Demetrius Hart

Name: Demetrius Hart

Location: Orlando, Florida

Position: RB + Returner

Ratings: Scout – 4*, Rivals – 4*, ESPN – 4* (80); espn150 (#118)

Recruitment: Received his Michigan offer early on, and favoured the Wolverines straight away. Former teammate and best friend Ricardo Miller was already a Michigan commit at this time. Dropped Michigan at one point because of the NCAA allegations but after speaking with Coach Rod he put them back in the lead. He visited for the spring game and the season opener against UConn. Main competition came from Alabama (finalist) and Auburn. He selected Michigan on October 8^th 2010, right after scoring 4 TD’s in a game.

Offers: Had offers from most major programs, like Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Auburn, Georgia etc. In other words, big time offers.

Stats: Holds school records in most rushing categories. According to rivals he had over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. He’s off to a good start this year too. Currently weighs around 185 at 5’8. Runs 4.5 forty yard dash.

ESPN Analysis: Hart is a short, stocky runner with great quickness and productivity. A small explosive package. Utilizes his low center of gravity to his advantage as a runner; very difficult to get direct shot on him. Hits the hole with great downhill burst and authority. A decisive runner. Slices through defences with quick cuts, he has great ball carrier vision.

A very good receiver coming out of the backfield, has polished hands which could help him see the field early as a freshman. Overall, Hart is a great competitor and running back prospect who would be garnering more national attention if he just had a few extra inches.

From the man himself - “I think my strengths are I can see the whole field. I can read a defense real well, watch a lot of film and I have speed so I can get around the outside or I can get through holes. I know how to be patient and wait on things like for blocks to happen and stuff like that.”

Improvements: Get taller?

Film Highlights: Link here. It’s only three minutes, but it’s a good three minutes...

Also check out his announcement video, here.

Final Thoughts: Ricardo Miller started it, and Dee Hart is continuing it. A pipeline to a Florida powerhouse school is exactly what Michigan needs right now. Dr Phillips consistently sends out D1 talent, and that will continue next year with 2012 QB Nick Patti.

Hart is a true competitor and really should be ranked higher than #121 on ESPN. “would be garnering more national attention if he just had a few extra inches”. It seems a bit harsh, Hart has excelled in camps, 7 on 7’s, and by all accounts is set for a record year rushing. Look for his stock to rise at the end of the year.

Dee Hart commits! Go Blue!

The Demetrius Hart recruitment saga is finally over, with the Michigan Wolverines trumping the Crimson Tide of Alabama! Hart committed to Michigan by putting the hat on his little cousin, and in doing so sent the crowd into a frenzy.

He announced his decision just after the game, in which he had around 270 all purpose yards and four touchdowns! Hart is an ESPN 150 recruit with serious potential to start/get good time next year, this truly is a great get for Michigan. 

Edit: Announcement video link

In truth, Michigan lead this race from start to finish, but there were some bumps in the road. The NCAA allegations were certainly a setback, but in the end, Dee was always going to be a Wolverine. He's the 11th member of the 2011 class for UM right now, but in a way its almost just the beginning of this class. No disrespect for the first 10 commits, but over the next few months Michigan could gain commitments from some real high profile kids, Hart is the first of many.

Attention now switches to the MSU game, which kicks off at 3:30 ET or 8:30 GMT where I am. Thankfully its on ESPN 3!

GO BLUE!!!

Roderick Ryles Update

Three star safety Roderick Ryles may be an Arkansas commitment right now, but his recruitment is far from over. Ryles is yet another Div 1 talent from Dr Phillips high school in Orlando, so he's the teammate of Clinton-Dix and Dee Hart.

Ryles will take his official to Ann Arbor for the Wisconsin game, where he'll be joined by teammates Nick Patti (2012 QB), WR Chris Gallon (who is also looking at UM), and Dee Hart. So if Dee is going to the Wisconsin game, it leads me to believe that he's chosen Michigan. With four of his friends going, would Clinton-Dix be tempted to tag along for another visit?

Establishing a pipeline from Dr Phillips would be huge for Michigan, as the school continues to pump out quality players year after year. 

Weekend Prediction

Michigan has lost their last two games to Michigan State, look for that streak to end this weekend. I know a lot of people are picking the Spartans, but I have faith that the Wolverines' D will step up in the rivalry game. 

While Kirk Cousins is a good QB, he won't have a Ben Chappell game. If Michigan puts him under pressure, he could well crumble on the road, and after all, this is his first road game of the year. What MSU has that IU didn't have, is a solid running game to back up the pass. This is going to cause Michigan problems.

All Michigan's defense needs to do is make a few plays! An INT or FF here and there could be all the difference. It's not as if they need to hold MSU under 25 points! Denard and Co should put up close to 40 points themselves.

Game Prediction: Michigan 42, MSU 34

Updated ESPN 150

Check out the new rankings here.

Players of interest for Michigan fans:

#142 Dallas Crawford, #118 Demetrius Hart, #115 Mickey Johnson, #108 Charles Jackson, #93 Gabe Wright, #68 Wayne Lyons, #66 Doran Grant, #63 Avery Walls, #39 Sammy Watkins, #32 Cyrus Hobbi, #31 Tim Jernigan, #20 Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, #15 DeAnthony Thomas, #14 Karlos Williams, #3 Ray Drew. 

MSU Visitors + Dee Hart announcement

I'm sure you've all read how big the game against MSU is in terms of recruiting, so I won't go on about that. All you need to know is that there are four big visitors scheduled to be at the game! 

Official Visits:

- QB Marquise Williams - committed to UNC but could flip.

- RB/slot DeVondrick Nealy - Arkansas leads Michigan right now.

Unofficial Visits: 

- CB Doran Grant - likes MSU and Michigan a lot, so its a good game for him to watch. 

- QB Cardale Jones - has been in good form this season, likes Michigan a lot.

Michigan State and Ohio State are the leaders right now for Doran Grant, with Michigan probably in third. The Wolverines could really use a big win against MSU to boost their chances of landing one of the top DB's in the class.

Dee Hart Update:

Lots of different stories about how and when he's going to announce the decision. I heard he might have a live press conference on BHSN (Bright House Sports Network), and now I'm hearing he'll just announce it after the game. The later option makes more sense to me, as he's said previously he doesn't want it all to distract his teammates from the game on Friday night. 

Byron Moore Jr

Interesting story unfolding with a junior college prospect named Byron Moore. He was a USC commit in 2009 but left after redshirting his freshman year. Check out MGoBlog's interview with him here.

Michigan badly needs help in the secondary, and this guy plays Cornerback and Free Safety for his school, and ohh yeah he was ranked #70 in the ESPN 150 in 2009! By the sounds of that article, Michigan have a great chance, after all we have everything he needs; playing time and academics.

Click here to see Moore's ESPN profile from 09'.