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12/16/95-12/30/95 1/1/96-1/15/96

1/31/96
The commitment total is now up to 19, as 3 players have stated that they will be enrolling in the fall.
Michigan helped its need at WR by landing a verbal from Marcus Knight, a WR with 4.4 speed from Sylacauga, Alabama. Knight committed during an in-home visit by Lloyd Carr last night. Knight had considered Stanford and Northwestern, and received late attention from Alabama.
The second confirmed verbal commitment comes from Dehani Jones, a LB from the Washington D.C. region. Anyone with stats/rankings on Jones, please send them my way as I don't have much info on players from the D.C. area.
Michigan also received word that placekicker Jeff DelVerne will be walking on in the fall. DelVerne received several other scholarship offers, but decided to walk-on for the Maize and Blue.
Jerry Dioron-Johnson (WR, Louisiana) has yet to make an annoucement (yes, he did change his name). He is apparently waiting for word from the coaches at both LSU and Michigan regarding the availability of scholarships. It sounds as if he will jump at the first offer.
Gary Berry will visit ND this weekend before choosing between OSU, PSU, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Most sources indicate that OSU holds a slight lead over U of M and PSU, with ND trailing, but not out of it.
Things are slowly winding down. I expect it to be quiet (except for Dioron-Johnson) until next week, after Berry and Daymonn Carroll complete their final visits.
1/30/96
Plenty of news today, most of it bad (at least for Michigan fans), but not many surprises. Thanks again to the seeming hundreds of people who e-mail me with information. Sorry that I can't answer all of you.
In case you hadn't already heard, Jason Ching (DL, Hawaii) committed to Notre Dame late last night. Jay Vickers (RB, Florida) is expected to make an annoucement tomorrow, with the rumor being that he will choose Notre Dame. If he does commit to ND, they apparently are going to move him to WR.
David Boston (WR, Texas) committed to Ohio State in a press conference this afternoon. This is not a big surprise, though he would have been a great addition to this class. He is an excellent student and is very athletic, but lacks breakaway speed.
Jeremy McDaniel (WR, Fort Scott CC) has committed to Arizona. This is somewhat surprising because he had been favoring Michigan according to many sources, although recent reports said that he was generally confused and unsure of where he planned to go. WR remains a priority; Michigan hopes to sign one or two more. Along those lines, Jerry Dioron (who I heard had changed his last name to Johnson, though this is just hearsay) is expected to make a decision between LSU and Michigan very soon. I am still trying to get a confirmed report on the status of Kenny Clark (WR, Florida)- I don't yet know if he visited last weekend (I don't think he did) and I also don't know if he has qualified academically.
Ken Watson (RB, Penn) has reportedly committed to Penn State. Penn State is quietly putting together another outstanding class - within the last couple of days they have landed Courtney Brown (considered the top DL/LB in the country by many), Rashard Casey (QB, NJ), and Joe Dawkins, a RB/DB with serious speed. It is possible (I can hope, anyway) that the signing of Dawkins and Watson will discourage Daymonn Carroll from attending PSU.
Dehani Jones (LB, Wash. DC) has supposedly told several other schools to stop recruiting him because he is planning to attend Michigan. He is expected to make an annoucement very soon.
If Jones commits, this will fill out the recruiting class (at least by position) quite well. On defense, the commitments would include 1 punter, 1 CB, 1 safety, 1 ILB, 1 OLB, and 2 DL's; on offense, 2 WR's, 2 TB's, 1 FB, 1 QB, 3 OL's, 1 TE. I suspect Michigan is going to try to sign one or two more WR's and 1 or 2 more RB's at most; if they do sign one or two RB's, Ian Gold may be looked at as an OLB or safety.
1/29/96
Michigan has landed its 16th verbal commitment in All-American linebacker Grady Brooks . This fills a large void that was present in this recruiting class. Brooks had narrowed his choices to Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Michigan, and earlier in the recruiting process had considered Notre Dame, Texas, and Texas A&M.
There are a number of players who will make their annoucements within a couple of days. Dehani Jones, an OLB from the Washington D.C. area, could announce within 1-2 days; Michigan is rumored to be leading over Washington and North Carolina. Jason Ching will also probably announce soon; his brother is a sportscaster in Hawaii and will apparently get the "scoop" and make the announcement publicly on his newscast. Notre Dame is still leading for Ching. Jeremy McDaniel (WR, Fort Scott CC) will announce soon between Michigan, LSU, and Arizona, with Michigan rumored to be holding a slight lead currently.
The David Boston saga is scheduled to end at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Ohio State is the school to beat, although Michigan isn't out of the running yet.
Gary Berry may delay his decision until next week - he is (again) considering visiting Notre Dame this weekend, and Lou Holtz will take an in-home visit this week. OSU is also leading for Berry.
Other players who should announce soon: Tim Nelson (DB, Georgia), who will commit to Michigan if offered (otherwise will go to Mississippi St.); Jerry Dioron (WR, Louisiana), who is deciding between LSU and Michigan; Jay Vickers, who will choose among Notre Dame (leading currently), FSU, Northwestern, and Michigan; and Ken Watson (RB, Penn), who will likely choose Penn State (there are reports that he has already committed).
1/27/96
Gary Berry, the RB/DB from Ohio, has cancelled his visit to Notre Dame. It has come down to Michigan and Ohio State, most likely. If he really wants to play RB, he may end up in Ann Arbor, though he has been rumored to favor OSU since the recruiting season began.
David Boston (WR, Texas) is visiting Texas this weekend (just to add a little more confusion to the scenario). Ohio State may still be his leader.
1/26/96
Things remain fairly quiet on the recruiting front. It sounds as if next week will be a big one for Michigan (and probably a lot of other schools). Dehani Jones (LB, Wash D.C.), David Boston (WR, Texas), and Jason Ching (DL, Hawaii) are all expected to make an annoucement on Tuesday (Jan. 30th), and Gary Berry (RB/DB, Ohio) on Wednesday.
There have been rumors circulating that Daymonn Carroll (RB, Penn.) has committed to Michigan. To my knowledge, these reports are false. Michigan is in the running, as are Penn State and Florida.
I have listed Grady Brooks (LB, Texas) and Kenny Clark (WR, Florida) as visiting this weekend. However, these are not definite - I continue to receive conflicting reports regarding their status. Marcus Knight (WR, Alabama) did take a midweek visit to Michigan, and will choose between Michigan, Stanford, and possibly Northwestern (obviously an excellent student).
1/25/96
Jeff DelVerne, an excellent place kicker from Toledo, OH, is strongly considering walking on at Michigan next year. He has received scholarship offers from several other schools. Over his career, he was 103/105 on extra points, 10/14 on field goals (long of 48 yards), and had 22 touchbacks this year as a senior. He is also considering Miami (FL). I received an e-mail reminding me that his brother Jim was the kicker for Michigan State a few years ago, and he was very good, if I remember.
1/25/96
Still not much news. David Boston has put off his press conference until 1/30. The latest rumor is that OSU is back in the lead for him. Michigan is looking OK at the WR position, however, as Marcus Knight is here now (a midweek visit because of plane ticket problems) and Kenny Clark is still a possibility (depending on his grades).
Gary Berry will make his annoucement on January 31st. OSU is also rumored to be leading for him, though he said after his visit that Michigan and OSU are very comparable (I'm trying to figure out if I find that offensive).
Jason Ching apparently did not commit to Notre Dame during Lou Holtz's in-home visit last night. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not.
1/24/96

Not much in the way of relevant news today. David Boston (WR, Texas) will apparently announce his college choice tomorrow, presumably between Michigan and Ohio State. It sounds as if he is still fairly confused about where he wants to play - but by all reports, he's a great kid and an excellent student.
Thus far, Michigan seems to be filling its needs fairly well, as long as they land one or two more wide receivers. This is a very real possiblity since Kenny Clark and Marcus Knight are in fact both planning to visit Michigan. They are a little thin at the LB spot, but the switch to the 4-3 and the young players available at the position make this a position which is not as concerning, at least in this class. It would be nice to bring in one outside and one inside LB prospect to add depth, but it looks like Michigan will be lucky to land even 1 LB this year (the Wolverines are still in on Dehani Jones and Grady Brooks). One interesting note: Michigan is bringing in some speed and athleticism, regardless of position. The players that are still being recruited all have excellent speed as well. My hunch (which is completely unsubsantiated) is that several of the more versatile players will be moved from their current positions in order to put as many fast players on the field as possible.
