick Johnson
26 Chris Groth
27 Marc Anthony
28 Glenn Winston

Favorite Sleepers (No Order)

Glenn Winston
Glenn Foster
Anton Harris
Zac Hueter
Anthony Hollis
Jezrel White
Anthony Mifsud
Spencer Krauss

Updated Top Recruiting Classes

There has been a lot of big news since our last update.

Among the major developments:

Florida State: The continued early success of the Seminoles as they have landed five new verbals, including national top 100 types in Kyle Long and A.J. Alexander.

Notre Dame: Three more quality verbals including addressing a critical need on the defensive line with two of the additions.

Georgia: A bit topsy-turvy as they lost two verbals but landed three newcomers, including star WR Tavarres King.

Michigan: On a roll with three quality gets led by star TE Brandon Moore. Still trailing Notre Dame and Ohio State but closing the gap.

Nebraska: Just one new addition but QB Blaine Gabbert ranks with the very best in the nation and recently wowed onlookers on the summer camp circuit.

In terms of rankings, Texas continues to hold the top spot for the time being due to their combination of high quality and numbers. There are, however, several programs with a good chance of surpassing the Longhorns once they catch up on the numbers side. Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Florida State and Georgia are the most likely candidates to eventually surpass the Longhorns.

Texas A&M continues to maintain a relatively high ranking primarily as a function of their high numbers. They will probably drop down a bit once other classes fill out with superior talent.

A few other notes:

Where is Florida? The defending national champs are off to a slow start and have just one early verbal. The last two classes are so loaded with young talent that it may be tough for Urban Meyer to put together another national top five class. Also, Miami and Florida State are doing a great job of rebounding on the recruiting front and locking up quality in-state talent.

Air Force: Air Force? Yes Air Force. I’m mentioning them because they are all over the place and aggressive in getting out early offers. I’m really surprised at how many prospects they have identified and offered early. We aren’t necessarily talking about national elite top 250 prospects, but it is surprising to see a program with such strong academics rival schools such as Mississippi and Nebraska in getting out the early offers.

Penn State: It may be a tough year for Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions. Florida State has already poached a couple of quality Pennsylvanians, Ohio State recently picked up Andrew Sweat and PSU is not well-positioned to land such stars as Terrelle Pryor, Jonathan Baldwin and Shayne Hale.

Please note one new addition to my listing. I have highlighted in blue all new text that I have written in the school summaries since my last update.

Below are my latest rankings. You should note that the rankings are only based on actual high school verbals and do not reflect the status schools may have with uncomitted prospects. Moreover, I do not include junior college prospects in my rankings:

1. Texas

There are no new verbals for Texas since our last update.

The Longhorns are up to nineteen verbals after poaching talented linebacker Dravannti Johnson away from the Aggies. Double the Longhorns pleasure as Johnson is a very good get and is another blow to A&M’s recruiting efforts.

Jarvis Humphrey is this year’s top prospect out of talent-laden Cedar Hill and among the better DL prospects in the nation. Nolan Brewster is the first out-of-state verbal and possibly the top prospect in Colorado. His dad is the new head coach at Minnesota and is a close friend of Mack Brown. Brewster may have been the first prospect in the nation offered by the Longhorns this year.

Southlake Carroll products Tre’ Newton and Riley Dodge are two of the most high profile verbals. They have helped lead their team to consecutive state 5A titles and have great bloodlines with Dodge’s father being a former Texas QB (Todd Dodge) who just accepted the head coaching job at North Texas and Newton’s dad being former NFL player Nate Newton. Dodge is perhaps the most impressive prep QB in the nation and if he were a couple of inches taller he would have had the entire universe after him. Even with his lack of stature he could still wind up starring at the position in college, he’s that good. And if things don’t work out at QB he has the athleticism and quicks to play another position, such as WR.

Antoine Hicks and Kheeston Randall are the other two underrated verbals. They aren’t as highly touted as most of the other signees but Texas does a great job of evaluating top in-state talent before everyone else and both of these kids have great feet for their size and fine athleticism. Randall plays fo a small private school so has been under the radar. Hicks is a prep QB but will likely move to another position in college.

Snow is one of three national elite offensive linemen in the state. Buckner is probably the state’s top WR and among the nation’s best. Monroe is a national-caliber DB. Hills is the RB they wanted and the younger brother of Longhorn Tony Hills. Buchanan has been quickly moving up the charts and ranks just below the elite 3 OLs in the state. Tucker is arguably the nation’s top kicker. The others are also all very good, Acho being a small school star and the younger brother of Longhorn signee Sam Acho and Williams looking very, very good at the U.S. Army Combine in San Antonio. Fitzhenry is a star prep QB who will play DB in college.

