Monday Recruiting, Sort Of

Whoops! Due to Memorial day, forgot about the old recruiting update, not that there was much going on...

Update 5/26: Noted OSU lead for FL RB Jaamal Berry. Linked to articles on CA QB Tate Forcier, FL DT Antwan Lowery, MS S Dennis Thames, OH S commit Isaiah Bell, MN WR commit Bryce McNeal. Also linked a couple videos on OK RB David Oku and three on VA QB commit Kevin Newsome: Newsome, his track coaches, and his brother. (Via MSC.)

Added VA OL Morgan Moses, FL LB Brandin Hawthorne, NC CB Terry Shankle, MI OL Charles Chapman.

Removed MI QB Keith Nichol (MSU), LA OL Chris Faulk (LSU), MI OL Reid Fragel (OSU), MD DE Sean Stanley (PSU).

Didn't re-add FL WR Nu'keese Richardson, but he is deciding on the 30th between five schools, one of which is M, and he just dropped M again so bully for me.

Editorial Opinion: As speculated in a previous edition of Monday Recruiting, the Michigan State depth chart was indeed more appealing to Keith Nichol, especially once Conor Dixon transferred and especially especially after Nick Foles followed Dixon out the door, though Foles waited for Nichol to announce his transfer first.

Meanwhile, Faulk maintained LSU as a heavy leader from day one and Fragel really wanted to be a tight end; Michigan was maybe going to offer as an OT if he came to camp. Neither is an unexpected loss. MD DE Sean Stanlely, OTOH, had an offer, plays at a position of need, and had mentioned Michigan prominently as a potential destination.

The rest of this week's possibly useful information concerns commits. Scout interviewed Bryce McNeal's coach, who gave a lot of stock answers and a potentially illuminating scouting report:

“We have had several wide receivers play division one football, but Bryce is special. He is 6’2, 185 pounds, and to try to compare him to somebody that is in your backyard ... it might be a Mario Manningham type player. I know Bryce is a lot bigger, but he has that type of athleticism. He separated himself from what we have our program and what we ever had with his hands, his route running, and how he handles himself. That is really a tough question because I hate to put that type of pressure on Bryce.”

GoBlueWolverine: How do you rank his different skills and abilities?

Coach Ohm: “His hands are legit and I would rank them number one overall, with his route running next, then his speed followed by his strength. He has good speed, but I want him to have that breakaway speed which he is working on, with 4.4 - 4.5 speed right now. If he can keep working on that, he will have that total package. You know how coaches are -- they are never satisfied and they always want more, so we want him to keep working hard. I might be 'dating' myself here, but he has those Lester Hayes type hands without the stickum where we just throw the ball up to him and he always comes down with the ball. It is very rarely that you see the ball hit his hands and see him drop the ball -- it is one of those things where he might hear footsteps or lose concentration, but it's very rare that we see that happen. Also, I forgot to add that his jumping ability is impressive as well. I am not sure what his vertical is, but we can throw that jump ball up to him and we know he will come down with the ball -- and in fact it happened twice last year at the end of the game for him to help win the game.”

The above article also mentions that McNeal will not enroll early.

Meanwhile, ESPN put up some fluff on OH S commit Isaiah Bell. The article is unremarkable but for the release of Bell's panting scouting report into the wild. Here it is in full, with the most ridiculous parts bolded:

I don't know if the "I" in Isaiah stands for interception or the "B" in Bell means big playmaker, but one thing for certain, this guy is a good football player. He shows outstanding ball skills and at 6-2, 200 pounds, he is a big safety.

He rules the secondary as a free safety. Has great instincts and plays outstanding zone coverage especially in the 3 deep. Should be a solid halves player also in two deep zone. A real competitor who can break a game wide open. Breaks quickly on the pass with a burst to the football. High points the football and has great timing on the interception. Makes things happen after the interception; not unusual for him to bring the pick back for a touchdown.

A magnificent kickoff return specialist; has good speed and can read his blocks. Has a second gear and can kick it in to blow by would-be tacklers. Has the courage to field the ball in traffic and bring it right back at the coverage team. A good open-field tackler who needs some work in terms of tackling fundamentals; would like to see him use his size when making the tackle on run support by being more physical. Very athletic football player who has good foot agility and shows flexibility in the hips. Can change direction without loss of speed or balance.

Bell will be a big-time player at a big-time college. Just a little fundamental work is needed.

That's so over the top it reads like a parody in sections; I eagerly anticipate the release of ESPN's top 150 to see just where Bell is slotted and how vociferously Scout and Rivals disagree.

Wobble? Unfortunately, two of Michigan's three top 50 commits bear watching for a potential decommit. One is Cass Tech DT William Campbell, who's always maintained he will go on official visits in the fall. In a recent interview, Campbell described himself as "open, but probably going to Michigan." He is a soft commit and should be regarded much like a kid who claims Michigan a heavy favorite, IMO. Don't think he goes elsewhere but the chances are better than 10%.

Also, there's some chatter that Kevin Newsome hasn't told other colleges to talk to the hand as much as you, the Michigan fan, might want. Penn State thinks they might get him up for an official visit in the fall, and Virginia Tech remains a presence. Something to keep an eye on. I'm not too concerned since the structural advantages Michigan had in Newsome's recruitment -- largely the existences of Jay Paterno and Tyrod Taylor -- remain intact.

Here's an interview, FWIW:



Aaand the track coaches:



One last bit, this on MS S Dennis Thames. This is what terrifies me about recruiting in the South:

Either way, in-state favorite Mississippi State is going to be hard to beat. "They are only 30 minutes away and I'd prefer to stay close," he said. "It would be nice to be able to come home during the weekends and have my family come see me play. That definitely helps."

Thames also says he likes the coaches at Mississippi State. "Coach Sylvester Croom is a great guy and he's a good coach," he said. "He's turning things around over there. Plus, I know a few guys there already and I'm real comfortable there and like the atmosphere."

Not so much on the "turning around" despite appearances, Mr. Thames. Some years ago Michigan was recruiting a highly touted corner from Mississippi -- Derek Pegues -- and thought they had an excellent shot at him; he went to Mississippi State, where he's been All-SEC in the service of the perpetually moribund Bulldogs. I think Jay Hopson's haul this year is going to be disappointing.

Thames on M, FWIW:

One school that Thames is looking forward to visiting in particular is Michigan. "They are a big school and I like the new spread offense they are gonna run," he said. "I think I'd fit in really well in their offense and I'd love to play receiver for them. They've talked about both offense and defense, so we'll see."

Indeed, we shall.