2020

VA TE Matthew Hibner committed to Michigan after visiting last week, and the services are starting to catch up with content on a guy who was a three-star whose name was just beginning to find its way into articles prior to said visit; he barely had his offer a week before committing. Rivals posted one-on-one highlights of Hibner from their 3 Stripe Camp in D.C. and he looks long and strong, and there’s a particularly fun catch at 00:16. The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown wrote a piece about the impact of Hibner’s commitment and in it noted that Hibner has put on almost 40 pounds since the end of last season without losing his speed, which is clear in the highlight tape linked above and presages a likely ratings riser as this season progresses. In a separate piece, Brown compares Hibner to Jake Butt at similar stages in their playing career because of their frame, athleticism, and tenacity.

HI WR Roman Wilson is not yet committed, but he would be if his father got to make the call. The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb asked Wilson’s dad for his top five schools and Wilson did not mince words.

“Well, I like Michigan, probably at no. 5,” Mr. Wilson said. “Then probably the University of Michigan at no. 4. Then that school in Ann Arbor is a close no. 2. And I would have to put that Harbaugh team at no 1. I really like what he’s doing up there (Laughter).”

Wilson’s father said he was sold by the time they hit the cafeteria. His mother said she likes Michigan along with Cal and UCLA, the other schools thought to be serious contenders for Wilson. She did say that she was impressed by the strength and conditioning staff, as they allayed concerns she had about how past coaching has impacted Wilson’s speed. (Makes sense when your son is Hawaii’s reigning state champ in the 100-meter dash at 10.68 seconds.) For his part, Wilson said Michigan’s resources were on par with Cal or UCLA, but Michigan had more space and therefore more things. Weather could understandably be an issue for a kid from Hawaii who’s strongly considering California schools and Michigan, but Wilson doesn’t mind the cold.

“And I’ve been in snow before. It ain’t that bad. You just gotta throw in some extra clothes.”

One guy who apparently won’t need to pack a coat is NC DE Kedrick Bingley-Jones. Per 247’s Steve Lorenz, Bingley-Jones wanted to reschedule his official visit to Michigan last weekend but visited Florida, and now it seems that recruitment is done after he was a priority for a hot minute.

A fair amount of news broke this weekend regarding prospects Michigan has been recruiting for a long time but who had been flying under the radar a bit. Steve Lorenz CB’d MA ATH Eamonn Dennis to Michigan, joining Brian Dohn and Sam Webb. Lorenz writes that Dennis’ recruitment is similar to fellow east-coaster Mike Sainristil in that he’s a bigger target for the staff than has been publicized. Dennis, who told 247’s Brian Dohn he was told by Josh Gattis that he would be used in the backfield and in the slot as an “all-purpose back type of player,” is scheduled to be on campus this weekend. He also told Dohn that Michigan is his leader, he has no return visits set to the other two schools in his top-three (Syracuse and Duke), and he would like to commit before the season. Writing, meet wall. Wall, writing.

[After THE JUMP: hush-hush visits, crystal balls, and JJ McCarthy's construction project]

Also in that vein is CT WDE Kenny Mestidor. He visited in April and just now named Michigan his leader to TMI’s Sam Webb. Mestidor, a composite three-star ranked #20 at his position, is very close with current Wolverine WDE Luiji Vilain and feels he has a good idea what it’s like to be at Michigan thanks to that, and he notes that Vilain gives him a realistic idea how life is more than he tries to sell him on anything. Mestidor told Webb he needs to know how schools (he plans to camp at USC and wants to visit Cal) will use him, as he wants to rush the passer. Michigan has made that clear, per his trainer.

“From conversation with the staff, they want to use him the same way they’re using Joshua Uche until he is big enough to be full-time WDE,” Tedondo explained. “They’re picturing him being around 260 lbs. his sophomore year.”

Webb heard enough to submit a Michigan crystal ball, Mestidor’s lone prediction, FWIW.

On the flip side is FL RB Lawrence Toafili, he of the 100% FSU crystal ball. Toafili, a composite four-star ranked as high as #90 overall by 247, stopped by campus for an unofficial last weekend. Steve Lorenz writes that Michigan is still a major factor for Toafili, who 247 believes is the top RB on their board. With only CA RB Zach Charbonnet in the fold from 2019, Lorenz says Michigan is pitching Toafili as “…their main pure running back in his class.”

