The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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66 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2016 BY BRANDON BROWN A s of Oct. 17, Michigan's coaching staff had 16 commitments in the 2017 class and eight or more remain- ing openings. Many of those spots will eventually be filled by prospects who have taken, or who will take, of- ficial visits to Ann Arbor. Through five home games Michigan had hosted 12 players on school-sponsored trips. Some of the players who have al- ready been to Ann Arbor are among the top overall prospects in the nation. Others aren't as highly ranked by Ri- vals.com, but still provide value to the 2017 class. Here's a look at the visitors who have made their way to Michigan Sta- dium on official visits this fall. HAWAI'I — SEPT. 3 Michigan's season opener against Hawai'i wasn't billed as a very big game, and the visitor list reflected that. Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four-star wide receiver Tarik Black was the only official visitor for the contest and it went swimmingly. Black's mother, fa- ther and head coach all came along for the visit, and it blew them all away. Be- ing the only official visitor on campus may seem like a bad thing consider- ing it wasn't a marquee weekend, but Cheshire Academy head coach David Dykeman saw it as the exact opposite. "He was the only guy on an official visit for the whole weekend so that was pretty unique," Dykeman said. "It was the first one of the year for him and Michigan, and I think he felt great about it for sure. "We had an opportunity to spend time with the players. We saw the Fri- day walkthrough, which was great. He spent a lot of time with the coaches and so did his family. They also all spent a lot of time with the players. "We had breakfast with Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and Coach [Jedd] Fisch be- fore we left on Sunday and really got some great quality time with them. Coach [Tony] Tuioti and Coach [Devin] Bush, who both oversee recruiting, were unbelievable with us. "I think they were all incredible. It was great. There's something pretty special happening at Michigan right now, that's for sure." The 6-3, 201-pound Black is con- sidered the No. 14 wide receiver and No. 99 overall prospect in the nation, and many people close to him and the Michigan program think he might just end up in Ann Arbor. The week after his U-M official he checked out Au- burn in an official capacity and now has three remaining to take after his season. Based on Dykeman's comments, it's clear that Michigan did a great job with him and they sound like the team to beat. A 63-3 win over the Warriors and plenty of one-on-one time between Black and the staff put U-M in a great spot. CENTRAL FLORIDA — SEPT. 10 Week two saw Central Florida roll into Ann Arbor, and with the Knights came some crummy weather and a lackluster visitor list. There were no of- ficial visitors in attendance, and Detroit Cass Tech 2018 four-star cornerback Kalon Gervin was the only offered prospect in the house. The Michigan staff didn't want a ton of visitors for the game, and the rain helped with that. A 51-14 win over UCF and its head coach Scott Frost was the result, and recruits didn't miss much. COLORADO — SEPT. 17 Leading up to the Colorado game, the expected lone visitor was Calaba- sas, Calif., five-star cornerback Darnay Holmes. But because of some testing date conflicts, Holmes never made it to Ann Arbor. The 5-11, 185-pound Holmes is considered the No. 3 cornerback and No. 15 overall prospect in the country. He still has not rescheduled his visit to Michigan, but it's believed he'll even- tually make it to campus in an official capacity. Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian four-star dual-threat quar- terback and Michigan commit Dylan McCaffrey was in Ann Arbor for the 45-28 win over the Buffaloes, but it was considered a missed opportunity for McCaffrey to recruit Holmes to Ann Arbor with him. FOOTBALL RECRUITING With Eight Home Games In 2016, Official Visits Are Humming The one-on-one attention afforded Tarik Black, the lone official visitor for U-M's game with Hawai'i Sept. 3, put the Wolverines in a great spot with the Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four-star wide receiver. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN