The Tipping Point?
Is Desmond Fitzpatrick the next to drop? [Fuller]
Michigan added a trio of football commits and even a basketball commit over the last few days. If you missed them, here are links to their respective Hello posts:
- Four-star 2016 IN QB Brandon Peters
- Three-star 2016 MI FB/ILB David Reese
- Three-star 2016 AL RB Kingston Davis
- 2015 German F Moritz Wagner (hoops)
Jim Harbaugh got himself a backfield in one weekend, and it's a very Harbaugh backfield: Peters is a 6'4" quarterback with decent athleticism, Davis is a load of a running back at 6'1", 230 pounds, and Reese would bring a linebacker's build and mentality to the fullback position.
Where Reese ends up is still in question; he told GBW's Kyle Bogenschutz he'll start out on defense despite reports that indicated Michigan was recruiting him at fullback, and he'll get a head start on figuring out which position he'll play ($):
“Coach Harbaugh said I could play any position and wherever my heart is at I can play. I’ll be playing linebacker. If I don’t start at linebacker I’d be open to fullback.”
“I can see myself playing anywhere on the defense,” added Reese. “Inside, outside linebacker. Just to be around that energy and I’ll be an early graduate as well.”
Peters, meanwhile, told Sam Webb he knew "a couple weeks ago" that he wanted to go to Michigan, and he's not shying away from the crowded depth chart at quarterback ($):
“I know there are a bunch of quarterbacks there right now, but that doesn’t stop me. You’re just going to have to go there and you’re going to have to compete and earn a spot. That’s fine with me. I love to compete. Also at the same time, it is a special opportunity to play for Coach Harbaugh. I think things are going to really start going in the right direction and I really want to be a part of it. I loved it there. The atmosphere was awesome. The fans are awesome as well.”
Peters added that he's "definitely" going to recruit other prospects, starting with in-state receivers Donnie Corley and Desmond Fitzpatrick.
Speaking of Fitzpatrick, many expected he'd join the weekend commitment party after his friend and teammate, Reese, joined the class. Those expectations grew to near-certainty when Fitzpatrick teased a major 8:00 pm announcement on Twitter yesterday.
The announcement? His dad is in a sitcom that debuts this month.
That is top-notch trolling, young Mr. Fitzpatrick. He told 247's Steve Wiltfong that he feels "really comfortable" at Michigan, but wants to be 100% sure before making a switch, so there's still a very good chance the post I may have written yesterday ends up seeing the light of day.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
Weekend Recap: New Offers
At least watch until the EPIC TOEBALL at the 0:38 mark.
Michigan extended a few offers to campus visitors over the weekend. Three-star OH OG Josh Sills held only a handful of MAC offers heading into his visit, and Michigan's offer caught him by surprise, per Rivals' Josh Helmholdt ($):
"We were standing on the field during pre-game and Coach (Tim) Drevno came over to me," Sills said. "He asked me what I thought, and I told him I really liked it. He asked me if I would be interested in coming up for camp this summer and I told him I would. He said that he wanted me to come play football for him and he was offering me a scholarship, but he wanted me to come back up for camp that summer.
"It actually kind of surprised me. It was the first time I had ever been to Michigan. It was awesome and I was speechless, didn't know what to say."
You'll want to watch Sills' junior highlights above, if for no other reason than to see a 300-pound lineman moonlight as a toeballing kickoff specialist.
There's a very strong Michigan connection for the next offer, which went out to 2017 Brother Rice TE Carter Dunaway, the son of Craig Dunaway, who played tight end under Bo Schembechler, and the younger brother of Jack Dunaway, a 2015 preferred walk-on. Michigan is Dunaway's first offer, and it's hard to imagine they aren't the odds-on favorite.
Michigan also extended an offer to the top kicker on kicking guru Brandon Kornblue's rankings, Rockford (MI) kicker/punter Quinn Nordin, who hinted to Sam Webb that he may be leaning towards the Wolverines ($):
Sam Webb: (Laughter) So what then is your timeline?
Quinn Nordin: “I’ve always been asked this and it has always been kind of been the same thing. I don’t have a set timeline, but this definitely will maybe persuade and my family has always been Go Blue, we’ll see. Penn State is a great school. Michigan is a great school. Iowa is amazing. We’ll have to see. Sit down and collect my thoughts and think what I want to do and obviously this is going to drop some more attention for recruiting. I think right now I have offers I’m proud of and happy with and we’ll have to see what happens once I sit down and talk to my family.”
Those three schools—Michigan, Penn State, and Iowa, all of which have offered—comprise his top group.
Weekend Recap: 2016 Visit Reactions
Four-star MI SDE Khalid Kareem told 247's Steve Wiltfong he was impressed by the play of the defensive line in the spring game, and his comfort level continues to grow with the coaching staff ($):
Ranked by 247Sports as the No. 3 player in the state and the nation’s No. 13 strong-side defensive end, the 6-foot-4, 252-pound Kareem sees a fit for himself at Michigan. He also continues to feel comfortable with Harbaugh, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and defensive line coach Greg Mattison.
“I have a great relationship with them,” Kareem said. “Every time I go up there they embrace me like I’m part of the team.”
