Michigan’s late-season football struggles have cast doubt on head coach Brady Hoke’s future in Ann Arbor, and could also cost the Wolverines one of the nation’s elite prospects.
Jabrill Peppers, the do-everything superstar out of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, announced this week he would be taking official visits after his season is complete, bringing into question his verbal commitment to Michigan. The second-ranked prospect in the country, Peppers wrote on Twitter that Hoke’s iffy job status has made him consider other possibilities.
“With the rumors about Coach Hoke possibly not being there I need to make sure that I have options and have seen other places,” he told ESPN.com in a statement. “For the sake of my future I need to make sure I have other options. No need to look into it any further.”
The Wolverines are 7-4 and 3-4 in the Big Ten, where they have lost three of their last four games entering Saturday’s showdown against undefeated rival Ohio State. Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon, however, wrote Hoke’s job is not in jeopardy in a blog post on the school’s website.
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell believes defensive end Da’Shawn Hand recently choice of Alabama instead of Michigan is a major factor in Peppers’ decision. Hand, a Virginia native and Rivals’ top prospect in the country, was seen as leaning toward Michigan because of his relationship with Peppers.
“Jabrill made Da’Shawn Hand his No. 1 priority to recruit into his Michigan class,” Farrell said. “I think it gives him pause. I know Hand’s been in his ear.”
With Peppers, Michigan’s recruiting class was ranked 18th by Rivals, while Alabama is No. 1.
“It’s kind of similar to if you’re going to a restaurant and there’s nobody in there, or not as many people in there, you start to wonder why,” Farrell said.
Peppers made it clear he is still committed to Michigan, yet Hoke’s program has a policy against verbal commits taking visits elsewhere, a practice a handful of programs now institute. Peppers, however, isn’t any ordinary recruit.
He’s regarded as the top cornerback in the country, an eye-popping talent who had 48 tackles and four interceptions on defense this year, as well as 14 touchdowns on offense, in leading Paramus Catholic to a 9-2 record and next weekend’s Non-Public Group 4 New Jersey championship game against St. Peter’s Prep.
Peppers has been offered scholarships by elite programs such as Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Stanford, Oklahoma and Penn State. He grew tired of the recruiting process last spring, opting not to miss class to meet with college coaches on occasion. Peppers verbally committed in May to Michigan, his favorite team growing up.
Farrell said sources expect Peppers “definitely” to visit Alabama, in addition to Stanford, UCLA and Penn State. The recruiting analyst still thinks Michigan is the clear-cut front-runner, but there is now doubt where Peppers will wind up.
Lincoln All-American defensive tackle Thomas Holley is taking his third official visit, to Florida, this weekend. He will attend the Gators’ game against No. 2 Florida State. Holley has led the Railsplitters to the PSAL City Championship division final against Tottenville, which will be played Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Basketball
Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard and assistant Oliver Antigua attended the Bishop Loughlin-Wings Academy scrimmage on Monday to see forward Jessie Govan and point guard Desure Buie, both of whom have offers from the Big East school.
St. John’s made the final five for one-time Xavier commit Melvin Swift Jr., a three-star forward from Houston, along with SMU, Baylor, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Red Storm didn’t land any prospects during the early signing period, though it is uncertain how many scholarships the Johnnies will have to offer, depending on how many of their players leave for the NBA early.
Highly recruited junior guard Donovan Mitchell attended Fordham’s big win over Manhattan on Tuesday. The Elmsford, N.Y., native, who attends prep powerhouse Brewster (N.H.) Academy, has a long line of suitors, including Seton Hall, St. John’s, Florida, UConn and Cincinnati. He is close with Fordham signee Eric Paschall, which could help the Rams’ chances.
Shooting guard Malachi Richardson of Trenton (N.J.) Catholic announced a final six of Rutgers, Villanova, Rutgers, Arizona, Syracuse and UConn on Friday.
Stanford visited Poly Prep sophomore point guard Wolfgang Novogratz on Tuesday.
UConn picked up a verbal commitment from junior shooting guard Prince Ali of The Bronx and The Sagemont School (Fla.) on Monday. The four-star recruit, who was also being recruited by Illinois, UCLA, Georgetown, Nebraska, South Florida and Vanderbilt, is a consensus top-100 prospect.