Class of 2010: Michigan Lands Two Outstanding Wide Receivers

It has been a great week on the recruiting front for Rich Rodriguez and his staff.  Last week, they landed versatile Cass Tech prospect Thomas Gordon, who will likely play safety at Michigan. 

This week they have picked up early verbals from two of the top junior WRs in the nation: Ricardo Miller and Jeremy Jackson.

Who are some other junior prospects that Michigan fans should keep an eye on?  Prospects such as Dior Mathis, William Gholston, Austin White, Marvin Robinson, and Christian Lombard are names well-known to fans of Michigan recruiting.

What about some off-the-radar prospects who could eventually receive offers?  I’ll be identifying some of these prospects over the next few weeks, starting today.

Below are my bios on the two most recent Michigan verbals and a few “sleepers” to watch out for.

Name:	Ricardo Miller
Class:	2010
Position:	WR
Height:	6′3
Weight:	203
Forty:	4.50
City/School:	Orlando Dr. Phillips
State:	Florida
College Commitment:	Michigan
Top Offers:	USF, MICH, CFU, FLA, UCLA, TEN, STAN
National Ranking Position:	6
Rating:	5
News And Notes:	One of the top overall junior prospects in Florida and WRs in the nation………He committed to Michigan in September…………..Projects as a WR in college………..Through 4 games as a junior he had 8 receptions for 135 yards and 4 TDs…………Sophomore co-starter at TE and also played some DE on a 7-5 6A team. He had 4 receptions for 75 yards and 1 TD……………Runs the sprints in track………..Impressive at July 2008 Florida Friday Night Lights camp…………. Very impressive at the July 2008 USF Sling and Shoot. In fact, he was considered by some to be the top rising junior in attendance……….Very impressive at the 2008 Michigan summer camp (Ran a 4.50 forty and won the WR Smokehouse Award for fastest forty)………….Very impressive at the June 2008 Central Florida 7-on-7 tournament……..Put together well, is fast, quick, physical, great body balance and has soft hands…………His mother is a Michigan alum………….3.7 GPA.

Name:	Jeremy Jackson
Class:	2010
Position:	WR
Height:	6′3
Weight:	188
Forty:	4.58
City/School:	Ann Arbor Huron
State:	Michigan
College Commitment:	Michigan
Top Offers:	MICH, LSU, EMU, MIN, CMU, IA, TOL, NCAR, FLA, TEX, LOU, STAN, NEB
National Ranking Position:	10
Rating:	5
News And Notes:	One of the top junior in Michigan…………..He committed to Michigan in October 2008……..As a sophomore starter at WR, he had 41 receptions for 535 yards and 3 TDs…………..Very impressive as one of the few sophomores at the 2008 U.S. Army Combine………..Nice frame, long arms, soft hands, smooth and good speed. Reminds some of Michigan WR Adrian Arrington………….Was offered a scholarship by Michigan (Lloyd Carr) in the summer of 2007…………………………The son of Michigan RB coach Fred Jackson………….Impressive at the 2008 Michigan (4.58 forty) and Texas camps…………….Scheduled to attend the July 2008 Florida Friday Night Lights Camp……………..Camped at Michigan in 2007……….Attended 2008 Michigan spring game………..Really like Michigan but also thinking about heading south and will camp in 2008 at Texas and Florida (Has a Friday Night Lights invitation)

Name:	DeJoshua Johnson
Class:	2010
Position:	WR
Height:	6′0
Weight:	180
Forty:	4.50
City/School:	Pahokee
State:	Florida
Top Offers:	x
National Ranking Position:	59
Rating:	5
News And Notes:	One of the top junior WRs in southeastern Florida……………….Junior starter at WR in a program loaded with D-I caliber skill athletes……………One of several key juniors to watch…………….One of 12 sophomores on a 14-0 state champion Class 2B team and he had 3 receptions for 104 yards and 1 TD…………..He has great speed and does a nice job with the ball in his hands. A real deep threat……………..Plays for a team that churns out D-I skill talent (Martavoius Odoms, Nurkeese Richardson, Vincent Smith, etc…..)………Not putting up the huge numbers that he should as a senior once some of the talented seniors graduate.

