Friday Recruitin' Has Updated Unwatchable Tape
MSU Visitors: 2018 Prospects
The Michigan State game represents the first of two huge recruiting weekends for the football program, which loaded up on visitors for the two rivalry games. Using the visitor lists from 247, TMI, and The Wolverine, let's start with the 2018 prospects who will be on campus.
OFFICIAL VISITORS
- The most notable official visitor is three-star FL WR Shocky Jacques-Louis, a Tennessee commit who had Michigan in his top group before dropping for the Vols. With UT off to a rough start and the Wolverines looking for a wideout in the class, Jacques-Louis could be on flip watch.
- Four-star GA CB Chris Smith looks like a tough pull; he's been a Georgia commit since May. That said, this will be the second time he's been to Ann Arbor, and he told Rivals's Chad Simmons he's been in frequent contact with the coaching staff.
- As Steve Lorenz notes, Michigan is a longshot for all three California prospects taking official visits this weekend. Five-star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and four-star defensive backs Julius Irvin and Bryan Addison will all take their trips without any family in tow, which tends to be a bad sign for out-of-region prospects.
- Four commits will take their officials: German and Gemon Green, Cam McGrone, and newest pledge Kevin Doyle.
UNOFFICIAL VISITORS
- Four-star Oak Park OG Marquan McCall, a Kentucky commit, will be in attendance. Michigan didn't push for McCall before his initial commitment, but it's possible they'll try to make a move now that Emil Ekiyor is a serious threat to leave the class.
- Commits Aiden Hutchinson, Jalen Mayfield, and Christian Turner are expected to take unofficials this weekend, likely to help serve as recruiters themselves.
I wouldn't expect too much immediate movement among 2018 prospects after this weekend unless M makes a big spash with Jacques-Louis. There's plenty of intrigue among the underclassman visitors, though, so make sure to hit...
[THE JUMP]
MSU Visitors: Underclassmen
This won't be an exhaustive list, especially since a number of local prospects will be at the game, but there will be quite a bit of talent on campus from the 2019 and 2020 classes.
- Five-star Belleville OT/DT Devontae Dobbs will be there. Michigan continues to have work to do but getting him to a game is a start.
- Michigan's outlook is much better for top-100 East Kentwood OT Logan Brown, who Lorenz calls the most intriguing visitor of the weekend. Wisconsin made a strong early push for Brown and are still in the mix, but Michigan seems to be gaining a lot of steam.
- Four-star GA OT Harry Miller is one of a few Southern prospects coming up on his own dime, and given he's high school teammates with Christian Turner, he may be the one Michigan has the best chance at landing. Four-star GA TE Ryland Goede and four-star FL SDE Jaquaze Sorrels, a Florida commit, will also be on campus.
- TMI lists four-star Detroit King S Marvin Grant as a visitor. He's expected to join the class eventually.
- It wouldn't surprise to see a few new offers go out this weekend. Four-star Cass Tech RB Jaren Mangham is perhaps the most likely of the 2019s. Michigan could also get a head start on 2020; Oak Park CB Enzo Jennings, Oak Park OL Justin Rogers, and Detroit King WR Rashawn Williams are talented sophomores who should get offers sooner or later.
At the very least, we should see Michigan continue to build a strong in-state base, and they could put themselves in excellent position with the out-of-region guys too—it's always a good sign when those prospects pay their way to campus.
2018 Updates: I Post Film You Shouldn't Watch Again
Sam Webb made his way to Raleigh to watch four-star DT Alim McNeill and get an update on his recruitment; that in and of itself is probably a good sign for Michigan's chances, as Sam isn't likely to hit the road for a recruit they don't have a good shot at landing. McNeill lined up at linebacker and running back because he's an athletic anomaly. His coach said Michigan is very much in the mix:
“He went to the Florida State vs. Alabama game and it was a big game,” said Kolstad. “He said, ‘coach, I want to play in a game like that.’ He wants to go somewhere where the game is going to be a big game and it means something. I mean Michigan’s there. They are the no. 1 defense in the nation and really do it right. He’s looking at all possibilities and Michigan is definitely in the works.”
McNeill plans to visit Michigan in late November for the clash with Ohio State.
Michigan is also in the thick of things with four-star MO DT Michael Thompson, who told TMI's Josh Newkirk he's looking at taking an official for the Ohio State game:
“I just want to see how campus life is outside of sports,” Thompson said. “What goes outside the football part of Michigan. I haven’t seen the whole Michigan campus too."
In no particular order, Thompson says his top-five schools include: Michigan, Ohio State, Missouri, LSU and Alabama. He says he has “plans but no promises “ to see all five schools before his commitment is announced.
Thompson plans to take his recruitment all the way to Signing Day.
