Da'Mario Jones, listed as 6'2, 190ish, committed to Michigan on Wednesday after getting pulled out of his library by Al Borges to get the offer. Jones had been committed to Central Michigan for some time, but had made it abundantly clear that he was still pursuing other options. He came to the BBQ in the Big House in the summer, as well as several home games so far this year. When Gareon Conley gave up his spot in the class because he wanted to visit Ohio State and Oregon, Jones promptly filled the spot.
On the surface, Jones looks like a pretty good, if not great athlete. When he committed, the coaches told him that playing safety wasn't out of the question. Part of that ambiguity, in my opinion, is likely related to the fact that he's nowhere near a finished product at the moment. He cuts and accelerates well, leading me to believe that he has the potential to be a good route runner in the future, but he's just not there yet. I don't think he'll be much of a red zone threat, as I'm really not all that impressed with his vertical leap or ability to high-point the ball; I really think he's just the beneficiary of some pretty bad competition.
In any case, the raw product looks to me like the first real threat Michigan's gotten of the 3 committed WRs so far. At this point, I haven't seen anything to make me believe Jaron Dukes won't have a Jeremy Jackson-like career. C'sonte York is fairly raw too, but doesn't seem to have the same potential as Jones. I really hope we land LaQuon Treadwell, but I stopped following his recruitment months ago for the sake of my sanity. I understand the emphasis on snatching up local prospects with BCS caliber of play, but I wish this staff had cast a wider net or come closer to landing prospects like Eldridge Massington, Marcell Ateman, or Devon Allen. As the QB, TE, OL, and even RB positions have been injected with significant levels of talent from this class and last, the WR corps seem to slack behind. Although I think Chesson will eventually pan out, Darboh looks like the only college ready receiver of the bunch. And if he can't get playing time in one of the worst Michigan WR groups I've seen in the past decade, how ready is he really? Landing Treadwell could cure all of this, although at this point, I'm in no position to indicate whether or not that's likely. If Treadwell slips through the cracks this year, my hope is they'll grab another player late or get an elite athlete in the 2014 class, like Marshon Lattimore (even if that doesn't seem particularly likely).
Anyway, as has been made abundantly clear throughout the blogosphere, this is nothing more than an exchange for Conley's spot. Conley was a DB who they hinted could have a future at WR, Jones is a WR who they hinted could have a future at DB. It won't have any effect on the prospects Michigan continues to pursue. My hope is that it means the staff will focus on fewer, more elite WRs next year, instead of searching for depth and potential. Frustration and confusion at the decision to deny Devin Lucien a spot at WR continues to mount.