The Wolverine

October 2017

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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OCTOBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 49   MICHIGAN RECRUITING A couple of "athletes" are still being looked at as running backs, but the true running back board is quite dry. Wide Receiver After a phenomenal haul at wide receiver in the 2017 class that included instant impact guys like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black, it's not a huge priority in 2018, but the plan is still to grab one or two pass catchers. Michigan doesn't have a com- mitment at the position, but is still working on St. Louis Christian Broth- ers College High four-star Kamryn Babb, Ontario (Calif.) Colony four- star Michael Ezeike and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Amon-Ra St. Brown, the nation's top receiver and No. 4 overall player according to Rivals.com. Don't be surprised if some new targets surface as the 2017 campaign marches on as well. Tight End A surprise commitment from Hamden (Conn.) Hall Country Day School three-star Luke Schoonmaker back in July gives Michigan 50 per- cent of its planned goal at the tight end position. Both Carterville (Ill.) High four-star Luke Ford and Mis- souri City (Texas) Ridge Point four- star Mustapha Muhammad are very much in play for the Wolverine. Muhammad is a strong lean to the Wolverines and while Ford — the No. 1 tight end nationally — seems to be trending toward Alabama, he's very high on U-M. Offensive Line Indianapolis Cathedral four-star of- fensive guard Emil Ekiyor, Traverse City (Mich.) West three-star offensive tackle Ryan Hayes and Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star of- fensive tackle Jalen Mayfield make up U-M's haul along the offensive line. A couple of athletic offensive tackles in Cordova (Tenn.) High four-star Jerome Carvin and Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep four-star Nick Petit-Frere make up Michigan's target board at the position. The enigma that is 6-9, 390-pound Daniel Faalele out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy is still technically on Michigan's board as well, but no one seems to know what he's thinking. Stockbridge (Ga.) Woodland four- star offensive guard James Ohonba has Michigan in his top four along with Alabama, USC and LSU, but he seems more likely to stay in SEC country than to head north or west. Defensive Line Michigan loaded up on the D-line in 2017 and has a big-time target in the fold in 2018 in legacy Aidan Hutchin- son out of Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child, the country's No. 18 strongside defensive end. That gives the staff the ability to be selective moving forward. Michigan may take one more defen- sive end and possibly a defensive tackle or two. Concord (N.C.) High four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge and St. Louis Parkway North four-star Michael Thompson are two very realistic targets for U-M, and both have the Wolverines in their respective top groups. At defensive end, another St. Louis product in Lutheran North four-star Ronnie Perkins and Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep four-star Tyler Fri- day make up Michigan's targets. Fri- day and Perkins are built similarly at 6-3, 260 pounds and 6-4, 260 pounds, respectively, and possess similar skill sets as well. The also both have Mich- igan in their top groups. Linebacker This is another position without much action. Indianapolis Lawrence Central four-star outside linebacker Cameron McGrone committed to the Wolverines in late July and is not go- ing to look around. The same, however, cannot be said about Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County four-star outside linebacker Otis Re- ese. The 6-2, 195-pounder is looking hard at Georgia and was in Athens for the Bulldogs' opener against Ap- palachian State. The only other target getting a ton of attention is Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter 's Prep four-star outside line- backer Shayne Simon, who is com- mitted to Notre Dame. At 6-3, 210 pounds, the country's No. 10 outside linebacker is viewed as a perfect fit at Viper in Don Brown's system and will continue to be recruited until he signs a letter of intent. Like wide re- ceiver, linebacker is another position where new names could pop up. Cornerback With three cornerbacks committed, Michigan is in a very good spot at the position. Naples (Fla.) High three- star Sammy Faustin, DeSoto (Texas) High four-star Gemon Green and At- lanta Westlake four-star Myles Sims are all solid to Michigan and built perfectly for Mike Zordich's scheme. All three are 6-2 or taller and pos- sess position versatility, which could mean safety is in their future at U-M. Only Houston Lamar four-star D'Shawn Jamison and San Diego Helix five-star Isaac Taylor-Stuart re- main on the board, but both are likely headed elsewhere. Safety DeSoto (Texas) High three-star German Green, twin brother of cor- nerback Gemon, is Michigan's only commit at the position and that may not change. Long Beach (Calif.) Poly four-star Aashari Crosswell and Ana- heim (Calif.) Servite four-star Julius Irvin both have Michigan in their top groups, but will tough to pull away from the West Coast. Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four- star Josh Jobe, who is originally from Miami, committed to the Hurricanes more than two years ago, but has re- mained one of Michigan's top overall targets regardless of position. He's in defensive coordinator Don Brown's home region now, and Michigan will continue to recruit him hard. He's a flip candidate, but has remained loyal to the Canes for a long time. Athlete Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes three-star Michael Barrett and Fitzgerald (Ga.) High four-star James Graham are both being recruited by Michigan at running back. Barrett is listed at 6-0, 200 pounds, while Graham, the No. 18 athlete in the land according to Rivals, is more similar to Christian Turner at 6-1, 180 pounds. At 6-5, 175 pounds with long arms, Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four- star Bryan Addison, the nation's No. 3 athlete, is a very intriguing pros- pect. The Wolverine staff has told him that he could play wide receiver or in the secondary should he come to Ann Arbor and that appeals to him. Finally, Corvallis (Ore.) Crescent Valley four-star Talanoa Hufanga is another versatile prospect at 6-1, 194 pounds. The No. 2 athlete in the na- tion will be in Ann Arbor for an of- ficial visit when Michigan hosts Ohio State in late November. He'll be a tough pull, but Harbaugh and Co. are recruiting him aggressively. ❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com.

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