Shifting out a spot on the D-line, four-star MO WDE Ronnie Perkins told 247's Steve Wiltfong he's scheduled his Michigan official for December 8th. While Perkins hasn't gotten much mention around here, Michigan appears to be in good position with him; he told Newkirk he likes the way Don Brown approaches defense:
Michigan has also made a strong impression with what they are doing on the field too, says Perkins, who pointed out the similarities between his high school team and U-M’s aggressive style of defense.
“Yeah, it’s crazy because we play the same type of style of defense here, our front seven is crazy,” Perkins said. “And we’re reloading, so it’s crazy. I wouldn’t have a problem transitioning over (at Michigan), because we play that same type of physical tough defense here.”
Perkins was looking at taking his official for the Ohio State game but it might conflict with his state playoffs. While it'd be great to get him on campus for a game, it's clear he's going the extra mile to check out the program.
On the other side of the ball, Jim Harbaugh made his way to Georgia over the bye week to visit three-star OT Jalen Goss, who Newkirk reports will take an official for the Ohio State game. Michigan has made a big impression on him:
Goss says he hasn’t officially put out his top-five, but if he did, Michigan would make the cut.
“They are already in it,” Goss said. “I like them. I like their game they play good. Just something about (Michigan) makes me want to put them in my top-five. I can’t wait to get up there to see the school. They say it’s a beautiful school, a nice school.”
Auburn, Tennessee, and UNC are the three other schools slated to receive officials.
Steve Lorenz reports Michigan reached out to three-star GA TE Tommy Tremble, a Georgia legacy with Notre Dame leading his Crystal Ball, and they're working on getting him up for a visit.
Etc.
Sam also caught up with 2019 five-star RB Quavaris Crouch on his trip to North Carolina, and while Crouch wouldn't say Michigan leads, he did drop this enticing quote:
“It was the best visit I’ve had so far,” said Crouch. “I got to spend time with the players and collaborate with them. It let me know how it would be in the life of a college student athlete. So that was the best experience for me, just showing me the day to day things that they do. It really helped me out a lot to see a true picture of a college football player.”
Crouch's recruitment will be a national battle. So far, so good.
Michigan made the top five for 2018 GA ATH Michael Barrett along with Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, and LSU. He's being recruited as a running back and plans to take an official for the Ohio State game.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:19 PM ^
2018 class has been a little off. I also noticed that Nebraska has been getting big time visitors. A couple questions I have:
Any reason we are not involved with Micah Parsons especially since the whole JT Barrett Twitter incident of 2017 happened?
Tyler Shough has been getting CBs to Oregon. I know we took Doyle, but any chance the coaches rethink Doyle vs. Shough?
October 6th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
I believe I read somewhere that the staff isn't too keen on Parsons' attitude. Don't remember if this is prima donna type of attitude or just bad character.
October 6th, 2017 at 2:26 PM ^
But i always wonder if staff doesnt like attitude, is just code for player demanded compensation.
October 7th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
But they also do recruit character and attitude is part of that. Parsons has had a strange recruitment. Makes you wonder why.
October 6th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
Parsons has visited Michigan twice I believe and was never interested. I think Michigan saw the writing and decided to invest their focus on other parties, namely Ronnie Perkins and Eyabi Anoma
October 6th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
Getting a little late in the recruiting cycle for just winning to fix this class.
October 6th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
I think he was the one that dropped Michigan because the coaches didn't show him enough attention after the osu game.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:24 PM ^
2018 = Sad Josh
October 6th, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^
I thought was more of a Nefarious Eduardo.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:30 PM ^
Seriously, what is the deal with 2018 recruiting? Right now we are expected to lose 2 of our top 3 recruits and it doesn't appear that we are in great position with that many overall top 150 players.
I expected a LOT more out of Harbugh recruiting year 3.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:39 PM ^
Have to agree. Gotta hope we finish strong and there's still time, but it's deeply disturbing that Ohio State has ELEVEN recruits ranked higher than our highest recruit, only 3 of which are from Ohio. We put players in the NFL, offer a pro system which is better prep than the garbage offense Ohio State runs, and we're Michigan and we're Harbaugh so seriously, I'm perplexed. Free tattoos or pizza or something. Still time to right the ship.
October 6th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
Even Penn State has 5 commits ranked higher than the Michigan top commit. And they have the No. 3 class behind Ohio State and Texas at the moment. Not a great year so far for Michigan, and not looking like there's a ton of options for it to get much better.
And considering both Sims and Reese are from Georgia, I wouldn't be surprised if both left in addition to Ekiyor.
October 6th, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
Or has there been smoke about him decommitting?
October 6th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^
No smoke, but he's from Georgia and I never feel good about recruits from the south sticking with Michigan until their fax comes through on NSD. Michigan has won a few recruiting battles in the south lately, but man....I just have some PTSD when it comes to recruiting in the south.
I mean its recruiting...weird shit happens. Especially when Georgia is involved.
