Tag: Jadyn Davis

Should Michigan football turn to Jadyn Davis at quarterback?

He doesn’t appear to be an option for #Michigan, but maybe he should be? #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football has worked its way through three quarterbacks thus far through seven games this season, and none have proven to be a high-caliber option at this point. But the Wolverines do have a signal caller waiting in the wings in true freshman Jadyn Davis.

At the time of his commitment to Michigan, Davis was rated a five-star, and the second-best QB in the 2024 class. However, as the recruiting cycle progressed, he dropped in the rankings, but still ranked relatively high as the No. 112 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Even as Michigan searches for answers, it’s unlikely that Davis will become the starter at any point this season. But Moore says he likes the true freshman’s trajectory, noting what he has to do in order to see the field sooner than later.

“Just continue to learn to learn the system, learn the playbook, which I think he has done a good job of,” Moore said. “And continue to improve his strength and his things in his toolbox. So he’s definitely continued to progress”

Davis arrived in Ann Arbor in December and got an opportunity to get some practices in as the Wolverines prepared to face Alabama and Washington in the College Football Playoff and national championship game. So, where has Moore seen him progress the most?

“Just probably progression and knowledge of — not only the system, but just football in general,” Moore said. “When you’re in high school, you do limited things. You’re limited in what you do. And he’s definitely taking steps to put himself in a good position.”

In 2023, as a high school senior at Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day, Davis went 204-for-288 (70.8%) for 3,370 yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for three touchdowns. His numbers were similar in his junior campaign, when he went 221-for-305 (72.5%) for 3,425 yards, 43 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

With five regular season games left, Davis could play in four of the upcoming matchups and still retain his redshirt as he has yet to make an appearance this season. However, he did travel to Washington along with Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle, and Davis Warren.

Michigan football freshmen who are standing out to Sherrone Moore in fall camp

These are definitely names to know NOW! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While fans usually expect more each year from the known commodities, a few players always come from out of seemingly nowhere. Sherrone Moore talked about a few Michigan football players who have improved the most throughout fall camp, but what about the players who have yet to play a down of college football?

The Wolverines routinely have had freshmen step up in Year 1.

Going back to Jim Harbaugh’s second year (2016), those players were running back Chris Evans, left guard Ben Bredeson and linebacker Devin Bush. In 2017, it was two wide receivers, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black (before his Week 3 injury). In 2019, it was running back Zach Charbonnet. In the much-maligned 2020 season, running back Blake Corum was the first tailback to receive a carry. Defensive tackle Mason Graham made some big plays in his first year as did cornerback Will Johnson (2022). Wide receiver Semaj Morgan was that guy this past season.

So who is standing out thus far in 2024? Sherrone Moore has a few candidates.

“Yeah, there’s a couple of them. Start at the quarterback position: Jadyn Davis, he just has the ‘it’ factor, makes plays, competitive,” Moore said. “Obviously, was a three-time state champion player of the year, but poised, has ability. We’ll see how it progresses.

“His teammate, Channing Goodwin — he’s a playmaker. He’s a dude that’s going to probably help us this year in some way, shape or form. And always said that it’s easier to play the farther you are from the ball, especially early. If you’re a lineman, D-lineman, it’s harder to play early. So those guys, those guys up front, those linemen, especially O-linemen, it’s harder for them to play early. And they’re all going to be really good players, but those two, from a skill set standpoint, I think offensively will be the guys, and then the tight ends have been awesome.

“Jordan Marshall is probably the next guy. He’s got a chance to be special, dynamic.”

Moore was quickly interrupted so that we could learn more about Marshall. Could he be that third tailback, usurping the snaps of some of the others who have been in the program? Given what he’s seen from the veterans, it will be a difficult proposition.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Moore said. “Ben Hall is — you know, having guys like Jordan Marshall in the room will make you play fast and physical. And Ben Hall has played, all of 230 pounds he is, so he’s run physical, fast, so super excited how he’s hit and how he’s gaining momentum.”

There are also two defensive players who could see the field early and often in 2024; both early enrollees. Michigan needs depth at edge rusher and has relied on freshmen before: Rashan Gary in 2016 and Derrick Moore in 2022 to name two. And though there’s some depth at linebacker, there’s one name that’s stood out, Moore says.

