Closing The Opening: Michigan Commits
"Keep it up and I might return the hug." — Tim Drevno
The Elite11/The Opening camp bonanza finally wrapped up, and both Michigan commits to participate fared well. Despite not being able to show off arguably his greatest strength, Michael Onwenu made 247's top performer list again at the end of the week:
The Michigan commit is almost immovable at 371 pounds. On a rep-by-rep basis, very few offensive linemen have had the success Onwenu has had in the pass-rush one-on-ones. Because his state's high school athletic association doesn't allow him to wear pads, Onwenu didn't compete in the run-blocking drills but that would seem to be an even better setting for his skill set.
In one of the highlights of the camp, he faced off against Ohio State commit Jonathan Cooper in one-on-ones and won a rep with authority:
A 371-pound guard facing the top edge-rushers in the country should not be able to do that. The counselors agreed; they selected Onwenu for the all-tournament team.
After moving in and out of the offical list throughout the week, Brandon Peters ended up finishing 10th in the Elite 11. [EDIT: Because the Elite 11 tries to be as useless as possible, apparently, they put players in alphabetical order after winner Shea Patterson, so Peters finished somewhere between 2nd and 11th.] As was the case early last week, Peters impressed onlookers even more than the counselors (maybe?), finishing seventh on 247's Barton Simmons' list:
Peters is one of the best quarterbacks in the Elite 11 from release to completion. The ball is always on target with spin and velocity. If he picks up the pace in his drops and delivery, adds some more urgency, he has a chance to be one of the best quarterbacks in this group.
The word on Peters is pretty consistent these days: strong, accurate arm; good athleticism for a "pro-style" QB; excellent potential if he corrects some technical flaws.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
Closing The Opening: Michigan Targets
If for some reason you're wondering if Rashan Gary still falls under the "DO WANT" category, I recommend reading Bruce Feldman's writeup on the linemen at The Opening [emphasis mine]:
Huber calls Gary the best D-lineman they have had at The Opening in his five years observing all of the elite prospects. "I think he lost only three reps out of the 23 or 24 he had the entire week," said Huber, whose take angered a few Vols fans taking that as a slight to incoming standout DT Khalil McKenzie.
"Khalil was one of my favorite kids and he was dominant," explained Huber. "With Rashan, he was so dominant and I know a lot of people look at his size and just see him as a D-tackle, but I think he can be as effective as a D-end or inside. There are no holes in his game. He doesn't take plays off. He has a great first two steps. He has incredible bend coming off the edge. He moves like (former five-star defensive end prospect) Byron Cowart only he's 40 pounds heavier. He's incredibly intelligent. He's a sponge.
Yep, DO WANT. On that front, Sam Webb posted a lengthy, free article on Gary's recruitment that doesn't have anything too revealing from a recruiting perspective—Gary continues to play things close to the vest, though Michigan is clearly a serious contender—but does include an enjoyable golf cart-related story from Gary's most recent visit.
The outlook is getting less rosy for five-star CA OLB Caleb Kelly, who seems to have Oklahoma alone in front now, per Webb:
“I want to take all my officials and then after that cut it down to five or three, but most likely five and have five hats on the table and still shooting for signing day.”
Not all of those visits can be officials, and Kelly isn’t yet sure which ones. There is but one exception.
“Oklahoma will be in there for sure,” he said.
Kelly added Michigan is "up there" with Oklahoma, but he's not sure if he'll take an official to Ann Arbor; if he doesn't, you can write off his recruitment entirely.
While just about everyone assumes four-star CA CB David Long will end up at Stanford, he told the TMI crew that Michigan is still in the mix ($):
"Michigan is still on me hard," Long said. "A lot of people assume I'm going to Stanford but a lot of schools haven't backed off and are still recruiting me. But Michigan, they're still pushing and they have a really good chance."
That said, Long also wants to make a decision before his senior season, which would rule out the possibility of him seeing campus on an official visit before making his choice. It will still be a big surprise if he didn't end up in Palo Alto.
Another out-of-stater Michigan has an outside shot at landing is four-star TX OLB Jeffrey McCullough, who told TMI's Josh Newkirk he plans to take an official to Michigan ($).
More 2016 Updates
Four-star KS DE Xavier Kelly is one of the top targets remaining on the board, and he told Rivals' Josh Helmholdt that Michigan is one of the schools most likely to receive an official visit from him ($):
"I still haven't visited Oregon yet, but I feel that Oregon is a top football program," Kelly said. "They look nice on TV, so I want to see what they are like academically and off the field too. I'm not for sure which game I'll see yet, but I'll find out soon."
Of the remaining seven schools on his list, Kelly has two more that are likely to end up as official visit destinations.
"Probably Michigan and Alabama," Kelly said. "I really want to see the games, so it is probably going to be for games."
In news that will probably go nowhere, Josh Newkirk reports that five-star AL OLB Lyndell Wilson plans to use one of his official visits on Michigan. It would be a major surprise if he left the state, let alone the South. Along those same lines, four-star VA ILB Jaquon Yulee, an Alabama commit who's rumored to have some academic question marks, also plans to take an official to Michigan, per Newkirk ($).
Etc.
Michigan offered a pair of 2018 New Jersey prospects this week, per Tim Sullivan: 2018 St. Peter's Prep twin brothers Jayson and Justin Ademilola. Given M's recent success in the Garden State, they should have a good shot at both after getting in this early.
Erik Swenson talks about the Before Time, when he initially committed to Michigan, and tries to handle this question as delicately as possible:
Bartelson: When Jim Harbaugh took over for Brady Hoke, at any point did you think you'd reconsider? Or did coach Harbaugh sit you down? How did that process play out?
Swanson: When Hoke got fired in [early December] and all through December, I was a little hesitant. I knew we were getting a great coach... [The Wolverines] were still solid during the Hoke era, but I felt even more solid with Harbaugh coming here.
Nick Baumgardner, meanwhile, caught up with fellow commit Ron Johnson.
Finally, a happy trails to four-star VA CB Wayne Davis, who committed to Ohio State last week.