On the recruiting class
The overview would be, really, congrats. It's a great recruiting class. I say that congratulations to all because it's a total effort by all. It's about choosing future Michigan men who possess the qualities we aspire to have in the program. This class represents those qualities we're looking for. Guys who are willing to work hard. To be the best version of themselves each and every day. Those who are also willing to place the team highly in their priorities, those who show up to work every day in the weight room, to learn, to practice, to be a champion, to be a true Michigan Man. I think our staff, getting to know the families and getting to know each of the kids, we've accomplished a great class.
On whether there was an emphasis on this class
Regarding position groups, you're just trying to get a starter at each position. Somebody that you're projecting will be a starter someday. Best to cover each and every position that way as you build the roster, there aren't any holes going forward. The fit that I just talked about. Being a Michigan Man, that's the biggest one. Sometimes the positions will change but we've got the o-line, d-line body types. You can't have enough of those. The big skill athletes, edge rushers, tight ends, I consider running backs big skill. Linebackers, big skill. The skill players. The receivers, DBs. They sometimes will switch. You saw Mikey Sainristil going from receiver to DB this year and that can take place. A good emphasis on those three, o-line, d-line, big skill and skill.
On Kendrick Bell
He's a brother of two-time captain Ronnie Bell. The last time we had a Simone winner was Ronnie Bell. We struck lightning with Ronnie Bell, a great player and great teammate. You talk about somebody who is always willing to put the team first, Ronnie Bell epitomizes that. Brother Kendrick, great athlete who loves to compete. He's told me, he's willing to play any position. Could be a quarterback, could be receiver, could be corner. He's got the skillset to play all those. We'll start him out at QB and then we'll go from there. Extremely productive football player who is very versatile.
On the offensive linemen
As soon as you meet all three offensive linemen, you're going to be excited. Great guys, they're going to fit right in with our offensive line. They love to work, they're not ever really looking for acolades. It's all about working hard and being the best they can be, that's what I love about Nathan, Amir and Evan. Great families. Start with Nathan's family, very close to Ojabo family. The mothers are very, very good friends and tip of the cap to David Ojabo and Ngor for recommending Michigan to the Efobi family. Just wonderful, wonderful. Nathan is one of those athletes who is a real athlete who is an offensive lineman. Super high ceiling. Can play both sides of the ball, rarely comes off the field and his dream school has been Michigan, thanks in part to the great David Ojabo and the Ojabo family. Amir has been great, another great Michigan family. Amir has been somebody that has been in this class. You talk about recruiting it for a year, we've been recruiting him for like two or three years. He's been one of our best recruiters for the 23 class all along with his teammate Semaj Morgan. They've done a tremendous job of helping build this class. Both played for Ron Bellamy at West Bloomfield. They were apart of the state championship with Donovan Edwards. Amir has been a four-year starter at West Bloom. Day one starter as a freshman. You know how practically impossible that is to start on a high-caliber high school football team as a freshman. Super hard worker. Has been all-state twice. As I said, loves Michigan, has been here a lot during his recruitment. Has come to a lot of games. Another great student, wants to go into medicine. I love the offensive lineman who I call street-smart and book-smart. They're savvy about the game but, also, they're just smart. They're book-smart, too. As a quarterback and a running back, that makes you feel really good that they're going to know their assignments and be able to go out and execute. All three are really savvy for football and gifted in the classroom. I'll keep saying it, I'll probably say it a lot during this conversation, one thing I've learned during the recruiting process, having been doing this as long I've been doing it, the apple doesn't fall too far from the branch. Each one of these players, they come from solid, solid upbringings, families, parents. Evan Link comes from a military family, both mom and dad. Attended a big-time high school in Gonzaga, played against elite competition. He's no stranger to competition. He's shown the ability to be the dominant player, got a great frame, very athletic. Smart, intelligent, he wants to go into engineering or business. It's a really fantastic offensive line class.
