MCDOOM RETURNETH

we will take the McOne Ring to him

The pealing of bells, ringing of klaxons, and riders with tidings you heard around midnight last night was a name coming back to us. And yes, it is the One Name: FL WR Eddie McDoom. McDoom abruptly decommitted from Oregon and a few minutes later:

FL WR Eddie McDoom told me that #Michigan is now his leader and will also take an official visit next weekend pic.twitter.com/4XDRpIIbka

— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) January 18, 2016

Marich also mentioned that Jedd Fisch never backed off even after his commitment; this staff has never heard of a "gentleman's agreement" except as something to poop on.

You may remember that McDoom's Oregon commitment was the one that seemingly closed off Oregon as an option for CA WR commit Dylan Crawford, so this is a mega-crootin development. Ryan Bartow caught up with McDoom, who said that Oregon yanked his scholarship because he wanted to visit Ann Arbor and he hasn't been talking to anyone else. A couple of West Coast analysts fired off CBs in the aftermath. This close to Signing Day it seems inevitable that McDoom does indeed commit.

So… that's bizarre. FWIW, the Oregon 247 guys believe the Ducks will spend their remaining scholarships on defense and won't take another swing at Crawford.

What about Young and Stewart?

Your guess is as good as mine, man. NJ WR Donald Stewart took his official to Stanford this weekend, where he had a good time while being sort of threatened:

"I met with the dean of admissions, and we had a general conversation. … He literally said about 10 times, 'This school is very hard and you need to meet expectations.' He said it about 10 or 15 times, and I was like, 'OK, I think I get it.'"

On the other hand, he met Condoleeza Rice, noted CFP member.

Stanford was always kind of assumed to be the leader but the vibe from this article is that he might have been a little put off. Meanwhile he is from New Jersey and thus knows about 30% of Michigan's recruiting class personally.

Meanwhile FL WR Pie Young took an official to Louisville this weekend that hasn't yet spawned articles. He takes an official to FSU this weekend that was set up just recently. Given the chatter around him I assume he's a silent commit, for what that's worth. It is worth something but not everything, especially with Young lining up visits to FSU and possibly USC and Alabama before signing day.

The Dwumfour gambit

Sounds like a Star Trek episode, is actually Michigan's attempt to flip NJ DT and PSU commit Michael Dwumfour. Dwumfour, a teammate of NJ RB enrollee Kareem Walker, announced he would spend the past weekend in Ann Arbor about 30 seconds after I posted Thursday Recruitin'. This is good for two reasons:

1. Dwumfour is a nose tackle type at 6'2" and Michigan needs one of those; as a PSU commit who had a good senior season he's a solid prospect.
2. He is super-tight with Rashan Gary. Webb held back part of an interview with Gary and Walker at the UA game because Dwumfour wanted to tell PSU coaches he was visiting before the news broke; in it Gary refers to Dwumfour as "his boy" almost constantly.

We haven't actually heard about an offer yet and Lorenz was told to hold off on a Crystal Ball for him, so there's some uncertainty going on there. Dwumfour reportedly really wanted an offer from Michigan early in the process but one did not come. I enjoy the fact that he is avoiding the "committed, but…" cliché:

"There is a chance I could flip my commitment to Michigan. I wouldn't be visiting them if there wasn't a chance."

Webb reports that Dwumfour "raved about Michigan," as did his parents. Dwumfour has a visit scheduled to Penn State next weekend. PSU is poking around a bunch of defensive tackles; they seem nervous.

[After THE JUMP: an encouraging Gary Panic Of The Week, Khaleke Hudson as Clark Kent, wobblers, best-guess lists, and more.]

The Gary panic of the week is a nice one, actually

Michigan dropped by Paramus Catholic on the day NJ DE Rashan Gary was set to fly to his USC official. A couple of SEC sites started rumbles that Michigan was stood up. Those are false:

One important note regarding the New Jersey visit is that Michigan was well aware that Rashan Gary would not be at school today, as he and his mom departed for Los Angeles for his USC official visit. There's nothing to read into behind that, and the Wolverines remain in solid shape with the #1 overall prospect in the country.

Michigan is recruiting a half-dozen prospects in three classes at Paramus; Gary is by no means the only reason to stop by.

Meanwhile, Gary's official to USC went well enough to spawn a Scout article with a scary headline—"Nation's No. 1 Rashan Gary has "game-changing" visit to USC"—but even so it's difficult to take that entirely seriously given the state of the Trojan staff:

"We met (defensive coordinator Clancy) Pendergast for about five minutes because he just came on campus (Saturday), and they have not named their defensive line coach, so that is something we need to know. You really can't make a decision if you don't have a defensive line coach."

