The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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52 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2017 Cordova (Tenn.) High four-star of- fensive tackle Jerome Carvin picked up his Michigan offer back in May and has been a high priority target ever since. The 6-4, 305-pounder was very excited to receive the tender and now considers Michigan a vi- able option. "I was surprised by it," he said. "I didn't know Coach [Jay] Harbaugh was going to come down, but he came to practice and saw me. He gave my coach his card and then my coach gave it to me, and he told me to call him. "He said he loved watching me out there, and he needed to talk to Coach [Tim] Drevno to see if he'd approve me for an offer. Then he called me the next day and they offered me. "I was blessed to receive it. It defi- nitely changes some things in my recruitment because I wasn't expect- ing it." The No. 11 prospect in Tennessee and No. 20 offensive tackle nation- ally tuned in for Michigan's big win over Florida, and was pleased with what he saw. "I just noticed how Michigan re- sponded coming off back-to-back pick-sixes and how the offensive line played," he said. "I felt like they dominated the game." Along with Michigan, some of the SEC's big boys have been pursuing Carvin. Alabama, Arkansas, Au- burn, Memphis, Michigan, Missis- sippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee round out Carvin's top 10, and while he may have an order in his head he's not revealing it. "I don't have any leaders right now, though," he said. "Michigan pushed those plans back a little bit." Carvin, who earned first-team 4-6A all-region honors last season, would like to take an official visit to Michi- gan at some point during the 2017 slate, and that trip could go a long way in putting U-M at or near the top of his top 10. — Brandon Brown Originally from Columbus High School in Miami, Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four-star safety Josh Jobe has been, and will continue to be, one of Michigan's top overall targets re- gardless of position in the 2018 class. The staff absolutely loves him and sees NFL potential in the 6-0, 176-pounder. Jobe has been committed to the hometown Miami Hurricanes for over two years, but he'll spend his se- nior season at Cheshire Academy up in Connecticut because he's too old to play high school football in Florida. Since Jobe will finish out his prep career at the same place that sent wide receiver Tarik Black to Ann Ar- bor, the feeling is that New England recruiter Don Brown may have more of a chance to convince Jobe that Ann Arbor, not Miami, is the place for him. Columbus head coach Chris Mer- ritt has been with Jobe for the du- ration of his recruitment and does think the move could potentially shake his situation up a bit. "We'll see if his recruiting changes now that he's in the Northeast," Mer- ritt said. "Michigan and Alabama want to say their piece. From that point, it's a three-headed race be- tween those programs. But Josh is a Miami kid." Jobe has obviously been loyal to the Canes thus far, but with Alabama expected to be dominant on the field in 2017 and Michigan's defense looking like a special unit yet again, Merritt admits that on-field perfor- mance could be a big factor down the stretch. "It's still too early," Merritt said. "I think a lot will depend on the success of the programs he's talking about. There's a lot of moving parts right now." Jobe didn't tweet out any of his official offers Aug. 1, but did put a Michigan graphic on display just a week before that, indicating that he's still keeping an eye on the Wolverines. With cornerback-like coverage skills plus the mentality and physi- cality of a safety, Jobe fits right in with what the type of prospects Michigan is recruiting in the secondary. Jobe used those abilities to do did a little bit of everything for Columbus last year on defense and earned a spot on the Associated Press Florida Class 8A (largest schools) All-State Second Team. — Brandon Brown Michigan Is In The Mix For Four-Star Tennessee Offensive Tackle The Maize And Blue Are Still Pursuing Longtime Miami Commit ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Cordova H.S. Cordova, Tenn. Class: 2018 Position: Offensive Tackle Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 305 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 11 player in Tennessee and No. 20 offensive tackle in the country Jerome Carvin ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Cheshire (Conn.) Academy Miami Class: 2018 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 176 Rivals.com Rankings: N/A Josh Jobe Carvin on receiving a Michigan offer "It definitely changes some things in my recruitment because I wasn't expecting it. ... I don't have any leaders right now, though. Michigan pushed those plans back a little bit." Chris Merritt, Jobe's former high school head coach, on how transferring to Cheshire (Conn.) Academy could affect his recruitment "We'll see if his recruiting changes now that he's in the Northeast. Michigan and Alabama want to say their piece."