The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/873137
48 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2017 BY BRANDON BROWN M ichigan sent out just three known offers in the month of July to Cuero (Texas) High 2019 four-star athlete Jordan Whittington, Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood 2019 four-star defensive tackle Mazi Smith and New Carey (Texas) High 2020 cornerback Dwight McGlothern. The process slowed down even more in August with no reported new offers being made. Then, just a week into September, U-M's recruiting activity started to pick back up. On Sept. 3, the Wolverines offered Amite (La.) High five-star defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher, the No. 2 overall player in the country in the 2019 class. A couple of days later, two more big 2019 offers were extended. Ox- ford (Miss.) Lafayette four-star cor- nerback Brandon Turnage reported a Wolverine offer on his Twitter ac- count, and Concord (Calif.) De La Salle four-star inside linebacker Henry To'oto'o did the same. Turnage is the No. 9 cornerback and No. 122 overall prospect nation- ally according to Rivals.com, while To'oto'o comes in even higher at No. 2 among inside linebackers and No. 51 overall regardless of position. It's going to be very tough to pluck Sopsher out of SEC country. The 6-4, 305-pounder has offers from every- one, but three schools seem to be slightly ahead of the rest. Alabama is among the leaders to land him, but LSU can't be counted out either. He's taken a couple of trips to Florida State, but it feels like a two-horse race between the Tide and Tigers. There is a similar pattern in Turnage's recruitment. The 6-1, 177-pounder also holds offers from Alabama and LSU, along with Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee. He doesn't plan on making an early decision, so the Michigan staff will at least have some time to convince him that he should check out some new surroundings. To'oto'o hails from the same high school as former Wolverine tight end Devin Asiasi, who headed back home via a transfer to UCLA, so it at least means that the Michigan coaches have some familiarity with the De La Salle staff. Despite being a West Coast kid, To'oto'o is high on the Crimson Tide, and UCLA is coming after him hard as well. Michigan, though, could be a player for the 6-2, 210-pounder. SMALL 2018 CLASS CREATES A LULL ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL As of Sept. 12, Michigan had 74 players on the hook for a scholar- ship in 2018 meaning that the next recruiting class can technically only consist 11 players. With 13 commits in the fold, obviously something will change after the 2017 season. There are several current Wolver- ines who likely won't be back for a fifth year of eligibility next fall, and other unexpected attrition always takes place as well. How that plays out could possibly increase the overall al- lotment up to 18-20 for the 2018 haul. Heading into October, the small class size and uncertainty of players' futures are making for a relatively slow period on the recruiting trail. As of early September, there are only a handful of realistic targets to pay attention to and even some of them aren't very likely to end up in Ann Arbor because of the current makeup of the roster. Quarterback Michigan is solid with Orlando (Fla.) Olympia four-star dual-threat quarterback Joe Milton and isn't pursuing any other targets. The 6-5, 210-pound Sunshine State native is beyond content with his commitment to Michigan and liked what he saw out of the Wolverines in their season- opening win over the Gators. Running Back Michigan has a running back com- mitted in the 2018 class in Buford (Ga.) High three-star Christian Turner. MICHIGAN RECRUITING The Wolverines Break Offer Silence 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.]) Amite (La.) High five-star defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher, the No. 2 overall player in the country in the 2019 class according to Rivals, picked up a Michigan offer Sept. 3. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM