The Wolverine

September 2017

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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62 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2017 BY BRANDON BROWN O n Aug. 1, college football pro- grams could officially offer 2018 prospects via social media and mail, and the Michigan staff did not waste any time letting targets know that they are wanted in Ann Arbor. Per usual, director of football creative Aaron Bills brought his A-game with U-M's graphically designed scholar- ship offers. Sending an official tender on the first possible day helped paint a pic- ture of the recruits the Wolverines and other programs were serious about landing. Recruits who chose to tweet out the offers they received also gave a glimpse of the schools they might be most serious about. Most of U-M's pledges also acknowl- edged their letters by putting them on display for the social media world. Atlanta Westlake four-star corner- back Myles Sims tweeted out his of- fer and included Michigan's hashtag for the class, #BlueBloods18. He also added that he'd be signing with U-M during the newly implemented early signing period Dec. 21. The 6-3, 173-pound Sims is still the Wolverines' highest rated commit, with Rivals list- ing him as the No. 7 cornerback and No. 56 overall player nationally. Some people worried that Orlando (Fla.) Olympia four-star dual-threat quarterback Joe Milton would be tough for Harbaugh and Co. to hang on to down the stretch, but the tweet of his scholarship offer branded with "It's official" seems to indicate that he's as solid as ever. The 6-5, 210-pounder is also fre- quently on Periscope sporting noth- ing but Michigan gear while trying to entertain his fans and seems very comfortable with his decision all the way down in Florida. Listed No. 6 at his position and No. 102 overall nationally by Rivals, Milton has a chance to move up the rankings this fall if he can show off that big arm and improve his accuracy. Indianapolis Cathedral four-star offensive guard pledge Emil Ekiyor, also tweeted out his Michigan offer. But he also posted a few other offers he picked up, including from Florida State, Indiana, Alabama and Georgia. The 6-4, 339-pounder is listed No. 5 at his position and No. 145 overall nationally by Rivals, and he is being courted aggressively by the Bulldogs, Seminoles and Crimson Tide, among others. He spent some time in Ann Arbor for Michigan's BBQ at the Big House July 29, which seemed to so- lidify his pledge, but those big-time programs are not relenting. Several noteworthy uncommitted targets also posted their official offers on Twitter, including Ontario (Calif.) Colony three-star wide receiver Mi- chael Ezeike and Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar three-star athlete Shocky Jacques-Louis, who U-M likes at wide receiver. At 6-5 and 210 pounds, Ezeike is an intriguing prospect. He's raw, but has a ton of upside and spoke very highly of U-M back when the verbal offer came through. A one-time Kentucky commit, Jacques-Louis is back on the market and dropped a top five in late July that included the Wolverines along with the Wildcats, Pittsburgh, Missouri and Tennessee. The 6-0, 170-pounder hasn't been to Ann Arbor yet, but plans to for an official visit this fall. Michigan landed under-the-radar three-star tight end Luke Schoon- maker out of Hamden, Conn., in late July, but the Wolverine staff will likely try to snag at least one more at that position in 2018. Two very realistic targets — Mis-   MICHIGAN RECRUITING Official 2018 Offers Flying Out Of Schembechler Hall 2018 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Emil Ekiyor OL 6-4 339 Indianapolis (Cathedral) Sammy Faustin CB 6-2 170 Naples, Fla. (Naples) Gemon Green DB 6-2 173 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) German Green DB 6-2 180 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) Ryan Hayes OL 6-7 250 Traverse City, Mich. (West) Aidan Hutchinson DE 6-6 248 Dearborn, Mich. (Divine Child) Jalen Mayfield OL 6-5 250 Grand Rapids, Mich. (Catholic Central) Cameron McGrone LB 6-1 210 Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) Joe Milton QB 6-5 210 Orlando, Fla. (Olympia) Otis Reese LB 6-2 195 Leesburg, Ga. (Lee County) Luke Schoonmaker TE 6-6 229 Hamden, Conn. (Hamden Hall Country Day) Myles Sims DB 6-3 173 Atlanta (Westlake) Christian Turner RB 5-10 180 Buford, Ga. (Buford) 2019 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Stephen Herron DE 6-4 225 Louisville, Ky. (Trinity) Christopher Hinton DE 6-5 265 Norcross, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian) Nolan Rumler OL 6-4 300 Akron, Ohio (Hoban) Charles Thomas LB 6-0 216 Fairburn, Ga. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) Four-star offensive line commit Emil Ekiyor tweeted out the official offer letter that Michigan sent him Aug. 1. PHOTO COURTESY EMIL EKIYOR

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