Nick Goings has, as expected, committed to Ohio State. However, Gary Berry has deferred his final decision until after he visits Notre Dame this weekend.
Russell Shaw, the WR commitment from El Camino JC in California, was named to the 1st team JUCO All-American team as a kick returner. This is another major need which Michigan filled this year.
1/23/96
Michigan has landed its 15th verbal commitment in WR Aaron Wright of Flower Mound High in Marcus, Texas. There were rumors that Wright had committed during his official visit, but these were unconfirmed until today, as he was not taking phone calls to confirm or deny the rumors. Wright played in a wide open offense this year, averaging almost 30 yards a catch.
Robaire Smith, the BCI dream team DL/LB, has committed to Michigan State. Michigan was never really in on Smith, who has a reputation of having outstanding talent but little motivation/work ethic. Nick Saban may be able to overcome that, however.
Leroy McFadden, the FB/LB prospect from Connecticut, has also apparently chosen the Spartans (unconfirmed). He had considered Michigan, MSU, and Nebraska.
1/23/96

Damione Lewis (DL, Texas) has, as expected, reneged on his "commitment" to Michigan and has said that he plans to attend Miami next year. This confirms numerous reports that I have heard over the last week or so, and is why I never posted him officially as a verbal commitment to Michigan. My personal feeling is that Lewis was stringing Michigan along because he was worried that Miami might not have enough scholarships to offer him one. Of course, Lewis still plans to complete his visits, so he may end up commiting to yet another school before all is said and done; he has also said that Michigan isn't completely out of the running. Frankly, we shouldn't care, because this is not the kind of player the Michigan coaches want - they have been saying for the last two years that truly wanting to play for Michigan is as important as ability. Nebraska's recent success certainly validates this approach to recruiting - they have players who walk on and become All-Americans.
Kwaesi Palmer has also more or less eliminated Michigan from consideration. He sounds as if he plans to play for Florida State or Miami.
Grady Brooks (LB, Texas) has rescheduled his visit to Michigan for this weekend. He apparently had a test (?SAT) and had to reschedule his visit. This is also rumored to be the situation with Kenny Clark (WR, Florida), who I previously said had had his visit cancelled by Michigan. Marcus Knight (WR, Alabama) apparently had problems with a plane ticket and will be visiting Michigan this week (possibly today).
Gary Berry may announce his choice later this week. He has supposedly narrowed his choices to Michigan and Ohio State; the rumors are that OSU has received an "informal" commitment from both Berry and Nick Goings. However, Berry does want to play RB, and OSU has landed two of the top RB's in California, and is the prohibitive favorite to land Goings as well. They are recruiting Berry as a DB, while Michigan is planning to give him a chance at RB. We'll know soon whether this affects his decision.
Jeremy McDaniel (WR, Fort Scott CC) has decided to take one more official visit (LSU) before making a college choice. He previously has said that Michigan was leading, but now is less sure what his final decision will be.
With the "loss" of Lewis, Michigan will probably end up bringing in only 2 DL's this year: Steve Hutchinson and Dave Brandt (I am assuming Jason Ching will go to ND). Both are All-Americans, and both project to be DT's, which is Michigan's only real concern on the DL this year. The defensive end position should be set for another 2-3 years, as Glen Steele will be a junior and Rasheed Simmons and Juaquin Feazell will both be sophomores. There are a number of redshirt freshman who are talented, but obviously are untested.
1/22/96
Still waiting for updates on the status of Aaron Wright and David Boston. Neither is publicly stating that they have committed to Michigan. Wright is apparently considering cancelling his visit to Notre Dame. David Boston has not yet made a final decision and may make an announcement later this week.
Michigan has lost out on George Guidry, the All-American LB from Louisiana, who has committed to Nebraska. Guidry was scheduled to visit Notre Dame, but had his visit cancelled by their admissions department. He was also supposed to visit Miami.
