The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING should be a top target in the Lone Star State. The 6-0, 188-pounder is the No. 4 safety and No. 51 overall prospect in the 2016 class, but Michi- gan would have to beat out Baylor, Michigan State, Texas and others for his signature. CORNERBACK Scholarship players in 2015: 6 Seniors in 2015: 1 (Blake Countess) Needs in 2016: 2-3 U-M's only cornerback signee in the 2015 class is a position-switch player (athlete Keith Washington was exclusively a quarterback in high school), and the Wolverines would have liked to take at least one more player at the position. That makes it a huge priority for 2016. The nation's top player at the po- sition (and No. 8 overall prospect) is Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes five-star Levonta Taylor. He will be able to choose whatever school he wants come National Signing Day 2016 — Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and USC are among his several- dozen early offers — but Michigan is squarely involved. His grandmother attended U-M, and he plans to take an offseason visit to campus prior to the beginning of his senior year. From the same area as Taylor, Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor four-star Wayne Davis is the No. 247 overall player and No. 20 cornerback nation- ally. He's a man-coverage specialist at 5-9, 169 pounds and could be an excellent fit with U-M moving in that direction. He hopes to visit Ann Ar- bor in the summer. Another top national target will be Phenix City (Ala.) High four-star John Broussard. The No. 141 overall player and No. 13 cornerback in the nation may be tough to pull away form Auburn, which is just 20 min- utes from his home in eastern Ala- bama, but the Wolverines have made a strong early impression on him. If he makes a visit to campus, it's fair game for the Wolverines. SPECIALIST Scholarship players in 2015: 2 (Pending status of a walk-on punter) Seniors in 2015: 0 Needs in 2016: 0 Michigan landed a kicker in the 2015 class in Andrew David and has a long-snapper (Scott Sypniewski) with two more years of eligibility. Punter is a question mark, since it's currently slated for a walk-on — or double-duty out of David — but the Wolverines will likely go one more year before buckling down and really pursuing specialists, unless an elite one falls into their lap for 2016. Coincidentally, the nation's best 2016 kicker hails from Michigan, and Rockford High School standout Quinn Nordin could pick up U-M attention if they decide to address the position. The 6-2, 200-pounder is equally capable of punting and kicking. ❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football re- cruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com.