Chris Clark No Longer Attending The Opening
On Monday night, Michigan's latest 2015 commitment, four-star tight end Chris Clark (Avon, CT), tweeted out that he will no longer be attending Nike's The Opening event next week in Oregon.
Dissapointed to say I will no longer be attending the opening for personal reasons thanks to @TheOpening2014 for the opportunity
— Chris Clark (@Clark8Chris) July 1, 2014
Clark is widely regarded as the best player that the Wolverines have brought in during this recruiting cycle, and the event was expected to be a chance for him and some of Michigan's other commits to recruit some of the top talent still on the board that was attending the event on Nike's campus.
A reason was not given for his departure, and one is not needed. Things happen, stuff comes up, and it is not our place to speculate. All we can do is hope all is well with the Clark family and that things are good with him personally.
As far as Michigan's other 2015 commitments go, the two guys that will be present at The Opening will be four-star prospects in the form of quarterback Alex Malzone (Bloomfield Hills, MI) and linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. (Indianapolis, IN).
Other Wolverine targets in attendance will be running backs Damien Harris (Berea, KY), Jacques Patrick (Orlando, FL), Mike Weber (Detroit, MI), defensive end Keisean Lucier-South (Orange, CA) and more.
The full list of players can be found here, via Oregon Live. (FREE)
Allen, 2015 Offensive Lineman, Has Michigan in Top Five
Things are starting to take shape with the 2015 recruiting class, as about half of the spots available have been filled, creating a clearer picture of what the Wolverines still need to bring in before National Signing Day in February.
Patrick Allen (Reisterstown, MD) is an offensive lineman with Michigan interest, and while it is not a sure thing that they will take another player at the position during this cycle, he has the Wolverines near the top.
He spoke to 247's Bill Kurelic about his list, which can be found here. (FREE)
"I’ve narrowed it down to a top five," Allen said. "I have Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan and Tennessee. That’s pretty much my final five. It could change, but I’m pretty set on those five right now."
The other two schools Allen is still thinking about some are Florida State and LSU.
The 247 Crystal Ball predictions have Georgia as the landing spot for Allen with 63 percent of the picks in their favor. Ohio State is next in line with 26 percent.
Richard Merritt Says Wolverines Stand Out to Him
Class of 2016 offensive lineman Richard Merritt (Washington, DC) is a prospect that has started to sort of blow up as the recruiting process has gone on.
He is widely regarded as one of the best offensive lineman in the entire country, and his offer sheet would reflect that with a "who's who" of college programs showing interest in him, including Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Virginia Tech and more.
Merritt told 247's Ross Martin that Michigan is included in the list of schools that stand out to him right now. (FREE)
"I don't have any favorites right now, " the 6-foot-5, 345-pound Washington D.C. product said. "but the schools that are standing out are Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech."
Merritt has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Michigan State, North Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan, and Nebraska, among others.
Based on what I've read, Merritt has the ability to the a five-star talent and the top lineman on the board for schools as the process rolls along. We'll have to see what happens, but this kid is going to be an absolute force up front from day one, it appears.
Michigan in Group of Top Schools for Treyjohn Butler
It seems this is the time of year where prospects across the nation narrow down their list of top schools in the aftermath of camps, combines and setting up official visits. Another 2016 prospect has given the nation an idea of where he is leaning as of now.
2016 four-star cornerback Treyjohn Butler (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) has an idea of where he would like to end up, and he gave some insight to 247's Ryan Bartow. (FREE)
"Top 5 (has) to be Stanford, Cal, Notre Dame, Michigan and Washington State," Butler told 247Sports.com on Tuesday afternoon.
There is still a ton of time before 2016 guys really start to pull the trigger on a school, but it is encouraging to see Michigan is included in that top group early on. He is being recruited by Dan Ferrigno and Roy Manning.
That'll wrap it up for Wednesday. Be sure to keep it locked on Maize N Brew for the latest in Michigan Wolverines news and notes.
Follow Maize N Brew's Anthony Broome on Twitter, @anthonytbroome.