So last night we ended up hanging out with our neighbors. It was hot as hell so I drank a lot of beer and then I was feeling good so I drank some wine and we played cards and then walked to the lake watch a bunch of bootleg fireworks. It was fun, and today I'm not really sick hung over but more that sleepy, not really wanting to move around a lot kind of hungover. It's warm out today but not humid, so I'm sitting on my porch with a big glass of ice water and it feels rather pleasant. I don't plan to get up for a bit, so let me work on my next summer CFB51 project, which is looking at random old recruiting rankings.
The first one is the Michigan class of 2017. Not the University of Michigan, bur rather the state. 247 makes it easy to see rankings by state and position, and I remember this one from following Antjuan Simmons, who was pledged to OSU for some time before decommitting and landed at MSU, where he is one of the conferences top returning linebackers. So let's look back...
1. Donovan Peoples-Jones (overall rank 12): DPJ was a big time recruit, and was an all star on the camp circuit with his athleticism. At Michigan, it never quite came together for him - he wasn't bad, but he also never really displayed that athleticism into big time playmaking. He did his three years and peaced out to the draft, where he was picked up by the Browns in the sixth round.
2. Ambry Thomas (90): A pretty strong year for Michigan football that year, Thomas was a fellow top 100 recruit and has been a fine player for Michigan. There was a scare with colitis last year and many thought he wouldn't play, but he ended up being the starter and this year returns as one of the top corners in the league. With the Wolverine's schedule he'll see Rondale Moore, Rashod Bateman, and Chris Olave, so he'll get some tests.
3. Josh Ross (211): A four star linebacker who pledged to Michigan, Ross is right on track. He was going to be the starting linebacker last year but battled injury and ended up using his redshirt, but he'll be starting this year.
4. Deron Irving-Bey (249): Another four star recruit who pledged to Michigan, this one never got off the ground. He lasted one year before transferring to Central Michigan. Then he was kicked out of CMU for academics and enrolled in a community college. He was supposedly going to return to CMU if he could get passing grades, but I can't figure out if that happened or not.
5. Jaylen Kelly-Powell (156): Another Michigan commit, though you'd be forgiven if you didn't know that. He was a safety and thought could play corner, but never got on the field much for the Wolverines. He recorded 7 tackles before transferring to Akron this year.
6. Corey Malone-Hatcher (268): Another four star Michigan commit with a hyphenated last name, and another one to not make any impact. He really didn't make an impact, as he announced a medical retirement due to an Achilles injury before he ever suited up.
7. Antjuan Simmons (297): The first non-Wolverine, Simmons was pledged to OSU for some time before decommitting and heading to Sparty land. I can't remember why he decommitted, but it stings now - he looks primed to have a great year at linebacker. The other mystery I remember is Michigan never seemed very interested in him despite him playing in Ann Arbor in high school. Not sure why that was, either.
8. JaRaymond Hall (301): Back to the Wolverines, this time an offensive tackle. But similar results to a lot of the others. He transferred to Central Michigan after one season, redshirted 2018, was injured in 2019, then medically retired having never played in a game for anyone.
9. Hunter Rison (318): Sparty back in the game with the son of Andre Rison. Hunter started strong and played as a freshman, but transferred apparently due to a lack of playing time. He landed at Kanas State, where he got arrested for domestic battery. Facing suspension, he transferred to JUCO Fullerton College where he played last year.
10. Donovan Johnson (332): The last four star, but the first to leave the state, Johnson landed at Penn State as a corner. To his credit, he's still there, though he has struggled to get on the field. EDIT: BBTS points out he played a healthy amount in 2018 but his 2019 season was derailed by off field/injuries. He's listed at the top of the depth chart so he'll get a chnace ot get on the field this year.
11. Jordan Reid (370): Done with the four stars, this three star guard pledged to Sparty. He has been on the top players of this group, and has started 26 straight games at right tackle and figures to continue that streak this year.
12. Cody White (376): A wide receiver pledged to Sparty, and another success. He played immediately as a freshman in 2017 and then led the team in receiving yards in 18 and 19. He made the decision to try and grind it out in the NFL, and wasn't drafted but signed as a free agent with the Chiefs this year.
13. Phillip Paea (458): A OL/DL guy, he pledged to the Wolverines. I think he has bounced around between offense and defense and hasn't been able to see the field much, a situation that doesn't appear likely to change.
14. Zach Morton (724): A defensive end who landed with Syracuse, he appeared in four games last year.
15. Kalil Pimpleton (725): A wide receiver who initially went to Virginia Tech, he transferred after one year to Central Michigan, where he had almost 900 yards receiving last year to lead the team.
16. Bryce Wolma (742): A tight end who headed for the warmth of the Arizona Wildcats. He had a nice freshman season but has combined for 10 catches over the last two seasons.
17. Scott Nelson (802): A safety who landed with Wisconsin. He played quite a bit as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and would have started last year, but was lost for the season duye to injury after the first game. He returns to a crowded secondary so we'll see if he can get back on the field.
18. Mustafa Khaleefa (833): An offenstive tackle who pledged to the Spartans. He's still on the team as far as I can tell, though not yet in the two deep.
