kolin demens

BBQ Visitors: Offense

The weekend in which I can't leave my laptop for more than 30 seconds is nearly upon us. The BBQ at the Big House is on Saturday, and it features a visitor list absolutely loaded with top-end talent. 247's Steve Lorenz has the full, updated list posted for free, as well as an excellent VIP post that goes in-depth on each uncommitted 2017 and 2018 prospect who'll be on campus. I'll do my best to cover the highlights. Keep in mind that every 2017 Michigan commit save for Aubrey Solomon, Kai-Leon Herbert, and AJ Dillon is slated to be in attendance.

The headliner, of course, is #1 overall prospect Najee Harris, the California running back committed to Alabama. According to Lorenz, Bama insiders think Michigan is the top threat to flip him from his current commitment, and Harris will be accompanied by his mother on the trip. Harris won't be the only back at the BBQ; four-star UT RB Sione Heimuli-Lund is a Stanford commit who could wind up at RB, FB, or LB (or, given Harbaugh, all of them).

Michigan's top four targets at wide receiver will all be in attendance. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins need no introduction at this point; Michigan leads for Collins and is the presumed leader for DPJ. Four-star IA WR Oliver Martin is ramping up his recruitment now that baseball season is over—this weekend should give us a good idea of where Michigan stands compared to MSU, Iowa, Wisconsin, and his other contenders. Four-star CT WR Tarik Black has Michigan in his top group, though Lorenz thinks Notre Dame and Stanford are out ahead at this point. Michigan's top tight end on the board, four-star CA TE Josh Falo, will also be at the BBQ.

With three-star AL OT Toryque Bateman naming Michigan his leading heading into his BBQ visit, the offensive line is the most likely (though far from only) source of a weekend commitment—Bateman pegged his chances of committing at 50% and potentially higher if the visit goes as well as his last trip to Ann Arbor. Four-star tackles Isaiah Wilson and Aaron Banks are also on the list; Wilson is a Michigan/Bama battle right now, while the Wolverines are hoping to lure Banks away from top-tier Pac-12 programs.

As I was writing this, Steve reported that four-star OT Henry Bainivalu will make the trip from Washington. This is the second unofficial for Bainivalu, which is especially notable for a prospect from the other side of the country—Michigan definitely has a shot, and...

...oh boy, we might have a situation here.

One prospect who'd been mentioned as a possible visitor who won't make it: five-star KY OT Jedrick Wills, who looks like a longshot at best.

In the 2018 class, four-star Oak Park OG Marquan McCall—who could also wind up at DT—will accompany his committed teammate, OT JaRaymond Hall. While I've avoided mentioning the 2019 class, early rankings have Belleville OT Devontae Dobbs as a five-star prospect; he'll be at the BBQ with a couple classmates from a program that's got a lot of young talent.

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

Jim Harbaugh, Picky Shopper

NOPE

Maize n Brew's Brandon Justice penned an article on four-star CA C Brett Neilon for the Detroit News that contains what I believe is the first food-related Harbaughism that isn't about red meat:

A conversation Neilon had with Harbaugh earlier this month may have placed Michigan at the top of Neilon’s list among schools he is considering.

The topic: blueberries.

“He told me, if you buy a pack of 30 blueberries and one is moldy, it will affect the others, and that’s why he doesn’t recruit moldy blueberries,” Neilon said, laughing, recalling his talk with Harbaugh. “(Harbaugh) thinks I will fit perfectly at Michigan.”

While Neilon won't cop to having a leader, he acknowledged Michigan is recruiting him harder than any other school. USC and Washington are M's primary competition. Notably, the California native says distance from home won't play a factor.

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

Five-Star Out Of Nowhere?

Thank you to every school that has offered me with an opportunity to attend their University, but here is my Top 4. pic.twitter.com/uWdsj7CsYH

— Joshua Kaindoh (@_jkaindoh) April 21, 2016

Five-star IMG Academy DE Joshua Kaindoh released his top four yesterday, and the biggest news didn't involve which programs made it, but one that didn't: Maryland, which had been the presumed leader for the DMV native. The Terps were left off the list in favor of Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State.

While the Wolverines haven't been mentioned as much of a factor for Kaindoh, it's clear his recruitment is capable of taking some unexpected twists and turns. 247's Steve Lorenz initially posted after the news broke that he'd "be very surprised" if Kaindoh ended up at Michigan; he updated that post with intel that Michigan believes they have a shot.

Speaking of five-stars, TMI's Josh Newkirk caught up with Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, who's been in touch with quarterback commit Dylan McCaffrey:

“He has reached out to me,” Peoples-Jones said of McCaffrey. “I took notice of the commitment (to U-M). It was surprising to me that they got a really good quarterback that really sets the bar for all recruitment. You have a strong quarterback; you (can) build around him. That definitely made a statement for Michigan.”

Adding: “I think it’s really good for them to have a guy like him come in. He’s a really good guy. I’ve been talking to him on Twitter. We’re developing a relationship.”

While that's certainly promising, Peoples-Jones maintains no leaders in his recruitment. In fact, his list of schools under consideration has expanded slightly:

In January, at the time, Peoples-Jones released his top-10 schools in alphabetical order, which included: Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC. And after a recent trip to Florida State, Peoples-Jones has since added the ‘Noles to his now top-11.

Peoples-Jones wants to visit every school on his list before making a decision. His recruitment, as expected, should extend until late in the process.

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