The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/751827
DECEMBER 2016 THE WOLVERINE 55 FOOTBALL RECRUITING U-M, but it didn't happen. As the No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 20 overall player in the country, Leath- erwood is an elite talent and at a position of need for the Michigan coaches in the 2017 cycle. With the Ann Arbor official in the rearview, it could be a tough pull for the Wolverine staff to overtake the Tide, and Leatherwood isn't making any hasty decisions. "It's all on me," he said. "A school can only show me what they have to offer, then it's up to me to evaluate and find where I best fit, and what school is going to set me up for the rest of my life. "That's a big part of the reason why I took the visit to Ann Arbor. I didn't want to leave any stone un- turned, and I'm very glad I took that visit." Leatherwood will take one of his other official visits to Alabama for the Iron Bowl versus Auburn Nov. 26, giving Bama a late-season crack at holding on to his commitment. His remaining three officials are still to be determined. SIONE LUND, ATHLETE Salt Lake City Brighton Committed to Stanford Ranked as the No. 7 athlete and No. 135 overall player in the coun- try, Lund really projects well on both sides of the ball. Whether he's playing multiple linebacker spots or carrying the ball as a jumbo, 6-0, 230-pound running back, Lund has earned four- star status from Rivals.com. He was the first 2017 prospect to verbally pledge to the Cardinal, picking the school back in November 2015. For a while it looked like Michigan was going to be a big part of Lund's final decision, but as time has passed he's never made it to campus. How- ever, as recently as Sept. 9, he men- tioned Michigan as a school he'd like to see. "USC, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska — I just like all those schools," said Lund, listing schools he could still visit. "There are a couple more, and they're always keeping in constant contact with me. "Right now, I'm just trying to go through it and just see how the other environments are. I've been to Stanford and Palo Alto many times. Right now, it's just going other places and meeting coaches, seeing how it is down at other campuses." More than two months have passed, and there still isn't an Ann Arbor visit on the books. If it hap- pens, he could move up a category but as of mid-November, Lund isn't a very likely flip candidate. BRANDON SEBASTIAN, ATH Cheshire (Conn.) Cheshire Academy Committed to Boston College The Michigan coaches have already plucked one prospect away from the Eagles in three-star weakside defen- sive end Kwity Paye. Could Sebas- tian be next? Probably not. The two-star ath- lete has been a member of BC's class since April and probably will end up in Chestnut Hill. Michigan defensive coordina- tor Don Brown recruited the 6-1, 172-pound Sebastian as a cornerback while he was at BC and brought the interest with him to Ann Arbor. Upon first receiving an offer from Michigan in mid-September, Sebas- tian was very intrigued. However, since the, a visit has not been sched- uled, and Sebastian hasn't said much about U-M. The one interesting caveat is that Sebastian is the teammate and best friend of one of Michigan's top wide receiver targets, Tarik Black. The four-star Black could end up at U-M as an early enrollee and that could grab Sebastian's interest again. Highly Unlikely JHAMON AUSBON, WR Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Committed to LSU One of Michigan's top wide re- ceiver targets in the early part of the cycle, Ausbon committed to LSU in June and hasn't wavered. Originally from St. Thomas, Texas, the four-star flirted with some of the Texas schools like A&M and Baylor, but once he settled in on LSU, it's basically been a wrap. The 6-4, 214-pounder is considered the No. 15 wide receiver and No. 119 overall player nationally. AUSTIN DECULUS, OT Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair Committed to LSU Deculus' recruitment storyline is very similar to Ausbon's. The Texas native chose LSU back in May, re- ceived a lot of attention from many programs, including Michigan, but never really looked around much. He's been pretty consistent in saying he'd like to check out Michigan but it just doesn't look like it's going to happen for the 6-6, 310-pounder. As the No. 7 offensive tackle and No. 34 overall prospect in the coun- try, he'd be yet another elite player in the mix for just a few offensive line openings at U-M. He's Baton Rouge bound. BRELIN FAISON-WALDEN, OLB Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley Committed to Penn State Things went south quickly be- tween Michigan and Faison-Walden. The four-star outside linebacker of- ficially visited U-M for the Wiscon- sin game just a week after the Wol- verines pounded Penn State 49-10, and Michigan seemed to progressing toward a flipped commitment. Fast forward five weeks and the Nittany Lions haven't lost again and were ranked No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings as of Nov. 12. As the No. 23 outside linebacker in the country, Faison-Walden was a priority for Peen State. That, along with success on the field, will likely keep the 6-1, 200-pounder a Nittany Lion. ❏ Rivals.com rates Salt Lake City Brighton standout and Stanford commit Sione Lund — who has talked about taking an official visit to Michigan — as the No. 7 athlete and No. 135 overall player in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com.