Kareem is far from a sure bet to end up in the class—he has visit to Tennessee and Alabama lined up in the next few weeks—but he's been on campus quite a bit lately.
The struggles of the wide receivers in the spring game wasn't entirely a bad thing. Four-star MI WR Donnie Corley noticed the potential for early playing time, per GBW's Josh Newkirk ($):
When asked if sees opportunities to play early at Michigan or if it will be deciding factor in his decision? Corley replied: "Yes I have seen opportunities to play early [there]. And [playing early] will play a role in my decision."
At the moment, Corley says he doesn't have a leader in his recruitment. However, he did say he was "high" on the Wolverines.
At this point, Tennessee may be Michigan's chief competition for Corley, who admitted it "could be nice" to play with Reese and Fitzpatrick in college.
Top-100 ILB Dontavious Jackson came all the way from Texas with teammate Chris Brown, a three-star safety, and tweeted both were feeling the love from Michigan fans. His response when Wiltfong asked him how his visit was going was short and sweet: "Loving it!!!" There will be a ton of competition for Jackson, but Michigan has put themselves in good position to be in it until the end.
A somewhat surprising name on the visit list was four-star USC commit Daelin Hayes, but it turned out he attended the game as part of a team-building trip for Ann Arbor Skyline's football squad; he told Wilftong he's "100 percent Fight On." It'd be a surprise if Michigan made much of a push for Hayes.
Earlier in the week, Michigan hosted three-star OH S Tony Butler, a Pitt commit, who told Newkirk that he'd have to think about his decision if the Wolverines put forth an offer ($):
"I don't know when it's going to happen," Butler said of a U-M offer. "But hopefully sooner rather than later. But I can feel an offer coming soon."
What would an Michigan offer mean to Butler?
"Not sure," he admitted. "It would definitely be a big one. I really don't know what would happen. Just going to go with the flow and see how things go."
He added that decommiting from Pat Narduzzi would be akin to "decommitting from my father," so it's not a slam dunk Michigan gets him if they decide to offer.
Weekend Recap: 2017 Visit Reactions
2017 OH RB Todd Sibley desmonstrates the proper way to take a visit photo:
I love cheerleaders pic.twitter.com/gxc5mr2XkB
— T Sib (@ToddSib23) April 4, 2015
Sibley, an Akron native, is considered a likely Ohio State lean, but he maintains that Michigan is right up there with the Buckeyes, per 247's Steve Lorenz ($):
Earlier in the week, Sibley visited Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are believed to be the leader for his services. However, Michigan has given him something to think about.
"These are the two schools I'm thinking most about because they've been on me the most," Sibley said. "I want to spend some time with both schools and keep getting to know them before I make any kind of decision. It's not going to be easy because they're both great schools with a lot to offer."
The #2 overall prospect in the 2017 class, IL SDE AJ Epenesa, had his family in tow and told Wiltfong that Michigan stacked up well with the other schools he's checked out recently ($):
Epenesa has taken recent visits to Iowa, Missouri and Notre Dame.
"Michigan compared well," he said. "They are a great school, very football oriented and the academics are top notch so they are definitely a good school."
Epenesa is an Iowa legacy; as his ranking indicates, he'll field interest from all over the country.
Four-star 2017 Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones told Newkirk he'd "love to see Michigan be back on top," and while he won't name a leader the Wolverines are at or near the top of his list ($):
Not known for giving a top list of schools, Peoples-Jones did admit the Wolverines are a school he is considering heavily.
"I don't have a top, but they are definitely up there with all the others," Peoples-Jones said. "I mean, they are going to stand out to the end just because they're big instate school and have a hug influence on everything around Cass Tech. The pipeline, the history, they're going to have a place based off of that."
I think Michigan would happily accept an athlete of Peoples-Jones' caliber.
Etc.
A couple of out-of-state visitors are on campus at this moment. Steve Lorenz reports that four-star CA LB Camilo Eifler and three-star NC CB Mark Gilbert are in town; Eifler is one of Michigan's top targets at linebacker.
Michigan offered three-star 2016 TX ATH Donovan Duvernay on Thursday, and that offer is notable for a couple reasons, per Lorenz ($):
Another interesting storyline revolving around Duvernay's recruitment is that of his brother, Devin, who is another legitimate Division 1 prospect and holds an offer from Michigan. As twins, there are plenty who believe the pair want to play with each other at the next level, and Duvernay did not deny it.
"That's definitely something we've considered," he said. "I'd love to play with my brother in college."
Devin Duvernay is the #3 wide receiver and #38 overall player on the 247 Composite. Michigan is letting Donovan choose between receiver and cornerback.
Michigan is one of five schools standing out to four-star 2016 NJ DE Ron Johnson, who visited a couple weekends ago, per Rivals' Adam Friedman ($):
"Ohio State, Michigan, South Carolina, Miami, North Carolina, Rutgers, Alabama and Temple are the schools that are really recruiting me a lot," said Johnson. "I don't think I have a leader. Some of the schools I'm really interested in are Michigan, Ohio State, South Carolina, Miami and Alabama."
The Wolverines are making a strong push for several top New Jersey prospects, including Johnson, Rashan Gary, Brad Hawkins, and Ahmir Mitchell.