DPJ, Collins Visiting This Weekend
I WILL be in Ann Arbor, MI this weekend to visit the University of Michigan !! #GoBluepic.twitter.com/otHgoVOKyE
— Donovan P. Jones (@dpeoplesjones) September 21, 2016
Michigan will have their top two wideout targets on campus for the Penn State game. Five-star Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones still isn't saying much to the media, but given the number of visits he's taken it's hard to imagine any other school being out in front, and he's got plenty of connections to the current roster:
"Really trying to see the players that went (to Cass Tech), players I know compete," Peoples-Jones said. "I know Lavert Hill, Mike Onwenu, Jourdan Lewis, all the Cass Tech guys. It's always a great time to see them in action and see them in general."
DPJ's only official visit so far has been to Nebraska, a school that's not a threat to land him. While he plans to see Florida and FSU, he hasn't set those dates yet. Michigan is looking good here.
While Georgia has been making a push of late, four-star AL WR Nico Collins will visit Michigan for the fifth time this weekend, and nobody pays their way for five unofficial visits without some serious interest. Sam Webb caught up with Collins's father, who as it turns out has been doing his part to recruit Collins to the Maize and Blue since he was a youngster:
"I'm a Michigan fan through and through,” the elder Collins said laughingly. “I could be in Jamaica somewhere (and) I'm still a Michigan fan. Yeah, I'm a Michigan fan through and through. The football down here is pretty tough, but you like to be true to your team. You grow up as a Michigan fan or any fan, that's who you like to ride with."
"I used to talk to (Nico) about Michigan a lot when he was a little younger. He wouldn't buy into it. He's always been a closet Michigan fan, but it actually took the trip... the first visit on campus… (that is what) I think sold him."
The elder Collins also called Jim Harbaugh a "genius at what he does," and took note of number of freshmen who saw the field immediately, saying "that's a big thing." Despite the rumored surge from the Bulldogs, Michigan is still the odds-on favorite.
Meanwhile, Corey Malone-Hatcher is doing his best to push for a commitment from Tarik Black. Michigan may not have any receivers committed to the class yet; that doesn't mean they're in bad shape at the position—far from it, in fact.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
This Seems Good
Five-Star Offensive Guard Tedarrell Slaton Knows of Just One Official Visit
Kicker:
Programs Mentioned in Video:
Michigan Wolverines
End of list.
Slaton doesn't have a date set yet, but when asked point-blank which other schools could receive an official, he didn't even mention a specific school.
247's Miami outlet has single-game highlights of Slaton's American Heritage teammate, commit Kai-Leon Herbert, from a dominant win last week. They're worth a look.
Don Brown Identifies Potential Dude
Michigan hasn't sent out many 2017 offers of late, but one went out this past week to Boston College commit Kwity Paye, a three-star WDE from Rhode Island. Paye initially committed to BC after receiving an offer from Don Brown, and he told The Wolverine's Brandon Brown he's got serious interest in checking out Brown's current program now that he has an offer:
"I was one of the first commits in the 2017 class for Boston College," he said. "I committed last year during my junior season. I’ve been committed for a long time and growing up I planned to go to Boston College because it was like the ideal school. It’s close to home and it has pretty good football but Michigan is a whole different level of football.
"I never thought that I’d ever be able to play on a stage like that so that offer is going to make me really sit down and layout the plan for myself. I have to still find the school that is the best for me and a place I can have a great career."
Paye is eyeing a mid-October visit that coincides with his high school team's bye week.
Michigan also sent out a notable offer for the 2018 class to four-star Las Vegas Bishop Gorman TE Brevin Jordan, who told Brandon Brown he could be a package deal with M's top target in the class at QB, Dorian Thompson-Robinson:
"That's my brother," Jordan said of Thompson-Robinson. "We played on the same team together when we were eight years old. The rest is history from there.
"We always use to say that if Michigan offered me they'd be in the running for us going there together. We are going to college together — that's been the plan."
While those often fall through, both Thompson-Robinson and Jordan seem to have strong interest in Michigan independent of the potential package deal; DTR was a top target well before Jordan got his offer, while Jordan said the amount M utilizes their TEs is "huge."
Etc.
Five-star FL CB Stanford Samuels, a Florida State legacy and commit, has Michigan on his list of official visit destinations, per Scout's Corey Bender. Samuels does have a Michigan connection—he attends Flanagan, so he was coached by Devin Bush Sr. and played with three current Wolverines. That said, I don't expect much to come of this.
The Wisconsin visit weekend continues to grow. 247's Steve Lorenz reports five-star 2018 IMG DT Taron Vincentwill be in attendance. Ohio State is the leader at this point, but it's still early, and a midseason unofficial is always a good sign of serious interest.
While there's no date set in stone, Lorenz also reports from a reliable source that the nation's #1 player, CA RB Najee Harris, is expected to take an official visit to Michigan.