Kenneth Davis, the WR from Houston Washington, has decided to stay home and play at Houston. This is a bit surprising - he has the talent (but not the grades) to play anywhere. Last week, he had reportedly narrowed his choices to Oklahoma and Michigan, but neither school can take non-qualifiers.
Leroy McFadden (Ath, CT) has narrowed his choices to Michigan and Michigan State. He will probably make an annoucement of his choice this week. McFadden is a versatile player who could play either fullback or linebacker.
Jeremy McDaniel (WR, Ft.Scott CC, Kansas) is leaning heavily towards Michigan. He may take another official visit before announcing his choice.
1/21/96
OK, the latest news: David Boston has said he has not committed to Michigan, although there are reports that he had given a commitment to Greg Mattison. However, he also has said that he has not made a final decision, but would within a couple of days.
No confirmation one way or another regarding the status of Aaron Wright. Hopefully, the next couple of days will be more telling. On the other hand, this could end up being similar to the Damione Lewis situation, and Michigan could end up being in some trouble if all of these players have not committed. A local radio show had an interesting discussion about the concept of a "verbal commitment". There are no NCAA rules which apply (even with the encylopedic nature of the NCAA rule book); it may well have been something created by coaches as an aid to recruiting. Perhaps the players are catching on and relieving a little of the pressure with early commitments. Nothing that has happened so far really matters - it all comes down to signing day, which is now less than 3 weeks away.
1/21/96
Well, the reasons for Michigan cancelling the visits of Kenny Clark and Marcus Knight have may have just become a little clearer. The Wolverines are rumored to have landed two WR commitments today: Aaron Wright from Flower Mound Marcus, Texas, and David Boston, from Humble, Texas. Boston had previously been rumored to have committed to Ohio State, but wanted to take a visit to Michigan before making his final decision; apparently, he was impressed enough (probably partly due to the immediate need at WR) to change his mind and become a Wolverine. These reports have not been confirmed yet - hopefully the recruiting services will have had a chance to contact both of these players later tonight to confirm (or dispel) the rumors.
LeAundre Brown has reaffirmed his commitment to Michigan after visiting Texas A&M this weekend. Apparently, he was impressed by A&M, and considered changing his mind, but after some thought decided to stick with his decision to play in Ann Arbor. He has said that there is a small chance that he could still change his mind, but he was fairly certain that he would not.
Dehani Jones, the LB from Washington D.C., has been offered a scholarship by Michigan. He visited North Carolina this weekend and will consider his options (Michigan, Washington, UNC) before making an annoucement later this week. Prior to his NC visit, Michigan was a clear leader, but did not make him a scholarship offer until this weekend.
Hopefully a little more info will come my way tonight regarding the WR commitments. I will update the page around 11:00 one way or another.
1/21/96
Some bad but not unexpected news: WR propsect Stanley Guyness, from Los Alamitos, CA, has committed to USC. His teammate, Tony Hartley, had his visit for this weekend cancelled by Michigan and will likely attend Kansas State or Oregon. Will Snowden, the RB from Boulder, CO, has committed to BYU as expected and will not visit this weekend.
Several other players have also cancelled visits for this weekend. Michigan, not the players, cancelled the visits of wide receivers Kenny Clark (Ocala, FL) and Marcus Knight (Sylacauga, AL). Both players have said they would still like to visit. It is quite surprising that Michigan cancelled these visits since they were rumored to be in the lead for both of these players. Given the need that Michigan has at the WR position this year, the coaches must expect to land at least 1 or 2 other WR's - perhaps Jeremy McDaniel and one high school player. I am also wondering if the coaches do not have either of these prospects ranked as highly as some scouting services do.
Grady Brooks also appears to have cancelled his Michigan visit, though the reasons are uncertain at this point.
Players that did keep their visits include Daymonn Carroll (RB, PA), Ken Watson (RB, PA), Leroy McFadden (Ath, CT), Aaron Wright (WR, Texas), and David Boston (WR, Texas). I again find it surprising that the coaches would keep the visit with Boston, who has (probably) committed to OSU, but cancel the visits of Clark and Knight.