October 6th, 2017 at 3:24 PM ^
It is just one class. The last two were great classes, and were huge numbers wise. 2019 is shaping up to possibly be the best one yet. 2018 just seems to be a weird year where Michigan just doesn't have a lot of the high-end prospects interested. In my opinion that isn't really a big deal. The staff can afford to put together a complimentary type class this year with the amount of youth already on the roster. They have guys who will fit in with what they want to do, and compliment the players already here. Plus there are a few under-the-radar type guys who have potentially high ceilings with some development.
October 6th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
If they just filled out the class with OL, DL and secondary I would be happyish. If you can't get high-end talent, at least recruit depth. Only 1 DL commit at the moment, but they do have 3 OL, and 4 dudes for the secondary. Add a couple of more bodies for the DL and its probably fine. Not the best, but fine.
October 6th, 2017 at 8:45 PM ^
I think they're recruiting with the mindset of adding at least 2 more DB, and at least one more OL. TE could be total 2-3. Aiming high for DT w/Michael Thompson, Tyler Friday, Alim McNeil, and Rick Sandidge. 2 of them would be amazing with maybe one more for depth. The coaches are also looking at possibly one WR (slot). They have 6-8 spots left I believe so I think they're waiting on some of their top options while laying the seeds for 2019 and scouting around for secondary options in 2018.
October 6th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
checking out a 3-star offensive tackle from Georgia. That should tell you a lot about our recruiting approach.
October 7th, 2017 at 12:14 PM ^
can't coach, can't recruit, too lazy and/or afraid to go after top talent.
Good things Butch Jones will be available soon.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:30 PM ^
McCall will probably end up in the class.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:32 PM ^
Love the name, first off. It could be so many other things, as well. Someone last week mentioned the Seeker for a Quidditch team. I'm thinking new combat-yoga pose: "The Quavaris Crouch!" *I know, I know...I just made up the whole combat-yoga thing. Or possibly something a Stephen King monster would do just before killing half of Derry.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:51 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
They've already been doing that to one of their own writers, Graham Couch. He doesn't blow enough sunshine for their liking.
October 7th, 2017 at 8:01 AM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
Man, Michigan needs to pull out all the stops to keep him in the class. He's just too good of an OL to let get away. Any tentative date to get him back on campus that anyone's heard?
October 6th, 2017 at 1:40 PM ^
Yeah I don't get the recent OL recruiting struggles. We used to be known as OL U. I guess most of these kids are just too young to remember that.
October 6th, 2017 at 2:12 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
Doesn't help with RB recruiting either. IF Najee Harris was truly like 52-48 on Bama vs. Michigan, I'm sure he's pretty happy with his choice this far into the season.
October 6th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
Najee Harris 100% Alabama. Sam Webb 55% Michigan. Shameful the way Webb turned a non-story into a story.
October 6th, 2017 at 2:29 PM ^
Michigan hasn't been anything close to OL U during these recruits lifetimes. Michigan also hasn't been very good until the last two years during these kids lifetimes.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:53 PM ^
yeah ive liked his potential since ekiyor first appeared in these columns, and obviously would be big to hold onto him and reese. they offered early and been tight with those 2 from the jump so those would be tough (as usual). i guess if theyre gonna lose a recruiting battle though there are worse situations than bama - better to lose top tier prospects to the south than osu.
lots of time til signing day - odds are theyll add some elite prospects while losing a few current verbals, just seems to be the way it usually plays
October 6th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
So, checking in on 24/7, we're sitting on 75% CB for Logan Brown, is there something I missing there? I assume that Ace knows what he's talking about Wisconsin having an early push, but that seems like a little more than picking up some steam for us
October 6th, 2017 at 1:42 PM ^
Though i fully believe the staff would have prefered Shough over Doyle, There's no way they drop doyle and go after Shough. It would be low class and leave a bitter taste in a lot of recruits mouths.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:44 PM ^
Isn't this the first year with an early signing period in December? I assume that the reference was to the first wednesday in February not the early signing period.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:58 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
Consider the big picture. I don't know everything about the Dobbs recruitment, but it wouldn't be the first time Michigan had an interesting interaction with a highly rated local recruit.
Have you read about all his reactions to offer timing, etc.?
October 6th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:39 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
We're playing his Crystal Ball leader on Saturday.
October 6th, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
Same
October 6th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:06 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:29 PM ^
I would love to have McNeill go blue but I don't see him leaving NC State. Thats where all the crystal balls are and he's repeatedly named them his leader. He was there during their game with Louisville last night and them winning that game must have been fun to watch. They're having a good season and I think that'll be enough to keep him in state. I wish I'm wrong though. Dude is an absolute beast
October 6th, 2017 at 3:01 PM ^
October 6th, 2017 at 2:26 PM ^
Detroit Kids.
October 6th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
Grab the can't miss kids from Michigan then get the hell out. Look what Meyer is doing in Ohio. Other than the obvious kids who fit his system, Meyer has basically left this area.
October 6th, 2017 at 5:43 PM ^
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