Shaun Crawford Set to Announce
Four-star Ohio cornerback/slot prospect Shaun Crawford will announce his college of choice one week from today. Where is he going? Michigan. What will he bring to the table? Burst, among other attributes:
Explosiveness/Acceleration: A
Speed: B+
Agility: A
Crawford runs a 4.5 forty because he gets out of the blocks like that. He's quicker than fast, but he'll still house a ball if he's left open. Corners can't stay with him coming out of breaks or take him down in the open field, and receivers can't beat him with cuts. Michigan would have liked to have him in the Outback Bowl to take care of Ace Sanders.
We're currently a spoiled bunch, us Michigan fans. Make sure to check out the rest of the scouting report.
You can see the announcement live:
Shaun Crawford's announcement will be on http://t.co/rE8U9vyt3E through live streaming video.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 14, 2013
He won't rap, but he'll still don a winged helmet.
Michigan Commits Trying to Catch 'Em All
Michigan is still benefiting from its commitments' efforts to bring in more top talent:
No. 1 CB Jabrill Peppers on who could potentially join him at #Michigan: "I feel really good about Da'Shawn (Hand)." Blog coming Mon...
— Jason Jordan (@JayJayUSATODAY) August 15, 2013
We've known about this for quite some time now, but I bet you didn't know this:
2015 5* DE Jashon Cornell updates his recruitment with #Michigan; Find out which 6 (!) commits have been in contact: http://t.co/u3FJfvZ2VM
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) August 15, 2013
That's right: six Michigan commitments are compelling Jashon Cornell to go blue. He must enjoy their company, because he has made more than one attempt to get in touch with newly-minted Michigan verbals.
Go, commitments. Catch 'em all.
2015 Scout 300 Released
Scout, 247 and ESPN all already have top lists for the class of 2015 out. The new Scout 300 includes plenty of Michigan targets: Tim Settle is the top overall player, Keisean Lucier-South is #17, and Jashon Cornell is all the way at #47 despite being ranked as the top overall player by ESPN.
Michigan commitment George Campbell received his fifth star, and fellow commitment Damien Harris sits at #22 overall, a mere two spots away from five-star status. Future Wolverine Shaun Crawford is just inside the top 100 at #98.
Scout's Chad Simmons speaks on George Campbell's abilities:
"Florida is always loaded at these two positions but Tolliver and Campbell are special," said Jamie Newberg, a national recruiting analyst that is over Florida. "It's rare to find big, talented corners with length, speed and athleticism yet that's exactly what Tolliver has. Then you have a monster with Campbell at receiver. He has size and sub 4.4 speed in the 40 yard dash. He can be a playmaker at multiple positions on offense and defense. They are both unique talents."
He's still large, insanely fast and capable of playing everything from receiver to outside linebacker. He's the next Julio Jones, people.
General Notes and Multimedia Items
Class of 2015 tight end prospect Alize Jones found a creative way to dodge a recruiting-related question:
Top TE drops Mini Wheats from list RT @King_Jones8 Can you name your top 5? My top cereals.Krave, Cap'n Crunch, lucky charms, pebbles ask.fm
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 13, 2013
I thought it was hilarious, but Krave? You can do better, Alize.
Four-star safety Montae Nicholson isn't in a rush to get his decision over with before the season:
ATH Montae Nicholson (Monroeville, Pa.) says he still plans on taking all five officials, likely no more visits until season starts.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 12, 2013
It's tough to get a handle on this kid's recruitment, but Michigan is still entrenched in his top group. He's much more likely to end up in Ann Arbor than Juju Smith, who will probably stay in the West.
Some have given up on athlete Kalen Ballage, but he continues to list the Wolverines:
2014 ATH Kalen Ballage still listing a top group of Boise State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and ASU. No officials set.
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 13, 2013
I don't see Michigan having room for Ballage in the end.
Elite defensive end Keisean Lucier-South calls Michigan the dream offer:
Orange (CA) Lutheran 4* DE Keisean Lucier-South talks about interest from #Michigan and why it's his dream offer: http://t.co/o8YaxSd6Jm
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) August 13, 2013
Michigan is in a position to stockpile talent at defensive end.
The aforementioned Jashon Cornell might be even more of a physical freak than George Campbell:
2015 Five-star #Michigan target Jashon Cornell tells me he's playing RB, FB, TE, OLB and DE this season.
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) August 14, 2013
Take tailback off the list and you're looking at the positions he could play at the next level.
Rivals' Tim Sullivan takes a look at ten high school matches to look forward to. Number one? Detroit Cass Tech versus Southfield, which will feature four players holding Michigan offers and many others who could eventually receive one. Good luck to Jayru Campbell, who gets to stand in the pocket against the two best defensive lineman in the state in Malik McDowell and Lawrence Marshall.
Finally–look away if you think hip-hop is the cancer of the music world–Jabrill Peppers loved Kenrick Lamar's controversial lyric, in which the budding rapper calls himself the "King of New York":
"What Kendrick did was the equivalent of a football player running a four-second 40 time!" said Peppers, who released his single "Don't Take It Personal" in the spring and even rapped his announcement for Michigan on ESPN. "It really inspired me. I think the rap game needed that verse because it was a call for competition. He raised the bar. As a rapper I can respect that."
I personally think Lamar reached hard on someone else' track. Hip-hop is still very, very dead.