1 David Snow OL 6′4 280 5.10 Gilmer Texas
2 Dan Buckner WR 6′5 200 4.47 Allen Texas
3 Nolan Brewster DB 6′2 195 4.60 Denver Mullen Colorado
4 D.J. Monroe DB/WR/RB 5′10 160 4.40 Angleton Texas
5 Jeremy Hills RB 6′0 186 4.40 Alief Elsik Texas
6 Jarvis Humphrey DL 6′2 290 5.00 Cedar Hill Texas
7 Aaron Williams DB 6′0 175 4.40 Round Rock McNeil Texas
8 Riley Dodge QB/WR/DB 5′11 170 4.59 Southlake Carroll Texas
9 Tre’ Newton RB 6′0 194 4.60 Southlake Carroll Texas
10 Dravannti Johnson LB/DL 6′2 218 4.68 Nederland Texas
11 Mark Buchanan OL 6′5 265 4.90 Austin High Texas
12 Ryan Roberson LB/RB 5′10 210 4.52 Brenham Texas
13 Justin Tucker PK 6′0 165 4.65 Austin Westlake Texas
14 Brock Fitzhenry DB/RB/QB/ATH 5′10 180 4.42 Giddings Texas
15 Luke Poehlmann OL 6′7 260 4.98 Brenham Texas
16 Emmanuel Acho LB 6′2 210 4.60 Dallas St. Mark’s Texas
17 Antoine Hicks WR/QB/ATH 6′2 190 4.50 Mansfield Timberview Texas
18 Kheeston Randall DL 6′4 270 4.97 Beaumont Monsignor Kelly Texas
19 Blake Gideon DB/WR 6′1 187 4.50 Leander Texas

2. Ohio State

The Buckeyes keep rolling along as just this past week they picked up blue-chip linebacker Andrew Sweat out of Pennsylvania. He has been compared by some to A.J. Hawk.

The Buckeyes have a top-heavy class and their top seven verbals are as good as anybody’s.

Ohio State recently landed super offensive linemen Mike Brewster, who decided to join buddy Mike Adams as a Buckeye. In addition, Nathan Williams also recently committed to Ohio State. He’s one of the top DE prospects in the Midwest. Ohio State is positioning themselves to have one of their best classes in recent history. It’a good year for talent in Ohio and everybody is talking about the offensive linemen the Buckeyes have landed, but what has most impressed me is that Jim Tressell has been successful early on in going outside of Ohio and attracting top talent. Shugarts is from Texas and Brewster from Florida. If he can continue to poach top talent from around the nation while keeping the top in-staters at home the future could be downright scary for Buckeye opponents.

Suburban Columbus teammates Adams and Stoneburner are outstanding prospects. Adams has drawn comparisons to the late Korey Stringer and is near the top of the list of a strong group of OLs in the nation this year. Stoneburner has the speed to split wide and frame to become an exceptional receiving TE.

Torrence has the skills to play on either side of the ball but will probably be a LB in Columbus. He’s also a standout prospect and possibly even more talented than his older brother Devon, who signed with Ohio State in February. Posey was a bit under the radar at WR as it’s such a great year nationally, but the Buckeyes offered early and really, really like him. That was a good idea, as he has exploded during the May evaluation period.

It’s a great year for kickers in the state, and Buchanan probably has the strongest leg and definitely is the most versatile as both a kicker and punter.

1 Michael Brewster OL 6′5 294 5.25 Orlando Edgewater Florida
2 J.B. Shugarts OL/DL 6′8 290 5.12 Klein Texas
3 Mike Adams OL 6′7 300 5.47 Dublin Coffman Ohio
4 Devoe Torrence LB/RB 6′2 215 4.50 Canton South Ohio
5 Andrew Sweat LB/RB 6′2 233 4.72 Washington Trinity Pennsylvania
6 Jake Stoneburner TE/WR 6′5 218 4.54 Dublin Coffman Ohio
7 DeVier Posey WR 6′1 179 4.65 Cincinnati La Salle Ohio
8 Nathan Williams DL/LB/RB 6′4 240 5.00 Washington Courthouse Miami Trace Ohio
9 Ben Buchanan P/PK/WR 6′0 185 Westerville Central Ohio

3. Oklahoma

The Sooners are back with a roar. They don’t have the quantity of early verbals that Texas and A&M have received, but their top quality is as good as anybody. In fact, some feel that they may have landed four of the top seven prospects in Texas in Washington, Good, Calhoun and Johnson. One UT service had Good as the states top prospect. I wonder if that will hold?

