But Is He ELITE? (Yes.)
Before rankling a certain perpetually aggrieved blogger with one of the most innocuous rivalry tweets ever, Alex Malzone earned himself a bid to the Elite 11 finals with an outstanding performance at the Columbus regional. 247's Barton Simmons put him at the top of the list when running down the best QBs in the "Pressure Chamber" drill (video above):
Alex Malzone – Malzone, the Michigan commit, had a very solid evening and had one of the better arms at the event. He also has good active feet in and outside the pocket. He could blend in at times but he definitely rose to the occasion during his pressure chamber showing. Of his five throws, four of them were dimes that he threw with a lot of command. He missed on a dig route but all in all, he had a strong output on his rival’s field. Later Monday night Malzone earned an invitation to the Elite 11 finals, securing one of the final 18 spots.
Scout's Allen Trieu was also impressed, though it sounds like Malzone still has a little work to do on his mechanics ($):
Malzone was generally on the money. His passes down the seam were excellent and showed the arm to hit the deep outs as well. As noted in the past, he has a hitch in his delivery, but the ball comes out of his hand nicely, with good pace, and he's an accurate passer.
Fellow commit Tyree Kinnel took the field last weekend at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge and ranked #5 on their list of top defensive backs at the invite-only event ($):
Multiple times on out routes, Kinnel came up and stepped in front of the pass. He showed off great instincts and a great ability to read receivers' routesand then come up to make the play. Kinnel's backpedal is smooth and then he turns and runs well with receivers. Kinnel is set with his Michigan commitment.
Interestingly, Rivals listed Kinnel as a cornerback; while Michigan recruited him as a safety, he's displayed the requisite coverage ability to have positional flexibility in the secondary. After the event, Kinnel told the Daily's Alejandro Zuniga he's fully committed to U-M despite recent overtures from Alabama and Michigan State.
[Hit THE JUMP for coverage of Ty Isaac's impact on the 2015 RB situation, Grant Newsome's upcoming decision, weekend visit reactions, a potential five-star visitor, and more.]
Running Back Roulette Continues
Despite the transfer of Ty Isaac to Michigan, the Wolverines are still pursuing running backs in the 2015 class. Determining which back is most likely to end up in the class is still difficult, however. Despite making their way into his top eight this week, it looks increasingly unlikely that U-M will regain a commitment from Damien Harris, per The Wolverine's Michael Spath ($):
Another source close to the situation told TheWolverine.com that Michigan probably would not have taken Isaac if Harris was still in the fold.
"The way it was conveyed to me is that when Ty Isaac first became available, Michigan wasn't 100 percent certain whether they'd roll out the red carpet, but over these last few weeks, it's become more apparent that they're losing ground with Harris, and when you can add a five-star running back, and you're going to lose out on a five-star running back, you absolutely have to go for it," the source said.
While the Harris recruitment continues to trend poorly, the same can't be said for Mike Weber, who was on campus for the second time in a week's span yesterday. Even though Michigan couldn't crack Weber's recent top three, he told GBW's Josh Newkirk that could change at any time, especially given how hard they've recruited him lately ($):
“Really, if they keep doing what they are doing – anything can change,” Weber said. “It could change tomorrow. So you never really know what’s going to happen. I just think if Michigan keeps doing what they are doing, anything can happen. Michigan is a good look.”
Weber also said the coaches told him he's "the guy they are looking for" at running back, and that Isaac's move to Ann Arbor won't affect his decision.
A few other options either plan to visit campus or are considering one. Florida four-star Jacques Patrick should stop by while he's in the state... now. Fellow Sunshine State four-star back Ray-Ray McCloud III claimed he has no favorites despite the perception Florida and Clemson are out in front, and per Chris Balas, Michigan is one of the schools he plans to check out ($):
"I know for sure I am going to UCLA, USC and Oregon, then maybe Florida, Florida State and Miami," he said during the weekend's Rivals.com Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour. "I am supposed to go to Nebraska and Michigan."
If McCloud indeed makes it to campus, Michigan will have to make a strong impression, as he hasn't ruled out a summer decision.
Four-star Miami (YTM) RB commit Dexter Williams, meanwhile, gave 247's Ryan Bartow one of the most refreshingly honest quotes in recent memory ($):
How firm is that [Miami] pledge?
“I would say 100 but (it's) 80,” Williams told 247Sports Tuesday night. “I’m still open.”
Williams said USC and Tennessee are running second and third behind the 'Canes, then added he may also take an official to Michigan. While I wouldn't say U-M has a great shot at any of the last three guys mentioned, the more lottery tickets, the better chance at hitting jackpot.
Newsome Decision Imminent
Four-star NJ OT Grant Newsome took visits to Penn State and Michigan last week, and it appears he's ready to make his decision; per 247's Steve Lorenz, one could come as soon as this Saturday ($):
"[Michigan and PSU] are similar programs in my mind," he said, "and that's why they're the two schools I am deciding between. I'm thinking of deciding next Saturday, and if not next Saturday, then sometime soon after that. I'm going to talk with my parents about each program and kind of try to figure out the pros and cons and work it from there. I've seen everything I need to see from both schools, and I know my parents like both programs and are going to be happy regardless of where I go. At this point, I think it's going to end up coming down to a gut feeling for me.I really am not sure which school I am going to choose at this point."
