An Unexpected Twist
When an out-of-region prospect cancels a visit, it's usually a death knell for a program's chances of landing him. So, when top-100 AL WR Nico Collins didn't make it to the spring game, I assumed Michigan was out of the picture.
I was wrong. Collins got to campus last week, and he told 247's Georgia outlet he has a new leader in the aftermath:
"Right now, Michigan has caught my eye," Collins said. "I fell in love with them on my visit. They might be my leader - with Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson pushing them. There is just something more with Michigan - they have a plan for you after college - plus their football program is pretty nice."
We'll see if that holds once the post-visit afterglow has faded. Even if the pack catches up, Michigan is in excellent position; Collins noted two important factors are his relationship with the coaches and the quarterback situation at each program—M should fare well on both counts.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
#WarOnRutgers: An Update From The Front
Oh man. Oh man. Ohhhhhhhh man.
That's the lead image for Jersey Pravda's slideshow in which the coaches of the top 20 high school progams in the state discuss the competing satellite camps. Encouragingly, not everyone is as loony as the guy who accused Michigan of "conspiring" with Paramus Catholic to... commit the nefarious act of providing their players an opportunity to go to Michigan instead of Rutgers, I guess? Most of the Rutgers support is qualified with statements about how they'll support their players getting a chance to be recruited, whether that's by the in-state program or the invading forces.
There are a couple exceptions. The coach of Montvale St. Joseph Regional, which has two 2017 offensive line prospects in Penn State commit Robert Martin and Michigan target Joshua Fedd-Jackson, stands out as a voice of reason:
This guy, on the other hand...
...well, he doesn't matter anyway.
Meanwhile, the high school coaches of Alabama actually found a way to institute what's essentially their own ban on satellite camps:
The Wolverines had hoped to hold a camp June 6 at the Bob Jones campus in Madison. However, a bylaw passed April 12 by the Alabama High School Athletic Association allows its member football coaches to only participate in camps involving their players on the weeks of June 27, July 4, July 11 and July 25.
Student-athletes can attend camps prior to those dates as individuals, and at their own expense.
"We're not going to have it," Patriots coach Kevin Rose said. "To have that many kids, 500 kids, they need 12 high school coaches to help work the camp. And since that's no longer legal, they won't be coming to Bob Jones."
A coincidence, I'm sure.
In-State Package Deal?
247's Steve Wiltfong reports that Michigan is in the top four for four-star Detroit King CB Ambry Thomas:
Where Thomas will play on the next level is still up in the air.
“I trust Michigan State a lot, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Michigan,” Thomas said.
Thomas has been a fixture on the campuses of both in-state schools, and he'll be in Ann Arbor again at the end of the month:
“Michigan, I’ve been talking to Coach (Don) Brown lately, I’m going up there on the 25th or 26th. He’s going to lay out my life plan for me, life after football that’s what we talk about a lot.”
While Michigan State is the crystal ball leader, Thomas' connection with cousin Jaylen Kelly-Powell could swing the momentum in favor of the Wolverines, the presumed leader for the four-star Cass Tech safety. Kelly-Powell told TMI's Josh Newkirk that the pair are looking to play together in college:
“It’s really big for our family, really,” Kelly-Powell said of playing with Thomas in college. “Not everyone can say they did that in life, ‘I play with my cousin, I played with my brother.’ We were supposed to play together in high school, but now we’re trying to do it in college.”
Adding: “We always do joint visits all the time,” Kelly-Powell said of Thomas. “If he go, I go with him. If I go, he goes with me. We do everything together.”
Package deals often fall through, of course, but given where JKP stands, it seems more likely both would end up at Michigan than at Michigan State.
CROOTIN, Part I
When five-star 2018 OH DE/TE Leonard Taylor committed after the spring game, we anticipated his recruitment was far from over. Given what he told 247's Bill Kurelic this week, it's probably best to consider his commitment more an informal declaration of his current leader:
“Man, I have a chance to go to Ohio State,” Taylor said when asked for his reaction to the NFL draft. “I still think about it almost every day. They had five people go in the 1stround. That’s lovely. It’s going to be (a part) of my thinking.”
...
“Senior year, signing day,” Taylor said when asked when he will make his final decision and be all through with recruiting.
Only 21 months to go!
CROOTIN, Part II
Four-star 2017 NJ WR Tarik Black, who has Michigan in his top five, provided his current commitment plans to Scout's Brian Dohn:
"I want to decide before my senior season. I’ll probably do a silent commit, and then announce at the Army All-American game."
That would involve Black remaining a silent commit to a school for four-plus months. Let's just say I'm skeptical that will stick.
Etc.
I'm battling a stomach bug, so apologies in advance for running through these quickly.
Current commit stuff: Scout has free highlights and analysis from last weekend's Opening Columbus regional for AJ Dillon and Ben Mason. MLive has a feature on Benjamin St-Juste.
Five-star FL OT Alex Leatherwoodtold MnB's Brandon Justice that Michgian is "really close" to Alabama, the program to which he's currently committed, after receiving a visit from Tim Drevno.
Michigan offered three-star CT ATH CJ Holmes, who said "all [he] could do was smile" after getting word from Don Brown, who extended Holmes' first offer back when he was at Boston College, per TMI's Brice Marich.
Three-star CA jumbo athlete Popo Amuvaetold Oregon's 247 outlet that Michigan and Oregon form his top two. He just visited Oregon and will use an official to get out to Ann Arbor.