The Wolverine

December 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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46 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2018 BY BRANDON BROWN A s of Nov. 13, Michigan had the No. 9 recruit- ing class in the country. The Wolverines' haul in- cludes 24 total members and pledges from two five-stars in Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian strongside de- fensive end Christopher Hinton and Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington safety Daxton Hill. The 6-5, 265-pound Hin- ton is considered the No. 2 strongside defensive end and No. 18 overall player nationally by Rivals.com while the 6-1, 190-pound Hill is the No. 1 safety and No. 24 overall prospect in the country. Both of them are consid- ered huge coups, and the Michigan staff could actually land two more players rated even higher than Hill and Hinton. Michigan's staff is work- ing overtime to convince Lewis Cen- ter (Ohio) Olentangy Orange five- star defensive end Zach Harrison and Charlotte (N.C.) Harding University five-star athlete Quavaris Crouch to join Hinton and Hill in Ann Arbor. Harrison checks in at 6-5, 245 pounds and is the only strongside defensive end in the country rated higher than Hinton. He's No. 1 at the position and No. 17 overall nation- ally according to Rivals.com. He's a freak of an athlete and brings rare length, speed and raw athleticism to the field as a pass rusher. He took an official visit to Michi- gan in June and returned earlier this fall for the Wisconsin game. He was able to see Michigan's defense domi- nate the Badgers and is now viewed as a potential Michigan lean despite being just 20 minutes from Ohio State's campus. Everyone assumes that Harrison will end up at Ohio State because he's so close to campus and that's what his mom wants. A source very close to Harrison's recruitment was saying something very different after the Wisconsin game. "I would say Michigan is looking really good. I think he's going to be a Wolverine," the source said. "Every- one seems to think that Zach's mom wants him at Ohio State, but that's not the case at all. They are from Chicago. "His mom just wants him to be thorough throughout the process. She wanted to take all the time neces- sary and make sure that Zach made the right choice for him. She's really paying attention to the coaching staffs and wants him to pick which- ever schools wants Zach for Zach — not just the football player." That certainly seems to bode well for Michigan. Recruits consistently gush about the family feel created at U-M. The coaches, their wives, their children, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, support staffers and especially the academic folks are all involved in the recruiting visits, and Harrison's mom has taken notice. Harrison is expected to make a de- cision sometime in early December before signing his letter of intent. Michigan's chances at landing Crouch seem to be a little lower, but the U-M staff did a phenomenal job while hosting him for his official visit. Crouch was in the house for U-M's beat down of Penn State and couldn't have had a better time. "It was really nice," Crouch said. "I've been up there a few times already so this was mostly about building relationships and stuff like that. I got to chill with Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, and his dad, and all the coaching staff. It was a nice experience talking with Don Brown and seeing how I would fit in their scheme. It was a great environment. "I think I'm more com- fortable with the players at Michigan than anywhere else because I talk to al- most all the players. It's just easier to talk to them. I know almost everybody on the team. I've got a good relationship with all the players up there." Crouch, Rivals.com's No. 1 athlete and No. 9 overall player in the coun- try, is loving Michigan after his offi- cial visit but the Wolverines will have to hold off Clemson. The Tigers are obviously killing it on the field and are much closer to home for Crouch's mother and grandmother than Ann Arbor is. The 6-3, 222-pounder plans to com- mit and sign with his school of choice early in December before announc- ing his decision publicly at the All- American Bowl Jan. 5. FIVE IN-STATE 2020 PROSPECTS TO WATCH Michigan already has commit- ments from two in-state prospects from the 2020 class in Belleville High three-star cornerback Andre Seldon and West Bloomfield High three-star inside linebacker Cornell Wheeler. With Seldon and Wheeler both working on friends and acquain- tances, Michigan stands a pretty good chance to land a few other Michiganders in the 2020 class. Here are five prospects, who hap- pen to live within 100 miles of Ann Arbor and could end up at U-M with Seldon and Wheeler. (All rankings are from Rivals.com.)   MICHIGAN RECRUITING Five-Star Finish? Quavaris Crouch of Charlotte (N.C.) Harding University High, the No. 1 ath- lete and No. 9 overall player in the country per Rivals.com, officially visited Michigan for the Penn State game weekend. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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