Who Will Be the First 2014 Recruit to Commit?

Given that the 2013 class is almost full, and given that there's been over 50 offers given out to 2014 recruits, it's time to look at the possibilities of who's going to commit first. I mean, that's the most fun thing to do right? Keep in mind that I could be completely mistaken, and that none of the following recruits may commit first, but these happen to be the guys most interested in Michigan right now. It seems that there's going to be a huge emphasis (once again) on the offensive line. If the 2013 commits have taught us anything, it's that it wouldn't be surprising if the 2014 class included multiple elite offensive lineman. It also doesn't surprise me that the recruits with the highest interest in Michigan right now are offensive lineman. Shane Morris, Michigan's first verbal commit of the 2013 class, committed in May of 2011, so it's not crazy to think recruits may start committing to the 2014 class any day now. So who will be first?

4* LB Michael Ferns

I've written all about Ferns here and also interviewed him here. Ferns is one of my favorite 2014 recruits, as he's a very mature recruit and has his mind right when it comes to the whole recruiting process. He stands 6'3" and 238 pounds and comes from St. Clairsville, Ohio. 247 Sports gives him an early 4-star ranking and also names him the 5th linebacker in the nation, the 5th best player out of the state of Ohio, and the 94th best player in the nation for the 2014 class. His top schools are Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State. A lot of people (and I mean, a lot) think he's leaning towards Michigan, but he has stated to me and to others many times that he plans on taking his time with his recruitment. He has told me he doesn't want to commit and then take visits or end up decommitting. When he makes his decision, it will be final. Ferns is clearly a top recruit and he is one of Michigan's top priorities for the 2014 class.

4* OL Mason Cole

Cole is an excellent offensive lineman who is given an early 4-star rating by 247 Sports. He stands 6'4" and 260 pounds and comes from Tarpon Springs, Florida. He already has an excellent offer list of over 15 schools such as Michigan, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, and USC. Pretty incredible this early in the game. 247 Sports lists Michigan as Cole's top option right now, and Cole told Tremendous that Michigan is currently in the lead. This is great news since he has already visited Ohio State during Friday Night Lights and has also visited Michigan during the Big House BBQ.

4* WR Derek Kief

Kief is a wide receiver out of Cincinnati, Ohio who stands 6'5" and 185 pounds. 247 Sports gives him an early 4-star ranking and also names him the 12th wide receiver in the nation, the 3rd best player out of Ohio, and the 85th best player in the nation for the 2014 class. Kief already has double digit offers including ones from Michigan and a handful of other B1G schools. He has already visited Michigan and has said to have loved his visit. He has admittedly grown up an Ohio State fan, but he wouldn't be the first recruit to choose Michigan even though he grew up an Ohio State fan (see 2013 TE commit Jake Butt, S commit Dymonte Thomas, LB Mike McCray, etc.). As a sophomore, Kief had 44 receptions for 612 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also happens to have a 3.75 GPA. Although it's easy to assume that Ohio State will be Kief's top option once they extend an offer, he has claimed that Michigan has really opened his eyes. I believe anything can happen in this situation.

OL Nathanial Devers

Devers is going to be one of the top offensive lineman out of the state of Ohio when it's all said and done. He is an offensive tackle out of Massilion, Ohio (the same school 2013 CB commit Gareon Conley attends) and stands 6'5" and 265 pounds. He currently only holds one offer from Toledo, but he is very high on Michigan and expects an offer soon. Devers attended Ohio State's Friday Night Lights and didn't lose a rep and also won the lineman race. He is clearly underrated this early in the game. In my opinion, if the coaches like what they see and offer, it would be great to lock him up early. Many people believe he would commit on the spot. Devers tells Tremendous that Michigan is by far his favorite school right now.

WR Corey Holmes

Holmes is a 6'1" and 175-pound receiver out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He holds offers from Michigan, Florida, Florida State, Rutgers, South Florida, and Wisconsin. Holmes has admitted that he has grown up a Michigan fan, and he has also said that getting that offer was a dream come true. After he camped at Michigan, Tremendous did a very cool thing by letting him write a diary-like entry of his experience at Michigan's camp. You can read that here. In it, Holmes basically says that he went to Michigan's camp primarily to receive an offer, and since he did, he accomplished his mission. Holmes calls his campus tour a "breathtaking experience." He is clearly a Michigan fan, and I think it would be great to get a few Florida recruits on board for the 2014 class.