The latest verbal is Texas DE David King, a prospect whose stock was really up during the spring evaluation period.

QB Landry Jones is among the nation’s best at his position. OL prospect Ben Habern is one of the top offensive linemen in Texas.

Bobby Stoops has built a foundation of early verbals that could help Oklahoma challenge for the national recruiting title this year.

1 Stephen Good OL 6′5 265 5.06 Paris Texas
2 R.J. Washington DL/LB 6′3 234 4.62 Keller Fossil Ridge Texas
3 Jermie Calhoun RB/DB 6′0 195 4.49 Van Texas
4 Justin Johnson RB/LB 6′3 210 4.50 Gilmer Texas
5 Landry Jones QB 6′5 215 4.75 Artesia New Mexico
6 Ben Habern OL 6′3 260 4.90 Denton Liberty Christian Texas
7 Daniel Franklin LB 6′3 215 4.60 Mount Airy Habersham Central Georgia
8 David King DL/LB 6′5 238 5.00 Houston Strake Jesuit Texas
9 Britt Mitchell OL/DL 6′8 300 5.05 Roscoe Texas

4. Notre Dame

Notre Dame continues to roll along and has picked up two quality defensive linemen, Hafis Williams and Brandon Newman, since our last update. These commitments help fill a position of critical need. Newman is your prototypical nose tackle while Williams has the potenetial to excel at either DE or DT. Another nice get is talented OL Lane Clelland. The Irish have done a great job of recruiting OL prospects the past couple of years and Clelland just adds to a very deep and talented group.

Other recent verbals include Dayne Crist, one of the top three signal-callers in the nation. Darius Fleming is yet another talented LB prospect who is among the top overall players in Illinois. Landing talented California TE Joseph Fauria was a bit of a surprise with Kyle Rudolph already on board, but landing him gives the Irish two tall, rangy and athletic tight ends who are among the nation’s best.

Other verbals includes two talented linebackers in McDonald and Posluszny. Posluszny is the brother of Penn State all-american ‘backer Paul Posluszny.

Notre Dame picked up a huge verbal last month in talented TE Kyle Rudolph, perhaps the nation’s best at his position. He has a high ceiling. The other four verbals are all prospects with “high floors” and decent ceilings, typical Notre Dame Catholic school kids. The only non-Catholic school prospect, Cave, plays just down the road for state power Penn (same program as Mike Rosenthal a few years back).

The Irish have done a good job in locking-up local talent, landing two of the top three prospects in Indiana along with Cwymar, who is one of the top top linemen in the Midwest. Golic, the son of the former ND star and current ESPN broadcaster of the same name, called in from his vacation in Italy to commit to the Irish. He is one of the top linemen in the east. By the way, he
has a younger brother to keep an eye out for next year! Goodman will remind Irish fans of Jeff Smardzja.

1 Kyle Rudolph TE 6′7 220 4.70 Cincinnati Elder Ohio
2 Dayne Crist QB/LB 6′5 228 4.66 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame California
3 Darius Fleming LB/DL 6′2 220 4.57 Chicago St. Rita Illinois
4 Joseph Fauria TE 6′8 242 4.75 Encino Crespi California
5 Sean Cwynar DL/OL 6′4 280 Woodstock Marian Central Catholic Illinois
6 Lane Clelland OL/DL 6′5 270 4.90 Owings Mills McDonogh Maryland
7 John Goodman WR/QB/ATH 6′3 187 4.71 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger Indiana
8 Anthony McDonald LB/RB 6′3 220 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame California
9 Hafis Williams DL/OL 6′4 275 4.85 Elizabeth New Jersey
10 Brandon Newman DL/OL 6′1 294 5.09 Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park Kentucky
11 David Posluszny LB/DB/RB 6′1 206 4.75 Aliquippa Hopewell Pennsylvania
12 Mike Golic OL 6′5 260 5.10 West Hartford Northwest Catholic Connecticut
13 Braxston Cave OL 6′3 292 5.38 Mishawaka Penn Indiana

5. Florida State

After a down recruiting class last year Bobby Bowden is back with a vengeance, and he’s doing it in a very non-Seminole-like way with early verbals. The Seminoles have added five commitments since our last update, albeit one of them, stud OL Kyle Long, says that he will only be playing baseball in college. I suspect that he may change his mind and will rank and him the Florida State class making the assumption that he will play football. If he doesn’t, the class would drop a few spots in the early rankings. Other talented newcomers include blue-chip DB A.J. Alexander out of Pennsylvania, sleeper TE Jabaris Little out of pipeline Tallahassee Lincoln High, rangy WR Avis Commack out of Jacksonville and talented DT Moses McCray.

