Ian Bunting: Tall
Bunting and Funchess: Hopefully the football version of this minus the disappointment.
Tight end Ian Bunting was Michigan's lone representative* at Nike's invite-only camp The Opening, which wrapped up over the weekend. While he didn't crack any of the top performer lists I've seen, Bunting stood out in a more literal fashion, leading off 247's rundown of players with "eye-popping" measurements:
At 6-foot-6, Bunting measured in as the tallest prospect in attendance at The Opening. He also weighed in at 223 pounds and has added some strength to his frame, starting to look like a college tight end.
Bunting dealt with a balky hamstring during the combine and 7-on-7 sessions; with the injury, he recorded a 33-inch vertical leap and 5.0-second 40-yard dash ($). Assuming that 40 time improves when healthy, Bunting has some tantalizing measurables — combining that hamstring-hampered leap with his height puts Bunting at 9'3" off the ground, by my math, before he even puts his hands in the air. Putting him and Devin Funchess on the field at the same time could cause total matchup chaos for future Michigan opponents, especially in the red zone.
While slot receiver commit Freddy Canteen wasn't invited to The Opening, four-star CB Jalen Tabor told Sam Webb($) that he would've shined — a notable shout-out considering Tabor is one of the few to face Canteen in person:
“He’s got good routes. I definitely respect Freddy Canteen. We go at it all the time. That’s my man. We just had 7-on-7 at Maryland. The whole championship game it was just me and him. My coach said, ‘go get (Canteen).’ And they were testing me. We were going at each other. So I’ve definitely got a lot of respect for Freddy Canteen. He is going to be good in college.”
Asked if Canteen would've done well at The Opening, Tabor replied "without a doubt, yes." He also spoke highly of fellow corner Brandon Watson, specifically for his ability to jam receivers at the line:"I've seen him jam some people up... real good." Unsolicited praise about Michigan commits from a prospect who's not considering Michigan is always nice to see. This is your weekly Rank Our Guys Higher For Reasons update.
The Opening Recruiting Updates: It's Real, And It's Spectacular
(via SBNation Recruiting)
PA S Montae Nicholson could be Michigan's most realistic possibility to fill the final spot in the secondary, depending upon your thoughts—or the coaches', really—about Parrker Westphal's prospects as a safety. He continues to play his cards close to the vest, telling SBNation in the above video that he's still open to several schools, including Florida State and Stanford (skip to 1:48 for recruiting talk unless you want to hear Nicholson's thoughts on sneakers). Nicholson's recruitment should extend through official visits, and in a good sign for Michigan, the only one of those he's set up so far is for Michigan-ND in September. Penn State is another school that could make a run; Michigan being one of the first schools to recruit Nicholson should help them be in the mix until the very end.
Meanwhile, five-star CA ATH Juju Smith told GBW's Kyle Bogenschutz at The Opening that, despite the distance factor, Michigan is very much a player in his recruitment ($):
For Michigan, the interest on Smith’s end is sincere, with an official visit to Ann Arbor set in stone this fall.
“It’s really real,” Smith told GoBlueWolverine. “On an honest level, Michigan is up there. They’re one of my top five, I’m taking an official visit, and hopefully I can see what they have for me.
Smith originally planned to take an official for the Notre Dame game but instead will be in Ann Arbor for The Game. Michigan would likely take him as a safety who could moonlight as a receiver; Smith's top schools—including Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC—have all mentioned the possibility of playing on both sides of the ball. While expectations should always be held in check when it comes to top-flight West Coast prospects, the Wolverines have a legitimate shot here.
Michigan also has a real chance at another top California product, four-star OLB Dwight Williams, who confirmed to Bogenschutz that he'll take an official for the Notre Dame game ($). Florida, the only other school scheduled to receive an official from Williams, may be the biggest competition for the Wolverines.
Four-star GA DE Andrew Williams— Do I consistently get him confused with Dwight Williams? Yes. — also attended The Opening; not only is Michigan among his leaders, but he'll be on campus soon, per Sam Webb ($):
Though not yet ready at the time of this interview to lay out his entire list of finalists, he did open up a bit regarding the Wolverines’ standing.
