The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1083898
24 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 the news of rising-senior Chris Evans being in some hot water. Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star running back Zach Charbonnet is already on cam- pus as an early enrollee, and at 6-1, 222 pounds, he has the size to play as a rookie. Rivals' No. 4 running back and No. 60 overall prospect in the country is going to be called upon to at least provide some immediate depth, but he may end up being the every-down bell cow back with red- shirt freshman Christian Turner be- ing more of a change-of-pace guy. BEST INTERVIEW Because he's so intelligent, Corne- lius Johnson gives an interview like he's been doing it for years. He's very deliberate and goes into great detail regardless of the topic. Before he actu- ally committed to U-M, it was pretty clear that he wanted to be a part of Michigan's receiver room. "I know that they have some nice receivers right now with Donovan [Peoples-Jones] and Tarik [Black]," he said. "They have some young guys. I think I could fit in well with that group. "I know Tarik pretty well, and I got to meet Donovan when I was there. My team actually played against Tarik and Cheshire Academy when he was still in high school. His last high school game was actually against us, so I know him a little bit. We stay in con- tact here and there. Since he's from this Jim Harbaugh and Michigan take pride in their preferred walk-on program. This year's crop is bigger than normal and seemed to really put an emphasis on quarterbacks, size in the trenches, and local products that understand U-M football and everything that comes with it. There always seem to be a couple of walk-ons that make an impact beyond what they probably expected when they chose to be a Wolverine. In 2018, then-redshirt junior linebacker Jordan Glasgow on defense and junior running back Tru Wilson on offense headlined the walk-ons earn- ing playing time. Both have since been awarded scholarships, and that's exactly what this year's crop of kids will hope happens with them. The duo from Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward — running back Jordan Castleberry and athlete Ca- den Kolesar — seem to have what it takes to do the same at U-M. The teammates know how to win and played significant roles in their school's state championship last year. Kolesar, whose grandfather and father both played at Michigan, was named first-team Division I All-Ohio after a season where he had 136 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one interception and 10 pass breakups. Meanwhile, Castleberry produced 1,548 rush- ing yards and 25 touchdowns, while being named first-team all-district and third-team Divi- sion I All-Ohio last year. He had been committed to West Virginia as a walk-on, but decided to stay closer to home. Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt added of offensive lineman Mahdi Hazime, out of Dearborn (Mich.) Fordson High: "This kid can play. He should have had MAC schools all over him. He's definitely an interior guy, but this is a Division I scholarship-caliber guy Michigan is getting to walk on." Quarterback Tommy Friberg also appears to be a maize and blue coup — the Class 6A all-state signal-caller from State College, Pa., bypassed a preferred walk-on offer from hometown Penn State after he threw for 2,293 yards and 26 touch- downs, and ran for 320 yards and four more scores, as a senior. Here's a list, as of mid-February, of those ex- pected to join the team next fall: Walk-on athlete Caden Kolesar is the son of John Kolesar, a U-M wideout from 1985-88 who played a key role in two victories over Ohio State, and grandson of Bill Kolesar, a Wolverine tackle from 1953-55. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN Michigan's 2019 Preferred Walk-On Class Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Samih Beydoun RB 6-0 200 Novi, Mich. (Detroit Catholic Central) Jack Billo WR 5-9 172 Grand Rapids, Mich. (East Grand Rapids) Matthew Bills ATH 6-0 185 Warren, Mich. (Warren Woods-Tower) Evan Brunning DL 6-5 275 Oxford, Mich. (Oxford) Jordan Castleberry RB 5-8 193 Lakewood, Ohio (St. Edward) Zach Conti OL 6-7 310 Trenton, Mich. (Trenton) Luke Fisher DL 6-4 250 Canton, Mich. (Plymouth) Leon Franklin RB 5-10 185 Southfield, Mich. (Southfield A&T) Tommy Friberg QB 6-5 210 State College, Pa. (State College Area) Mica Gelb OL 6-5 305 Washington D.C. (Woodrow Wilson) Matthew Harrison ATH 6-3 194 Ortonville, Mich. (Ortonville Brandon) Mahdi Hazime OL 6-4 315 Dearborn, Mich. (Fordson) Ren Hefley QB 6-1 185 Bryant, Ark. (Bryant) Abraham Jaafar RB 5-9 175 Dearborn, Mich. (Fordson) Karl Kerska K 6-3 200 Dexter, Mich. (Dexter) Nolan Knight LB 6-4 195 Northville, Mich. (Northville) Caden Kolesar ATH 5-10 190 Lakewood, Ohio (St. Edward) Ricardo Macon LB 6-1 205 Vassar, Mich. (Vassar) Andy Maddox QB 6-4 200 Prairie Village, Kan. (Shawnee Mission East) Hunter McDaniel OL 6-6 275 Garden City, Mich. (Garden City) Will Sessa TE 6-6 205 Hinsdale, Ill. (Hinsdale Central) William Wagner LS 6-2 240 Alpharetta, Ga. (Alpharetta) Zonterio Weekley CB 5-11 165 Kalamazoo, Mich. (Kalamazoo Central) — Brandon Brown