Other recent verbals include two linebackers in talented Vincent Williams and athletic Nick Moody. Jermaine Thomas is a tall and fast RB who runs with good vision and does a nice job of catching the ball out of the backfield.

Early in April the Seminoles landed Carr and talented teammates Bradham and Holton. Bradham is among the nation’s elite recruits while Holton is one of the top DBs in Florida. Carr is also a national caliber LB who had many, many early offers.

Anthony Hill is another talented early verbal and among the very best from the panhandle. He has excellent speed and athleticism.

1 Nigel Bradham LB 6′2 220 4.60 Crawfordville Wakulla Florida
2 Kyle Long OL/DL 6′7 280 4.80 Charlottesville St. Anne’s-Belfield Virginia
3 A.J. Alexander DB/WR/QB/ATH 5′11 197 4.31 Altoona Pennsylvania
4 Nigel Carr LB 6′3 225 4.55 Jacksonville First Coast Academy Florida
5 Vincent Williams LB/TE 6′1 226 4.68 Davenport Ridge Florida
6 Cedrick “C.J.” Holton DB/LB 6′2 190 4.50 Crawfordville Wakulla Florida
7 Nick Moody LB/DB/RB/WR 6′1 215 4.74 Philadelphia Roman Catholic Pennsylvania
8 Jabaris Little TE 6′4 240 4.60 Tallahassee Lincoln Florida
9 Avis Commack WR 6′4 182 4.49 Jacksonville First Coast Academy Florida
10 Moses McCray DL 6′3 275 5.32 Tampa Middleton Florida
11 Anthony Hill DL 6′4 285 4.90 Pensacola Florida
12 Jermaine Thomas RB 6′1 190 4.40 Jacksonville First Coast Academy Florida

6. Georgia

Good and bad news for Georgia since our last update. The good news is the addition of three high-quality prospects including star WR Tavarres King, talented LB Christian Robinson and DB Makiri Pugh. The bad news is that star RB Martin Ward and OL B.J. Brand have both de-committed. Still, this is a very, very strong class and Georgia is positioning itself for a run at the SEC recruiting title.

DeAngelo Tyson is a national top 50-type and one of the nation’s top DT prospects. He’s a huge get for Georgia. Boykin is a quick CB. He’s a bit more of a sleeper type.

Blair Walsh is probably the top kicker in Florida. . Green is a super, arguably the top WR in the nation in a year absolutely loaded at the position. RB will be a position of strength in the future with Samuel and Ward on board. Many feel that Samuel is the top back in the state. Washington is a terror off the edge who has run the 100-meters in the 10.7s (electronic). Once he fills out he could be scary. Allen is a fine TE prospect.

1 A.J. Green WR 6′4 184 4.56 Summerville South Carolina
2 DeAngelo Tyson DL 6′2 276 5.10 Statesboro Georgia
3 Richard Samuel RB 6′0 197 4.47 Cartersville Cass Georgia
4 Cornelius Washington DL/LB 6′4 220 4.51 Waynesboro Burke County Georgia
5 Tavarres King WR 6′1 154 4.47 Mount Airy Habersham Central Georgia
6 Dwayne Allen TE/DL 6′3 217 4.92 Fayetteville Terry Sanford North Carolina
7 Christian Robinson LB 6′3 230 4.60 Norcross Greater Atlanta Christian Georgia
8 Makiri Pugh DB 6′0 194 4.42 Charlotte Independence North Carolina
9 Blair Walsh PK 5′10 170 Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons Florida
10 Brandon Boykin DB 5′11 171 4.45 Fayetteville Fayette County Georgia
11 Bacarri Rambo DB/QB/ATH 6′1 195 4.46 Donalsonville Seminole County Georgia

7. USC

The Trojans are holding steady at seven verbals since our last update.

Verbals include stud LB/SS Maurice Simmons, likely the top ‘backer in California and an elite national recruit, and RB Curtis McNeal, an undersized back who will likely specialize as a return man for the Trojans.

