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Layup for the Graphics Department

We're in the heart of high school football season, and much to the delight and relief of certain bloggers who compile certain types of recruiting posts, there's a healthy amount of scouting of Michigan commits available. It certainly helps that a decent chunk of M's recruiting class plays for Baltimore St. Frances, who 247's Brian Dohn saw shut out powerhouse St. Joseph Regional 28-0 last weekend. He wrote up reports on all three St. Frances Michigan commits; linebacker Osman Savage stood out to him the most among the three, and a certain trait popped out [emphasis mine]:

Savage was physical and fast. He was quick to read plays and he was able to get up the field against the run. He showed an ability to drop into coverage and be effective while reading the quarterback. He is explosive and he plays fast. He is fearless, and he excels in space because of his tackling skills and his body control.

Check out the mid-season film above and—yup, he plays fast. Fellow linebacker commit Nikhai Hill-Green "was physical at the point of attack, but was caught a few times peaking into the backfield on pass plays." Finally, running back Blake Corum got the Not Just A Scatback™ designation:

Four-star Michigan commit Blake Corum, who is the No. 14 running back in the 247Sports Composite, showed he can be a physical runner between the tackles. He ran for tough yards in the middle, and he was able to get to the edge a few times. He was patient and let the plays develop, and he picked up key yardage to get first downs. Whether he can touch the ball 20-plus times a game in college remains a question, but he can carry the load for St. Frances.

247's Allen Trieu got a look at four-star receiver AJ Henning a couple weeks ago and came away impressed with his versatility when injury forced him into some action as a running back:

So we saw him in the slot catching the ball and running it from the backfield. We knew he had legit breakaway 4.4 type speed, but he has shown more than just that too. He made a great diving catch, he broke tackles, he showed all the dimensions to his game. He is about 5-foot-9, not real tall, but has a compact build. I think he can be a running back or slot at the next level, but there is no doubt he can affect the scoreboard and help an offense in a lot of ways.

Out west, 247's Greg Biggins scouted three-star OT Jeffrey Persi, who may be the leader in the clubhouse for Sleeper of the Year if his rankings remain static:

At 6-7, Persi is so long he's tough to get around. He has long arms, good feet and moves laterally very easily. He's starting to fill out and looks like he has gained a solid 10-15 pounds from his junior season. 

He was good in one on one pass protection, was dominant in the run game and made some really nice blocks when he got out and pulled, showing very good athleticism for a big tackle. Persi is not even close to reaching his ceiling and will make another big jump when gets to college.

Biggins thinks he "should be a multi-year starter."

Over at MGoFish, their video scouting series continues with OG Zak Zinter and ATH RJ Moten. They see Zinter as a high-floor road grader in the Graham Glasgow mold, while Moten's athleticism and versatility gets him a lofty Jabrill Peppers comparison. There's an impressive amount of depth to these reports, and it's particularly nice to see one on Zinter, who doesn't get a ton of attention out in Massachusetts.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

Oak Park three-star WR Maliq Carr has recently seen his interest in Michigan explode, and he attributes it all to one person. As he told The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb:

“Coach Gattis is the difference there. Coach Gattis is the big difference. Before, I really wouldn’t really have considered (Michigan) as much as I do now. They probably wouldn’t have been in the top five without Coach Gattis. Coach Gattis is a huge difference.”

Carr told WolverinesWire’s Evan Petzold that he expects he’ll get the ball often if he attends Michigan because that’s what Gattis told him he’ll do. Carr visited Michigan twice last week, and though he made compelling cases for each team in his top five (Purdue, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Michigan) in his discussion with Webb, they weren’t convincing enough to stop seven people from casting Michigan crystal balls in the past week. Coinciding with that came 247’s Steve Lorenz moving Carr up to “top target” on their Michigan board, which comes on the heels of fellow MI WR Rashawn Williams being moved down to “high choice” as he apparently is more interested in other Big Ten schools. There’s plenty of time for Carr to further develop his relationship with Gattis, as he told Petzold that he’ll be committing October 11th.

Sticking with in-staters for a minute, MI ATH Cam Martinez is still listed as an athlete in 247’s database, but he has some clarity regarding how Michigan would use him should he go there after taking an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor last weekend. The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich reports that Martinez spent most of his time with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, and the two made small talk and watched film to show how Martinez would be utilized in the offense. Currently a quarterback, Martinez says Michigan is looking at him at slot receiver and possibly running back.

Martinez is one of Michigan’s top targets, but the Wolverines’ staff shouldn’t expect to know much about his commitment anytime soon; he told Marich he’ll make his decision either before or after his senior season. Martinez told WolverinesWire’s Evan Petzold he should have a slightly better idea how he feels about certain schools after the first week in April, during which he has one visit scheduled each day to predominantly Big Ten schools.

There’s even more good news when it comes to top targets, as VA DE Antwaun Powell unofficially visited last weekend and told WolverinesWire’s Evan Petzold he couldn’t have asked for a better visit. He left his unofficial having set a date in late June to come back and visit officially. If Powell’s ratings are to be believed, the Michigan staff must be ecstatic. He broke things down numerically with The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown:

"I'm feeling the love from them and it seems like they really want me," Powell-Ryland said. "I think they're recruiting me at about a 10 and I like them a solid 8, probably closer to a 9."

Powell noted that he got to spend a good amount of time with defensive coordinator Don Brown, and that Brown raved about his get-off and pass-rushing skills. He also told Brandon Brown that Virginia Tech and Duke are recruiting at a 10, and he has a Duke visit scheduled for the first week in April. Powell thinks he’ll make his final decision in the weeks after his Michigan official, as he told Brown he’ll make a decision before his season starts.

[After THE JUMP: more crystal ballz, big-time visitors, and rising 2021 players M got in on early]