Crawford Sophomore Tape Released; Decision Looms Large
Four-star 2015 corner/slot Shaun Crawford will make his decision today at 4, and you can watch it on ESPN's website. He didn't have full highlights available on YouTube until just recently:
Everything points to Michigan in Crawford's recruitment, so expect him to don Michigan apparel.
Jabrill Peppers: Too Strong
Five-star cornerback Jabrill Peppers is insanely ripped for a high school senior. All of that muscle translates to this:
That kid's head just dropped somewhere in South Asia. At least he wasn't dropped onto his head like a failed WWE wrestler. Jabrill Peppers shouldn't be allowed on a high school field; he's going to dominate most receivers in college on day one. This spin move suggests that Michigan should run power wildcat on every offensive drive:
He's the most talented football recruit Michigan has ever landed. Yes, I said ever. That statement will still hold true if Da'Shawn Hand commits to the Wolverines.
Rivals, Scout Update Rankings
Both Rivals and Scout have updated their list of top 2014 football recruits, but nothing groundbreaking broke in favor of Michigan, whose commitments will likely continue to make slight drops in the rankings as newer, freshly scouted prospects rise up. A few minor notes on the rankings:
- Ian Bunting got his fourth star from Rivals, who claims that he had an "up-and-down" offseason. He played through a few minor injuries and missed a Rivals Challenge event for prom, which is what prevented Rivals from bumping him in the first place.
- Da'Shawn Hand keeps his top spot in Rivals' rankings but drops all the way to ten(!) overall at Scout. How Scout managed to rank Juju Smith and Adoree Jackson above Hand is perplexing, to say the least.
- Jabrill Peppers continues to see his stock remain the same or climb ever so slightly, all while doing absolutely nothing on the camp scene. He could end up being the top overall player in the class if he dominates at his All-American game.
- It's interesting to see such a difference at the top between the three major recruiting services. Such disparity makes tools like the 247 Composite even more powerful for writers like myself and many others, or even for the casual fan who wants to see where a prospect stands on average.
General Notes and Multimedia Items
Class of 2015 four-star SDE/3T Hjalte Froholdt has the pads back on in these highlights. Ryan Van Bergen Plus now has a Michigan prediction in his crystal ball.
The list of visitors($) for UTL 2.0 is impressive and still growing. Five-star defenders Da'Shawn Hand, Malik McDowell, Jashon Cornell and Tim Settle will all be there, with Montae Nicholson, Brian Cole, Joshua Alabi and many others lurking as possibilities. Many of the youngest players on Michigan's roster have raved about their recruiting trips during the original UTL game, including Devin Funchess.
Four-star 2015 cornerback Jordan Whitehead is still waiting on his Michigan offer, but he still plans on seeing Ann Arbor:
2015 DB Jordan Whitehead says he'll be visiting Pitt, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and West Virginia for games. Basically his top list
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 22, 2013
There's a real chance that Whitehead never sees a Michigan offer. Shaun Crawford will take one corner spot, Brian Cole could very well end up playing corner for the Wolverines, and Minkah Fitzpatrick will see his offer come before Whitehead. The 2015 class projects to be another small class, leaving little room for extra defensive backs.
Finally, Al Borges has yet another weapon to work with:
2015 #Michigan kicker commit Andrew David is vying for the starting quarterback job at Massillon, one of the top programs in Ohio.
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) August 22, 2013
I'm kidding, of course. Maybe we'll see David catch an errant snap, only to yell "FIRE!" and sling it thirty yards down field to one of his tights ends. That'll be the day we know Michigan football is the elite of the elites.