On the running backs
For us growing up in Ann Arbor, Dexter is part of us. You're a local guy. I had a chance to be raised in Ann Arbor, you just know what that's like. You know what that's like growing up in the shadow of the Big House. You're not scared to play in front of your friends, that's another component. You're playing in front of friends, family, cousins. The Cabana's all pretty much live within an hour of Michigan. I think the farthest away is they get is Jackson. They're all over southern Michigan. He's one of our earliest commits in the class, been a great guy to help us recruit the class. Your players are some of your best recruiters. Explosive player, he's a track guy. 10.6 in the 100-meter. That's fast. He helped turn Dexter into a winning program. He won their first division title since 1963. Two-time all-state player again gained almost 6,000 all-purpose yards in his career, scored 79 touchdowns. Family of athletes. His sister plays soccer, both parents played sports. He's one of those guys who loves to hunt. They've got some of the deer heads, the mounts. 10-points. Counting them out and stuff.
On Benjamin Hall
I love the multi-sport athletes, starting point guard on the basketball team. He's a coaches kid, his father has been a long-time basketball coach. Very smart, very intelligent young man. Another guy, this constant theme of likes to work. Got a great work ethic. That's been poured into him by his parents. On the official visit, he ran to Schembechler Hall to get his workout in rather than coming by car. He ran from the Graduate down to Schembechler Hall before breakfast. Just a motivated guy who is willing to work. That's what I see in just about every recruit in this class. Just one of those prerequisites. He's at the highest level, that work ethic.
On the tight ends
Again, two very smart guys. Two very, really, great workers. Zack, he just lights up the room. One of those guys who lights up the room with personality. Spirituality, faith is very important to Zack and the entire family. Very strong Christian family. He has developed into a very good tight end after playing wide receiver pretty much his whole career, his first three years of high school. He won the tight end award at the Elite 11 camp. He transferred schools and, from the time he stepped on to the smaller school to the bigger school, he blew up nationally. Led the state of California in receiving yards as a junior with nearly, 1100 yards and had 9 touchdowns. He's younger for his class, he's one of these 17-year-olds that you just gotta say, if they're 17 compared to someone who is 18 or 19, they've got another year of man growth coming their way. They can be as good as somebody who is a year older or two years older, a lot of kids these days, they read that book by Malcolm Gladwell I think and, I guess, parents are smart to do that. Doesn't mean we have to be dumb to know that, we know their ages. You know when a 17-year-old is as good or better than an 18 or 19-year-old. He's going to get better 18 and 19-year-old and i's going to happen fast. A year of man growth comes around 18 or 19-years-old and Rod Moore would be a terrific example of that. Rod Moore, three-star. You're missing out on the five-star that's 19-years-old, I'm looking at him going, I'll take Rod Moore. Because I know if he was going to stay in high school for two more years, he'd probably be a five-star by the time he was a senior. As a matter of fact, Rod Moore started here as a freshman It happens quick. That's one of the other great things about Zack. He's also a multi-sport guy, very athletic. Three older sisters, including one that plays volleyball at Vanderbilt. He's the youngest of four. Terrific family. Deakon Tonielli, wait until he walks through the door. You go, OK, that looks a lot like Colston Loveland to me. Darn near identical. Really good basketball player. Multi-year starter and basketball player. Hard-working, we like to say blue-collar guy. He loves Michigan, loved it since the day he stepped on campus. I love those guys where its love at first sight. They look around and go, this is good. I see real opportunity here. They look at it—you can just see their eyes. Somebody walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet and going, it's all you can eat? Have at it. Great size, smooth athlete. Really incredible ball skills. Super, super excited about both of those tight ends.
