The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1073859
60 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2019 MICHIGAN RECRUITING fit perfectly into that role. Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star running back Zach Charbonnet didn't play in the game. He was nursing an injury just days before enrolling early at U-M. The 6-1, 222-pounder finished the recruiting cycle as the No. 4 running back and No. 60 overall prospect nationally, but is now on campus and going through winter workouts with the Wolverines. POLYNESIAN BOWL O'AHU, HAWAI'I U-M's lone representative in the Polynesian Bowl was Oakley (Ca- lif.) Freedom four-star wide receiver Giles Jackson. The 5-9, 179-pounder shot up the rankings in 2018 and fin- ished as the No. 37 wide receiver and No. 233 overall prospect nationally. JIM HARBAUGH OFFERS SEVENTH-GRADE QUARTERBACK At 5-8, 150 pounds, Isaiah Marshall looks like a pretty normal seventh grader — until you watch his football highlights. Jim Harbaugh felt the same way and shook up the recruiting world by extending an offer to the youngster. The young quarterback lives in Southfield, Mich., and will play his high school football at Southfield A&T. Two of the coaches at that school are part of Marshall's family. His father, Brian, is the running backs coach and run game coordinator, and his uncle Aaron is the offensive coordinator. That makes for a family affair at South- field A&T and everyone is extremely excited about Marshall's groundbreak- ing first offer, especially Isaiah himself. "It's pretty crazy, but I think it's cool," he said. "Somebody over so- cial media texted me, and said I got an offer from Michigan, but I didn't believe it. Then my dad called me, and I found out that it was real. "He said that Jim Harbaugh came up to Southfield A&T to look at some of their players, and he saw my high- light tape. After he left he called my dad and told him that I was offered. I knew I was probably going to get offers from good schools, but I didn't know it was going to be this early." Harbaugh was checking in on Southfield (Mich.) A&T 2020 dual- threat quarterback Anthony Romphf and then eventually looked at Mar- shall on film as well. Aaron has known for a while that his nephew would be a Division I talent, and it didn't take Harbaugh long to recog- nize it either. "He saw him on tape, and he saw a lot of great throws that he made," Marshall explained. "He was im- pressed with someone his age making those kinds of throws. Isaiah's tape is a little long; we only watched about five or six minutes of it. It's a highlight tape so they're all great throws and no mistakes or anything like that. "Coach Harbaugh said he wanted to extend the offer based on what he saw and also because … the level he's on now and, in his opinion, he's only going to get better. He was re- ally impressed, and I'm not sure he's seen many 12-year-olds that can throw the ball like that. With all of that information, I think that's why he extended the offer." Isaiah's father, Brian, explained the tender is good for Isaiah in terms of an opportunity but also as a motiva- tional tactic. "It's a win-win when you have the right people around you, and the kid is in the right environment," he said. "It's great to see the recognition for the work that he's put in. Having an opportunity to go to a great in- stitution like a Michigan gives him something to work towards. He real- izes that even with an offer it's not a guarantee or a given. A lot of things can happen from now until then. "It could go just as quick as it came. I think it motivates him to work even harder, which is the good side." Obviously Marshall has a long, long time before he even begins to think about a commitment or whom he'd like to play for in college. Still, Harbaugh was the first to offer and could have a leg up on everyone else if Marshall continues to ascend. ❑ 2020 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Kalil Branham WR 6-1 190 Columbus, Ohio (Northland) JD Johnson QB 6-4 187 Phoenix (Pinnacle) Nick Patterson TE 6-3 215 San Antonio (San Antonio Christian) Andre Seldon CB 5-9 154 Belleville, Mich. (Belleville) Cornell Wheeler LB 6-0 229 West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) 2019 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Erick All TE 6-4 225 Fairfield, Ohio (Fairfield) Karsen Barnhart OT 6-4 277 Paw Paw, Mich. (Paw Paw) Zach Carpenter OG 6-4 316 Cincinnati (Moeller) Zach Charbonnet RB 6-1 222 Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian) Daxton Hill S 6-0 190 Tulsa, Okla. (Booker T. Washington) Christopher Hinton DE 6-4 285 Norcross, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian) Giles Jackson WR 5-9 179 Oakley, Calif. (Freedom) Cornelius Johnson WR 6-3 199 Greenwich, Conn. (Brunswick) George Johnson III WR 6-0 181 Stuart, Fla. (Martin County) Quinten Johnson S 6-0 195 Washington, D.C. (St. John's College High) Trente Jones OL 6-4 302 Loganville, Ga. (Grayson) Trevor Keegan OT 6-6 301 Crystal Lake, Ill. (Crystal Lake South) Quintel Kent WR 6-0 173 Lakewood, Ohio (St. Edward) Cade McNamara QB 6-1 206 Reno, Nev. (Damonte Ranch) Michael Morris DE 6-6 258 Boca Raton, Fla. (American Heritage) Gabe Newburg DE 6-5 237 Clayton, Ohio (Northmont) David Ojabo DE 6-4 252 Blairstown, N.J. (Blair Academy) Jalen Perry CB 6-1 185 Dacula, Ga. (Dacula) Amauri Pesek-Hickson ATH 6-2 215 Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley North) Nolan Rumler OL 6-3 310 Akron, Ohio (Hoban) Mike Sainristil WR 5-10 179 Everett, Mass. (Everett) Mazi Smith DT 6-3 303 Kentwood, Mich. (East Kentwood) Anthony Solomon ILB 6-1 200 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Jack Stewart OL 6-4 280 New Canaan, Conn. (New Canaan) Charles Thomas LB 5-11 224 Fairburn, Ga. (St. Thomas More [Conn.]) DJ Turner II CB 6-0 173 Suwanee, Ga. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) Joey Velazquez S 5-11 195 Columbus, Ohio (St. Frances DeSales)