Newsome had great things to say about his most recent visit, from his interactions with the coaches to the M-PACT academic presentation to spending time with Alex Malzone. Given how soon he's deciding and how close the race appears to be, I won't venture to guess where Newsome will end up—insiders on both sides feel good about this one.
Michigan hosted a couple other unofficial visitors over the weekend. 2015 TX WR Adrian "A.D." Miller told Josh Newkirk "everything went great" and after seeing how he'd fit into the offense he's seriously considering U-M ($):
“They are pretty high on my list,” Miller said. “They are one of the schools I am really considering. After my visit, they are one of my top schools.”
2016 four-star OH WR Justin Layne stopped by for a quick three-hour tour and afterwards told Lorenz where U-M stands among his top schools ($):
"I'd say my top three schools are Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State," Layne noted. "I really have liked those three visits the most and like what they have to offer me. There hasn't really been a big difference at this point for me between those schools, and I have more visits I want to take. That's just who I would have as my top three right now."
Layne is getting early national attention, so we'll see if his top group continues to have a strong Midwest flavor after further visits.
2015 Updates: Five-Star Visit In The Works?
I haven't written much about five-star CA CB Iman Marshall even though Michigan has been on the periphery of his recruitment for a while, mostly due to the usual skepticism that a top California prospect would end up in the Big Ten. I can't ignore him any longer after what he said at the Rivals elite camp, per Chris Balas ($):
"My guy Fred Canteen is up there and he's one of my guys I work out with," Marshall said. "He's true freshman [receiver] going to start this year, so I'm excited for him.
"Michigan is especially a strong program. I'm excited for them. They have good tradition and the networking is outstanding. I want to go down there for an unofficial or an official, see the program and see how it is, get a feel of the program for myself."
Okay! While many expect Marshall to pick between USC and UCLA, he plans to make a Signing Day decision, so there's plenty of time for other schools—Michigan included—to work their way to the top of his list.
The Wolverines made the top ten for four-star WR Auden Tate; if you like reading into such things, while Tate says it's an unordered list, he put Michigan at the top.
Four-star MN WDE Jashon Cornell gave the lowdown on where his top schools stand to 247's Steve Wiltfong ($):
“It’s like Ohio State and Michigan State at the top,” Cornell said. “I can’t pick between who I want No. 1. You can’t beat both of them. Both schools are really good.”
...
“Michigan and Penn State are right behind them, and UCLA,” Cornell said.
First, sigh. Second, at least U-M has a chance to catch up, as Cornell will be on campus this weekend while in state for the SMSB camp.
Although MD OT Patrick Allen stated Oklahoma is his leader, he's got Michigan in his top five—along with Florida State, Georgia, and Ohio State—and per Scout's Rachel Klein the recruiting efforts of Malzone have made an impression on him ($):
“It was funny the quarterback who is committed to Michigan, Alex Malzone, he hit me up and was talking to me about how he wants me to come up there and block for him,” Allen said. “I guess the coaches have been telling him about me, that was pretty crazy and I was just thinking …wow they must really want me if they had another recruit him me up to ask me to come block for him.”
Malzone's name has popped up in a whole lot of other recruit's quotes since his commitment; Michigan appears to have the "let your recruits recruit for you" approach down to a science.
If you missed it, Brandon posted an update on four-star SDE Darian Roseboro last week. Happy trails are due to another of U-M's defensive end targets, as VA four-star Clelin Ferrellcommitted to Clemson last week.
2016 Updates: Two New Offers
Brandon posted last week that Michigan's latest 2016 QB offer went out to current Arizona commit Shea Patterson, a Louisiana recruit currently ranked as the #2 pro-style QB in the class. The fifth 2016 QB to earn a Michigan offer, Patterson said he plans to visit within the next few weeks, and he told GBW's Kyle Bogenschutz about his connection to the program ($):
“It was awesome,” he said. “It’s a huge offer for me. I actually grew up 30 or 40 minutes from Ann Arbor [in Toledo] so that was great.
“My mom and dad were actually season ticket holders when I lived in Ohio and my dad was a huge Michigan fan back then. I still have a lot of family up there so, getting that offer, it’d be cool to play in front of them.”
Patterson said his dad was "calling everyone and their mother" after hearing about the U-M offer. Meanwhile, his older brother is a grad assistant at Arizona, where Shea is currently committed. Awkward family dinners may be in their future.
U-M also offered four-star VA CB Levonta Taylor, one of 2016's most sought-after defensive backs; per an interview with Rivals, he may be keeping a close eye on how Michigan utilizes Jabrill Peppers ($):
"All my offers [are in it]," he said. "I want to go to the best program that is good for me, starts true freshmen and puts DBs in the league. Miami has from the past, Clemson does here and there and Michigan State."
Taylor is definitely a "wait and see if he visits" recruit for now.
Yup.
There's so much BS out there. We want you to be a part of 'our can of swag' or whatever. It got to the point where I just couldn't be a part of it anymore.
Yup.
Now playing: Oh, Inverted World