Examining important visitors for BBQ at the Big House
With one day remaining before Michigan gets set to host its biggest summer recruiting event following the dead period, Maize & Blue Review has confirmed pretty much the full list of expected visitors slated to be on campus Sunday.
The number of attendees isn't as large compared to past years but the Wolverines have managed to put together a strong contingent that includes a notable five-star quarterback and several high four-star prospects who have a shot at earning a bump in rankings by the next update.
In this article, we break down the most important visitors and what their presence means for Michigan in terms of locking down a future commitment. Should the BBQ at the Big House end up as successful as the Wolverines hope, there could be another momentum spike as a result, much like the one seen earlier this month.
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Have to start off with Davis, right?
The No. 3 ranked quarterback in the 2024 class will be back in Ann Arbor for the second time in less than two months. He was first spotted on campus the second week of June along with two others who'll be mentioned later on in the preview.
Locking in Davis for the barbecue means so much given how Michigan is still searching for a quarterback in the 2023 and 2024 classes. The loss of Dante Moore to Oregon and CJ Carr to Notre Dame propels the need to roll out the red carpet for Davis on Sunday, but I don't have to say this though because it's going to happen anyway.
The last visit saw Davis meeting with Jim Harbaugh for about two full hours which is going to be the case tomorrow. Only one other quarterback is on the invite list so it shows the prioritization Michigan is putting on the North Carolina native.
There was rumors or conversations that Davis might commit following the barbecue but it wouldn't be a shock if he decides to prolong the process as far as official visits next year. That's despite Davis being FutureCasted to Michigan by pretty much everyone on M&BR and Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman.
The excitement of Davis going to Michigan blew up even more last month when he was spotted rocking Michigan gear at OT7 in Las Vegas. Competition for Davis is coming from Georgia and Clemson but this weekend will surely extend the lead that Michigan had going into it.
If you want to read more on said competition, our dear leader Josh Henschke posted an intel piece regarding Georgia's push.
Sunday will be the second time that Hill is on campus after taking his official visit on June 10. There was optimism that Michigan would have had Hill locked in by now following that official but there's still the lingering existence of Illinois aggressively trying keep him in-state.
Hill also picked up some intriguing offers lately in Florida State and Auburn, the latter of which he's visited recently this week. The Seminoles are going to be hosting the three-star cornerback soon as well. That's not even including Washington, who's in talks as a contender.
Steve Clinkscale has made a conscience effort though this offseason in contacting Hill and making him one of the key targets at the position. Holding those relationships that Hill has made at Michigan as strong as ever will be the goal for the barbecue as the top ten ranked Illinois prospect will make a commitment in the fall.
Michigan has only one verbal commitment in its 2023 recruiting class on the offensive line in Amir Herring. That's caused a large amount of criticism in the failure to not land another quarterback protector this summer after hosting a handful of targets on official visits last month.
With Sherrone Moore continuing to offer more uncommitted linemen, he'll have the opportunity to rope in Lomu, the No. 7 ranked prospect in the state of Arizona, on his unofficial visit.
Lomu hasn't been to Michigan since getting the offer but that's because it came on the first day of July. For him to travel all the way from the Phoenix metroplex so soon speaks on behalf of his interest in the Joe Moore Award winners.
So far, the 6-foot-5 and 255-pound tackle has been to Utah, Arizona, and Cal on official visits so this barbecue will be an indicator if whether he returns in the fall officially. Having Herring on campus as well will help in recruiting Lomu.
Goodwin was offered by Ron Bellamy during the spring evaluation period as Michigan became an early contender immediately. That's because of Bellamy's longtime friendship with former teammate Jonathan Goodwin, the junior's father and former Super Bowl champion.
The elder Goodwin obviously has played a major role in his son's recruitment and his teammates at Providence Day as well, as he tagged along last month for the trip up north. Not saying that Goodwin is influencing the group in their decisions but being that he's a former Wolverine and how close the group is with one another has correlating links to it.
It should also be noted that Goodwin's uncle, Harold Goodwin, also played college football at Michigan.
FutureCasts have already been made for Goodwin to join Davis in Ann Arbor. That's while knowing that NC State, Louisville Virginia Tech, and a couple of other schools that have offered are trying hard for Goodwin to end the family legacy.
Shipp is rated higher than Goodwin by Rivals.com but has the same connections to Michigan compared to his wide receiver counterpart at Providence Day, so his increased liking of the program will be imperative after Sunday. It should be noted too that Shipp is very interested in teaming up with Goodwin at the next level with Michigan being a potential destination.
The Rivals250 four-star was also alongside Davis and Goodwin at the visit last month and told M&BR that being invited back was very easy to accept. It helps that Davis is being heavily courted and Goodwin's father spent his collegiate career in Ann Arbor.
Shipp wants to use Sunday's visit as a stepping stone in putting together a bond with Bellamy, who's spoken highly of the chemistry between Shipp and Goodwin and how it can be translated perfectly up at Michigan.
If Goodwin commits to the Wolverines, regardless of Davis does as well or not, I expect Shipp to narrow his options down more in buildup to a possible reunion. No FutureCasts have been made on Shipp to Michigan but that could change following this weekend.
Due to the close proximity of Oden's hometown of Harper Woods to Ann Arbor, the amount of unofficial visits that the four-star defensive back has taken this offseason has been quite large, with the most recent trip coming last month.