Jason Ching has not yet committed to Notre Dame. Coaches from Stanford, UCLA, Michigan, and Notre Dame will be visiting him this week, and he will make his final choice after these visits are complete. He does continue to list Notre Dame as his leader.
Thus far, Michigan has only used about 35 of their official visits, leaving 21 open. It seems as if the coaching staff is targeting the players they really want (and ones that they believe want to play for Michigan) rather than bringing in large numbers of recruits. Any theories or opinions about this strategy?
1/19/96
SuperPrep continues to report that Jason Ching has committed to Notre Dame. I haven't heard confirmation from other sources as of yet, but again, it's not a big surprise.
A few more visitors for this weekend: Tony Hartley, a WR from Los Alamitos, CA (yes, he's teammates with Stanley Guyness, and they might just be a package deal), Ken Watson, a RB from Pennsylvania, and Leroy McFadden, a 6'2", 230 lb athlete from Milford Academy (Prep School) in Connecticut. Hartley is an excellent WR propsect, though he is definitely not thought of in the same vein as Guyness; he is 6'1", 190 lbs, and runs a 4.5 40. Watson is favoring Penn State. McFadden is an interesting player, supposedly a superb athlete for someone with his size. He could play LB or FB. An interesting fact: he played for Eden Prarie, MN last year, the same team as QB commitment Jason Kapsner. He failed to qualify academically, however, and therefore spent a year getting his grades in order in prep school. He would fill out this class well given the lack of current LB prospects, although Michigan is still in on Grady Brooks, Kwaesi Palmer, and can sign Dehani Jones if they have scholarships available.
There are rumors that Michigan is now leading for Daymonn Carroll, who is a big time RB from Pennsylvania - great speed and athleticism. However, Penn State and Florida have both been considered as his leaders until just recently; his visit this weekend will obviously be a major factor in his decision.
As far as I can tell, Michigan doesn't have any visits scheduled after this weekend. They may bring a few players in (i.e. Kenneth Davis, if he qualifies), but I don't believe there are any scheduled so far.
1/19/96
A quick lunchtime update: Michigan is apparently one of two finalists (along with Oklahoma) for Kenneth Davis, WR, Houston Washington. However, a word of caution: at last report, Davis was not qualified academically. He did retake the SAT in December, so if his score has improved, he may qualify. What is interesting is that by a recent vote, the Big 12 (Oklahoma's new conference) no longer accepts non-qualifiers, so either Davis expects to qualify, the rumors are false, or he is planning on attending JC/prep school. In any case, he is one of the top 2-3 WR's in the country, one of the few around who could step in and play immediately.
According to Bill Kurelic, Michigan has pulled even with Notre Dame for Jason Ching, the BCI dream team DL from Hawaii. However, rumors continue to swirl that Ching has committed to Notre Dame (in fact one service is reporting it), and ND has been his favorite all along. Ching does have relatives near Ann Arbor, which could help ease the homesickness bound to affect him when he moves from paradise to the midwest. Ching intends to announce his decision within a week (if he hasn't already); Notre Dame is hosting a lot of DL's this weekend, so some other commitments may sway Ching's choice.
I've mentioned several times in the past that Michigan is recruiting Texas hard this year, which isn't a bad idea as one scouting service reports that Texas has 24 of the top 200 players nationally this year. Players on the Texas top 100 list from which Michigan has received verbals or still has a reasonable chance of landing: #1 Kenneth Davis (WR), #8 Tommy Hendricks (DB), #10 Paul Tannous (OL), #11 Kwaesi Palmer (LB), #12 LeAundre Brown (DB), #14 Damione Lewis (DL), #16 Grady Brooks (LB), #20 Reggie Hunt (DB/RB), and #24 Aaron Wright (WR). I can't imagine the Texas schools are too happy about this development, although Texas A&M still has a very legitimate chance at several of these players.
I'll update the page tonight if I hear anything new.
1/18/96
LeAundre Brown committed to Michigan last night as rumored. However, he apparently still plans to visit Texas A&M, so again, we'll have to wait until after he complete his visits before feeling comfortable about this commitment.
