Michigan Wolverines

Dave Telep joins “The Experts” to discuss the incoming recruiting classes of national champ Louisville and runner-up Michigan.

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This year’s NCAA tournament has been full of great stories, from Florida Gulf Coast’s Cinderella run to La Salle going from First Four to Sweet 16 to the Big Ten placing four teams in the final 16.

But what about the stories behind the stories -- the tales of how some of this year’s March Madness stars ended up at their eventual schools and helped shape this year’s tourney? To delve into those, this week’s top 10 looks at the 10 best recruiting stories from players and teams in the Sweet 16.

Top 10 Recruiting Stories From the Sweet 16

1. Trey Burke, Michigan
Mick Cronin is not going to want to hear this again, but it’s true. Burke was going to Cincinnati. It was nearly a done deal. But one last call to Michigan’s staff changed the fate of two programs. According to recruiting lore, Burke’s father called a final time asking Michigan if it was interested in Burke. If the answer was no, then Burke was going to Cincinnati. This was in late July of Burke’s pre-senior summer. Remember, it wasn’t like the now All-American was hot stuff then. He was good -- a late top-100 player -- but he wasn’t the player then that he has become. Ultimately, Michigan said it wanted Burke and the Wolverines landed him a few days later.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Chance Sorrell's (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) trip to Florida State on Saturday probably wasn't a comfortable ride.

The giant 6-foot-5, 225-pound 2014 tight end and his family elected to go the road trip route instead of flying. But Sorrell said it was worth it.

"It was about a 13-hour drive," he said. "It was definitely worth it seeing what we saw today.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- If you were to ask Ohio State cornerback commit Cam Burrows (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) or Michigan linebacker commit Mike McCray (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) to name the talented prospects at their high school, it might be smart to find a seat.

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SAN ANTONIO -- Wednesday was a day off for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl teams. Instead of working out and participating in drills, the players took in visits around the city -- including a stop at the Alamodome for photo opportunities and to see their game apparel -- and used the day to recover from two days of practice.

The teams will return to the fields on Thursday in arguably the most important practice of the week. Here are five things to keep an eye on for Thursday’s practice:

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SAN ANTONIO – ESPN 150 wide receiver James Quick (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) has drawn plenty of attention for his play through two practices for the East team in preparation for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

He’ll garner even more eyes his way on Saturday when he announces his commitment during the game.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder said he is down to Louisville, Ohio State and Oregon. Though his decision will come Saturday, it could be finalized by Wednesday morning, as he sits down to discuss his options with his parents, who are in town for the event.

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Dublin (Ohio) Scioto fullback William Houston has been doing it all for his high school team this year, and Big Ten teams are taking notice.

Houston, who already has a Bowling Green offer, has around 1,500 rushing yards, 500 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns this season through seven games. Those numbers have drawn the interest of Illinois, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Vanderbilt. Most of them are looking at him as a preferred walk-on, but some are still evaluating his senior film and could offer.

If it came down to going to Bowling Green as a walk-on or a BCS program, Houston is not sure which way he would go.

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On his first visit to Michigan State, DeShone Kizer (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) fell in love with the campus. On his second visit, it was pretty much the same, except it was the atmosphere and fans that made the biggest impression.

The 2014 dual-threat quarterback already holds eight offers, and it might not be long before Michigan State becomes team No. 9 and makes Kizer only the second quarterback the Spartans have offered in the 2014 class.

“They said they’re going to meet up the next couple games and come see me play and that I’m high up on their list and want me to be a Spartan,” Kizer said. “I feel great vibes from the coaches and the relationships are there.”

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Wide receiver Dionte Taylor (Davie, Fla./University School) was proud to help represent the state of Florida in Sunday's 33-14 victory over Trotwood (Ohio) Madison.

Now Taylor, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior, says the expectations for University School have been raised even higher.

"It was a lot of fun to play on national television and know that so many people were watching us," Taylor said. "I think we were the only team in Florida to play outside the state last weekend, so it was good to represent.

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It was a busy weekend covering games, and after close to 900 miles of travel, two states and six football games, it is time to reflect on what I saw.

I made it to Massillon (Ohio) Washington vs. Akron (Ohio) Buchtel on Thursday; Cleveland Heights vs. Toledo St. John’s on Friday; Detroit Martin Luther King vs. Southfield (Mich.) and Detroit Cass Tech vs. Brother Rice (Bloomfield, Mich.) on Thursday; and ended it with University School (Fla.) vs. Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) and Cincinnati Moeller vs. Baltimore Gilman on Sunday.

I tried to pick one top performer from each team, but it would have been unfair to do that for some of thee teams and players. But here is who impressed me the most this past weekend:

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With 54 catches and over 1,100 yards receiving as a sophomore, Tarpon Springs (Fla.) East Lake wide receiver Artavis Scott was among the top performing Class of 2014 prospects in the state last season.

Now the 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior is looking for an encore and comes into the 2012 season training camp with tons of momentum after a productive offseason.

Scott took part in several offseason events including Florida State's camp, Friday Night Lights at Florida, UCF's team camp, Al Golden's camp at Miami and most recently the Barbecue at the Big House during a tour of schools that included Ohio State and Notre Dame.

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Keita Bates-Diop (Bloomington, Ill./University) woke up this morning to about 20 texts from various college coaches on his phone.

Soon after, Bates-Diop also received a phone call from the Michigan coaching staff, which extended an offer to the No. 44 prospect in the Class of 2014.

“I’m humbled by it and thankful for it,” Bates-Diop said Friday. “Knowing that I have it does give me a little excitement.”

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Michigan's recruiting success early on in the process has continued with the addition of linebacker Mike McCray (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) in the 2013 class. McCray committed to Michigan on Tuesday after taking a visit to Ann Arbor, and he gives the Wolverines one more big-time playmaker in the class.

"I chose Michigan because it is the right place for me," he said. "I just woke up and my heart and God was telling me that Michigan is the place, and it's time to make my decision. That's what I did, and I just followed my heart and God."

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound backer chose Michigan over Illinois, Tennessee, Arizona, Louisville and Nebraska, among others.

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