This is my last post of the week, and I'll be taking next week off to do anything that doesn't involve sitting in front of a laptop. I just wanted to thank everyone for reading along through football and basketball season, and tease that I've got some fun content lined up for my return. (Think dunks. Lots and lots of dunks.) Have a great week, everyone.
Offer Bonanza! (Does Not Include QB)
Michigan's thrown out offers left and right over the last week, as Brandon has covered in detail in this mgoboard thread. In fact, they're going out so fast a couple more offers didn't make that list; since Tuesday, the coaches have extended offers to four-star VA OT Matthew Burrell, three-star GA OT Zach Giella, and five-star GA WR Preston Williams (Tennessee commit).
Burrell generated a lot of buzz when he visited for the Notre Dame game last season; he showed genuine interest, though we'll see how much that's changed given how long it took for U-M to decide to offer him. Giella's three-star ranking belies his impressive offer sheet, and he's currently got LSU as his leader with Ole Miss running second ($); just getting a visit from him would be an accomplishment. Williams, the top-ranked receiver in the class, is looking around at other schools but it's unclear if he'll take a visit to Michigan, per 247's Steve Lorenz.
While the Wolverines may be on the outside looking in for those three prospects, they're looking good for two recent offer recipients at wide receiver. IL four-star Miles Boykin is being recruited at both wide receiver and tight end due to his 6'3", 212-pound frame. Michigan sees him as a Funchess-type wideout, and per Tim Sullivan that's precisely how Boykin wants to play ($):
The 6-3, 212-pounder is open to both spots, but prefers to be out on the edge making plays in space. Fortunately, that's where Michigan would like to see him line up, should he choose to become a Wolverine.
"I'd rather play receiver, but if my body grows I can't really do anything about that so I'm open to playing tight end, too," Boykin said. "[Coach Mallory] said because of how difficult I am to cover, that's why they're offering me as a wide receiver, not a tight end."
Boykin visited Ann Arbor for the spring game-ish thing and told Tim he'd like to see Michigan again before a potential preseason decision. All of the major Midwest schools, among several others, are in on Boykin; Michigan looks to be among his top schools, and that return visit will obviously be key if he sticks to his current timeline.
Meanwhile, three-star FL WR Auden Tate told Scout's Amy Campbell that Michigan was his childhood favorite, and it's a "dream come true" to hold an offer from them—as you'd expect, this has the Wolverines in a very good spot ($):
Now that Michigan has offered, Tate says it’s easily his number one school. “They’re the top, I’m going to try to visit them soon,” he said.
Tate added an offer from his favorite’s rival, Ohio State, earlier this month. While he wasn’t as ecstatic about it as he was the Michigan offer, he was still very happy to add an offer from such a historic program.
Tate's offer sheet suggests he should eventually climb in the composite rankings, and he told Campbell he plans to make a decision "sometime after summer" once he's had the chance to visit his top schools, which also include the likes of Clemson, Miami, and South Carolina. While Michigan will have to sweat out those visits, they'll also get one of their own, and for now they're in a great position to land him.
One reported offer that's been refuted by multiple reporters, including Sam Webb($), is 2015 four-star dual-threat QB Deondre Francois. While Michigan watched him throw this week, no new QB offers have gone out recently, according to Webb.
[Hit THE JUMP for the latest on Grant Newsome, Darian Roseboro, where Michigan stands for several top 2015 targets, and more.]
An Offensive Lineman Emerges?
Michigan continues to put out offers to 2015 offensive linemen; in addition to Burrell and Giella, they also offered four-star FL OT Adbul Bello, three-star FL OT Tyler Jordan, and three-star FL OT William Sweet in the last week. Though a flood of offers to a particular position group often indicates a lack of interest from currently offered prospects, that's not the case with four-star NJ OT Grant Newsome, who gave some very promising quotes to Sam Webb in the wake of his recent Michigan unofficial ($):
“I’m still pretty wide open at this point just trying to what other interests come in throughout the evaluation period,” he stated. “I think Michigan is definitely a school that is very very appealing to me and offers a lot of what I am looking for in a school. I think Michigan is definitely one of my top schools going forward.”
I’ll probably end up taking one or two [visits] in June. I am definitely going to head back out to Michigan because my mom wasn’t able to accompany us on this past trip. So she definitely wants to get out and see the campus for herself. I’ll definitely be taking another trip out to Michigan sometime here in the near future.”
The all-important Mom Visit is an excellent sign, as is Newsome's planned timeline—he wants to make a decision in June or July. If he had to pick a school right now, I believe Newsome would choose Michigan, though Penn State, Ohio State, and LSU could provide some serious competition.
Top-150 Visitor On Campus
NC SDE Darian Roseboro, ranked #110 overall in the 247 Composite, begins a lengthy visit to Michigan today, according to this free update from Steve Lorenz:
He will make the trip with both parents, and will stay Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in town before departing on Sunday. ... He will have time to get the full academic and athletic treatment and then some, as he'll spend a wealth of time with the current players as well.
A visit that long, especially while accompanied by both parents, usually indicates major interest from a prospect, and Michigan has the opportunity to build on that over the long weekend. Roseboro holds offers from all across the country and doesn't appear to have narrowed his focus, so the Wolverines have a chance to make a strong push towards the top of his list.
Etc.
Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame comprise the top three schools for four-star 2015 Cleveland St. Ignatius SDE Dre'Mont Jones, per Rivals's Josh Helmholdt ($). Jones named Ohio State as his favorite after recently visiting both Ann Arbor and Columbus, so it'll be tough to pull him away from his home-state school.
According to Scout's Eric Rutter, four-star UT OLB Osa Masina is preparing to narrow his list to a top ten, and he already knows one school that will make the cut ($):
“I’ll start narrowing my list down,” said Masina. “I’ll start off narrowing it down to ten—maybe seven or eight, but most likely ten. Michigan will definitely be in my top ten.”
Despite the distance that stands between the two states, Masina has already made the 1,600—plus mile trip from Utah to Michigan once in the past year. Masina first visited for the Barbecue at the Big House, which was well received and will likely lead to a return trip this summer.
Masina isn't sure whether he'll make a decision before his senior season or wait and take his official visits; he hinted at a potential commitment at the Army All-American Game.
Michigan sits outside the top five for four-star TX OLB Anthony Wheeler, who has Oklahoma as his leader, though he told Rivals's Jason Howell that he'll "probably get up to Michigan" for a visit this summer ($).
Four-star MO TE Hale Hentges, who visited for the spring game-type substance, told GBW's Josh Newkirk he'll "definitely" be back to Ann Arbor for another visit—this time with his mother ($). He plans to announce a top five next month; I'd expect Michigan will be in there.
2016 IL RB Kentrail Moran, an early four-star on Scout, told Newkirk that Jeff Hecklinski said he's Michigan's top running back target in his class ($). Moran doesn't yet hold an offer, but said he's "very high on Michigan" and is looking forward to an early June visit.