On the wide receivers
Karmello, he was a signing day decision and we had known for a little bit that this was the decision that he was going to make. Kind of like a boxer, there's a nice flurry there in the 12th round to secure the deal. Karmello, extremely successful in an extremely successful high school program led by Patrick Nix, the father of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. I love being around him. It's like looking in the mirror as a dad and as a coach. I've got some successful sons, too. Karmello has got a great, supportive family. He's one of the top players in the state of Alabama, one of the best receivers in the country. Been around a lot of good players. One of his mentors, former LSU receiver Justin Ross, who ran one of the fastest times in the combine. He's been around all those kind of athletes. He's got a job, he's one of the few guys that has a job when they're in high school. Works at a sporting goods store. He's another kind of guy that lights up the room with his personality. Very contagious. He'd be a heckuva basketball prospect but he decided to give up that after his sophomore season to focus on football. You can see all of those basketball skill traits. Fredrick Moore, he was one of my favorite guys. You always point to a favorite guy, Fredrick is one of them. You just bond with some guys. Fred is all about work, all about business. His mom is a train conductor like my grandfather, Bill Harbaugh. Family has been a huge influence on him, they've poured tremendous qualities into Fredrick, including his older brother, Dontavious, who is a big influence. Very instrumental in helping Fredrick developing his skills and finding the right school for him. Eye-popping 28 touchdowns. He scored 28 touchdowns as a senior. Very explosive, very talented player with great ball skills. Love that we're getting a guy from St. Louis, kind of breaking into that area. A lot of great receivers have come from there. Big collector of shoes, especially Jordan's which we happen to have a lot of. Just fun, a fun, super guy. Semaj, another great family. Semaj's mom, if you talk about somebody that can light up the room, somebody that can recite a bible verse and really knows the chapters and the verses. They have raised an incredible child in Semaj, another one of Ron Bellamy's players. He's known Semaj since he was 6-years-old. Semaj's dad was an assistant coach as West Bloom. Here's a guy that plays all over the field. Wide receiver, quarterback, plays safety, DB, QB, great athlete. Did a heckuva job at the US Army Bowl Game on Saturday, catching three passes. Also had an interception that I think was called back for roughing the passer. Still a heckuva play by Semaj. Somebody that's been with us, been a diehard Michigan guy for the last couple of years. Also helped recruit the class as well.
On his idea of the 'perfect' recruit
Like I said at the top of the show, guys that are willing to work hard to be the best version of themselves each and every single day. Those that place the team highly in their priorities. It's just not all about me, me, me. About getting mine. The team, what's good for the hive is good for the bee. Somebody that is smart enough to understand that. Somebody that's just going to show up and work every day in the weight room. They want to learn and they want to be a champion. That's the qualities that we're looking for. Just somebody, I tell them, just do you. Do you. It's working. It's working in the classroom, it's working on the team. If you want to get better, a little bit better at something, just work a little bit harder at it and whatever you do, don't get the big head. That's a trap. That's a deep, dark, lonely trap. Those are the main things I'm looking for.
On defensive line
Big, athletic. Brooks, state champion, and defensive lineman of the year out of the Catholic League in Chicago. Chicago has become a hotbed again for Michigan, it was in my time when I played here. It certainly is now. You look around this current team, great bunch of guys that are from Chicago, including the quarterback JJ McCarthy and Treve Keegan, AJ Henning. It's a really good, long list there. Brooks, a very versatile player. He can play end, he can play tackle. Super smart, he wants to also major in business. I would say a pretty cool thing, we got taught a cool ping pong game on the home visit. It was about 8 to 10 people it started with the family there. Mike Elston, myself and a couple other coaches. You hit one shot and it rotates until you miss, then if somebody misses the shot then—it's continuous. You hit the shot, sit the paddle down, someone else picks the paddle up, hit the return, you just keep going until there's only one left. I didn't win. I think the best I finished was second. I can't remember who won, I think Brooks' mom won. It was her game, she was good at it.
On Enow Etta
Very bright, smart young man. Wants to be an engineer. He's got the smarts and grades to do it. Another three-sport athlete, football, basketball, track. He builds computers from scratch. He orders the parts, puts them together. Had over 100 tackles, 34 TFLs and 20 sacks. I think he had over 60 sacks in his four years of high school. Somebody that knows how to get to the quarterback. Athletic and really strong and super bright. Great combination. Going to thrive here at our engineering school.
On Roderick Pierce
Phenomenal student. Another Chicago lad. 4.0 grade average and both parents have been very involved in law enforcement. A family—father Roderick is a Sherrif's detective, very supportive. Had a great conversation with the family in the home. Grandfather, he's one of those that's going to live with me for a long time, sat down the glass and, OK, let's talk. Talk about Trey and his development. It was just really good. You could tell where the family—the trunk of the tree and the branch, the apple doesn't fall too far the branch or the trunk. He's a great guy, very serious about being good and accomplishing his goals. He wants a great education. I think this might be a guy who might be a coach someday. We talked quite a bit about that. He's somebody that will play as long as he can and then coach. Great strength, great explosiveness at a position you always need. Not just big, not just strong but also athletic and explosive.