Their first two verbals, Shoemate and Kalil, are national top 100 types and among the nation’s best at their respective positions. They also happen to be from the same school! Other verbals are headed by talented DE Wes Horton, a high-ceiling type with a great frame. Chris Polk and Matt Meyer are both solid gets and similar in ways to Shoemate and Kalil, respectively, although not quite at their elite level. The beat goes on……

1 Dennis “D.J.” Shoemate WR/DB 6′1 212 4.50 Anaheim Servite California
2 Matt Kalil OL 6′7 262 5.34 Anaheim Servite California
3 Maurice Simmons LB/DB 6′1 202 4.66 Compton Dominguez California
4 Wes Horton DL/TE 6′6 230 4.80 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame California
5 Chris Polk WR/RB/DB 5′11 191 4.50 Redlands East Valley California
6 Matt Meyer OL 6′8 285 Stockton Lincoln California
7 Curtis McNeal RB/WR/DB 5′6 171 4.62 Los Angeles Venice California

8. UCLA

UCLA continues to bring in some pretty good recruits. Not necessarily top 100 types, but still solid gets. The two most recent verbals are QB Nick Crissman and LB Patrick Larimore. Crissman is one of the top QBs on the west coast while Larimore is a run-stuffing MLB.

UCLA is doing a great job of picking up the top non-USC offer kids in southern California.

UCLA recently picked up one of the better RBs in Texas when Aundre Dean switched over from Texas A&M.

The Bruins enjoyed a Texas-caliber junior day in March, landing about ten prospects in just a couple of days. This is a talented group. They won’t challenge USC for Pac-10 recruiting supremacy this year, but there is a good chance they will finish number two.

Rahim Moore is the class headliner and among the top DBs in the nation. He and rising bullet Datone Jones had also received offers from USC, and it hasn’t been too often in recent history that the Bruins have been able to out recruit the Trojans for a prospect.

E.J. Woods is one of the top DBs in the West.

Holmes is another DL I like a lot and he, along with a couple of others, may have eventually received Trojan offers. Note that all the verbals are from Southern California, especially urban areas such as L.A. and Compton.

1 Rahim Moore DB 6′2 190 4.45 Los Angeles Dorsey California
2 Datone Jones DL/OL 6′4 235 4.80 Compton California
3 E.J. Woods DB/RB 6′0 195 4.50 Encino Crespi California
4 Damien Holmes DL/TE/RB 6′3 245 4.94 Colton California
5 Kemonte Bateman WR 6′0 175 4.40 Los Angeles Crenshaw California
6 Anthony Dye DB 5′11 182 4.48 Corona Santiago California
7 Aundre Dean RB 6′1 190 4.48 Katy Texas
8 Uonga Kaveinga LB 6′0 228 4.76 Lawndale Leuzinger California
9 Aaron Hester DB/WR 6′0 180 4.79 Compton Dominguez California
10 Patrick Larimore LB/OL 6′3 230 4.64 Newhall Hart California
11 Nick Crissman QB 6′3 200 4.70 Huntington Beach Edison California
12 Antwon Moutra WR/DB 6′2 175 4.45 Culver City California
13 Johnathan Franklin RB/LB 5′11 185 4.40 Los Angeles Dorsey California
14 Jerry Johnson WR 6′2 186 4.60 Los Angeles Venice California

9. Nebraska

What was a great start for the Cornhuskers just got better with the addition nof one of the nation’s elite quarterbacks in Blaine Gabbert. The Cornhuskers are building themselves a high-powered offense.

They are putting together an OL class second only to Ohio State landing the likes of in-state supers Trevor Robinson and Baker Steinkuhler, Iowa star Dan Hoch and Colorado OL Bryce Givens out of powerful Denver Mullen High.

Sleeper DB David Whitmore also recently committed.

Nebraska jumped on first-year player Okafor as soon as he started to make a name for himself and before other programs could get wind of this fine talent.

1 Baker Steinkuhler OL/DL 6′6 270 4.93 Lincoln Southwest Nebraska
2 Trevor Robinson OL/DL 6′5 300 5.53 Elkhorn Nebraska
3 Blaine Gabbert QB 6′4 220 4.65 Ballwin Parkway West Missouri
4 Bryce Givens OL 6′6 240 5.20 Denver Mullen Colorado
5 Dan Hoch OL 6′7 273 Harlan Iowa
6 Collins Okafor RB 6′1 205 4.50 Omaha Westside Nebraska
7 David Whitmore DB 6′1 180 Port Arthur Memorial Texas

10. Michigan

A very good month for the Wolverines as they landed three quality verbals to stay on the trails of Ohio State and Notre Dame. Brandon Moore is a huge get at TE and a national top 100 prospect. Marcus Witherspoon is among the better linebackers in the nation and addresses a huge need for the Wolverines. Kurt Wermers is one of the top offensive linemen in the Midwest.

Michigan landed one of the top linemen in the Midwest in Elliot Mealer, an athletic OT who wanted to attend Ohio State but was squeezed out of receiving an offer when the Buckeyes landed three of the nation’s top eight OL prospects. Mealer has a high ceiling and could be a steal for the Wolverines.

