The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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172 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MIDWEST TOP 25 all prospect in the nation. He has been commit- ted to LSU since early May and doesn't appear to be wavering from a future in Death Valley. 19. Jahleel Billingsley, TE Chicago Phillips Billingsley is one of the best looking tight end prospects in the country at 6-5, 227 pounds. He plays like a jumbo receiver because of his athleticism, leaping ability and smoothness at his size. Billingsley is high on several programs including Ohio State, Illinois, Penn State and perhaps most no- tably, Florida. He took a trip to Gainesville in late May and came away feeling like he might want to commit. He held off, but the Gators are likely at the top of his heap. He is ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 3 player in Illinois and the No. 196 overall recruit in the nation. 20. Spencer Brown, OT Walled Lake (Mich.) Walled Lake Western At 6-6, 295 pounds and with long limbs, Brown looks the part as a four-star offensive tackle. He's not the most athletic prospect to line up at tackle, but he's long, light on his feet and has a strong lower half. He is rated as the No. 24 offensive tackle and No. 241 overall prospect nationally. Brown picked up a late offer from U-M, but he was already committed to Michigan State. The big tackle picked the Spartans in July of last year and doesn't appear to be wavering. 21. Jaren Mangham, RB Detroit Cass Tech For a while, it looked like Mangham might outgrow the running back position, but he remains there at 6-2, 217 pounds. He exhib- its solid athleticism, good speed and catches the ball very well. He makes for a really nice target because of his height and length. Mangham seems to be as wide open as any four-star prospect in the country with offers from Florida, Florida, State, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Oregon, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and more. Michigan never offered, but he still has plenty of options. He is listed as the No. 8 player in the state and the No. 215 overall player in the country. 22. Cameron Williams, OLB Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean At 6-3, 205 pounds, Williams is a long, lean linebacker who can really run. He's in an area of Indiana that doesn't get a lot of foot traffic from college coaches, and his of- fer list is a little light com- pared to his skill set. Williams, who is listed as the No. 4 player in Indiana and the No. 216 prospect overall nationally, is going to be a steal for whoever lands him. Michigan had not offered entering June, but other programs like Purdue, Missouri, Kentucky and North Carolina, among others, are in the sweepstakes for his services. 23. Tommy Eichenberg, ILB Cleveland St. Ignatius At 6-3, 225 pounds, Eichenberg is built differently than his older brother, Liam, who is a 6-6, 303-pound offensive lineman at Notre Dame. While the younger Eichenberg will never be as large as his brother, he's got good size for an inside line- backer and understands the process because of Liam's experiences. He's the No. 8 inside linebacker and No. 226 overall prospect nationally, making him a pretty coveted prospect. Notre Dame nor Ohio State had not offered heading into the summer, but Boston Col- lege, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota and West Virginia, among others, had. If the Irish or Buckeyes get in- volved it could be over for everyone else. 24. Max Duggan, QB Council Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central School Duggan is a tad undersized for a pro-style quarterback at 6-2, 180 pounds, throws a nice ball and garnered a lot of at- tention, receiving 23 offers before committing to TCU April 15. He is rated as a four-star player and is the No. 1 pros- pect in Iowa. He also checks in just inside the Rivals250 at No. 247 overall nationally. 25. Tyler Endres, OT Norwalk (Iowa) High Endres has good size at 6-6, 280 pounds. He's more proficient in run blocking than pass blocking, and is solid all-around. The No. 4 player in Iowa picked the in-state Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. ❏ TRACKING THE BEST IN THE CLASS OF 2018 The top 25 in the Midwest usually stay in the region. However, schools like Georgia, USC, Florida State, Oklahoma and Alabama came into the Midwest and snagged a big chunk of solid players. Clemson infil- trated the state of Ohio and snagged the region's top dog and only five-star, Jackson Carman. Ohio State led the way with five commitments out of the top 25 Midwest prospects, including No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, all from the state of Ohio. Numbers reflect final Rivals.com rankings in the Midwest. Rk. Player Pos. High School College 1. Jackson Carman OT Fairfield (Ohio) High Clemson 2. Tyreke Smith DE Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High Ohio State 3. Blue Smith WR Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne Ohio State 4. Jaelen Gill RB Westerville (Ohio) South Ohio State 5. Luke Ford TE Carterville (Ill.) High Georgia 6. Trevor Trout DT St. Louis Chaminade USC 7. Xavier Peters OLB West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West Florida State 8. Michael Thompson DT St. Louis Parkway North Oklahoma 9. Mario Goodrich CB Lee's Summit (Mo.) West Clemson 10. Kalon Gervin CB Detroit Cass Tech Michigan State 11. Ronnie Perkins DE St. Louis Lutheran North Oklahoma 12. Aidan Hutchinson DE Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child Michigan 13. Joseph Scates WR Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar Iowa State 14. Trenton Gillison TE Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington North Michigan State 15. Marquan McCall OG Oak Park (Mich.) High Kentucky 16. Emil Ekiyor OG Indianapolis Cathedral Alabama 17. Kamryn Babb WR St. Louis Christian Brothers College Ohio State 18. Xavier Henderson CB Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington North Michigan State 19. Micah Jones WR Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township Notre Dame 20. Cameron McGrone OLB Indianapolis Lawrence Central Michigan 21. Devin O'Rourke DE Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East Northwestern 22. Markese Stepp RB Indianapolis Cathedral USC 23. Tavion Thomas RB Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar Cincinnati 24. Dallas Gant OLB Toledo (Ohio) St. John's Ohio State 25. Jalen Mayfield OT Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central Michigan