On Breeon Ishmail
Breeon is very—you talk about long, athletic, versatile. Moving to linebacker after playing wide receiver and DB, he comes walking through the door, yeah, he's a wide receiver, super tall looking, possibly corner. He's become a really good edge rusher, as many great edge rushers formally were wide receivers, he's cut from that cloth. Comes from another really great program, Princeton of Hamilton, Ohio. We've had some great players from there at Michigan, very impactful. Been a tremendous leader there. Receives great support from his mother and his grandmother. Great relationship with his father, Jimmy. Another great family. A high motor kid, very productive in the final two years of his high school career. As you would suspect, a very good basketball player. Earned all-conference and all-county honors. Long, athletic, smooth, fluid. Also, a lot of times you don't see the guys who are smooth, athletic playing with the kind of motor that he does. Really excited about Breeon.
On Aymeric Koumba
He speaks two more languages than I do. I speak American, English I guess. He speaks French, African dialect and English. We discovered him at a satellite camp in Georgia and got to work with him. Also at the TCU camp. A very under-the-radar talent. Raw football player with a very high ceiling. Lots of potential. First player to sign the scholarship today with our program. He signed it from France. Brandon Collier, who does a tremendous job with some of the foreign players. He's been a tremendous ally to a lot of the foreign players and we know him well. Aymeric is one of their premier international players. Same organization that Julius Welschof came out of. I have not made it over to Bordeaux recently, maybe someday there will be a home visit. I had to be judicious with our time. Fortunately, we were playing in the championship in the Big Ten and really crunched down on the amount of time. That was the only time I could make the home visits was that short, two-week window. Got to most everybody but wasn't able to get over to France.
On Jason Hewlett
Jason Hewlett, I'll start with him, he's one of the best all-around athletes in the state of Ohio. He was recruited for football and basketball, multi-sport player. He missed his entire junior year but came back from that with a very productive senior season and will only continue to get better. Another guy, when he walks through the door, you see him in person. He plays linebacker, for sure. He would not be out place in any locker room. Whether it's a college locker room, pro locker room. Just a great, great-looking athlete. His brother, Jalen, is a linebacker at Youngstown State. Coach Clink recruited and coached his uncle at Ashland. Coach Clink, great job here. One of Youngstown's finest, Coach Steve Clinkscale. He's known the family and had a relationship with Jason's extended family for a very long time. One of the better-looking football players that you're ever going to see as a true freshman.
On Semaj Bridgeman
Same kind of looking, they look like real, Big Ten linebackers that can fill a gap. Take on an offensive lineman but also have the athleticism to run sideline to sideline and put that pressure on the quarterback. You can even line him up in the nickel defense. I think they're going to have the ability to come off the egde. Semaj is big, long, physical, athletic. You love long and athletic and can run. Came to our camps and was evaluated, we saw it. Great quality individual as a person. Comes from a very hard-working family. Middle child, older brother, younger sister just like yours truly. The cat is a very famous cat, Shadow, in the house. Stacy is a great mom. He's quiet but has a great confidence in his ability. It's genuine confidence. Super excited about Semaj. You could say versatile, could be a pass rusher, can be a linebacker and day one looks like a Big Ten linebacker.
On Hayden Moore
Very much the same, these are three linebackers that look almost identical in length and athleticism. Hayden grew up playing basketball. Can imagine was a very aggressive rebounder. Also a pitcher, he throws 90 miles an hour plus. Jimmy Rolder, all three of these linebackers are going to remind you a lot of Jimmy Rolder and they're all multi-sport guys. They play really hard, tremendous motor. They all have great measurables. Hayden, great measurables. Very physical. He's another guy who likes to hunt and fish. We've got some guys who can show him around. Comes from Colorado. I've been told that there is some of the best hunting and fishing there is in Michigan. I did some research. It has the most hunting and fishing licenses of any state in the country. He's excited about that. Great family. Played recevier. Grew up, and did some catching for Josh Allen. Family knows a lot of people in Wyoming. The father, Justin, he looks like he wants to suit it up at any moment. Ready to get in there and start playing, get the job done. Smart kid, Hayden Moore is going to be another Ross School of Business type of student. Very smart.
