Michigan Football: How Wolverines' Top Commits Performed This Weekend
The third weekend of October 2015 is one Michigan Wolverines fans will never forget or fondly recall.
A stunning last-second loss to Michigan State in Ann Arbor is bound to sting for a long time, immediately assuming a significant spot in the history of this heated rivalry. For Wolverines fans, a slight silver lining can be found while taking a look at prospects who will someday attempt to help Michigan exact revenge against the Spartans.
High school action across America further illustrated the level of talent head coach Jim Harbaugh has assembled in a 2016 recruiting class that rates ninth overall nationally in composite rankings. Several members of an impressive haul headlined weekend action, delivering tremendous efforts for their respective squads.
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Brandon Peters, a 6'5", 205-pound passer from Avon High School in Indiana, continues to decimate defenses on his way to career-best single-season statistical totals.
The Elite 11 finalist tossed two more touchdowns Friday night in a 46-14 victory over Noblesville, per Brian Stumpf of Student Sports. He's led Avon to six consecutive wins, suffering his last loss Sept. 4.
Peters, rated seventh nationally among pro-style quarterbacks in composite rankings, enjoyed a multi-score game each week throughout this streak. He's thrown for 19 touchdowns during the stretch, pushing his senior season total to 29 scores through the air, per MaxPreps.
It's quite a spike in production for Peters, who committed to Michigan in April while on campus, after tossing 21 touchdowns in each of his past two seasons. This improvement is further indication of the work he put in during Elite 11 action and throughout an eventful offseason.
"My focus is on getting better in every phase of the game," Peters told Bleacher Report this summer. "By the time I get to Michigan, I want to be prepared to compete."
Ahmir Mitchell also represented the Wolverines' 2016 class in quality fashion. The 6'3", 206-pound New Jersey product secured six receptions for 130 yards Friday night in a 40-14 victory over Oakcrest High School, per Mike McGarry of the Atlantic City Press.
The 4-star Cedar Creek High School standout has dealt with constant defensive schemes geared toward slowing him down this season. Mitchell, who could compete at wide receiver or safety in college, took advantage of his latest opportunity to wreak havoc.
"Throughout the week coach focused on getting me the ball a little bit more and putting me in the action," Mitchell told McGarry. "Some of the defenses (in past games) played triple coverage and double coverage. (Oakcrest) didn't play over the top of me so much, so I was able to open up a little bit."
Among the most vocal members of this Wolverines class, Mitchell is an ardent peer-recruiter. He's pushing for other players from the Garden State to join him in Ann Arbor, including top-ranked running back and Ohio State commit Kareem Walker:
He's also focused on fellow New Jersey stars Jordan Fuller, a two-way talent, and Rashan Gary, a defensive tackle who is the nation No. 1 overall prospect:
Mitchell is building off a junior campaign that included 1,419 all-purpose yards, 37 tackles and 20 touchdowns, per MaxPreps.
"Ahmir is a very aggressive player and one of those dogs I'm really glad we've got in our class," 4-star Michigan defensive end commit Ron Johnson told Bleacher Report last week. "He does some really good stuff at receiver, but I also think he can be a special guy on defense."
Johnson's Camden High School (New Jersey) teammate, wide receiver Brad Hawkins, is another Wolverines pledge who excelled during the weekend. He reeled in a touchdown toss and also picked off an opponent's pass for his fourth interception since 2014, per Bill Evans of NJ.com.
Hawkins now has 28 touchdown receptions since his sophomore season.
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