They're supposed to get one by Wednesday. Gary's mom gave similar interviews to other sites, down to the "game changer" quote. People say nice things on visits and it's going to be real hard for USC to overcome Michigan's long-standing lead.

Meanwhile there are very nice bits in the article. It's telling that Gary's mom mentions Michigan twice as a baseline. When person compares Subject Of Article School to Not Subject Of Article School, the latter is in good shape. Put another way, Jennifer Coney is not comparing USC to Ole Miss.

That article also re-re-confirms that the Michigan unofficial is on:

Next up for Gary is a Jan. 23 unofficial visit to Michigan. Conley said it is uncertain whether he will make a fifth official visit.

I actually feel better after reading that article because it more or less dismisses Ole Miss chatter and Greg Mattison versus TBA is a battle Michigan wins. And if that Michigan unofficial is the last visit Gary takes Michigan has to feel terrific.

All systems go for Long

Pretty much everyone has pegged CA CB David Long to Michigan since the Army game. The main holdouts were the folks at Washington's 247 site, who will fight you if you suggest players are not going to Washington. They we hanging their hat on Long's official to Washington, which took place this weekend.

Midway through Long's visit, though, their primary mod flipped her CB to Michigan, possibly because Long snapchatted something revealing on his trip.

David Long, who's currently visiting Washington, posted this on his snapchat. @MGoFish pic.twitter.com/5JLU97YtHI

— Michigan FB Opinion (@IMOMichiganFB) January 17, 2016

Unconfirmed but seems like many people saw that independently and commented. Said mod has now gone to "foggy" and written a bunch of embarrassingly unprofessional stuff about Long. Ryan Bartow caught up with Long in the aftermath and got positive but unrevealing quotes about his two finalists.

Long announces on ESPNU this Thursday sometime after 6 PM. Michigan looks like a clear favorite.

If Peppers wrote for the Daily Planet

Steve Wiltfong put in a ballz for PA S Khaleke Hudson to Michigan on Sunday, stating that Michigan is the "clear leader" in his recruitment after his official. PSU's 247 site also believes Michigan is "in the driver's seat," though they may believe that because that's what Wiltfong told them. Nobody else has been as confident either way.

Brian Dohn did find out that Michigan is recruiting him basically everywhere:

"They like me at different spots. They're recruiting me for safety, cornerback and running back."

I think he's well-suited to take up the Peppers role after he departs.

Anyway, I was already very pro-Hudson after he looked terrific in the Semper Fi game. The news that Michigan might lead caused most of the MGoStaff to watch Hudson's 15-minute long senior highlight reel:

I be like dang. Halfway through I was eagerly anticipating the plays on which Hudson was a blocker, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. On D, Hudson brings the lumber at LB and S. On O, he's a slippery tailback with terrific balance who enjoys lighting up defenders more than anything else. He also returns kicks, makes circus catches, throws pinpoint 30-yard passes… he's a Football Player, in the parlance of our times. He is the most HARBAUGH guy I've seen in this class other than maybe Vic Viramontes (sigh).

Hudson has officials scheduled to Penn State and Pitt the next weekend but there is chatter he might end his recruitment before he gets to them. PSU does seem on for now. That visit has the feel of David Long going to Washington.

A request: if recruiting sites could refrain from bumping Hudson into four-star range (Scout already has) I would appreciate it. I need a sleeper of the year and Hudson is an easy choice as long as he only has one four-star ranking.

In which we all yell about someone's picture on a video board

MI CB Lavert Hill did take a trip last weekend. It wasn't to USC, which was the plan. It wasn't to Michigan, which was the rumor. It was to Penn State, the school he decommitted from a couple of months ago. James Franklin and company pulled out all the stops, including ones that seem obviously against NCAA rules:

Penn State just trotted out Lavert Hill and had everyone cheer for him during the intermission. pic.twitter.com/K0nEWtfjXe

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) January 16, 2016

Apparently this is okay if the prospects has signed financial aid paperwork, which Hill did when he was a Penn State commit. Not like it matters—it's not going to have any impact on his recruitment—but I did learn that PSU's WR coach doesn't know what an apostrophe is for.

#WeAre ............Always at the Forefront of recruiting!! #TrendSetter's #107KStrong ⚪️✊

— Josh Gattis (@Coach_Gattis) January 17, 2016

James Franklin doesn't know what timeouts do, so it's probably cool.

Hill talked to Rivals, saying things at Penn State were "pretty good" about a dozen times. I don't think the hockey thing worked. 247 didn't get a great vibe that he was about to recommit; they also had an interesting take on the MSU chatter:

…some that spoke with Hill over the weekend came away with the impression that Michigan State wasn’t as high on his list as perceived. I still think he’ll end up at Michigan, personally, but Penn State did what they could this weekend.

