Michigan is on a roll on the recruiting trail.
Despite the ongoing global pandemic and an abrupt dead period — no on-campus recruiting visits are permitted — Michigan has been able to reel in a whopping nine verbal commitments since March 24.
Of those nine, four call New England home — Rivals100 Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s tight end Louis Hansen, Rivals250 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Greg Crippen (from Milton, Mass.), three-star Mansfield (Mass.) High defensive lineman TJ Guy and three-star Dedham (Mass.) Noble & Greenough linebacker Casey Phinney.
With Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown having strong roots in the region, the Wolverines have made it a priority recruiting territory. Talent there is on the rise, and Michigan has established its dominance.
Brown, who was born in Massachusetts, coached high school football in the state and served as Boston College’s defensive coordinator before arriving in Ann Arbor, played a huge role in Michigan’s hot streak over the last month and a half.
Recruits, parents and high school coaches love Brown and trust sending their kids far away from home to play for him.
“He’s highly respected out here and trusted,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Redding. “That’s a big thing for parents and coaches. If you are going to send a kid a thousand miles away from home, you want them to be in good hands. I’ve known Donnie for 30 years. I think the world of him. He does a great job of recruiting the kids and their parents. It’s good to know that (Guy) is in good hands and is going to be coached well.
“Off the field, he’s going to be treated with respect. That was a big piece of it. Boston College was under strong consideration with it being a great school in his backyard, but the allure of playing in the Big Ten for a Top 10 program was one of the deciding factors along with the chance of playing for Donnie.”
St. Sebastian’s head coach Dan Burke shared similar sentiments when asked about Brown’s recruiting prowess in New England.
“I’ve known Don Brown since I was in high school,” Burke said. “He actually recruited me when he was at Brown. I’ve known him since I was 17. It was great to see him coming through. He’s a guy that a lot of people around here know well and respect a lot. And it’s not just here. People throughout the country respect him. I got to know Coach Sherrone Moore well. He came out to one of Louie’s (Hansen) basketball games.
“Talking to those two guys, I got a really good feel for what good guys they were. They spent time talking to Louie’s mom and dad on the phone. They connected with the whole family.”
But Michigan’s success in New England goes beyond just Brown.
Parents and coaches of Michigan’s newest commits raved about what the program offers on and off the field. After all, most recruits in the region are high character and high academic kids that fit the culture Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is building in Ann Arbor.
Michigan is often an appealing option to New England kids because it offers the best of both worlds — elite academics and athletics. Simply put, New England kids are a perfect match for Michigan.
“Michigan isn’t just recruiting for football,” said Michael Hansen, father of Louis Hansen. “They showed Cindy (Hansen’s mother), Louie and myself the education piece. When you are getting kids from the ISL (Independent School League in New England) and you’re trying to not have them go to a Stanford or a Notre Dame, they push the education.
“That was very important for Louie. You’re already spending money for education for high school. You don’t want the education part to stop. That’s what I appreciated from Michigan.”
Burke added:
“I can talk specifically about Louie, and I imagine a lot of these kids are in the same boat. They understand the value of the education. Some of these guys have pro ambitions, but they know they need to be setting themselves up for the future. They all know they can get a great education at Michigan and play big-time football with a great coaching staff. The combination of a great education, great football and great people is what’s sending a lot of them that way.”
Relationships also played a huge role for Michigan’s newest commits and their families. As mentioned, Brown has ties to the area, but he truly spent time getting to know everyone involved in these recruitments on a personal basis.
So did Harbaugh. So did Michigan tight ends coach Sherrone Moore. So did offensive line coach Ed Warinner. The staff invested a lot in making sure their top New England targets jumped onboard.
“Coach (Don) Brown and Casey have formed a relationship over the last couple of years, and Casey has come to respect and admire him,” said Alissa Phinney, mother of Casey Phinney. “He is looking forward to the opportunity to develop and play for him. Coach (Jim) Harbaugh has been amazing. We have been able to ask any questions and get clear answers in order to make this decision. They were able to help us see that Michigan has the right balance for Casey.”
Brown and Michigan have always targeted New England, but it was last year’s haul that really set the tone for the success the Wolverines have experienced in the 2021 recruiting class.
Remember, Michigan reeled in commitments from a pair of Rivals250 prospects in Milton (Mass.) Academy linebacker Kalel Mullings and Cambridge (Mass.) BB&N offensive lineman Zak Zinter. Three-star Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John’s wide receiver Eamonn Dennis was also part of the class.
This year’s crop of New England stars grew up and played with Michigan’s 2020 signees. That paved and will continue to pave the way for the Massachusetts to Michigan movement.
“Last year’s success in New England had a big bearing on Louie because he played against Zak (Zinter),” Michael Hansen said. “He’s always played against and even with Kalel (Mullings). Knowing that those two guys, who were the top echelon of ISL (Independent School League) players, were going to Michigan really helped. I think the top tier guys here like Louis are going ‘ok, Michigan is special. Now, I know kids are calling Louis about his decision.
“I don’t know if I’m using the right words, but it’s a trickle down. When guys like Zak Zinter and Kalel Mullings go to Michigan — we’re talking the best of the best — that becomes the threshold for other players. That’s what they want to do. They want to go to Michigan.”
One of those kids calling Louis Hansen is 2022 Cambridge (Mass.) BB&N linebacker Tyler Martin. The four-star prospect holds some major offers, but Michigan is already considered the front-runner in his recruitment.
Martin’s father, Mark, is very plugged into the Massachusetts recruiting scene and admitted that Michigan’s statement recruiting wins in New England are going a long way with their recruiting process.
“Their success in New England is definitely something to take under consideration,” Mark said. “What’s nice about it is Tyler is planning on communicating with these kids that have been there the last couple of cycles. It will be important to get on campus whenever the kids get back to campus and seeing what their experience is like.
“ It definitely weighs on these kids, and it is a factor, especially if New England kids are thriving there. Tyler is very close to Zak and he’s very happy there. Mullings, Phinney, Hansen are close to Tyler and keep in touch with him. From our family perspective, that counts a bunch.”
Michigan isn’t done in New England in 2021. The Wolverines are after Rivals100 Dedham (Mass.) Noble & Greenough offensive lineman Drew Kendall and are in a strong position to land him. Kendall is a teammate of Phinney and is good friends with Hansen.
As mentioned, Michigan is already off to a strong start in 2022 with Martin. The 2023 class features Zinter’s brother, Cambridge (Mass.) BB&N tight end Preston Zinter, who already holds an offer from the Wolverines.
New England is on the come up when it comes to producing top recruiting talent. And Michigan is poised to continue to build a fence around the region.
“Massachusetts definitely has top talent, and Coach (Don) Brown knows New England very well, and he knows exactly where and how to find them,” said Paul Zinter, father of Zak and Preston Zinter. “The way Coach Brown, Coach Harbaugh and, in our case, Coach (Ed) Warriner build their relationships with the guys shows the players just how important they are now and will be to the Michigan team.
“During his recruitment, Zak was told how special Michigan was and how it had everything he was looking for. As parents, we are so glad to see that Michigan has fulfilled what Zak thought it would be and even more.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @EJHolland_TW, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
