Monday Michigan Football Recruiting Roundup Gets Its Nerd On

Bye Week Equals More Recruiting

Some of the Michigan coaching staff will be on the road this week recruiting. The staff will be out recruiting plenty of high-level talent on the defensive line($):

Five-star DL Shy Tuttle (Lexington, NC/North Davidson): Tuttle is a planned stop at this point and while we had him listed as an offer, he does not currently hold one from Michigan. That is almost a certainty to change, however, as I believe he will get the scholarship this week. Tuttle is a southern lean right now, but has expressed interest in the Wolverines in the past.

I don't see Michigan becoming a major player for many of the prospects listed in the article by Steve, but you never know with this staff. Don't expect anything groundbreaking to come out this week.

More on Michigan's Final Two 2014 Prospects

Michigan still has other prospects on its board – Juju Smith, Erick Smith and Marshon Lattimore all come to mind – but the two prospects the staff wants most are Da'Shawn Hand and Malik McDowell. Many Michigan students will be excited to hear that Da'Shawn Hand is quite the nerd in the classroom:

Hand and Peppers will complement each other well on and off the field if Hand does indeed decide to come to Michigan.

Malik McDowell doesn't speak to reporters much, let alone allow a crew of cameramen follow him around. Tom VH of ESPN touches on just how great McDowell could be:

@mike_albach10: I really like Malik McDowell's size and intangibles. What do you think his ceiling is?

VanHaaren: He is ranked No. 67 overall and the No. 4 defensive tackle. He is a giant, first of all. He has slimmed down some this season, but he is still head and shoulders bigger than everyone on his team. I think McDowell (Southfield, Mich./Southfield) would make an excellent 3-technique defensive tackle for any team in a 4-3 scheme. In Michigan's defense, he would be able to slide outside to the strongside end spot in running situations and inside to tackle on passing downs. I think he is yet to tap a lot of his potential no matter where he ends up.

I wouldn't mind it if McDowell kept his weight down and stayed outside during his time in college, but he definitely has the frame and ability to play inside at Michigan, too. Who doesn't want to see a WDE/SDE combination of Hand/McDowell somewhere down the line?

Check the link to see more on a Michigan sleeper commitment and whether or not Michigan's struggles will hurt it in recruiting. Hint: no, they won't.

Harris, Speight Continue Awesome Seasons

Michigan's commitments continue to be led by Damien Harris and Wilton Speight on the field:

2015 RB Damien Harris' stats tonight: 14 carries for 263 yards, 4 TDs. 1 int return for 70 yards.

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) October 19, 2013

Michigan QB commit Wilton Speight threw 5 touchdowns on 12 completions for 207 yards in the first half this week. Didn't play 2nd half

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) October 18, 2013

Harris' stats are insane, but Speight probably plays against tougher competition. You can check out eight-game highlights of Harris here.

General Notes and Multimedia Items

Not all high school competition is clean competition. Watch as Brady Pallante gets hit below the waist well after the whistle:

That's worse than dirty. Thankfully, Pallante is alright and that kid probably heard about the hit from his coaches after the game.