I'm Daxton You To Keep Calm

[/is showered in rotten fruit]

FINE

Anyway: Michigan picked up a crystal ball for five star OK S Daxton Hill yesterday, and since that CB was from the 24/7 affiliate of presumed leader Oklahoma that's pretty notable. Apparently Hill is skipping the Sooner version of the BBQ, and this has resigned certain OU people to their fate. Sam Webb talked to everyone at 24/7 with an opinion about Hill—a group that includes Alabama, Oklahoma, and national 24/7 guys—and came back with a fairly emphatic statement that Hill is a "Michigan-Alabama dogfight."

On the one hand: hooray some people think Michigan's getting this guy. On the other: Michigan's track record on the trail against Alabama is not good. Judging from the extensive takes from Alabama folks their confidence is strong but waning daily as Hill becomes one of those "why didn't you pull the trigger for your leader yet?" players who go from locks to very much not that.

Hill plans to decide in August and has a September 15th official to Ann Arbor scheduled. Best case scenario is probably that Hill doesn't announce by that official. OTOH, Lorenz posted yesterday that if Hill was going to announce today his ball would be "squarely" on Michigan. Ace put a ball in for Michigan, because we believe in the too-late-to-pull-the-trigger theory.

[After THE JUMP: meat time, time for meat, meat time, time for meat]

It's BBQ time

Now that Greg Frey's second tour of duty in Ann Arbor has come and gone, the lone vestige of the Rich Rodriguez era still hanging on is this weekend's "BBQ at the Big House." This is an... annual recruiting event. With ribs, I guess? I'd suggest that Michigan just does burgers and hot dogs to troll barbecue twitter but that seems like it might not be maximally efficient recruiting so nevermind.

Anyway, there will be many people on campus. These days the BBQ is mostly an introduction to who might be a high priority in the rising junior class. But there are a number of interesting 2019s scheduled to come up. Those are:

• MA CB Mike Sainristil, a Virginia Tech commit-type substance who's taking his second visit to Ann Arbor. VT knows corners and Don Brown knows New England so Sainristil's mid-three-star ranking doesn't really bother. As a bonus he's a former teammate of TX S Lewis Cine and might help Michigan's pursuit there. Webb and Brian Dohn have a fairly extensive discussion about both guys that seems pretty good for Sainristil and sort of good for Cine.
• CA TE Isaiah Foskey. Foskey is the only TE still on Michigan's board and looks like he will take his decision all the way to Signing Day; Michigan is going to at least be a hat on the table and can probably expect a fall official. (Although maybe not: these days you  can take officials over the summer, so this could be  it.)
• OH WR Quintel Kent. Kent is one of two sleeper OH WRs Michigan has offered.
• FL DE Mike Morris is a new name to me but apparently this is going to be his third trip to Michigan. Morris is an FSU commit who seems very soft but nobody's had the stones to put in a flip pick anywhere else yet. Three visits from a guy that far away is often a sign that dude is going to flip, but with no buzz and with FSU going hard in the paint under Willie Taggart it would be best to keep expectations modest here. He's a 3.5* FIWW.
• FL S Josh Sanguinetti. Sanguinetti seems ticketed for Miami but this will be Michigan's best chance to change his mind.

Per Lorenz, 2020 BBQ guys to keep an eye on (in general, not for a weekend commitment) include MO RB Mookie Cooper,—been a minute since sports had a famous Mookie—NY RB Tirek Murphy, and IN DT Cole Brevard. All are four-star types. I assume that's in addition to the various instate players coming up.

Additional Ojabo scouting

looks like Taco

Dohn must have spent a lot of time on the phone with Sam; here he is discussing NJ DE commit David Ojabo:

...I remember speaking to his coach before the game and he’s telling me ‘yeah, he runs the 4x100 (relays) here at Blair, and they’re really good. He runs it in about 11 seconds.’ And I’m saying, “What? Wait, he’s 6’4”, 235… what?” And so you knew there was athleticism there. He’s a kid who grew up playing soccer, so he knows how to use his feet and (has) foot quickness. So, there’s a lot of stuff that really jumped out to me when I saw him play that first time. Now, technique-wise, yeah… he’s got a long way to go. But you can teach technique. You can’t teach his size, burst and athleticism.

Rivals caught up with his coach:

“He’s a freak athletically and he’s just learning the game,” Saylor said. “He went from practice one last year, where he’d never been in a three-point stance in his life, to playing the season and getting better and better as the season progressed.”

Rivals.com has Ojabo listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, but Saylor feels he has the frame to be able to put on an extra 40, maybe even 50 pounds. He added that his athletic ability is what separates him from everyone else, and can run a 10.9 second 100-meter dash (about 109 yards).

“The kid is just a freak,” Saylor said. “He has so much upside.”

Ojabo's senior season is going to be amongst the most interesting to follow for Michigan fans, as he could blow up.

Etc.

Dohn still thinks Stanford for NJ DE Aeneas DiCosmo, FWIW. It's time for another round of "Rivals doesn't really explain why they have a guy ranked in Rutgers territory," this time starring TN RB commit Eric Gray:

"Gray is a versatile back," Wommack said. "He does a good job at getting open and catching the ball out of the backfield. He's effective in the screen game because of that and because he's pretty good in space."

A low level of competition is cited.