Blue Chips: Notes, thoughts on two Michigan targets in Virginia
I made the short drive over to Oscar Smith to see the defending state champs against Kempsville in a mid-week scrimmage. The game featured two offered Michigan recruits. Here are some thoughts and observations.
*** Consensus four-star 2024 Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith cornerback Asaad Brown has been on my radar for a while now. I saw him as a really young prospect on the club 7v7 circuit and wrote that the Wolverines should get in on him early. Michigan safeties coach Ron Bellamy jumped in the mix with a scholarship last year but has since moved over to coaching wide receivers. Brown hasn’t had too much communication with Michigan in recent months but he does hope to have more contact with Steve Clinkscale after Sept. 1 — the date coaches can reach out to juniors. Brown did attend Michigan’s satellite camp in Norfolk this summer and hopes to make his first visit soon.
*** Brown played limited snaps in this scrimmage but was extremely impressive. In fact, Brown had a pass breakup on the very first play and was targeted zero times after that. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Brown has good height and length, which he knows how to use to his advantage. Brown is continuing to add weight and strength to his frame and is coming along well physically. He plays with terrific technique and has a high football IQ. I’m curious to see what his verified times are. Speed is something that has been mentioned as a negative, but I really like his game and believe he would thrive in the Big Ten.
*** While area recruiter Mike Hart isn’t very involved with prospects in Virginia, new Michigan Director of Recruiting Operations Albert Karschnia is making sure the Wolverines are in on some of the best in the 757 early on. Karschnia helped with a lot of underclassmen evaluations and dished out a handful of offers around Norfolk/Virginia Beach back in February. Among them was fast-rising 2025 Virginia Beach (Va.) Kempsville cornerback Christopher Spence, who also boasts early offers from Florida State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and others. Karschnia is hard at work establishing relationships with local coaches and trainers, which should help Michigan in the future.
*** At 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Spence is a tall, long corner with a ton of upside. His length really caught my attention today as did his athleticism — Spence spent time on both sides of the ball. Much like Brown, Spence didn’t see any action come his way. From watching him move around though, there are some technical things he can clean up. He also got lost on a couple of occasions when his team ran zone. But he’s such a young prospect that I’m not too concerned. Again, he’s raw, but the talent is there. I’m interested to see how he develops over the next year.