“Dominic Nichols is probably the guy that jumps out the most as a freshman. That’s really because he’s been here in the spring and he came here and he’s been in the fall. So he’s a guy that I think as a freshman has got a chance. And then probably one more guy is Cole Sullivan.”

2024 National Recruiting Rankings: Updated top 25 football teams

Here are the complete updated top 25 teams, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Here are the complete updated top 25 teams as of the end of April 2024, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

The teams hold firm as the the recruiting cycle moves toward the summer, with only minor flips among the programs.

What Jim Harbaugh has seen from early enrollee QB Jadyn Davis in bowl prep

If it goes J.J. McCarthy to Jadyn Davis in QB succession, it will be a pretty good lineage. #GoBlue

PASADENA, Calif. — While there are plenty of storylines to go around for Michigan football as it embarks upon its third straight College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, one of the biggest has to do with a player who will not participate in the Rose Bowl at all.

Early enrollee quarterback Jadyn Davis is the prize of the 2024 class in Ann Arbor. The recent high school senior joined his new team in Los Angeles this week as the team prepares for Alabama. On Thursday, defensive players Mike Barrett and Junior Colson shared that Davis had impressed them in his first practice, and he has remained a big topic of discussion since.

On Friday, media received an opportunity to see Davis in action in practice, and he didn’t look like an incoming freshman in the limited reps we saw. Head coach Jim Harbaugh recognized the four-star QB was a player he wanted in Ann Arbor pretty early in the recruiting process.

“He’s a two-time Mr. Football in North Carolina. The thing that’s — we can talk a lot about what already happened, but the latest is being able to watch him on the field and get to coach him,” Harbaugh said. “The thing that is sticking out is like one book — you give him a coaching point — like I’ve given him four now since he’s been here, and he gets it immediately. It is the next rep — he’s doing it exactly how I just explained it.

“Just the intelligence, the athleticism it takes to do that I’ve found is rare, that you have that — you can understand something, and then athletically be able to just repeat — just go do it, as opposed to many reps, much time on task.

“He’s got the ability to visualize what you’re saying and then athletic enough to immediately replicate it. That’s special. That’s something I’ve noticed immediately.

“But a great guy. I’m so excited to coach him.”

As far as Davis getting these early reps, many believe it will pay dividends down the line, but Harbaugh isn’t sure. But he sees many similarities in demeanor and ability to another Michigan football star and current fan favorite — perhaps an omen that bodes well for the Wolverines’ future.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how important that is,” Harbaugh said. “But yeah, just jumping in and just watching how he handles himself, it’s kind of an important tool for me to see because you can tell — it’s like watching J.J. when J.J. took the field for the first time.

“Just the presence that he has and had, and to watch Jaden do that, very interesting. How is he going to approach the first day. There it is. There’s the presence. There’s the genuine confidence. There’s the work ethic. There’s the humility. It’s great to see.”

Even during the 15-minute media window on Friday, we could see Harbaugh working with Davis on his footwork, taking time away from the incumbent starter, despite — you know — there being a kind of big game coming up on Monday.

But in his limited work with the new Michigan quarterback, what has Harbaugh worked on? He shared a pretty comprehensive list as well as his outlook for Davis’ future.

“His eyes on the target. When he throws a deep ball, quarterback has a tendency to lift their eyes up and watch the ball instead of keeping their eyes on the defender and the receiver the entire time,” Harbaugh said. “Coached him on the snap. Like a lot of guys they don’t take a snap in high school, so getting that coached up.

“There was a ball-handling coaching point that I made, how to get away from center faster that he just immediately, immediately replicated.

“One other I threw in a corner route that — he just can pick it up. When I say, listen, there’s a real art to that, like to listen, to really hear what the instruction is, and then be able to embrace the instruction and then to go execute the instruction.

“But hear it, really hear it, embrace it wholeheartedly, and then go execute it to the best of your God-given ability. He’s got that talent to do all three.”