He has MSU next week and Clemson the week after before a Signing Day decision. I still feel confident since Hill was on campus all the time this fall and mom is in Michigan's corner, but he certainly no longer feels like the lock he was for much of his, uh, tenure as a Penn State commit. Crootin.

Linebacker shuffling

If Michigan has seemed light in one particular place this recruiting cycle, it's linebacker. Michigan has few answers and 2.5 questions there—we're setting Gedeon aside since he's a senior—but they let MI LB David Reese go and have only FL LB Devin Bush and AL LB Dytarious Johnson in the class.

Michigan is getting a bit more open here, as they've increased communication with GA LB Elysee Mbem-Bosse, a guy they offered very early but had not popped up on anyone's radar until a few weeks ago. Per Lorenz, Mbem-Bosse is headed up this weekend; Michigan will try to surge past NC State and Oklahoma.

Meanwhile Tim Sullivan interprets Michigan pushing FL LB Joel Dublanko's visit back a week as an attempt to buy time before deciding on whether to offer him. Dublanko mentioned Michigan and only Michigan in an article from a couple weeks back despite not having that offer; it's uncertain exactly what his situation right now. He reported offers from Tennessee and Mississippi State over the summer and took unofficials to Stanford, Washington, and Oregon (he's at IMG and originally from WA), but Michigan is his first official. It's an odd recruitment to say the least.

Michigan also offered KS S Isaiah Simmons after stopping in at his high school. Simmons is currently listed as a safety but at 6'3" he is a candidate to fill out and become a rangy linebacker. Simmons currently plans to visit Nebraska and Louisville on the last two official weekends; we'll see if Michigan can change that. Clemson is also trying to get in late.

Raulerson's coach might be in Michigan's corner

Angelique Chengelis talks to TX OL transfer Jake Raulerson's high school coach, and he lays out Harbaugh's argument for him:

“That’s something he and I talked about — playing for Coach Harbaugh and playing for Michigan is an awful big thing,” Elliott said in a telephone interview Thursday. “Having a chance to play for Coach Harbaugh, what else could you want with all the great tradition there and tradition of offensive linemen?

“What I told him when we talked, ‘Man, if you want that chance (to play in the NFL), what more could you want than a guy who has been there, coached there and has been a part of things?”

Lorenz is hearing good things about Raulerson's eventual decision. He has two years to play two and if he starts he could push Mason Cole to guard, which would be all right with me.

More preferred walk-ons who can contribute

Muterspaw has the frame

Michigan issued PWO offers to Detroit Jesuit WR Cedric Mutebi, FL long snapper Hunter Arbit and OH OL Matt Muterspaw. Muterspaw's PWO offer comes hot on the heels of one from Ohio State but even though he's an Ohio kid Michigan might come out on top of this one. Lorenz thought the name sounded familiar and sure enough, Muterspaw attended the satellite camp Michigan held in Indianapolis:

Talk to a father named Rodney Muterspaw, as I did Thursday at Chatard, and find out what this camp means to his kid. His kid won't play for Michigan. His kid, an offensive tackle named Matt, has an offer from Valparaiso. An offer from Michigan isn't coming. Matt Muterspaw knows that. But still he wanted to come to this camp, wanted it badly enough that his father drove him two hours from Middletown, Ohio, to make it happen.

"He's a huge Jim Harbaugh fan," Rodney Muterspaw told me. "He just wanted to be instructed by the Michigan staff. It's a lifelong dream of his. Coach Harbaugh said hello to him and took a picture with him. To a kid who loves Michigan, that's a big deal. If your kid has a dream, you owe it to him as a parent to do whatever you can."

Kid is 6'7", 292 and after Glasgow and Conklin last year you cannot rule out an OL developing into a real player. Hopefully he hops on board.

Semiweekly wobbler update

Also filed under crootin is MSU becoming approximately the last school in the country to offer MI OL Mike Onwenu. Onwenu says he will visit East Lansing. Tim Sullivan talked to Onwenu and doesn't think much will come of it:

…he was very clear that, while he will take a trip just a little bit West, it's not very meaningful.

"Yes, I'm taking the visit," he said. "But I'm just enjoying the process."

Never say never in crootin of course but Onwenu's been committed to Michigan forever and isn't likely to flip.

On the other hand: TN WR Nate Johnson took a Miami visit. Nobody's reported on it, so nevermind the 'Canes. A much more threatening threat looms, though. Scout's Anna Hickey reports that he's scratched the Vandy visit he had scheduled for this weekend but that Notre Dame stopped by and he would visit if offered. They offered. Barton Simmons reports that visit is "likely" to happen. He is set to go to Penn State on the 29th as well.

