The Wolverine

March 2017 Recruiting Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MARCH 2017 THE WOLVERINE 31   FOOTBALL RECRUITING of 10-7. Fakih finished his senior sea- son with 98 tackles, including 11 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also caused two fumbles, recovered another and picked off three passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown. SEAN FITZGERALD Offensive Guard/Defensive Tackle 6-3, 295 • Mt. Pleasant (Mich.) High Fitzgerald was originally commit- ted to Air Force but rescinded that pledge to accept a preferred walk- on opportunity at Michigan. The big lineman had offers from Air Force, Davenport, Northwood, Ferris State and Saginaw Valley State but chose to give Big Ten football a shot. CHRIS HANLON Tight End 6-3, 220 • Naples (Fla.) High Hanlon played just seven games for Naples in 2016, and managed to catch 10 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. He has a history of playing some quarter- back, but he's coming to U-M as a tight end prospect. He said that the coaches have told him that he'll have a chance to earn a scholarship as a tight end while in Ann Arbor. JAKE MCCURRY Wide Receiver 6-0, 180 • Solon (Ohio) High McCurry was the only preferred walk-on to be introduced during the Signing of the Stars, but that was simply a technicality based on get- ting his deposit paid (and perhaps to cover up Braylon Edwards' slip of the tongue about Michigan signing five wide receivers before Nico Col- lins had announced). McCurry was a special mention for the 2016 Associ- ated Press Division I All-Ohio team. TYLER PLOCKI Middle Linebacker/Fullback 6-1, 215 • Saline (Mich.) High Plocki is the son of Michigan wom- en's gymnastics coach Bev Plocki and athletics assistant strength and con- ditioning coach Jim Plocki, making for a very special family feel. Plocki had 44 tackles, including two for loss, and an interception during the regular season at Saline and carries a 3.6 GPA. He turned down a couple of Ivy League schools to chase his dream at Michigan. HUNTER REYNOLDS Defensive Back 6-0, 185 • Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall Reynolds is a very good athlete and made a lot of plays on both sides of the ball during his high school career, which started at New Jersey power- house St. Don Bosco Prep. He played a big role in Choate's 9-0 record in 2016, which culminated with a 46-20 win over Trinity-Pawling High School in the Bill Glennon Bowl. CARTER SELZER Tight End/Defensive End 6-8, 225 • Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst Obviously the biggest physical specimen of the group, Selzer had several lower-level offers and was also considering Division I tenders from Drake and Davidson before de- ciding to head to U-M in a preferred walk-on capacity. He was elected captain by his teammates during his senior year and rarely came off the field, helping his team achieve a 9-3 record. ADAM SHIBLEY Outside Linebacker 6-1, 225 • Cleveland Saint Ignatius Shibley and St. Ignatius lost 27-20 to St. Xavier in double overtime in the Ohio Division I state champion- ship this past season. The linebacker was named to the Associated Press 2016 Division I All-Ohio football first team during his senior season for his individual accomplishments. JESS SPEIGHT Offensive Guard 6-4, 280 • Richmond (Va.) Collegiate If the name looks familiar it's be- cause Jess is the younger brother of Michigan quarterback Wilton. Jess is excited to get to U-M and earn a scholarship. That's been his approach all along, and he even turned down a full-ride opportunity from North Carolina State, where his grandfather was a legend on the basketball court. "Ever since Wilton was there, I've paid close attention to Michigan ob- viously," Speight said. "I've always been interested in them pretty much since they recruited Wilton." "Whether they knew it or not, they were recruiting me too. I got to some games when I was younger, and I've had an idea about the program from a very close point of view. I really admire the whole school and pro- gram, and have for about three or four years now." RYAN VEINGRAD Defensive End/Tight End 6-4, 248 • Boca Raton (Fla.) Spanish River Veingrad's father, Alan, is a for- mer NFL offensive lineman, but that's not close to the most interest- ing thing about the young man. Ve- ingrad battled a major knee injury and Hodgkin's lymphoma during his sophomore year to return to the football field for his junior and senior seasons. He was down to 185 pounds after cancer treatments, but is now back up to his normal playing weight and can't wait to chase a scholarship at Michigan. JACK YOUNG Wide Receiver/Free Safety 6-2, 185 • Pittsburgh Mt. Lebanon A month prior to National Sign- ing Day, Young had never visited Ann Arbor and was committed to play football at Columbia. Then he checked out U-M in late January and picked up a preferred walk-on offer that he couldn't refuse. Young's coach, Mike Melnyk, was along for the visit, which made per- fect sense. He was a walk-on kicker for the Wolverines from 1980-84 and played for legendary coach Bo Schembechler with current head man Jim Harbaugh. Young was a three-year varsity player and had 91 receptions for 1,838 yards and 17 touchdowns in the last two seasons combined while also playing safety and cornerback. ❏ Preferred walk-on offensive lineman Jess Speight turned down a scholarship from North Carolina State, a school where his family has a strong history, to team up with older brother Wilton in Ann Arbor. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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