Michigan Wolverines Moving On After Losing Out On Sebastian Cheeks As Davonte Miles Reverses Commit Decision
Michigan’s Wolverines football team will have to move on from missing out on four-star linebacker Sebastian Cheeks after the player committed to North Carolina this week. The college wasn’t given all that much encouragement ahead of the commit so they were likely unsurprised by his decision.
Cheeks announced his choice on Wednesday and expectedly picked North Carolina over Michigan, as well as the likes of Oregon, Wisconsin and Texas. It’s believed that North Carolina won out because of Mack Brown, who was heavily invested in landing the player, as were his staff. The Tar Heels were ready to pull out all stops to get Cheeks on their roster while Michigan was somewhat inconsistent in their approach.
Michigan pushed for him pretty late on, making a trip to Ann Arbor over the weekend to give themselves a bit of hope but they would ultimately miss out and will have to look to other options as the player has chosen to go elsewhere.
Luckily for the Wolverines, there are a number of top linebackers set to decide on programs this week. Texas’s Jeremy Patton will be announcing his decision on Saturday and the focus will be on him leading up to that. According to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Patton is a three-star recruit, however, he is a remarkable athlete. As things stand, the Wolverines are trying to keep him from committing to Texas or Baylor.
The linebacker ran for over 1,000 yards last season, making 120 tackles, forcing six fumbles, along with an interception and two defensive touchdowns. “Patton’s recruitment is particularly interesting for the Wolverines as it could create a domino effect for the staff in either direction depending on what he does,” 247 Sports’ Steve Lorenz wrote last week.
The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb has also discussed how important it is for the Wolverines to get Patton within their ranks, especially now that Cheeks is no longer available. Speaking on a recent podcast, he noted that Michigan staff had reason to feel confident over landing the player, despite the competition from Baylor and Texas. Should he visit Texas this week, it could leave the Wolverines missing out on another target. EJ Holland has predicted the player will go to the Horns, having also predicted that Deuce Spurlock would choose Michigan.
The college is facing competition from Mississippi State in regards to Spurlock and it might come down to the school that shows it wants him more. But, where Michigan is concerned, it’s contingent on Patton’s decision.
Michigan has experienced a fifth decommit this cycle, with reports claiming that lineman Davonte Miles has reneged on his commitment.
“River Rouge (MI) 2022 three-star defensive lineman Davonte Miles has decommitted from Michigan, giving the Wolverines their fifth decommitment of the cycle and second since the drastic offseason coaching changes that took place over the winter,” 247 sports reports.
“Miles, who committed to Michigan when Don Brown was defensive coordinator, was the second commitment of the cycle at that point for the Wolverines. He chose Michigan over Indiana, Pitt, Michigan State, and a host of others at the time. The loss of Miles leaves the Wolverines without a defensive line verbal commitment in the 2022 class. They remain a factor for multiple prospects, however, including five-star Walter Nolen among others.”
Meanwhile, the college’s offense became a lot less formidable in 2020 and there are several reasons for that. College football expert Phil Steele reckons the offense will be much improved going into its third year under offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. And the best of Michigan gambling sites will be offering odds on their prospects for the upcoming term.
Joe Milton’s play from the quarterback position was one of the factors contributing to the lackluster offense. He has since been transferred to Tennessee following the six-game season and the Wolverines appear to have found a suitable replacement in Cade McNamara. The redshirt freshman made 43 of 71 pass attempts for 425 towards the tail end of the campaign.
Steele projected redshirt sophomore Alan Bowman to be a starter in his college football preview magazine but did indicate that it could be McNamara or freshman J.J. McCarthy. He pointed out that whoever it is will be an improvement on Milton.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Wolverines offensive line had to contend with a number of injuries last season and Steele reckons that things will be better this time around.
“I’m going to draw one big circle on the offense, and that’s the offensive line,” he told TheWolverine.com. “Last year, they lost four NFL Draft picks, they had 17 career starts returning. Both starting offensive tackles — Jalen Mayfield (now with Atlanta Falcons) and [redshirt sophomore] Ryan Hayes — missed the last four games with injuries, so this was a banged up offensive line that was inexperienced.”