Two Michigan football starting defenders impressed by Jadyn Davis in bowl practice

QB1 of the future is already making a move! #GoBlue

LOS ANGELES — Though the excitement surrounding Jadyn Davis has died down since he committed to Michigan football in the winter months, the new Wolverines quarterback doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels.

A five-star at the time of his commitment in March 2023, despite impressing on the final day of the Elite 11 in the summer, Davis has seen his star drop, as well as his ranking. But now the prized possession of the maize and blue in the 2024 class is officially wearing a winged helmet, practicing with the team as it prepares to face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on January 1.

Eight early enrollees have made it to Los Angeles to work with their new team during the College Football Playoff semifinal practices, and Davis has made a strong impression on the Michigan defense. At a podium session for the Rose Bowl, sixth-year linebacker Mike Barrett singled Davis out to WolverinesWire as the midyear enrollee who has impressed him the most in practice.

“I saw Jadyn Davis — I was able to see him throw the rock around a couple times,” Barrett said. “He looked good, especially not really even knowing what was going on. Just him going out there and kind of just throwing in a couple of 7-on-7 drills with us. He was out there kind of joining the fray but yeah, he looked pretty good.”

But what’s made him look so good so early? The Wolverines have only had one practice in California to this point, but Barrett saw a poised signal caller who has accuracy and isn’t afraid to make mistakes at this stage.

“His confidence back there in the pocket, his movements,” Barrett said. “Saw him doing some at quarterback drills, his movements in the pocket. Just the smoothness of his release and just his confidence and his throws. I feel like he was out there running with the ones and the twos a couple of times for some of our 7-on-7 drills and the confidence he threw with, that’s kind of the first thing that I saw.

“He wasn’t really scared to throw it away but or scared of somebody getting a PBU or anything like that. He was just out there playing confident.”

Barrett isn’t alone in being impressed by Davis. Junior linebacker Junior Colson also came away from Wednesday’s practice enthused by what he saw, noting that the Michigan offense isn’t exactly an easy concept to grasp. Yet, Davis appears to already have a pretty good handle on it and has made the most of his limited opportunities to date.

“Jadyn Davis has been making great reads, especially like just coming in so he’s now understanding the offense very well, putting the ball in the right spot, putting the ball in the right guys’ hands,” Colson said. “So that’s how you know, you can tell he’s a quick learner. Especially on offense, we have a lot on our offense and being able to understand that.”

Davis will obviously not be making any appearances in the Rose Bowl, and incumbent starter J.J. McCarthy has yet to declare his intentions after the season. But if McCarthy does depart a year early, perhaps Michigan does have its starter in waiting for next year.

Top five quarterbacks signed to the Big Ten on early signing day

Who were the top five quarterbacks to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period? #GoBucks

The first day of the early signing period is in the books and the newly expanded Big Ten added a wealth of talent. It would take too long to evaluate every prospect in one piece, but the additions at quarterback earn their own discussion.

There was a great deal of drama for the top quarterback in the class, Dylan Raiola. He bounced his commitment from one school to another. Ohio State was his first choice, but when pen met paper, it was another Big Ten school that made the cut.

With the expanded 18-team Big Ten including four major powerhouses on the West Coast, it should not be a surprise the conference added seven of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation.

It should also not be a surprise that the Buckeyes added one of the highly-ranked gunslingers. The following are the top five quarterbacks to commit to Big Ten Schools during the early signing period based on the 247Sports composite.

Early Signing Day: Jadyn Davis signs with Michigan football

QB 1 of the future! #GoBlue

Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 4 115 #9 QB #3
On3 4 218 #16 QB #7
Rivals 4 61 #5 QB #1
ESPN 4 116 #3 QB #5
247Sports Composite 4 93 #7 QB #2
On3 Consensus 4 95 #7 QB #3

Vitals

Hometown Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day
Projected Position Quarterback
Height 6-foot-0.5
Weight 202-pounds

Notable offers

Readiness Level

Once a five-star prospect, named the top high school player in the state of North Carolina, Davis may have dropped in the rankings, but he balled out in his senior season. If J.J. McCarthy leaves after his junior year, Davis wouldn’t be an ideal option as a true freshman, but he certainly could win the starting job.