Another Floridian made the trip north last weekend in FL CB Henry Gray. He spoke with Brandon Brown afterwards and said that Michigan didn’t feel far away but felt like home, with “feel” being the operative word there as he wasn’t able to pin down exactly what made it feel right. A lot of prospects talk about looking for that and how it influences their decision, so it’s certainly a feather in Michigan’s cap. Gray spent most of his visit with corners coach Mike Zordich, who impressed upon him how well he fits their scheme and how his skills translate to college. He rated Michigan a 10/10 in terms of how hard they’re recruiting him, with Florida, Penn State, and Ohio State also recruiting him hard. He dismantled the murmurings that Ohio State was his leader during his conversation with Brown, stating that Ohio State isn’t his leader as he has no leader at the moment.

2021

IL SDE Ryan Keeler started gaining attention at the Best of the Midwest camp a couple weeks ago, and the Keeler-to-Michigan buzz has gone 0-60 in [opens Google, looks for a good but not unreasonably fast 0-60 time] three seconds. The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich put in a Michigan crystal ball a week ago and now Sam Webb has followed Marich and Allen Trieu, who submitted his in May, and cast an early CB for Michigan. Webb’s comes in the wake of Keeler visiting for camp. Keeler raved about Sherrone Moore, Shaun Nua, and Jim Harbaugh to Webb, but also said he wants to see as many campuses as possible before committing sometime before his senior year.  Keeler told The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown that Shaun Nua said that they see him as an Anchor (SDE) who could slide inside to 3-tech depending on the situation. The crystal ball run makes sense, as he’ll be hearing about Michigan from more than just the coaching staff: his best friend and teammate is fellow 2021 commit JJ McCarthy, who Keeler said was blowing up his phone while he was talking to Webb.

McCarthy’s fingerprints are going to be all over this class by the time things are wrapped up, and he doesn’t even need to be texting someone as they’re being interviewed to have influence. TMI’s Brice Marich penned an article about McCarthy based on his time talking with MI WR Andrel Anthony, who picked up an offer after an impressive camp showing in front of the staff last weekend. He had the usual nice things to say—prospects and parents all really seem to like this coaching staff—and noted that Michigan will be in contention because he loves everything about the place (despite being from East Lansing), and Michigan happens to be his father’s favorite team. He told Marich that having McCarthy already committed is a plus, as he’s seen his film and “…it will never be a question of not having a quarterback that can deliver the ball.” Anthony’s positive feelings toward Michigan were clear in the article and must have been even more clear when speaking with him, as Marich joined Steve Wiltfong in submitting a Michigan crystal ball.

MI OL Rocco Spindler, ranked #33 overall in the composite, also spoke with Marich and brought up McCarthy, with whom he’s been building a relationship. He liked that McCarthy is trying to forge a bond with him, noting that “he knows it starts up front” and adding that liking the people around you shows on Saturdays. It doesn’t appear that Spindler is any closer to a decision, but another piece of data that getting your QB early can help build a class.

It’s not time for any crystal balls, but GA TE Cane Berrong saw what he needed to see on his visit to campus last weekend. The #61 overall player in the nation and top tight end in 247’s rankings told TMI’s Brice Marich that he’s been interested in Michigan but wanted to see how he would fit in their new offense, and though he says he isn’t supposed to go into specifics he found that it’s similar to how he’s already being used in high school. The staff told Berrong he’s their top target at TE in the 2021 class and connected him with a number of staff members, including strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert as Berrong wants to one day be a strength coach. Berrong has offers from pretty much all the elite programs in the country and he could end up anywhere, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Herbert he isn’t coming. Berrong also has a more personal connection, as one of his mentors, Toddrick Verdell, played JUCO ball with tight ends coach Sherrone Moore.

2022

TN QB Ty Simpson has yet to garner a composite ranking and doesn’t even have an individual ranking from one of the services, but Michgan’s seen enough of him to offer a scholarship—which they did in March of freaking 2018, when he was in eighth grade. When I was in eighth grade I used to go outside and shoot a tennis ball off our chimney and the more I deflected it the more I thought I could have a future as Tomas Holmstrom; I received no offers for my services. Anyway, Michigan has their 2020 and 2021 QBs locked in and can focus on 2022 now, and they hosted Simpson on a visit last weekend. Of paramount importance was seeing how (and whether) he might fit in a Gattis-led offense, and Simpson told TMI’s Brice Marich he could see himself playing for Gattis someday. Simpson has dozens of offers and told Marich he plans to visit LSU, Alabama, et al., but Michigan was the first to offer him and that seems to mean something to him. Certainly a guy to keep an eye on.

There’s competition for the spot, of course. CO QB Nicco Marchiol camped at Michigan last weekend and earned an offer. New quarterbacks coach Ben McDaninels is quite familiar with Marchiol, who told Sam Webb McDaniels was the first coach to ever recruit him and the first to come watch him practice in person. He also told Webb that Shea Patterson is a close family friend, so the Michigan connections run deep.