Some Mondays are rough, folks. Sometimes, though, you get a commitment on Sunday night, and you remember the happy feelings the next morning.
Our own Jonathan Simmons reported the addition of Belleville 3-star defensive end Tyrece Woods to the 2019 class.
I’m a Michigan man. All Glory To God‼️ 100000% COMMITTED #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/pj3X0qc2Rm
— Tyrece Woods (@espnrece) August 13, 2018
“It was a matter of time,” Woods said to Maize n Brew, “before I committed.”
He is the 20th commitment for the cycle, and due to athleticism flashed at the Michigan day camp in June, he looks to replace the loss of 4-star end Stephen Herron.
After withholding a ranking for months after the offer, 247Sports now slots him outside the top-2000 overall and as the No. 56 player in the Wolverine State.
Woods checks in at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, and he impressively moved that frame to the tune of a 4.6 40-yard dash in front of Jim Harbaugh and company. Although similarly sized to Herron, he is a squatter alternative to the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Stanford pledge.
When a sleeper kid such as Woods commits to Michigan, first thing you need to do is look at his offers. They resemble a generic MAC prospect, at first glance, but the inclusion of Air Force, Dartmouth and Cornell speaks volumes to his mindset.
As a junior, he recorded 51 tackles (13 for loss) and eight sacks for Detroit King. He transferred to Belleville for his final season, joining 2020 defensive back commit Andre Seldon.
Looking at his highlights, he shows off his motor, constantly working toward the backfield for a sack or a TFL. He looks to have a solid rip and a bull rush, and will work with Greg Mattison to add to his pass-rushing tool kit.
Here’s where we pause: this is the perfect type of “chip on your shoulder” prospect that would hit the ground running at Michigan State. However, Mark Dantonio has yet to offer. While there’s decent production and athleticism, college coaches to recruiting services are underplaying Woods as a prospect.
There’s something Don Brown has seen that just clicks, but for some reason few others share his vision. It’s possible he just wanted to be in Ann Arbor. Like, a ton.
“I think Rece is another guy who grew up loving Michigan,” Tigers head coach Jermain Crowell said to 247’s Allen Trieu. “With Rece, his dad is another super Michigan fan.”
At five commitments on the defensive line, any more additions would only come from elite prospects, such as the ever-tortured Zach Harrison.
The Wolverines are now No. 9 on Rivals for the 2019 class, and No. 11 on 247Sports, mere points behind Ohio State.
Are you ready for some (high school) football!?
Several 2019 prospects kick off their senior seasons this week. Below is a brief schedule for them.
- 5-star defensive end Christopher Hinton’s Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Georgia) plays Atlanta’s Lovett High Friday, Aug. 17.
- 4-star running back Zach Charbonnet’s Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, California) Lions kick off in a nationally-ranked bout with Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) on Thursday.
- Lausanne Collegiate’s Eric Gray — the other 4-star back for Michigan — looks to run roughshod over the visiting Rosa Fort on Aug. 17.
- 3-star corner D.J. Turner and North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Georgia) meet Brookwood (Snellville, Georgia) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Aug. 18. (Correction: D.J. Turner transferred to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). They played a preseason scrimmage against Columbia (Lake City, Fla.).
Many other 2019 and 2020 prospects wage war on the gridiron the following week. Stay tuned for stat updates.