Several people have e-mailed me more info about the JC WR's Michigan is recruiting. Shaw is updated on the commitment page. The scoop on McDaniel out of high school: He was rated the #14 player in North Carolina. Described as an excellent all-around athlete who high jumps 6'6", triple jumps 46' and runs relays. All conference in football, basketball, and track. Good leaper with outstanding hands; had 39 catches for 718 yards and 4 TD's as a senior in high school.
Michigan has apparently landed a visit from Leroy McFadden, an athlete from Connecticut, for this weekend. There are also some reports that Seneca Knight, an outstanding DL from Alabama, will be visiting. Knight was rumored to be favoring Michigan all along, but to my knowledge still has not qualified academically.
Rumors of Jason Ching's (DL, Hawaii) commitment to Notre Dame are premature, although it would hardly be surprising. He apparently will announce in about a week.
Elijah Burkins, a RB/DB from Texas, committed to Baylor. Michigan was recruiting him, but dropped off of Burkins' list some time ago.
1/17/96
There are rumors that LeAundre Brown may commit to Michigan tonight during an in-home visit by one of the Michigan coaches. Wait and see - I would be a bit surprised if he commits prior to visiting Texas A&M.
1/17/96
Conflicting reports continue to come my way regarding the status of Damione Lewis. One source has told me that Lewis has not committed. In fact, Lewis supposedly prefers Miami but is concerned that he won't get playing time immediately there. I have also heard that Lewis made his commitment official to the coaches late Monday night. This is a "commitment" that won't be firm until signing day, I suspect. At the very least, Lewis will continue to make official visits.
The deal on Tommy Hendricks continuing to take visits: it hinges on his parents' ability to return their airline tickets. They have accompanied him on all of his official visits and had already bought tickets to Notre Dame, etc. If they can get a refund (maybe Michigan fans should call the airline companies and beg) he may not take any more visits.
The reported commitment of David Boston (WR, Texas) to OSU may have been premature as well. At last report, he still plans to visit Michigan this weekend prior to making his final decision. OSU is still far and away the leader, however. Of course, that was also true with Gary Berry before last weekend. Much of his decision may weigh upon the number of receivers that Michigan is able to land this year; OSU already has signed 3.
The latest on the JUCO WR's that Michigan is recruiting: they are supposedly big time players. McDaniel is rumored to have a great work ethic, even better hands, and deceptive speed (his coach says "Nobody catches him in the open field."). Shaw is considered the top JUCO WR in the country, which means that he must be better than McDaniel (in theory, at least). It is always hard to judge junior college talent - the recruiting services don't spend much time evaluating these players. It will be interesting to see how these players pan out at the next level. I wonder if Michigan will continue to recruit JC players? These are the first two in my recollection. By the way, if anyone has information on where these players were ranked coming out of high school, please send it my way. I don't seem to have kept my recruiting info from 2 years ago (oops).
1/16/96
The Ann Arbor News and some recruiting services continue to report that Damione Lewis has committed to Michigan. Apparently, he has committed, but plans to continue to take his official visits. I won't list him as a commitment until his choice has been verified.
No other commitments today. A couple of names that visited this weekend: Dehani Jones, a LB from Washington D.C., reportedly would commit if offered a scholarship. He is 6'2", 205 lbs, and runs a 4.5 40. Both of his parents attended Michigan. He has said that the Michigan coaches will contact him later this week to let him know if a scholarship will be available. This makes at least 2 prospects that want to play in Ann Arbor, but are still awaiting word from the coaches (the other is Tim Nelson, DB from Atlanta).
There have been conflicting reports on how many scholarships Michigan will offer this year. Prior to the departure of Biakabutuka and Runyan, they were planning to offer 18-20, but that number may go up. I think a lot will depend on how many top notch players the coaches feel they can land.
David Boston, a WR from Humble, TX, has committed to OSU. Michigan had been recruiting him, and he was scheduled to visit next weekend. He had pretty much narrowed his choices to OSU, Florida, and Michigan, but had OSU in the lead all along. OSU will probably only take 1 or 2 more players, which may increase the Wolverines' chance of signing Gary Berry.

Updated: 1/31/96

Feel free (and encouraged) to e-mail me with any updated information
svijan@umich.edu

go blue!
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