“They’re up there,” Williams replied when asked if Michigan is in his top five.
“I would love to get down there for the 19th. That’s definitely one visit I personally plan on taking. I’m definitely interested in Michigan.”
Michigan is firmly in the mix for Da'Shawn Hand and Malik McDowell; Williams is quite the contingency plan should one (or both) of those two end up elsewhere.
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*Drake Harris also received an invite, but couldn't attend due to summer school — if you missed the news, he did that to ensure that he can enroll early.
[Hit THE JUMP for LEONARD FOURNETTE VISIT POSSIBILITY (sirens), the latest on Shaun Crawford, and more.]
LEONARD FOURNETTE VISIT HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND REMAIN CALM BREATHE SOMEBODY GET ME A PAPER BAG
Yeah, what the header says ($):
Thanks to some outstanding timing, it looks like the 6-foot ½, 225-pound Fournette will get a chance to visit the Michigan campus the weekend of July 12.
Ranked by the 247Composite as the nation’s No. 1 prospect overall, Fournette will be in Cleveland that weekend for a 7-on-7 tournament and plans to shoot up to Michigan while he’s in the area.
“Me and Jabrill had a talk about it and I talked to my father about going up there, so I decided to take a visit up there,” Fournette said at The Opening on Wednesday afternoon.
Repeat this to yourself at least ten times: Michigan is Buster Douglas to the Alabama/LSU Mike Tyson here, only if Tyson actually took that fight seriously. While simply getting a visit is a major accomplishment, the Wolverines aren't even the only dark horse for the nation's top running back: Fournette camped at USC recently and said($) he was "surprised by how much [he] liked it," and also told Rivals' Texas outlet this week that he may visit Austin for a second time ($).
Regardless, somebody hurry up with that paper bag.
Underclassmen Updates
2015 OH CB Shaun Crawford visited Miami (YTM) last week, and while he enjoyed the campus and plans a return visit (namely to see the coaches, as several were on vacation when he was there), he told ESPN's Jared Shanker that Michigan still leads ($). Crawford is slated to visit Ann Arbor for both this month's BBQ and the Notre Dame game; a commitment at either setting is a distinct possibility.
Despite teammate Artavis Scott's commitment to Clemson, 2015 five-star ATH George Campbell still plans to visit Michigan for the BBQ, per Sam Webb ($). Campbell still has fond memories of his first trip to Ann Arbor:
“I’m the Mayor of Michigan,” [Campbell] said with a grin. “We were just up there, first visit or whatever, and I started hanging out with the coaches, and five minutes later I’m with every player from Michigan, and I was just roaming around doing my own thing, and everybody liked me, so I think I became the Mayor that way.”
It'll still be tough for Michigan to wrest Campbell away from SEC territory (Florida and Clemson, specifically), but they'll get their shot, and having high school teammate Mason Cole in the fold can't hurt.
2015 four-star Saginaw (MI) ATH Brian Cole should add plenty of top schools to his offer sheet, but his coach told 247's Clint Brewster that the in-state schools are hell-bent on keeping him in Michigan ($):
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Cole currently holds offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Ohio State, and Tennessee.
“He really likes all the schools that have offered,” said Maloney. “Michigan and Michigan State both said that they aren’t letting him leave the state of Michigan for college. Michigan and Michigan State have both been recruiting the hardest probably but I wouldn’t say Brian is a lock for any team.”
Notre Dame, UCLA, and Nebraska are among the schools to show recent interest. Cole has visited Michigan several times; I've got him predicted to the good guys for now.
The M Block catches up with 2016 Trotwood-Madison QB Messiah DeWeaver, an early candidate for that coveted Michigan quarterback offer in his class.
Happy Trails
As mentioned above, Artavis Scottcommitted to Clemson at The Opening. Fellow receiver K.J. Williams, meanwhile, pledged to Syracuse yesterday. Michigan is almost certainly done recruiting at receiver after Canteen's commitment; with Drake Harris and Moe Ways on the outside and Canteen in the slot, they've covered any needs there.