Cissiko is probably the best pure cover corner in the class and was the overall MVP at the U.S. Army Combine. He helps alleviate the sting of losing RoJo to USC.

O’Neill is the top lineman in the state and is, quite literally, a huge get. He helps fill a crucial need as the Wolverines will be recruiting the OL hard this year.

1 Boubacar Cissoko DB/WR 5′9 175 4.40 Detroit Cass Tech Michigan
2 Brandon Moore TE 6′6 221 4.61 Trotwood-Madison Ohio
3 Dan O’Neill OL/DL 6′8 295 Grand Haven Michigan
4 Marcus Witherspoon LB/RB 6′2 235 4.50 Absecon Holy Spirit New Jersey
5 Kurt Wermers OL/DL 6′5 260 5.10 Crown Point Indiana
6 Elliott Mealer OL/DL/TE 6′6 280 5.20 Wauseon Ohio

11. Miami

No new verbals for Miami since our last update.

The Hurricanes need to have a huge recruiting year in 2007-2008 after the recent coaching changeover. They have gotten off to an excellent start, including recently adding talented safety Joseph Wylie. Randy Shannon is doing a fine job of identifying and landing top prospects in southeastern Florida.
Patrick Johnson, is one of the nation’s elite DBs and a future all-american and DT Jeremy Lewis is raw but talented.

At their junior day they received verbals from two of the state’s elite linemen. Both Regis and Washington have the size and athleticism that one associates with Miami linemen of years past who went on to play on Sundays.

Just recruiting their fair share of the talent in southeastern Florida should be enough to return Miami to the elite echelon of college football.

1 Patrick Johnson DB 6′1 193 4.44 Pompano Beach Ely Florida
2 Micanor Regis DL 6′3 310 5.19 Pahokee Florida
3 Brandon Washington OL 6′4 305 5.47 Miami Edison Florida
4 Jeremy Lewis DL 6′4 271 5.01 West Palm Beach Lakes Florida
5 Joseph Wylie DB/QB 6′2 185 4.60 Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson Florida

12. Texas A&M

A&M is in recovery mode after the recent decommitment barrage and have picked up three verbals from good, but not great, prospects in Aaron Buckley, Andrew Wolridge and Chris Lathrop. Buckley has the highest ceiling of the bunch and is a sleeper linebacker who can realyl run and hit you.

Last month was terrible for A&M’s recruiting efforts. Four decommitments, that’s right, FOUR. They have lost Aundre Dean to UCLA and Dravantti Johnson to Texas. In addition, blue-chippers Damian Square and Leroy Chevalier have also reneged on their earlier verbals. We aren’t just talking about another four losses. We are talking about losing possibly their top three verbals and another top eight verbal. Heavy duty damage that drops A&M down substantially in the rankings.
There are, however, still some quality prospects committed to the Aggies (at least for now).

Lamar Harris is another talented prospect from Gilmer who could play on either side of the ball. The three top Gilmer kids have decided to go their separate ways with Justin Johnson headed to Oklahoma and David Snow to Texas.

Keon Furtch and Derrick Hall (one of the fastest players in the state) were being heavily recruited by such programs as LSU and Nebraska and are real good gets. Tony Jerod is another highly regarded verbal. Tommy Dorman was the QB they wanted.

Davis is a very athletic and huge linemen who I really like. He is a “high ceiling” type who could really surprise. Hyde is almost as good.

1 Lamar Harris DB/WR 6′1 180 4.60 Gilmer Texas
2 Derrick Hall WR/DB/RB 5′11 190 4.30 Beaumont Central Texas
3 Keon Furtch WR/DB 6′2 190 4.50 Paris Texas
4 Tony Jerod DL/TE 6′5 252 4.60 De Soto Texas
5 Roderick Davis DL 6′4 307 4.95 Aldine Eisenhower Texas
6 Jeffrey Hyde OL 6′4 270 4.90 Colleyville Covenant Christian Texas
7 Tommy Dorman QB 6′3 204 4.80 North Richland Hills Birdville Texas
8 Markell Martin DB/WR 6′3 180 4.50 Wichita Falls Rider Texas
9 Kendall Wright WR/DB/ATH 6′0 170 4.40 Pittsburg Texas
10 Aaron Buckley LB/RB 6′1 215 4.60 Palacios Texas
11 Blake Chavis DL 6′5 240 Beaumont West Brook Texas
12 Kyle Mangan LB 6′2 225 4.85 Brenham Texas
13 Jordan Fields DB/WR 6′0 185 4.55 Paris Texas
14 Andrew Wolridge DL/LB 6′3 240 4.60 Lexington Texas
15 Chris Lathrop OL 6′5 270 5.00 Houston Cy-Fair Texas
16 Brian Thomas OL 6′4 270 5.00 Pearland Texas
17 Joe Villavisencio OL 6′5 310 5.20 Jacksonville Texas
18 Josh Ayers OL 6′5 282 5.00 Euless Trinity Texas

13. Tennessee

The Vols are looking to put together back-to-back outstanding classes and are on the road to succeeding in so doing. The latest prospect to verbal is sleeper OL Carlos Anderson out of Alabama.

