The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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170 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MIDWEST TOP 25 1. Zach Harrison, DE Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy Orange At 6-5, 245 pounds, Harrison is an ath- letic marvel and definitely looks the part of a five-star recruit. He's a sprint cham- pion and uses that speed and athleticism on the field to terrorize quarterbacks. He's the No. 2 strongside defensive end and No. 15 overall player nationally. As the top player in Ohio, he is expected to wind up at Ohio State, but Penn State and Michigan are both giving him something to think about. He's expected to take an official visit to U-M in late June. 2. Logan Brown, OT Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood If you could create an offensive tackle in a laboratory, he would look like Brown. He's 6-6, 290 pounds and has insane flexibility and agility for a young man his size. He is long, athletic and moves around like a tight end despite being nearly 300 pounds. His combination of size and raw ability has him ranked as the No. 1 player in Michigan, and the No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 20 overall prospect nationally. He struggles with diabetes and that seems to have scared some programs away. He also doesn't jibe well with Harbaugh and that pretty much ended his recruitment with the Wolverines. He's been committed to Wisconsin since November of last year and doesn't appear to be wavering. 3. Devontae Dobbs, OT Belleville (Mich.) High At 6-4, 270 pounds, Dobbs doesn't have elite size for a tackle prospect, but he's very athletic and has been playing big boy foot- ball for a long time as a traveling youngster on the camp circuit. While his college posi- tion is a bit of an unknown, he's got a lot of ability and many schools are after him because of it. He falls right in behind Brown at No. 2 in Michigan, and is the No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 29 overall prospect nationally. The Wolverines are not recruiting Dobbs, but a lot of other schools are. His good friend and teammate Julian Barnett is committed to Michigan State, and many think that Dobbs will also end up in East Lansing. 4. Quinn Carroll, OT Edina (Minn.) High Like Brown, Carroll looks like a proto- typical offensive tackle at 6-6, 280 pounds and that's why he's No. 6 at his posi- tion and No. 33 overall in the nation. He committed to Notre Dame May 1 and hasn't shown any signs of waver- ing. With the Irish's run of putting offensive linemen into the first round of the NFL Draft, it's not a shocker that the Minnesota native sees a bright future for himself in South Bend. Michigan offered, but Carroll never showed a ton of interest in the Wolverines. 5. David Bell, WR Indianapolis Warren Central Bell is an extremely smooth athlete at 6-2, 180 pounds. He's got the kind of body that all receivers want and makes circus catches look routine. He is long and strong, has great body con- trol, and understands posi- tioning and high pointing the football because of his basketball background. Bell — a four-star talent, the No. 1 player in Indiana and the No. 92 overall player in the country — is being chased by Michigan along with Penn State, Notre Dame, Iowa and Ohio State. 6. Nolan Rumler, OG Akron (Ohio) Hoban Rumler is a bowling ball at 6-4, 300 pounds and uses his bulk and strength to absolutely maul people. He is con- sidered the No. 3 player in Ohio, and the No. 6 of- fensive guard and No. 110 overall prospect nationally. He has been committed to Michigan for almost a year. Teams, es- pecially Ohio State, are still looking to flip him, but he is going to be a Wolverine. The only thing that may change that is if the en- tire staff was to move on from U-M. 7. Julian Barnett, ATH Belleville (Mich . ) High Barnett has developed in a big way physi- cally over the last year and is an absolute bully as a de- fensive back. While a very skilled wide receiver, he looks to have much more upside on the defensive side of the ball. At 6-2, 180 pounds, he's considered the No. 8 athlete and No. 96 overall player in the country. The in-state product picked up an offer from Michigan too late in the process for his liking. He committed to Michigan State Dec. 22 and doesn't appear to be wavering. In fact, he's pretty vocal in trying to bring other in-staters with him to East Lansing. 8. Dwan Mathis, QB Oak Park (Mich.) High There may not be a dual-threat quarter- back in the country that is more athletic than Mathis. At 6-4, 185 pounds, he could legitimately play wide receiver at the next level but because he can spin the ball so well, he's being pursued as a quarter- back. He is the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and No. 105 player nationally because of his rare combination of height, speed and throwing skills. Mathis never picked up an offer from Michigan, but was made a priority by Michi- gan State and committed to the Spartans on Sept. 23, 2017. An offer from Ohio State could shake his recruitment up a bit. Midwest Top 25 The Region's Best In The Class Of 2019 BY BRANDON BROWN J im Harbaugh and Michigan will recruit the entire country, and even internationally, in its pursuit of top talent. U-M finished with the No. 24 class in the nation in 2018, partially because in-state talent was down quite a bit compared to the 2017 haul. The Wolverines, like all major programs, will recruit the hotbeds of Georgia, Florida, Texas and California, but pulling in some of the best prospects in the Midwest is always a goal. The following is a look at the best in the Midwest, with all rankings from Rivals.com.