The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2016 THE WOLVERINE 51 BY BRANDON BROWN C ome the beginning of 2017, se- niors all over the country will trade in their high school ID's for col- lege schedules. As of Nov. 15, Michi- gan had 19 commitments and eight of them were planning to graduate in December and be on campus in Ann Arbor in early January. Oak Park (Mich.) High three-star of- fensive tackle Ja'Raymond Hall is ex- cited to get on campus early and start honing his craft. With U-M still recruit- ing several blue-chip prospects, Hall looks at early enrollment as a chance to get a head start on the competition. "It's all cool," he said of higher- ranked prospects still being targeted by Michigan. "I like competing so if they come, they come, and if they don't, they don't. I like competing against anyone so I'm fine with all of them looking at Michigan." Listed at 6-5, 255 pounds by Ri- vals.com, Hall says that he's closer to 290 now and ready to continue to reshape his body once on campus. He's considered the No. 72 offensive tackle in the country but may also get a look at guard according to what offensive line coach Tim Drevno has been telling him. A lot of people thought when Bea- ver Falls (Pa.) High four-star defen- sive tackle Donovan Jeter committed to Michigan that he might still look around a bit. According to the 6-5, 255-pounder, he's finished with his recruitment and ready to enroll early at U-M. "I'm completely done," he said of the recruiting process. "I've even straight up turned down Alabama. Their coaches have been talking to me and texting me, and I said, 'Coach, I'm committed to Michigan.' "When I was committed to Notre Dame I was still talking to other coaches, but since I've been commit- ted to Michigan I've been done with all that. I'm not going anywhere." Rivals.com lists Jeter as the No. 6 player in Pennsylvania and the No. 14 defensive tackle in the country. One of Michigan's most socially vocal commitments is Saint Joseph (Mich.) High four-star strongside de- fensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher. The 6-3, 246-pounder has created several videos, which he posts to Twitter trying to convince other pros- pect to join him in Ann Arbor. How- ever, once he signs and enrolls early he won't be able to do that in a public forum anymore. As the No. 7 player in Michigan and No. 12 strongside defensive end nationally, Malone-Hatcher has about a month to continue targeting some fellow Michiganders. One commit that could really bene- fit from enrolling early is Sandy Hook (Conn.) Newtown three-star inside linebacker Ben Mason. There could be some opportunities for young line- backers to play next fall, and with Mason arriving early he'll have every chance to impress the coaching staff. He's ready for the challenge and is right where the coaches want him to be in terms of his size. "I graduate on Dec. 23, and then I'll be in Ann Arbor on Jan. 3," he said. "The coaches haven't said anything really specific about plays or a play- book yet. Weight-wise they like where I am, though. I'm 6-3 and 243 pounds right now, and they said that's good." Skill and size-wise Mason com- pares favorably to current U-M se- nior linebacker Ben Gedeon, who is 6-3, 247 pounds according to Michi- gan's official roster. One of Michigan's more intriguing commits is four-star cornerback Ben- jamin St-Juste out of Montreal. The No. 21 cornerback and No. 215 overall player in the country holds one other offer — from Virginia Tech, which he'll check out with an official visit Nov. 26. If the Hokies can't stack up to Michigan, St-Juste will bring his 6-3, 185-pound, Canadian frame to Ann Arbor where he'll have a chance to compete for playing time that will be vacated by senior cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Channing Stribling in the 2107 season. Loganville (Ga.) Grayson three-star running back Kurt Taylor has posi- tioned himself to graduate early, but he's still not quite sure he wants to go that route. "My goal is to enroll early," Taylor said. "I'm eligible to graduate in De- cember, but I want to finish my last year of high school too. I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing yet." At 5-9 and 201 pounds of solid mus- cle, Taylor doesn't necessarily need the extra time in Michigan's weight room should he choose to enroll early, but as the No. 96 player in Georgia, his skill development and opportunity to start learning Michigan's scheme could help him in the long run. Finally, Florence (Ala.) High three- star safety J'Marick Woods is also set to enroll early, but is still keeping the door slightly cracked for other schools. While he's excited about being a Wol- verine, Woods doesn't want to pull the plug on his recruitment just yet. "I'm giving schools their chance for a final push," he said after an of- ficial visit to Arkansas in early Octo- ber. "I'm not sure if it will work, but I'm just taking it day by day." The 6-3, 198-pounder recently took his official visit to Michigan for the Maryland game and did say he was ready to ask the coaches about when school starts, indicating that he'll likely be in Ann Arbor come January. The No. 16 player in Alabama and No. 40 safety in the country would be a good pull for Michigan from SEC country. Finally, the most Michigan pledge — three-star safety Jaylen Kelly- Powell out of Detroit Cass Tech — also plans to enroll early. The 6-0, 180-pounder commited to the Wol- verines Nov. 15, and is considered the No. 8 player in Michigan and No. 31 safety in America. Several U-M targets are also plan- MICHIGAN RECRUITING Early Enrollee Outlook Ben Mason, a three- star recruit out of Sandy Hook (Conn.) Newtown, plans to enroll early at U-M in an effort to compete for playing time at linebacker in the fall of 2017. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN