The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/510942
PREP PROFILES Michigan's coaching staff has spent plenty of time scouring the Garden State for talent in the 2016 class. U-M has a staffer — director of recruiting operations Chris Partridge — fresh off a stint as a high school coach in New Jersey, and is looking to ex- p l o i t h i s c o n - nections to haul in some of the state's best play- e r s . O n e s u c h player is Cran- ford High offen- sive lineman Will Fries. Fries picked up a Michigan offer in late April and immediately set wheels in motion to set up a visit to Ann Arbor. U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive line coach/ offensive coordinator Tim Drevno are leading his recruitment. "They said they're really excited about me and offered, and I'm really excited for it," Fries relayed. "They say they love the way I play the game. Coach Harbaugh says my ap- proach to the game with how tough I play and how I finish my blocks — that's what they loved about me so much. "I definitely want to go out there and check it out sometime soon. Nothing's planned yet, but I'm work- ing on it. I want to get a tour of the academics, get to meet with Coach Drevno and see how he coaches his O-line, and get to meet with Coach Harbaugh and just sit down and talk with him about the program." Michigan will have to beat out sev- eral other schools to succeed in their p u r s u i t o f t h e 6-6, 265-pounder, a NJ.Com first- team All-Group 3 selection as a junior. Clemson, Maryland, Penn State and Virginia Tech are among the other suitors. However, the U-M offer seemed to strike a special chord — and could be the first step in the endgame of his recruitment. "I'm definitely really high on Mich- igan," Fries said. "It's just when can I get down there and see the campus. "I'm not sure right now about when I'll make a decision," he added. "We'll hopefully see after I take the visit to Michigan and maybe one or two other places." Fries helped lead Cranford High to an 11-1 record on the field as a ju- nior, with the lone loss coming in the Group 3 (pre-state) championship game of the playoffs. He's hoping to wrap up his recruitment by the fall in order to focus on getting his Cougars over that last hump in his senior year. — Tim Sullivan New Jersey Offensive Lineman Is High On U-M ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Cranford High School Cranford, N.J. Class: 2016 Position: Offensive Guard Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 265 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 10 player in New Jersey, No. 10 offensive guard nationally and No. 242 overall prospect in the country Will Fries