Douglas has great bloodlines and leads a talented early group. Adding Bartholomew gives them a nice start in wrapping up in-state talent. They are also doing a nice job of raiding neighboring states early for blue-chip talent. Johnson, Poole (a soft verbal) and Floyd would have all been very heavily recruited.

1 Aaron Douglas TE 6′7 240 4.90 Maryville Tennessee
2 Austin Johnson LB 6′3 235 4.65 Hickory North Carolina
3 Tauren Poole RB 5′10 194 4.65 Toccoa Stephens County Georgia
4 J.T. Floyd DB 5′11 176 4.73 Greenville J.L. Mann South Carolina
5 Ben Bartholomew LB/TE/P 6′3 225 Nashville Montgomery Bell Academy Tennessee
6 Carlos Anderson OL 6′2 275 Florence Alabama Tennessee

14. Clemson

Clemson has two new verbals since our last update. Andre Ellington is the top RB in South Carolina and a prospect who I like a lot. Matt Sanders is an athletic offensive linemen who could be very good once he fills into his frame.

Ohio TE Nic DiLillo is a good pick-up. He has been overshadowed a bit by a talented group of Ohio TE prospects this year.

Bowers is an elite national prospect and a huge get for the Tigers. They are already set at QB with athletic Kyle Parker and Jon Richt, the son of Georgia head coach Mark Richt. Jones is a nice receiver and Skinner a fine long-snapper.

1 DaQuan Bowers DL/TE 6′6 265 4.70 Bamberg-Ehrhardt South Carolina
2 Kyle Parker QB 6′0 190 4.55 Jacksonville Bartram Trail Florida
3 Marquan Jones WR 6′0 175 Blythewood South Carolina
4 Andre Ellington RB 6′0 180 4.40 Moncks Corner Berkeley South Carolina
5 Nic DiLillo TE/DL 6′4 215 5.06 Madison Ohio Clemson
6 Matt Sanders OL 6′6 280 5.15 Crestview Florida
7 Matt Skinner OL/LSN 6′6 220 Jacksonville Bolles Florida
8 Jon Richt QB 6′1 185 5.48 Athens Prince Avenue Christian Georgia

15. Alabama

Nick Saban is taking an interesting approach in his first recruiting season at Alabama. It’s similar to what new coaches at Nebraska and Mississippi have done in recent years. That is, sending out many early offers, some to not so-elite kids, in order to get the ball rolling and some momentum building.

The most recent verbal is QB/ATH Brad Smelley.

Other verbals include in-staters Ivan Matchett and Wesley Neighbors. Matchett is a talented and versatile fullback who is a real nice get. His early offer list is among the best in the South. Neighbors has ‘Bama bloodlines as his father of he same name was a fine player for Alabama way back when.

The three DLs are all very athletic and quick (note that thy are all TEs on offense). I especially like Williams with his great frame and quickness. Smith is also an outstanding get as he is one of the top overall kickers in the nation.

1 Ivan Matchett RB/LB 5′11 220 4.62 Mobile St. Paul’s Episcopal Alabama
2 Michael Williams DL/TE 6′6 240 4.70 Reform Pickens County Alabama
3 Undra Billingsley DL/TE 6′4 265 4.70 Birmingham Woodlawn Alabama
4 Brandon Lewis DL/TE 6′4 260 Pleasant Grove Alabama
5 Wesley Neighbors DB 6′1 187 4.50 Huntsville Alabama
6 Corey Smith PK/P 6′0 190 Bunker Hill Musselman West Virginia
7 John Michael Boswell OL 6′6 290 Northport Tuscaloosa County Alabama
8 Brad Smelley QB/TE 6′3 213 Tuscaloosa American Christian Academy Alabama
9 Jermaine Preyear RB 5′11 198 4.40 Mobile Davidson Alabama

16. LSU

LSU has picked up five talented in-staters and a former Louisiana native in Theriot, a real a,thlete who stars at QB in high school but could play several positions at the next level. The Taylor brothers recently committed and are vastly underrated. Spencer and Lonergan are solid linemen.

