blake fisher

The weekend ahead is Michigan’s biggest visit weekend in a long time for 2020 prospects, but it seems that last weekend holds that title for a slew of other schools. They certainly picked up commitments like it was, at least. A number of Michigan targets verbally pledged elsewhere in the last few days, and The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown wrote about who those targets were and where they seemed to be on Michigan’s big board. PA OT Michael Carmody and IN OT Blake FIsher both committed to Notre Dame and both were top targets for Ed Warinner. It’s not difficult to see why; Carmody is ranked #134 and #16 at tackle in the composite and Fisher is #53 overall and the #10 tackle. Warinner put in a lot of work with both prospects, but Brown writes that both seemed like Notre Dame leans from the start. Other notable commitments include three-star OH DE Ty Hamilton, who was going to visit Michigan this weekend but has essentially been out of the fold since Ohio State offered at the end of May; OH (woulda been) viper Bangally Kamara, who Brown notes was on the staff’s board but not their top choice at viper; and three-star OH RB Jutahn McClain, a former teammate of Erick All’s who scored seven touchdowns in a game David filmed for FBO last season and picked up a Michigan offer a day later.

Ed Warinner hasn’t exactly struck out on 2020 prospects, though. Michigan already has a commitment from MA OT Zak Zinter and MD OT Micah Mazzccua, both of whom will be on campus this weekend. Top target and composite top 100 four-star OK OG Andrew Raym will be taking an official this weekend, as will CA OT Jeffrey Persi. Raym and Persi both have Michigan as a top contender for their pledge alongside in-state schools; Oklahoma for Raym, UCLA and USC in Persi’s case. Raym visited unofficially earlier this month, and that alone is significant. With Brice Marich writing in the above linked article that Georgia is basically out of the race for Raym, it’s even more significant that Raym is going to be on campus twice in the same month. Persi spoke with The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown and said he doesn’t see leaving his home state as an issue and never has, and that he will go wherever it’s the best fit. He says he’ll announce his decision in July, so Michigan gets last crack at making an impression before he decides.

[After THE JUMP: decisions, decisions]

2020

With June expected to be a huge month for visits, it seems this week is the calm before the storm. We start with leftovers from last week’s big news, as The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich spoke with MI DE Braiden McGregor’s family about their stories from the recruiting trail. They detail when they knew McGregor had decided he would go to Michigan, share some Jim Harbaugh stories (for example, he told McGregor he has go-go-gadget arms), and talk Shaun Nua and what he did to impress them.

There was some commitment-day tension as it was reported that the staffs at both Notre Dame and Michigan, McGregor’s presumed leaders, had heard nothing from the nation’s 89th-raked player all week. Turns out Michigan’s staff may not have heard anything because there was nothing they needed to hear; McGregor was already committed. He told Marich he silently committed to Michigan on a recent visit to Ann Arbor a couple of weeks ago. He told WolverinesWire’s Brandon Knapp it’s always been Michigan for him; he realized this in part when he started using Michigan as his point of comparison for all other schools.

The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown wrote a piece on the impact of McGregor’s commitment, and one of those ways is allowing the staff to focus on interior DL now. Brown says to keep an eye on AL DT Jayson Jones, TN DT Omari Thomas, CA DT Kobe Pepe, and CN DT Jaedon Roberts. 247’s Steve Lorenz also wrote about where the staff goes from here with regard to defensive line recruiting, and he thinks the top priority on their list is VA DE Antwaun Powell. On the interior, NC DT Kedrick Bingley-Jones has an official scheduled for next weekend and appears to be a priority. He also clarified that, though they’re listed as defensive ends on 247, FL UCHE Jaylen Harrell and GA UCHE Choe Bryant-Strother are being recruited as Uche-like ‘tweeners, hence the new designation.

[The headline and caption make sense if you hit THE JUMP]

Michigan lost their first verbal commitment of the 2020 cycle, and it was a big one. Four-star OH WR Kalil Branham tweeted that he was decommiting, somehow managing to fit it within Twitter’s character limit and eschewing the Notes app. 247’s Steve Lorenz wrote a quick piece in the wake of Branham decommitting in which he notes that Branham committed to Pep Hamilton and his primary recruiter was Al Washington (who, according to 247’s player profile, had been pursuing him since he was at Cincinnati) and, uh, those guys no longer have offices in Schembechler Hall.

The staff may be close to adding a verbal from a skill-position player, though. Lorenz did some digging in the wake of MD RB Blake Corum tweeting that he’s close to a decision and came back with his crystal ball still solidly on Michigan. Corum has been one of Michigan’s top targets for some time, and should he pick Michigan he won’t be going there alone; fellow St. Frances Academy four-star OLB Osman Savage and three-star OT Micah Mazzccua are a current teammates. When exactly said decision will go public isn’t clear, but Lorenz closed his post by saying it could be in the very near future.

Lorenz also added a crystal ball for NY ATH William Mohan. He unofficially visited earlier this month, and Lorenz reports that he’s a take as a Viper. The three-star is currently ranked #415 in the composite and is the #4 player in New York. The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown spoke with Mohan, who said that the intensity with which Michigan is recruiting him is a 10/10. He said OSU, PSU, Pitt, and Rutgers are also recruiting him hard, but noted that his interest in Michigan is a 10/10. Mohan then told Brown that he’s going to be back for an official visit. Fun fact, per 247’s player page: his nickname is ‘Apache.’ If this makes you think of Traverse City and now you’re hungry then we’re on the exact same page.

A long-time top target made his first visit to Ann Arbor at the end of last week and liked it enough that he told 247's Steve Wiltfong he'll be back for an official. NJ S Jordan Morant spent Thursday on campus and told Wiltfong he was impressed by the facilities and academic opportunity (and support) Michigan offers, and he added that his favorite thing about Michigan is having coaches Partridge and Campanile on staff due to the level of comfort that provides with them both being from New Jersey. 247's Steve Lorenz wrote that he was waiting to see whether the staff would mention playing with Daxton Hill to Morant; on Thursday Morant tweeted at Hill "this the move?", so I think it's safe to assume we know who was discussed that day. One thing that's interesting is Morant's ranking. He's #112 overall and the #8 safety in the composite, but 247 has him significantly higher at #43 overall and the nation's top safety. I watched his junior highlight film and his speed, athleticism, explosion, and change of direction lead me to believe 247's ranking is about where he should be.

[More big visits and crystal balls after THE JUMP]