On Adam Samaha
Really talented. Super talented. He's been raised as a Michigan Wolverine. His father, very successful basketball coach and was a member of the Michigan basketball staff. Mom, Sheri, worked for the University of Michigan center for educational outreach. An all-around athlete. One of the most athletic kickers we've had, Quinn Nordin comes to mind as somebody who is also very athletic. Adam was actually a very good basketball player. Competitive. Somebody who likes the pressure. He hit a buzzer-beater in basketball a year ago, I think that bodes really well. Any kicker I know that has played basketball. It's amazing there's been quite a few that have hit buzzer-beaters that I've known throughout my career and they were always good kickers. He was one of the first players to commit to the class as well. Great to have an Ann Arbor kid, from Huron High School. You just know what that's like, growing up in the area. Let alone in the state of Michigan, in this area, where you know, everybody that you know, is going to be following your progress on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis. That puts a lot of pressure on you. There are some people who are scared of that and some people who aren't. I really love that about Adam and Cole, they're not batting an eye.
On Cameron Calhoun
I'm going to talk first about Cam Calhoun, he's one of the top cornerbacks in the state of Ohio. Erica and Randy, his parents, very influential in the decision. Academics and football were the major priority to Cam and his family. Very productive player in high school. He just always seems to be around the football. Over 50 tackles as a junior. As a senior, he had 5-plus interceptions. 9 as a junior and 5 as a senior. Charismatic. He's got this empathetic side also. One of these guys who loves to recruit. A lot of conversations with him over text and on the phone. He just strikes you as somebody who is going to be a great teammate and a really good fit in our defensive backfield.
On Jyaire Hill
Great athlete. Game-breaker type guy as a kick returner and as a defensive back. Unique player. Really high ceiling as a defensive back. Great ball skills. Likes to make desserts. He is always making desserts and sells them at school, actually. Very unique, creative individual. Super competitive. Played for a state title in football, is elite in track and field. State champion in the relays. All-state performer in the long jump, helped his track team win its first-ever state title. Another one of those type of guys who has a personality that lights up the room. Like Cam, like some of the other guys that I mentioned. Not arrogant, not one bit. Humble and hungry. Would be how I would describe them. A true, genuine confidence about them.
On DJ Waller
One thing that Will Johnson shows and we've all known, these long, athletic, tall corners are so good. This is unique size with DJ. He looks like he could be an edge rusher. Close to 6-foot-4 tall. Has a great skillset that is rare for his size. You get tall guys and you question what's their change of direction, can they flip their hips? He's got unique athleticism for his size. I just think under Coach Clink's mentorship that DJ is going to have a long career in football at the corner position. Tremendous story, raised by his father. This like father-of-the-century-type stuff. At age 15, 16-years old, DJ became sole parent and he has done everything for his son DJ. D'Juan, I have so much respect for him as a dad. Doing the right thing, working hard every day for his family and his children. The dad lights up the room. This is the one, he's 35 years old. Amazing, amazing. They look like brothers. D'Juan almost looks a little younger to me at times. Tremendous personality. I can't wait for all the Michigan families to get to know DJ and D'Juan, the father. DJ is an extremely productive, over this last two years of high school football, recording so many stops and PBUs each season. High school teammate of Jason Hewlett. Really good basketball player. He just walks through the room going, this guy can dribble between his legs, behind his back, dunk. He would be another guy that would be a tremendous basketball player on the college level. Can't wait for everybody to get to know DJ and all the recruits here. They're humble, they're hungry, they're very talented. Super smart group. These are not me, my guys. They have pride in how they perform and they've got big dreams and goals. The willingness that the team is going to be high on their priorities is one of the huge factors that attracted us to each and every one of these guys and why they're going to be such a great fit here at Michigan.
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @DavisMoseley, @lucasreimink, @JaredHalus
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
