Inside the Fish Bowl: Two Days Before NSD 2015

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

With National Signing Day 2015 only two days away, things have officially gone crazy. From the rumors surrounding top targets to the craziness surrounding the wide receiver recruiting, it\’s time to buckle up and get ready for one of the craziest Signing Day\’s in Michigan history.

Receiver Recruiting

Prior to boarding his plane home from his official visit to Ann Arbor, Deontay Burnett let Rival\’s Adam Gorney that he committed to Michigan. When that was reported, every site (including this one) ran with the story and released reports of Burnett joining the class. However, when Burnett landed back in California, he let the Twittersphere know that he did not commit to Michigan.

I have not committed to Michigan.

— Deontay Burnett (@Deontay_Burnett) February 1, 2015

It turns out there was a little miscommunication between him and his head coach, who may have released the information prematurely. But that\’s not the only craziness, as Go Blue Wolverine\’s Sam Webb tweeted out that Michigan is now out of the race for Burnett and it looks like Michigan is the one that made the decision. Rivals\’ Tim Sullivan is in the belief that Burnett\’s decision to change his mind to look at another school (Arizona State) \”may have cost him his opportunity at Michigan\” ($).

That\’s not the end to the wildness surrounding the receiver recruiting. Michigan looks ready to sign two more receivers in 2015 (Brian Cole is already enrolled) and it looked like it was going to be Burnett and fellow official visitor this past weekend, Van Jefferson. But with Burnett now off the table, all eyes have turned to Northwestern commit and former teammate of Alex Malzone, Brother Rice\’s Grant Perry.

Sam Webb tweeted that Michigan offered another receiver that was \”comparable\” to Burnett ($), in terms of ranking, but the recruit did not want their name released just yet. And Perry\’s name was the topic of discussion in the comment. 

Both Perry and Burnett are three star receivers and, with the dead period, a Michigan offer would likely mean a commitment without an official visit (he\’s visited multiple times before). Add in his recent Michigan coaching followers and his former teammate, good friend, and 2015 preferred walk-on Jack Dunaway tweeting out \”The three amigos are back together\” followed up with the emoji \”M\”.

That tweet has since been deleted which likely means that he may have jumped the gun and Perry would like to make the announcement himself. But either way, it looks like Perry will in fact be apart of this class.

As for Jefferson, things are looking very good on that front but it\’s not a slam dunk by any means. He\’s expected to make his final decision on NSD. 

Missing Out Completely?

Each and everyday has brought a new rumor or Crystal Ball prediction that either has Michigan fans excited or sad about the top targets on the board.

Chris Clark

Before today, it looked like Michigan\’s best chances at landing a top target were former commit and five star tight end Chris Clark. However, some new intel is out there that has caused several top analysts at 247Sports to flip their predictions to UCLA. The exact intel has not been released but it is cause for concern on the Wolverine front. But like always, I wouldn\’t completely jump to conclusions just yet since it\’s known Clark\’s family is in the Michigan boat, the positional use favors Michigan heavily and the fact that he\’s announcing at 8:30 am EST (5:30am PST) is an odd time for UCLA fans and coaches.

Roquan Smith

The other top target that the Wolverines and Bruins are battling it out for is Top 50 LB Roquan Smith. And according to some rumors, he is a silently committed to UCLA this past weekend on his official visit. However, he came out and let it be known he hasn\’t committed to anyone and that his final decision will come on Wednesday.

Despite \”reports\” #Rivals100 LB Roquan Smith tells me he hasn\’t committed to UCLA, silently or otherwise. pic.twitter.com/WwtLxeTl9u — Woody Wommack (@RivalsWoody) February 2, 2015

Either way, it looks like Smith will end up at UCLA or Georgia barring some amazing recruiting pitch by Durkin and Harbaugh.

Chris Williamson

Michigan is looking to bring in two corners for 2015 but the numbers are starting to dwindle as are the days. But the top two guys remaining on the board, Chris Williamson and Iman Marshall, have Michigan in their top two with Williamson announcing tonight at 10pm.

While he\’s down to Michigan and Florida, things are still very much up in the air. He just visited Gainesville this past weekend and most of the Crystal Ball predictions over the last couple days have come in for the Gators. However, this race is not over just yet. Tune in tonight to see who he chooses.

Damon Arnette

Quick Update: After visiting Columbus this weekend, it looks like the Buckeyes are the favorite to flip the South Carolina commit while Michigan is in third place. He makes his announcement tonight.

Mike Weber

While Michigan isn\’t in dire need of a tailback in 2015, missing out on the state\’s top player and one of the best backs in the Michigan high school football history would be a big blow. Especially if they lose him to their biggest rival. And even though he grew up a fan of the Wolverines and was committed up until December, it\’s looking more and more likely that he sticks with the Buckeyes. But it\’s not 100% just yet. This is another one to watch for on National Signing Day.

Buckle Up for Wednesday

National Signing Day kicks off on Wednesday morning and it\’s looking like Michigan will have a very interesting and exciting day. Other recruiting analysts are predicting the same:

Just a wild guess, but I think there will be a couple of surprises for Michigan on #NSD

— Adam Biggers (@AdamBiggers81) February 2, 2015

I think #Michigan is going to end up with a pretty solid group this cycle. Hang tight.

— JC Shurburtt (@jcshurburtt) February 2, 2015

So, stay tuned to MGoFish and follow me at @MGoFish on Twitter for the latest updates and craziness leading up to National Signing Day 2015.

UPDATE: It looks like Michigan may have landed the commitment of, not only Grant Perry, but possibly another recruit as the normal \”Bang Bang\” tweet was dropped from recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary:

That\’s a Bang Bang folks #goblue #Michigan

— Chris Singletary (@CSing57) February 2, 2015

Stay tuned to see who it is.

Garrett Fishaw
Latest posts by Garrett Fishaw (see all)