The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/465847
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE in the recruitment. Kinnel opened his ears to other schools — including Michigan State and Notre Dame — and wanted to be sure he was aware of all his options before he was ready to lock in with Michigan. Kinnel even took an official visit to South Bend Dec. 12, where 2015 Wol- verine-turned-Irish Crawford tried to convince him that making the flip was the right thing to do. However, a kid from Dayton who grows up cheering for Michigan, rather than the ever-popular home-state Buck- eyes of Ohio State, knows how to withstand peer pressure. "It didn't really make me a popular guy around Dayton to be a Michigan fan," Kinnel admitted with a laugh. "I still had a lot of friends and family that supported me and some who made jokes. I'm just glad I'm going there." During the recruiting process, the Razorbacks and particularly the Wildcats weighed on his mind. Ken- tucky has focused heavily on Ohio in general, and the Dayton area more specifically in recent years. A pair of players from the Dayton- Cincinnati corridor signed to become Wildcats in 2012, and two more in 2013. A whopping seven joined UK from that area in the class before Kin- nel's, including teammate Dorian Hendrix, a three-star linebacker. Still, none of that was enough to lure him away from the Maize and Blue. In fact, it was the Razorbacks who he felt worst about turning down when the time came to become a Wolverine. "The Michigan offer was big," he said. "I had been liking Arkansas