Johnson's sudden appearance on the radar and commitment should make you cautious—his decision was not one made after long consideration. Keeping him now seems like a 50/50 shot instead of 80/20. Given the McDoom news Michigan does not appear to be reserving a spot for him in the class right now (nor should they, dude is taking visits). If a couple wide receivers commit before Signing Day, Johnson may get locked out.

Meanwhile Crystal Ball predictions for flips away from Michigan have started coming in for IN RB Kiante Enis and FL DE Rashad Weaver. The Enis CB comes from Wiltfong; we projected Weaver to Temple, as did Lorenz and one of the Temple staff members.

In less jittery news, I can't find anything that would indicate that NJ WR Brad Hawkins and NJ DE Ron Johnson are actually going to follow through on vague plans to visit North or South Carolina.

This instant's best guess

This is just me spitballing from what I've read and heard. Wiltfong puts out the 30 number that Webb did, though he thinks 28 is more likely. So with a number of decommits coming we think Michigan has 18-19 slots definitively filled and can take 10-12 additional recruits. In approximate order of likelihood, this is my guess at who fills those slots:

1. MO TE Chase Allen. Allen didn't commit on his official but effused about it to Wiltfong. Could drop at any time. Hasn't scheduled any other officials yet.
2. CA CB David Long. Recruitment is over but in-home visits and all the national/West Coast people say it's Michigan.
3. NJ DE Rashan Gary. Actions speak louder than words.
4. FL WR Eddie McDoom. Dropped by Oregon because he's coming this weekend.
5. MI K Quinn Nordin. I wonder if the hold-up is not knowing if there's a scholarship? He seems like he's destined for M.
6. PA S Khaleke Hudson. Michigan highly interested; Wiltfong CB.
7. FL WR Pie Young. Think he's a silent but heavy hitters are getting officials.
8. PA DT Michael Dwumfour. Will visit PSU next weekend and decide. Wiltfong says "optimism is high" in Ann Arbor.
9. MI CB Lavert Hill. Still think this one ends favorably for M but am getting a little spooked.
10. AZ DE Connor Murphy. M has most stable coaching situation and Harbaugh connection.
11. FL LB Jonathan Jones. 55/45 M/ND. If it is ND, insert one of the above LBs in this spot. Jones recently recapped Don Brown's in-home with MGoFish.

Confidence is high through #9 and then drops off significantly at Murphy and Jones. Michigan is in on a host of other targets as well; I currently can't find room for Donald Stewart, Devin Asiasi, Boss Tagaloa, Joshua Uche, Jacob Mathis, or Jordan Fuller.

TX grad transfer OL Jake Raulerson is also an option but as a transfer he doesn't have to decide until the summer and isn't included as part of the above consideration.

2017 stuff

Things and stuff:

• Michigan offered instate S Scott Nelson, who is under the radar but does have offers from Northwestern and Boston College. Thus he is a high-academic kid and Don Brown likes him.
• Pioneer RB/LB Antjuan Simmons doesn't have much to update; sounds like he will be a Midwestern battle. He does plan to get out and about to see if anywhere else piques his interest. Also he just released a top 11 without Michigan in it… but with Syracuse and Maryland. So that's a first.
• Once thought to be a candidate to commit early, Cass Tech S Jaylen Kelly-Powell plans a variety of visits in the near future. He's a 4.0 student who's been to Michigan a ton so his recruitment is likely to circle back around to Ann Arbor eventually; he isn't going to drop right away.
• Michigan offered WI OL Tyler Beach. At 6'8" Beach is certainly a tackle; Michigan is actually first up to bat with him amongst power 5 schools. Wisconsin will presumably offer when he's on campus in the near future. It's usually pretty tough to get OL out of Wisconsin but Beach recently moved there from Colorado so he's likely to be more open than your average cheese-eater.*
• Brandon Justice interviews CO QB Dylan McCaffery, who says '"no one out there is better than Harbaugh, maybe just as good, but no one is better" and asserts that he's likely to commit soon. With no visits on the immediate horizon and his most recent two unofficials to Michigan that is excellent news.
• TX OL Austin Deculus says Michigan, LSU, and Alabama are his top three. LSU is an early leader.
• TX LB Baron Browning got an offer. Browning, a Baylor commit, is a five star but Michigan has a couple of ins. Browning's brother played for Harbaugh at Stanford.

Michigan also offered 2018 MI CB Kalon Gervin. Around these parts we try to ignore developments short of commitments from sophomores, but Gervin goes to Cass and may be a big-timer so keep an eye out.

*[This is the worst attempt at an insult ever. Cheese is amazing.]

Etc.: TX DT commit Jordan Elliott says he's trying to get MSU DE commit Josh King to flip. Long, long shot, as King might not qualify for anyone, let alone Michigan. FL LB Joshua Uche tells SEC Country that he is indeed being recruited as an OLB and has a final three of Florida, Michigan, and Auburn.