The Week In Michigan Wolverines Football Recruiting: Oct. 17
Here is a look back at the last week of action involving the Maize and Blue’s recruiting efforts:
• With the class filling up, Hot Boards are being updated bi-weekly now. The offense is the latest side of the ball to be reviewed, and a few big targets still remain. The latest defensive Hot Board can be found linked here.
• Michigan now has 23 commits in the 2019 class (ranked No. 8 nationally) and five in 2020 (No. 9), and all of their 2018 seasons are underway. Some of them are already stuffing the stat sheet and helping their respective teams continue to win. Here’s a look back at who has done what so far on the gridiron.
• West Bloomfield (Mich.) High three-star junior inside linebacker and Michigan commit Cornell Wheeler helped his team pick up a big win over Oak Park last Friday and afterward he talked about his upcoming trip to U-M. The stout defender gave his prediction for the game, guessed at who he thought would come up big on Saturday and also spoke about how he’d be recruiting others.
• Much earlier this year, Oak Park (Mich.) High five-star junior offensive guard Justin Rogers dropped a top 13 and left out the home-state Wolverines and Spartans. It's now October and the No. 1 guard and No. 15 overall prospect nationally has been to Ann Arbor multiple times, and definitely has a renewed interest in the Wolverines. He was in town for U-M's game against Maryland and is seriously thinking about reshaping his favorites list because of Michigan's involvement. The 6-4, 314-pounder talked about his visit and also touches on the bonds he’s building with U-M’s staff.
• Recruiting has been picking up lately for junior running back Sam Adams out of Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic. The three-star has seen offers flow in from Texas Tech and Nebraska since the beginning of the month, as well as Oregon, Rutgers, Michigan, Wisconsin and Purdue in the past week or so, not to mention Florida to finish off September. At 6-2, 200 pounds it is his versatility that makes him so intriguing to schools. Adams flashes the ability to play both receiver and running back on tape, and has great run-after-the-catch ability. He had nothing but great things to say about U-M on the heels of his new offer.
• Michigan’s primetime matchup against Wisconsin was the biggest home game of the year so far and the staff decided to use it as star-studded recruiting event. Several commits, a lot of serious targets and a few five-star studs were in the house and got to see Michigan beat down the Badgers at The Big House. Here’s who we saw.
• Mosley (Va.) Cosby 2020 four-star outside linebacker Ethan West made the more than 600-mile trip from his home to Ann Arbor last weekend for U-M’s big win over Wisconsin and left very impressed with everything around the Michigan program.
• Crystal Lake (Ill.) South senior four-star offensive tackle Trevor Keegan has been one of Michigan’s top targets for a long time and this past weekend he was on campus for his official visit. The 6-6, 310-pounder got in early in Saturday and really had a full experience in Ann Arbor over the course of the weekend.
• Jay Butterfield was excited for his Michigan visit this past weekend. He expected to see some serious football in Ann Arbor, and the 2020 four-star quarterback from Brentwood (Calif.) Liberty certainly got that.
• Lexington (Ky.) Catholic four-star pro-style quarterback Beau Allen was one of the bigger names in attendance for Michigan’s game against Wisconsin and the junior signal-caller felt the love. The 6-2, 188-pounder got a chance to see up close what it would be like to play for the Wolverines.
• The first time Port Huron (Mich.) Northern 2020 linebacker Braiden McGregor visited Michigan this season it was for the Wolverine’s 49-3 drubbing of Western Michigan. This past weekend McGregor returned to Ann Arbor for a top-15 matchup with Wisconsin.
• Michigan is off to a hot start in the 2020 class with five commitments from players from four different states and their pursuit continues nationwide. Over the weekend it went a step further as the staff hosted junior running back Brandon Fields out of Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips. The 5-11, 210-pound back talked about the new offer and his upcoming visit just a few days before getting to town.
• It’s been a while since that last trip to Ann Arbor for one of Ohio’s top prospects. Junior Rivals250 linebacker Jaheim Thomas of Cincinnati Princeton already stands at an impressive 6-5, 215 pounds and holds close to 20 Division I offers. Two of them come from Michigan and Wisconsin, the teams he saw play in person over the weekend. He talked about the game and his experience with a big smile on his face.
• Harrison Bailey took in his first game at Michigan for the Maryland contest, and it surpassed expectations. The No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class had visited Ann Arbor a couple of times before, but not for a game. He wanted to experience the Saturday atmosphere, see what the fans were like and came away impressed by everything.
• Jim Harbaugh and his staff spent a lot of time with Dacula (Ga.) High senior four-star cornerback Jalen Perry before and after the game against Wisconsin. Perry left impressed.
• It has been a while since junior wide receiver David Baker had been in Ann Arbor for a recruiting visit. The 6-2, 190 pound prospect already holds an offer from the Wolverines, as well as Big Ten foes Iowa, Indiana and Purdue. He got a chance to swing by Michigan Stadium for the Wisconsin game and left feeling great about the Maize and Blue.
• Senior running back Giles Jackson committed to Michigan in September after a busy recruitment, especially in the last few weeks as he picked the Wolverines over Oregon, Oregon State and USC. He took another visit to Ann Arbor this past weekend for Michigan’s showdown against Wisconsin and the three-star from Oakley (Calif.) Freedom had a tremendous time.
• One of the other many visitors on hand for Michigan’s rout of Wisconsin was senior wide receiver Clayton Burton, out of Lake Forest (Ill.) High. Burton has been to Ann Arbor many times and his interest level in the program is high. He also happens to be teammates with Michigan offeree and junior Rivals250 defensive lineman Rylie Mills. As for a potential opportunity with Michigan on Burton's part, he says he thinks he’s got a good chance.
• Michigan has a quarterback commitment in the 2019 class, from four-star Rivals250 prospect Cade McNamara, but it is important to continue to add depth at the position. In Michigan’s blowout win over Wisconsin, the Wolverines saw three different quarterbacks play, and play well. Transfers, injuries or other scenarios can always contribute to calling the next man up, and U-M is looking at senior Bryant (Ark.) High dual-threat quarterback Ren Hefley in that regard.
• Michigan brought in more than 40 prospects for the Wisconsin game and that led to some juicy developments. Here are some behind-the-scenes intel that was gathered while milling around the field on Saturday night.
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