Sunday won't be any different as he looks to develop more of a relationship with Clinkscale and the entire coaching staff for that matter. Oden views Clinkscale as the mentor type which is about as similar of a statement made by other secondary targets.
This recruitment though is far from a lock, despite the high number of visits, as Michigan faces strong competition from Michigan State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Pitt, and the southern schools. Oden said he's going to make an effort this fall to travel down to the south and see Arkansas, Missouri, Jackson State, and many more who have offered.
If Davis wasn't going to attend the barbecue, then we would be talking about Bolden as the main headliner for this weekend. The Rivals100 athlete mentioned to Adam Gorney at OT7 that Michigan was a school that he was hoping to see this summer. Less than a month later, he scheduled his first ever visit to Ann Arbor.
Bolden has heard from both Clinkscale and Bellamy this offseason with the Wolverines projecting the No. 2 overall player in the state of Georgia as a two-way contributor at defensive back and wide receiver. Clinkscale made a stop at Buford High during the spring evaluation period at one point to meet with Bolden, which sparked the connection.
Bolden appreciates that his athleticism is being viewed by Michigan the same as the roles once given to Charles Woodson, Jabrill Peppers, and Desmond Howard. He also spoke highly on the competition of the Big Ten and the conference's development of NFL-ready talent as reasons why he's making the trek to Michigan.
Edwards arrives on campus Sunday with a top 15 in mind that includes Michigan, as well as other elite national programs like Alabama, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Miami, Oklahoma, Georgia, NC State, Michigan State, Louisville, Duke, Florida, and Tennessee.
Michigan offered the Rivals250 EDGE rusher back in May so the purpose of the visit will be for Edwards to garner early relationships with Mike Elston, Dylan Roney, and Grant Newsome. Edwards is also being recruited as a tight end.
Edwards told M&BR about his wanting to also meet with Harbaugh and understand what the head coach expects from him over these next two years. The family has even scheduled meetings with academic counselors while on campus as Edwards yearns to major in psychology and minor in business.
The Wolverines are already in a good spot for Edwards with their insertion in the top 15 but how they're thought of heading into the fall and next offseason will largely be determined with how the weekend visit goes. But for Edwards to make the effort in getting a head start on that is a major win for Michigan.
Bentancur is having about as perfect of an offseason as one recruit would have knowing the amount of offers that he's collected in a span of three months and his overwhelming popularity from the coaches who've reached out since.
Surpassing the 30-mark in offers that includes Michigan, Texas A&M, Penn State, Clemson, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Oregon, the Wolverines will get first crack in hosting the Rivals100 tight end after offering him back in April.
Newsome has told Bentancur in past conversations that he's the top target at the position for the 2024 class which can also be said about a majority of the other schools in contention for the Chicagoland playmaker. For someone who notched 1,200 receiving yards on 53 catches last season, budding interest won't come to a standstill anytime soon.
Anderson, one of the top playmakers in the state of California, will be at Michigan for the first time since being offered back in March. When asked about the offer, the Rivals100 four-star athlete told M&BR that the Wolverines have been a dream school ever since he was little.
Bellamy has been keeping in contact with Anderson through the latter's father in the push to get him on campus early. Of course, Anderson spent some time next to Semaj Morgan during 7on7 competition and got some helpful information about what it takes to be coached by Bellamy.
Growing up, Anderson has emulated Ronnie Bell on the field while supporting Michigan from afar as a fan. Knowing everything about Anderson's interest in the Big Ten Champions before he steps foot on campus, the barbecue will spark that intrigue to another level, as he'll get to understand more about the team's NIL opportunities and fit under Bellamy.
The fact that Speca will be making his fourth unofficial visit to Michigan since being offered earlier in the offseason shows how great of a position the team is in for the No. 9 linebacker in the 2024 class.
Speca was on campus as recently as last month as he also went to Tennessee, Wisconsin, Penn State, Tennessee, and South Carolina. The four-star even told PantherLair.com about his intentions of coming back for the maize out game against the Nittany Lions.
There's only one FutureCast for Speca and that's to Notre Dame. But that prediction came back in November. So I wouldn't say it's obsolete, but with so much happening afterwards, no one is ready to make a second FutureCast at this time.
Sunday will be made for George Helow to push as hard as possible when meeting with Speca. Matt Weiss and Newsome should also be involved because of their connections to the state of Pennsylvania.
Having Semaj Bridgeman on campus too will provide Speca with more insight on why the former committed to Michigan as the two play the same position and hail from the same state.
Tuerk will be making his third appearance at Michigan dating back to the Ohio State game. Throughout the offseason, M&BR has caught up with the four-star lineman quite a bit, with the last interview coming last month at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge down in Atlanta, Georgia.
Leading this recruitment has been both Moore and Elston as Michigan views the Chicagoland native as a future standpoint on either side of the ball. Each assistant was able to meet with Tuerk during the spring evaluation period and later on at the North Central satellite camp last month.
Tuerk hasn't dropped an official top schools list yet but would indeed insert the Wolverines in that group if he did. Michigan was one of the firsts to view the junior's versatility as a major asset, which began when Shaun Nua offered him last year, and persisted now that Elston is onboard.
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