Notes

  • Committed March 31, 2023
  • High school teammate of wide receiver Channing Goodwin
  • Won Mr. North Carolina Football in 2023

Scouting report

Via 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins:

A gamer with a higher floor that has played a ton of football and won a ton of games. Might not have elite size or an elite arm, but has proven to be a rather accurate passer that can put his playmakers in position to make plays. Went through a bit of a sophomore slump after earning MVP honors at the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl, but rebounded in a big way by winning state titles as both a junior and a senior. Seems to be at his best when he’s looking to attack the short to intermediate parts of the field as he tends to throw with plenty of pace and plenty of confidence. Can effectively operate on the move, but some of his better tosses over the year have come from the pocket via quick three-step drops. Owns a bit of a unique release, but makes it work as it’s a quick and repeatable process. Shouldn’t be viewed as a true dual-threat talent, but is athletic enough to make defenders miss in space. One of just a handful of signal callers in the 2024 cycle that started 40 or more games during their prep career and threw over 100 touchdown passes. Projects as a potential multi-year starter at the Power Five level that can get the job done on Saturdays. Football IQ and mental makeup likely to be attractive to not only coaches, but also NFL scouts.

Film

Original commitment story

Michigan football finally reels in top overall 2024 target, five-star QB Jadyn Davis

2024 Michigan football recruiting class review: Quarterbacks

Will the position still be a strength for #Michigan? #GoBlu

This series will break down each position in the 2024 Michigan football recruiting class. This installment will look at the quarterback room which has just one commit in Jadyn Davis.

Jadyn Davis is a 6-foot-tall quarterback from Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has a grade of .9555 on the 247Sports Consensus and ranks as the 93rd player nationally and seventh quarterback.

Davis is probably the most typical Michigan quarterback the staff could have landed. He’s not a freak athlete who wows you with his legs or a deep ball threat who can throw it to the moon and back. Instead, Davis makes his money in the short and intermediate game… just how Michigan likes it. He controls the offense, sets the tone, and marches down the field with rhythm. He is a calm and calculated passer whose best traits are accuracy and poise.

So how can Davis get on the field? Well, it could be pretty early. If McCarthy declares for the draft the expectation is that Michigan will bring in a veteran and hold an open competition for the starting job. Davis would compete with the transfer, Denegal, Orji, and Davis Warren for the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. Of course, counting on any of those players to start is not ideal. The dream situation has McCarthy returning so Davis can spend a year under his wing before taking over the reins as a sophomore. The situation gets more complicated if Dante Moore commits. In that case, Davis likely wouldn’t be seeing serious reps until his junior year which could push him to the portal… but now we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

He likely won’t light up the Heisman race or fight for a top draft position, but he fits the need for a consistent passer who does not turn the ball over. Predicting his career at Michigan is tough. He has the traits to be somewhere between J.J. McCarthy and Cade McNamara and that’s really all Michigan needs when you look at the scheme and offensive makeup around him. It’s also worth noting that Davis has a 4.0 GPA, so adjust to college playbooks and defense should be no problem.

Michigan commit Jadyn Davis balls out in senior season debut

He’s soooo good! #GoBlue

Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day opened its season on Saturday at the home of the Carolina Panthers, and it did so against a tough opponent, Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern.

It was a good opportunity for quarterback Jadyn Davis, a Michigan commit, to reclaim some of the luster lost in the offseason when he dropped from a five-star recruit to a four-star.

And shine, he did.

Davis threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns — two of which went to fellow Michigan commit Channing Goodwin — in the 42-35 win over Northwestern. Twice, Providence Day had a 21-point lead, but held on for the win.

Look below for some of the highlights (via On3’s EJ Holland, who was on the sidelines):

High school football watchlist: Top 10 quarterbacks in the class of 2024

Today we’ll begin a series of articles ranking the top 10 prospects at each position in the 2024 recruiting cycle, starting with quarterbacks.

USA TODAY High School Sports is kicking off the rush toward the 2023 high school football season with articles that look at the top 10 prospects at each position in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

First up, the quarterbacks.

Note: To get the USA TODAY HSS composite rankings, we averaged  ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals.

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2024 National Recruiting Rankings: Updated top 25 teams