Michigan Football Preview 2017

2017 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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172 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MIDWEST TOP 25 every time he shows up at an event. At the Rivals Camp Series in Co- lumbus, Stepp measured in at 6-0 and 205 pounds, was one of the more explosive backs in attendance and already looks like a Notre Dame run- ning back. He has been committed to the Irish for around a year and is a terrific ambassador for the program. He is ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 3 player in Indiana and the No. 224 overall recruit in the nation. 20. Ayodele Adeoye, LB St. Louis Ritenour At 6-2 and 220 pounds, Adeoye has the look of an inside linebacker prospect. His build, coupled with his athleticism and ability to de- liver a blow, have earned him four-star status. He is rated as the No. 10 inside linebacker and No. 229 overall prospect nationally. Entering June, Adeoye had a top 10 con- sisting of Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma, South Caro- lina, Missouri and LSU, with the Sooners getting more and more attention from him heading into the summer. 21. Brenden Bates, TE Cincinnati Moeller Bates measures 6-5 and 220 pounds, and plays more like a jumbo wide receiver in high school. He exhibits solid athleticism, and makes for a really nice target because of his height and length. After the catch, Bates is tough to bring down and should develop into a solid tight end at the next level for Kentucky. He is listed as the No. 7 player in Ohio and the No. 236 overall player in the country. 22. Ronnie Perkins, DE St. Louis Lutheran North Another talented prospect out of St. Louis, Perkins measures in at 6-4 and 260 pounds. He is built more like a defensive tackle, but has the burst neces- sary to play defensive end. At the next level, he could very easily develop into a cat-quick interior defensive linemen. Perkins, who is listed as the No. 5 player in Missouri and the No. 239 prospect overall nationally, is going to be a good get for whoever lands him. Michi- gan has offered and is recruiting him pretty hard, but other programs like Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, UCLA, Wisconsin and many others are also in the sweepstakes for his services. 23. Malik Vann, DE Fairfield (Ohio) High School The 6-3, 245-pound Vann has frame to po- tentially grow into an interior player. He's got a lot of quick- ness, which would make him a real problem on the inside should he grow into a defensive tackle. He is rated as a four-star talent, the No. 8 recruit in Ohio and the No. 246 overall player in the land. Vann, who held offers from schools like Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Okla- homa, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among others, surprised many when he spurned them all to commit to Cincinnati. 24. Dallas Gant, LB Toledo (Ohio) St. John's Gant is a big, rangy, athletic outside line- backer. At 6-3 and 208 pounds, he looks ready for a college football field with still another year of high school left. He is rated as a four-star player and the No. 11 prospect in Ohio. He committed to Ohio State in mid-May over Mich- igan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. 25. Aeneas Hawkins, DT Cincinnati Moeller Hawkins is a very athletic, lean-framed defensive tackle who makes moving around in traffic appear easy. He looks more like a defensive end than the previously men- tioned Perkins, but has that same type of versatility be- cause of his 6-3, 260-pound body. He is ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 9 player in Ohio and the No. 18 defen- sive tackle in the country. Hawkins has a top group consisting of Alabama, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Penn State and USC. ❏ Tracking The Best In The Class Of 2017 The top 25 in the Midwest stayed primarily in the region, but a few ventured to national programs. Kentucky nabbed a pair, while Clemson, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisville all snagged one player each from the region. Michigan led the way with five commitments out of the top 25 Midwest prospects, in- cluding the top player in the region and the nation's No. 1 wide receiver, five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones out of Detroit. Numbers reflect final Rivals.com rankings in the Midwest. Rk. Player Pos. High School College 1. Donovan Peoples-Jones WR Detroit Cass Tech Michigan 2. Hunter Johnson QB Brownsburg (Ind.) High School Clemson 3. AJ Epenesa DE Edwardsville (Ill.) High School Iowa 4. Josh Myers OG Miamisburg (Ohio) High School Ohio State 5. Jeff Thomas WR East St. Louis (Ill.) High School Miami (Fla.) 6. Brendon White ATH Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty Ohio State 7. Cole Kmet TE Arlington Heights (Ill) St. Viator Notre Dame 8. Danny Davis WR Springfield (Ohio) High School Wisconsin 9. JaVonte Richardson ATH Maple Heights (Ohio) High School Kentucky 10. Marquis Hayes OG Maryland Heights (Mo.) Pattonville Oklahoma 11. Ambry Thomas CB Detroit Martin Luther King Michigan 12. Kayden Lyles OG Middleton (Wis.) High School Wisconsin 13. Sean Clifford QB Cincinnati St. Xavier Penn State 14. Matt Dotson TE Cincinnati Moeller Michigan State 15. Lynn Bowden ATH Warren (Ohio) Harding Kentucky 16. Jaylen Harris WR Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High School Ohio State 17. Isaiah Robertson ATH Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley Notre Dame 18. Oliver Martin WR Iowa City (Iowa) West Michigan 19. RJ Potts S Fishers (Ind.) High School Cincinnati 20. Kevin Jarvis OG Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine South Michigan State 21. Joshua Ross OLB Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's Michigan 22. Donovan Johnson CB Detroit Cass Tech Penn State 23. Chester Graves DE Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill Mississippi 24. Russ Yeast ATH Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove Louisville 25. James Hudson DE Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic Michigan

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