Name:	Malik Cross
Class:	2010
Position:	RB/DB/WR
Height:	5′11
Weight:	186
Forty:	4.55
City/School:	Oxon Hill
State:	Maryland
Top Offers:	OLD DOM
National Ranking Position:	114
Rating:	5
Junior Local Honors:	33 Maryland Juniors to Watch (MdPreps.com; July 2008)
News And Notes:	One of the top junior skill athletes in Maryland………………..As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,653 yards and 9 TDs. He also had 853 yards and 3 TDs as a receiver and made 43 tackles on defense………….His older brother, Walter Cross, played at Michigan…………………..Could play either RB, WR or CB in college

Name:	Brennan Clay
Class:	2010
Position:	RB/DB
Height:	6′0
Weight:	182
Forty:	4.55
City/School:	San Diego Scripps Ranch
State:	California
Top Offers:	BAY, STAN, WISC
National Ranking Position:	32
Rating:	5
Sophomore Local Honors:	6 California Sophomores To Watch (August 2007); Top 100 Area Sophomores (San Diego Union-Tribune; November 2, 2007)
News And Notes:	One of the top juniors in California…………….Plays for the same program as Michigan verbal Tate Forcier…………As a freshman starter, he ran for 8 TDs and returned a kickoff for another…………….An explosive back who possesses fine speed and soft hands……….32 vertical………….21-3 long jumper as a freshman…………Very impressive at the June 2008 B2G Elite Program (All-B2G Team). He was named the Most Versatile Performer as he looked great playing both RB and WR…………In the season-opener he had 10 carries for 60 yards for a team that finished 6-5. Is the only freshman on the roster…………He was offered by Baylor as a sophomore…………..Scripps Ranch (6-4) at (1) Oceanside (8-1): The Falcons have some offensive weapons in sophomore RB Brennan Clay and junior QB Robert Forcier.

Name:	Zak Tait
Class:	2010
Position:	OL/DL
Height:	6′4
Weight:	300
Forty:
City/School:	Knoxville Catholic
State:	Tennessee
Top Offers:	AL, TEN, MARSH
National Ranking Position:	21
Rating:	5
Junior Local Honors:	1-Murphy Fair-PS-3A-AS (DL)
Sophomore Local Honors:	1-TSWA-3A-AS (DL)
News And Notes:	One of the top juniors in Tennessee……………….He is a big Rich Rodriguez fan …….During the 2007 season he suffered a major injury halfway through the season, incurring tears of the ACL, MCL and PCL. Fortunately, there was no meniscus or cartilage damage. He was taken out of school to recover, will re-enroll in September 2008 as a junior and sit out the 2008 season to recover and hopefully play as a “redshirt” senior in 2009. Update: As of September 2008 his rehab is progressing and he expects to return for 2009 spring drills……………Sophomore starter in 2006 at OG and showed fine athletic ability and the quickness to effectively pull while playing in the wing-T…………February 2007 e-mail from his dad: Hi Jim. A friend of mine in Michigan referred me to your blog. Great initiative.I have a 6-4, 300 lb OG/DT that can run. Class of 09. Knoxville Catholic High School. Knoxville, TN. TSSAA 1st Team AAA All-State, All Region, etc. Good program (H. Smith-Safety to ND, and TJ Franklin-OT to Cincinnati). B level competition, but getting stronger each year in the Knoxville area.In the interest of full disclosure…he is my kid. Zak Tait………………..Freshman starter at OG on a 11-2 3A team and was very good……….Excellent leadership skills………….325 bench in March 2008 while recovering from knee surgery………As of September he likes Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame, Florida, and Michigan (he likes the way Rich Rodriguez coaches)

Name:	Seth Cunningham
Class:	2010
Position:	DB
Height:	6′0
Weight:	170
Forty:	4.35
City/School:	Lakewood St. Edward
State:	Ohio
College Commitment:
Top Offers:	x
National Ranking Position:	85
Rating:	5
News And Notes:	One of the top junior CB prospects in Ohio………….Will also play WR as a junior……….Sophomore starter at CB for a powerful progam that went just 4-5, and he recorded 37 tackles, 3 INTs and 3 PBUs………..Outstanding speed (10.70 100 meters, 21.69 200 meters) and has good size and strength………..2.7 GPA………..His father is from Michigan and he likes Michigan………….As of August he was hearing from Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan and Notre Dame.