The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN RECRUITING Commits, Targets Impress At All-America Contests BY TIM SULLIVAN F ive Michigan commits partici- pated in the U.S. Army All-Amer- ican Bowl on Jan. 7 in San Antonio. Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward offen- sive lineman Kyle Kalis was the only future Wolverine who suited up for the East team, wearing No. 67. Al- though he was not in the starting lineup, the 6-5, 305-pound five-star prospect entered the game at right guard on the team's second drive and impressed during the contest. Neither team could generate much of a run game, but the East did a better job, rushing for 2.8 yards per carry and surrendering just one sack. Kalis' future linemate Erik Magnu- son, from Carlsbad (Calif.) La Costa Canyon, made the starting lineup for the West team, wearing No. 77 and playing left guard. The 6-6, 275-pound prospect also saw play- ing time at right guard and both tackle positions during the course of the contest, and was the West of- fensive line's most versatile member. Although the West only rushed for 0.8 yards per carry and gave up four sacks, Magnuson was a steady per- former along the line and was not responsible for allowing any of the East's takedowns of the quarterback. On the other side of the ball for the West, Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins was one of the week's most impressive prospects, and the team captain fin- ished with two solo tackles and a forced fumble in the game. The 6-3, 320-pounder chased down five-star wide receiver Stefon Diggs from be- hind — and forced a fumble — for one of the game's highlights. His performance over the course of the week earned him a fifth star from Rivals.com's experts. Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's linebacker James Ross cracked the West starting lineup wearing No. 6. The 6-1, 200-pound Ross made one solo tackle and two assisted tackles in the contest. Detroit Cass Tech line- backer Royce Jenkins-Stone started alongside Ross for the West, wear- ing No. 10. Checking in at 6-2 and 58 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 212 pounds, he made one solo tackle. Both linebackers saw limited play- ing time due to heavy rotation at the position. At the Under Armour All-Amer- ica Game on Jan. 5 in St. Petersburg, Fla., two Michigan commits and one remaining target participated. Cin- cinnati Colerain linebacker commit Joe Bolden was named a captain of the Black team, started the game at outside linebacker and finished with seven tackles. Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Terry Richardson joined Bolden on the Black roster. Rich- ardson returned two kickoffs for 50 yards, but his 5-9, 160-pound frame made it tough for him to play a phys- ical brand of pass defense with the larger receivers in attendance. On the opposite sideline in the Un- der Armour game, Puyallup (Wash.) offensive lineman Joshua Garnett suited up for the White team. The four-star prospect is ranked the No. 7 offensive tackle in the country and top player in Washington. He will decide on Jan. 26 between Michigan, Stanford and Notre Dame. At the Semper Fidelis All-Ameri- can Bowl on Jan. 3 in Phoenix, only one commit participated — Farm- ington Hills (Mich.) Harrison defen- sive end Mario Ojemudia. The 6-3, 215-pound Ojemudia made two tack- les for the West team before leaving the game late in the first half due to a minor ankle injury. Offensive line target Alex Kozan of Castle Rock (Colo.) Valor Christian was Ojemu- dia's teammate on the West team. Chicago Simeon offensive line target Jordan Diamond and West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial corner- back Armani Reeves suited up for the East. RANKINGS CHANGES FOR MICHIGAN COMMITS Rivals.com recently updated their class of 2012 prospect rankings, and members of Michigan's class made some big moves. No prospects com- mitted to Michigan moved from three-star to four-star prospects (or vice versa), but the Wolverines' com- Kansas City, Mo., defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins rose 45 spots to No. 14 in Rivals. com's national rankings after an impressive showing at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM mitment list did see an increase in total stars. Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill defen- sive tackle Ondre Pipkins was the big riser. He went from the No. 59 prospect in the country to No. 14, gaining 45 positions in the Rivals.com rankings. That move up the charts saw the 6-3, 320-pound behemoth earn a fifth star from Rivals.com. "Pipkins was a guy we had all loved in camp settings, but we had never seen him in pads," Rivals.com Southwest analyst Brian Perroni said. "The Army week was my first time to see him in pads in person. He was a force all week and proved almost impossible for the interior linemen to stop on the pass rush. As a big body already that should have no trouble plugging the middle against the run, he could certainly have a very early impact at Michigan." Cincinnati Colerain linebacker Joe Bolden also shot up in the rank- ings, moving from the No. 152 player overall to No. 111, a rise of 41 places. His performance in the Under Ar- mour All-America Game keyed his rise. "He has quick feet and a nose for the football," Rivals.com Southeast analyst Chris Nee said. "When he is around the ball he does a great job of wrapping up and wrenching players down to the ground. He covers a lot of space and showed great technique on a pair of one-on-one tackles." Unfortunately, one prospect com- mitted to Michigan saw his ranking take a bit of a tumble. Carlsbad (Ca-