Inside the Fish Bowl: Late August Recruiting Update

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

Next Name on the Board

Michigan has been on a bit of a roll in terms of landing surprise commitments over the past month with in-state stars Mike Weber and Brian Cole pulling the trigger for the Wolverines. But now, it looks like they are about to land a foreseen commitment from one of the top players in the class and targets on the board, DE Darian Roseboro.

The North Carolina beast is one of the most physically impressive recruits in the country. He not only stars on the defensive line but he also is a playmaker as a tailback (imagine 6\’4\’\’ 285lbs coming full speed at you. Yeah, no thanks). And now he is expected to choose the Maize and Blue during his announcement at this high school on August 29th.

If he were to choose elsewhere (biggest competition is from his in-state school, NC State) , it would be a big time shock to just about every recruiting analyst and probably the Michigan staff as they seem to only truly have 3 guys on the defense line board: Roseboro, Keisean Lucier-South and Jalen Bates.

Bilal Going Blue? 

Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison wants at least one more linebacker in the 2015 class and the top target looks to be Indiana All-American Asmar Bilal. The talented outside backer is down to Michigan and Notre Dame but from the rumors out there and the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions (79% to Michigan), it looks like the Wolverines are pulling away for his commitment.

If the rumors aren\’t enough, the latest alleged academic scandal at Notre Dame may be. Bilal isn\’t a big football fan so he\’s looking at things like academics, relationships and weight lifting programs. So, a big academic scandal at a school that looked like it was already falling behind could mean good things for the Wolverines.

A decision was expected before the start of his season, but could happen during it. Stay tuned on this one.

New Rivals 100 Rankings

Rivals released their newest Top 100 rankings and there are several top targets in there, including:

  • #30: 5* DE/OLB Keisean Lucier-South
  • #42: 4* DE/DT Darian Roseboro
  • #48: 4* CB Garrett Taylor (commit)
  • #51: 4* OLB Osa Masina
  • #56: 4* TE Chris Clark (commit)
  • #89: 4* WR Brian Cole (commit)
  • #90: 4* CB Marcus Lewis

With 3 guys already committed, it looks like the staff could very well end up with at least 6 players in the Top 100, which is very impressive especially after a 7-6 season.

Wheatley in No Hurry

Easily the quietest target on the board, Tyrone Wheatley Jr (son of former Wolverine star Tyrone Wheatley Sr) is taking his time with his recruitment and keeping everything very close to the vest. Most analysts are predicting him to follow his dad and end up at Michigan but he\’s not giving too many signs of that.

In an interview with The Buffalo News, he had this to say:

\”No, I\’m not sure, I\’m just going with the wind,\” Wheatley said, before commenting on any possible official recruiting visits he will take to schools. \”I don\’t know when I\’ll take my officials; I don\’t even know if I\’m going to go on officials to all five of those schools.\”

He said that coming up with a college decision prior to Canisius\’ kickoff on Sept. 6 (home against Rochester\’s McQuaid) is not a concern.

\”That would be nice, but if the time isn\’t right … ,\” Wheatley said. \”I\’m hoping that before I start basketball season this winter, we\’ll get that out of the way then.\”

I\’m not 1000% sold on Wheatley choosing Michigan (USC and Alabama are legit contenders) but, at the same time, I wouldn\’t be surprised to see him pull the trigger and pick the Wolverines in September so he can focus on his senior year at Canisius. Another wait and see recruitment.

Kicking and Punting Help Coming

From Ohio recruiting guru Bill Greene, it looks like Michigan\’s next kicker may also be their next punter. And a very good one at that:

Andrew David absolutely killing the ball punting. Everything 45-50 yards with mucho hang time. Field goals coming up. #Michigan

— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) August 12, 2014

Andrew David slams a 47 yard FG against the wind. Good by plenty. #Michigan. — Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) August 12, 2014

This is very encouraging news since Hoke will be looking to replace both his starting kicker and punter next year. Oh, he also was named a preseason All-American by kicking guru Chris Sailer:

2015 kicker commit @andrewpdavid5 has been named a pre-season All-American by kicking guru Chris Sailer http://t.co/lNDkfw02EJ

— Mark Zakrajsek (@Mgobluegr) August 18, 2014

Hill Visits Ann Arbor Again

The mid-August Big House scrimmage was not half the recruiting event that other scrimmages have been but it did feature one of their top targets in the 2016 class, Cass Tech cornerback LaVert Hill. This was his third visit in a month and he spoke with 247Sports\’ Steve Lorenz ($) about how good the visit went and his plans to visit for the Appalachian State game.

York\’s Loss, Perry\’s Gain?

With the official dismissal of WR Csont\’e York, Michigan needs to take a 2nd receiver even more in the 2015 class. They have top targets like Kirk Merritt and FSU commit Auden Tate but I feel like they could wrap it up quickly if/when they finally offer Brother Rice standout Grant Perry.

I spoke with his offensive coordinator Coach Rich Popp and he was telling how hard of a worker he is and how great of a fit he would be for Michigan.

With a great start to the 2014 season, I think the staff will finally extend an offer and land Perry.

Remember this Name: Rashan Gary

The #1 player in the 2016 class (IMO and many others) is DT Rashan Gary and it looks like the Wolverines have a very, very good chance with the talented youngster. 247Sport\’s Steve Wiltfong ($) put together a great piece on Gary and his connections with Michigan, including family in the area, tons of communication with Coach Manning, his 4.0 GPA and want of a top flight education. Also add in the fact that he has transferred to Paramus Catholic (possible new Michigan pipeline; Jabrill Peppers and Juwann Bushell-Beatty\’s high school) and it looks like the Maize and Blue will have a great shot and landing another super recruit out of New Jersey.

Another Paramus Catholic Star to Look Out For

Speaking of Paramus Catholic, they have another future super recruit on their defense in 2017 LB Drew Singelton. As a sophomore, he is built like a senior/college player and has the skill to match it. Look out for him moving forward.

Garrett Fishaw
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