The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2017 THE WOLVERINE 45 BY BRANDON BROWN W ith the summer dead period now a thing of the past, college football coaches across the country are focusing on recruiting while they prepare to kickoff fall camp. Most of July (10-31) and all of Au- gust are "quiet periods" — off-campus contact with or viewing of prospective student-athletes is prohibited. Recruits can still unofficially visit campuses, and staffs can still contact prospects via written or electronic communica- tions. Many staffs try to hold events (like Michigan's BBQ at The Big House) during this stretch so that tar- gets and commitments can visit with the coaches and current players, and get a tour of campus. Michigan had 10 commits in the 2018 class as of July 11, which ranked No. 29 in Rivals.com's team rankings. There are still a couple of positions — tight end and defensive line — that need to be addressed and a couple others — like wide receiver and running back — that aren't as much of a priority. The overall size of the class is never concrete, but a realistic range can be calculated. Finally, there are some prospects that are definitely more likely than others to potentially commit to Mich- igan in the coming months. Identify- ing those players will paint a picture of what the 2018 class could look like. THE BIGGEST REMAINING NEED After not landing a tight end in the 2017 class and losing Devin Asiasi via a transfer to UCLA, Michigan will look to add two tight ends to the roster in the 2018 class. Lindenhurst (N.Y.) Senior four-star Jeremy Ruckert is Michigan's top tar- get at the position, and he included the Wolverines in his top four July 3, along with Ohio State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Rivals.com considers the 6-6, 225-pounder to be the No. 8 tight end and No. 209 overall prospect nation- ally, and he may be leaning toward the Buckeyes. However, Michigan is right there based on what he has said about the Wolverines. "The coaching staff is really personal and close with my family and me," he said. "Whenever they text me, they'll ask how my mom is doing and stuff like that. Obviously, they had great tight end production with Jake Butt last year. You can't look past that." The U-M coaching staff may end up missing on Ruckert, but they likely won't on Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point four-star Mustapha Mu- hammad if they stay consistent in recruiting him. The 6-5, 225-pounder is considered the No. 18 tight end in the country and has not been shy about being a Michigan lean. Muhammad has been high on Michigan since watching Butt excel for the Maize and Blue. "It's very important to me how the school uses their tight end," Muham- mad said. "I know Jake Butt is a well- rounded tight end, and I think I see a lot of what I do in him. He won the Mackey Award so that shows that the tight end is featured in that offense. That's a great thing for him. "I have his number, and we text and communicate pretty often. He's a great role model for me. Meeting FOOTBALL RECRUITING Updating The Wolverines' 2018 Class Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point four-star Mustapha Muhammad, the nation's No. 18 tight end according to Rivals.com, appears to be favoring the Wolverines. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN