Grit: Check
Three-star CB Antwaine Richardson was among of Michigan's spate of June commits after performing for the coaches at the Miami satellite camp. That he earned an offer is all the more impressive given the news that broke today—according to ESPN's Wells Dusenbury, Richardson tore his ACL in May, an injury that will unfortunately end his senior season before it begins. Richardson somehow managed to partake in that camp in June before undergoing surgery in July. The injury shouldn't affect his status as a Michigan commit:
Richardson's knee injury, however, has not affected his commitment to Michigan. In fact, the coaching staff was aware of the injury before Richardson's decision. The three-star recruit verbally committed to the Wolverines on June 12, weeks after being hurt.
"I told [the Michigan coaching staff] I tore my ACL before I committed, so they knew what I was coming into," said Richardson. "They said, 'We'd still love to have you up here. Just rehab real good so you can get back to normal and start cutting the same.'"
"To me it felt good. That meant they really wanted me. Some schools would back off after they found out you tore your ACL, but they still wanted me."
Richardson is aiming to enroll early. Given ACL recovery timelines these days, he'd be on track to participate in spring practice.
Injury news is never good news but in this case at least we have confirmation Richardson is one tough SOB. The mere thought of playing corner with a torn ACL caused me to walk with a slight limp this morning.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
Mitchell Decision Forthcoming
The Philadelphia Enquirer reports four-star NJ WR Ahmir Mitchell is closing in on a decision:
An all-purpose star at Cedar Creek High School, Mitchell has narrowed his college choices to the two Big Ten programs. He said he will decide by the end of the month, probably on August 27.
"It's stressful but I'm enjoying it," Mitchell said after another pre-season practice on Thursday at Cedar Creek, which is located in Egg Harbor City.
Mitchell says that "some days I wake up thinking I'm going to one school and some days I wake up thinking I'm going to the other school."
Despite Mitchell maintaining that Michigan and Ohio State are even on top of his list, all signs point to the Wolverines being the choice if he sticks to this timeline; the Buckeyes have other receivers higher on their board while Michigan would be happy to take his commitment at any time.
Texans Talk Michigan
Four-star TX ILB Dontavious Jackson told Scout's Ahmard Vital he'll take an official visit for The Game this fall ($). Jackson, one of the top targets left on the board, has also set officials to Florida State and UCLA. His high school teammate, three-star S Chris Brown, is also slated to take his official for the OSU game.
Four-star TX DT Chris Daniels visited Michigan, MSU, and OSU last week. He had good things to say about all three schools to Rivals' Jason Howell, but it sounds like one may have stood out to his mom ($):
"When I was little I always wanted to go to Michigan and be a Wolverine, so it was pretty cool to go up there and see how they practice and stuff," Daniels said. "I know their d-line is kind of young but I see a lot of potential in the d-line. Coach Mattison is a really good coach. Like I said, coach Harbaugh is really nice. The facilities and everything were really nice. But one thing that really stood out to me is they say you have a scholarship for life. You can come back and get a degree at any point. That really opened my mother's eyes. I don't know if that's her favorite now, but she really really likes them now."
Between Michigan's significant need for defensive tackles and Rashan Gary taking a hard look at the SEC, Daniels could be a hugely important target down the stretch. He plans to announce a top five at the end of the month—Michigan should make it—before making a decision in December.
Etc.
Four-star CA WR Theo Howard is back on the market after decommitting from Oregon yesterday. He showed high interest in Michigan before pledging to the Ducks, though it looks like USC is the program most likely to land him now.
The father of elite 2018 QB Trevor Lawrence, who added a Michigan offer last week, told The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan they "definitely" plan to make a trip up to Ann Arbor ($).
Happy trails to three-star NC ILB Jonathan Smith, who committed to UNC last week.
Sir Patrick Scott is a first-team cornerback on SBNation's 2016 All-Name Team, which is particularly loaded this year.