Under The Lights: Previewing Big Games For Michigan Commits

Football season is officially here as high school games kicked off across the country over the last couple of weeks.

Several of Michigan’s commits are set to be back in action this weekend. The Wolverine’s EJ Holland is also ready to hit the road to see Wolverine pledges and top targets.

Below you will find a preview of weekend games featuring Michigan commits as well as our own whereabouts on the recruiting trail.

After stops in Nashville, Detroit, and Tulsa,The Wolverine is set to make its way out to the West Coast to see around 20 offered Michigan recruits. It is perhaps the biggest road weekend of the season.

The first game takes place on Friday as Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco plays host to Olney (Md.) Good Counsel in an epic California-Maryland battle. Bosco is ranked as the No. 3 team in the country, per MaxPreps, and Good Counsel is a traditional Mid-Atlantic power.

Bosco is home to elite 2021 wide receiver Beaux Collins and fast-rising 2022 offensive lineman Earnest Greene. Both visited Michigan over the offseason and notched offers while in Ann Arbor.

On the flip side of the coin, Good Counsel features four-star 2020 Michigan defensive line commit Kris Jenkins as well as 2021 Rivals100 offensive lineman Landon Tengwall, who is one of the Wolverines' top overall priorities for next cycle.

Game No. 2 also features a Michigan commit as four-star offensive lineman Jeffrey Persi and San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra take on Milton (Ga.). Persi will need to lead the way upfront in another big battle of high level national programs.

The grand finale is being dubbed the high school game of the year as Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances collide in a battle of the top two teams in the country, per MaxPreps.

St. Frances has a ton of Michigan flavor as four commits highlight the roster — four-star running back Blake Corum, four-star linebackers Osman Savage and Nikhai Hill-Green and three-star offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua.

Michigan has also offered a number of underclassmen at St. Frances, including defensive linemen Katron Evans, Derrick Moore and Nasir Pearce, quarterback John Griffith and linebacker Aaron Willis.

The Wolverines have offered a handful underclassmen on Mater Dei's roster as well.

Four-star 2021 linebacker Raesjon Davis and four-star 2021 cornerback Jaylin Davies are both in the Rivals100. Rising 2022 prospects CJ Williams and cornerback Domani Jackson also have scholarships in hand.

1. RB Blake Corum, Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances

As mentioned, the Mater Dei vs. St. Frances matchup is already being dubbed the game of the year. Look, Mater Dei is going to put up a ton of points. Five-star USC quarterback commit Bryce Young is the truth and has plenty of weapons at his disposal. St. Frances will need to keep pace, and that means a heavy dose of Corum. The four-star prospect has been phenomenal this year and will need to carry the load against a Mater Dei defensive that features several FBS recruits.

2. Kris Jenkins, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel

While the Mater Dei vs. St Frances game is getting its deserved hype, it seems people are sleeping on the other Maryland-California tile. Good Counsel's defense will need to be at its best to stop, or at least limit, five-star Clemson quarterback commit DJ Uiagalelei, elite 2021 wide receiver Beaux Collins and the rest of the St. John Bosco offense. That starts in the trenches with Jenkins, who will need to anchor the Good Counsel defensive line.

3. Makari Paige, West Bloomfield (Mich.)

West Bloomfield was ranked as the No. 1 team in the state of Michigan at this time last week. Then Friday night happened as West Bloomfield fell to Beverly Hills (Mich.) Groves in a massive upset. West Bloomfield doesn't get an easy bounce back game. Southfield has a lot of talent, especially at wide receiver with Washington State commit Christian Fitzpatrick. Paige will likely follow him around all game. West Bloomfield needs Paige and the rest of the secondary to step up in a big way

OL Reece Atteberry, Eaglecrest (Colo.) — @ Fort Collins (Colo.) Rocky Mountain 9/12

DB RJ Moten, Delran (N.J.) — vs. Pennsauken (N.J.) Bishop Eustace 9/13

DB Andre Seldon, Belleville (Mich.) — vs. Dearborn (Mich.) 9/13

WR AJ Henning, Lincoln Way (Ill.) East — vs. Bradley (Ill.) Bourbonnais 9/13

TE Nick Patterson, San Antonio (Texas) Christian — vs. San Antonio (Texas) Cole 9/13

OL Giovanni El-Hadi, Stevenson (Mich.) — vs. Romeo (Mich.) 9/13

DL Braiden McGregor, Port Huron (Mich.) Northern — vs. St. Clair Shores (Mich.) Lakeview 9/13

DL Kris Jenkins, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel — @ Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco 9/13

LB Cornell Wheeler, DB Makari Paige, West Bloomfield (Mich.) — vs. Southfield (Mich.) 9/13

QB JJ McCarthy, Nazareth Academy (Ill.) — vs. Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick 9/13

DL Aaron Lewis, Williamstown (N.J.) — vs. Mt. Holly (N.J.) Rancocas Valley 9/13

TE Matt Hibner, Lake Braddock (Va.) — @ Hayfield (Va.) 9/13

WR Eamonn Dennis, Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John's — @ West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic 9/13

RB Blake Corum, LB Osman Savage, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, OL Micah Mazzccua, Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy — vs. Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei 9/14

WR Roman Wilson, Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis — vs. Kahuku (Hawaii) 9/14

OL Jeffrey Persi, JSerra (Calif.) — vs. Milton (Ga.) 9/14

LB William Mohan, Brooklyn (N.Y.) — vs. Brooklyn (N.Y.) South Shore 9/14

QB JD Johnson, Pinnacle (Ariz.) — Open

OL Zak Zinter, Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols — Open

DB Jordan Morant, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic — Open

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