The most recent verbal is highly touted TE Matt Branch, one of the top overall prospects in Louisiana and a great get.

A nice early start, but most of the elite in-state talent is still open.

1 Matt Branch TE/OL 6′6 240 4.90 Sterlington Louisiana
2 Kellen Theriot RB/LB/QB/TE/ATH 6′2 225 4.50 Bellaire Episcopal Texas
3 Brandon Taylor WR/DB 5′11 176 4.49 Franklinton Louisiana
4 Jyryn Taylor WR 6′0 175 4.50 Franklinton Louisiana
5 Clay Spencer OL 6′5 285 Baton Rouge Parkview Baptist Louisiana
6 Pat “P.J.” Lonergan OL 6′4 288 5.93 Metairie Archbishop Rummel Louisiana

17. BYU

BYU is putting together a nice early class. It would even be ranked higher if I included JUCO prospects in my rankings, but I don’t.

The latest verbal for BYU is sleeper WR Atem Bol.

Sleeper Oregon RB Jerry Bruner, a nice-sized back who was injured for much of his junior season.

Holt, one of the nation’s elite TE prospects, tops the list. The Sorensen cousins are also very good prospects.

1 Austin Holt TE/LB 6′6 220 4.90 South Jordan Bingham Utah
2 Daniel Sorensen DB/WR/PK 6′0 175 Colton California
3 Justin Sorensen PK/LB 6′2 215 South Jordan Bingham Utah
4 Cameron Comer DB/WR 6′1 170 4.56 Springville Utah
5 Jerry Bruner RB 6′2 225 Vancouver Evergreen Oregon
6 Atem Bol WR 6′2 205 4.60 Hurst Bell Texas

18. West Virginia

J.J. Dorsey is the latest verbal for West Virginia.

Other recent verbals for West Virginia are Addae, Smith and Robinson. I like Addae the best of the trio as he is an instinctive runner with great moves. His older brother played at WVU.

Jenkins is among the nation’s elite prospects and Rich Rodriguez is going to have to hold off the rest of world in keeping him a Mountaineer.

1 Josh Jenkins OL/DL 6′3 282 5.20 Parkersburg West Virginia
2 Jeff Braun DL/OL 6′5 315 5.50 Winters Mill Maryland
3 Jahleel Addae RB 5′11 170 4.87 Riverview Florida
4 Chris Smith WR/QB/ATH 5′11 175 4.63 Boothwyn Chichester Pennsylvania
5 Jermaine Robinson DB/LB/QB/ATH 6′3 180 Pittsburgh Brashear Pennsylvania
6 J.J. Dorsey QB/DB/ATH 6′1 190 4.60 Winchester John Handley Virginia

19. Virginia Tech

Two new verbals for the Hokies from talented in-staters in Jeron Gouveia and rising star Jake Johnson.

Taylor is a monster and among the nation’s elite linebackers. McCoy is a nice-sized receiver with good ball skills. Fuller is another pretty decent possession receiver.

1 Bruce Taylor LB/DL 6′3 230 4.65 Myrtle Beach South Carolina
2 Derrick McCoy WR/LB/DB 6′3 210 4.55 Amherst County Virginia
3 Jake Johnson LB 6′3 231 4.59 Stafford Falmouth Virginia Virginia Tech
4 Jeron Gouveia DB 6′1 167 4.87 Ashburn Stone Bridge Virginia Virginia Tech
5 Austin Fuller WR 6′3 200 4.69 Richlands Virginia

20. Minnesota

New head coach Tim Brewster is making an early statement by trying to lock up the in-state talent in an up year for talent in Minnesota. Maresh is the best of the bunch and among the top prospects in the midwest. Kelly has a great frame and runs well. Once he fills out he could be special. Grant is the gandson of former Viking head man Bud Grant.

Landing Maresh was huge, but there are a couple of other huge in-state targets out there in Michael Floyd and Willie Mobley.

1 Sam Maresh LB/DL/TE 6′3 257 4.70 Champlin Park Minnesota
2 Brendan Kelly DL 6′6 222 Richfield Academy of Holy Angels Minnesota
3 John Nance QB/WR/ATH 6′3 165 St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall Minnesota
4 Shady Salamon RB/DB 5′10 180 St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall Minnesota
5 Kevan Walker WR/DB/RB 6′1 189 4.50 Arcadia California
6 Ryan Grant QB/DB/LB 6′2 215 Eden Prairie Minnesota
7 Roszell Gayden DL/OL 6′7 240 Cooper Minnesota