Dramatization. The real song our coaches sing on road trips is ram-a-lamma-ding-dong. Insiders believe Nussmeier could be the tenor the staff has been lacking.
The Michigan coaches have been traveling all over the country checking in on commits, offerees, and targets in recent weeks. I have been reaching out to recruits for the past couple of days to see who has been visited or who still might be. I’m sure this list isn’t all-encompassing but I was able to get in touch with a lot of prospects from the 2015 class. I mean A LOTof prospects:
Athletes and Defensive Backs
ATH David Dowell & RB Andrew Dowell – Lakewood, OH/St. Edward– Teammates of Shaun Crawford, the Dowell brothers were visited by Coach Mattison in the early part of the week and he told them he’d like them to come up for a visit, but it’s not planned yet.
ATH Osa Masina – Salt Lake City, UT/Brighton – Masina wasn’t visited this time around but Coach Hoke and Coach Ferrigno did visit him back in mid-December. There aren’t a ton of reasons to stop in Utah so visits to Salt Lake City will probably be few and far between.
ATH Jerome Baker – Cleveland, OH/Benedictine – Baker holds a Michigan offer and was visited by Coach Mattison on Tuesday and says that he is feeling Michigan a lot.
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| Cole could wind up the top-ranked player in the state. [Sam Webb] |
ATH Brian Cole – Saginaw, MI – Heritage – Cole was visited by Coach Hoke earlier in the week.
CB Kei Beckham – Trotwood, OH/Trotwood-Madison– Coach Smith stopped by Trotwood-Madison on Friday but Beckham missed him due to his class schedule. TMHS is a frequent stop for the coaching staff so Beckham is confident he’ll see them again.
CB Marcus Lewis – Washington, DC/Gonzaga – One of four prospects to chat with Coach Mallory from Gonzaga. Lewis really liked Coach Mallory and plans to stay in close touch with him moving forward.
CB Iman Marshall – Long Beach, CA/Poly – Marshall’s father told me that a Michigan coach stopped in to see his son on Monday of last week, he was unsure of who it was but I’d guess Ferrigno.
[After the jump: look at the tags above. There's a lot.]
Defensive Line (and DE/TEs)
DE Darian Roseboro – Lincolnton, NC/Lincolnton – Roseboro holds a Michigan offer and told me that Coach Hoke was flying in to see him towards the end of the week.
DE Charles Omenihu – Rowlett, TX/Rowlett– Michigan staff checked in on Charles and he was absolutely shocked. He was very humbled by it and couldn’t believe a school like Michigan was interested in him. He was impressed by the effort Michigan has put into recruiting him.
DE Keisean Lucier-South – Orange, CA/Lutheran – KLS was finally offered by Michigan on Wednesday and Ferrigno was the man to deliver the news. I posted something about his reaction the day of.
DE Jashon Cornell – Saint Paul, MN/Cretin-Durham Hall – The coaches haven’t recently visited Cornell but he told me he thinks they plan to sometime in February. He will remain a high priority, but he’s really the only prospect in Minnesota the coaches will target so trips probably won’t be frequent.
TE Anthony Rush – Cary, NC/Cary – The Michigan coaches like Rush at TE and DE but based on his size I listed him as a DE for now. He told me that Coach Manning is supposed to be in to see him this week.
DT Elijah Taylor – Cincinnati, OH/Moeller – Coach Smith stopped in to see Elijah in the middle of the week and told him that an offer is possible but with the small numbers they are still evaluating him.
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| Funk told Texas DT Darrion Daniels he plans to get Mattison involved in his recruitment. [Scout] |
DT Darrion Daniels – Dallas, TX/Bishop Dunne – Coach Funk checked in with Daniels and said that all of the coaches love his film; Funk plans to get Coach Mattison heavily involved in his recruitment.
DT Rasheem Green – Gardena, CA/Junipero Serra – I had very limited contact with Rasheem but he told me that Coach Ferrigno stopped in to see him along with four of his teammates from the 2015 class, LB John Houston, ATH Stanley Norman, CB Alphonso Lester, and RB Malik Roberson. Green, Houston, and Norman are all elite level players.
Linebackers
LB Darrin Kirkland Jr. – Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central– Kirkland told me that Coach Mallory will be visiting him on Monday the 27th.
LB Anthony McKee – Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge– McKee was visited by the Michigan coaches last week at his school. He couldn’t recall which coach(es) exactly.
LB Reagan Williams – Jackson, OH/Jackson– The Michigan coaches have been staying in touch with Williams via Facebook but they haven’t seen him since before the dead period.
LB Anthony Wheeler – Dallas, TX/Skyline– Wheeler was visited by a member of the staff on Wednesday.
LB Cassius Peat – Tempe, AZ/Corona Del Sol– The Peat name has been recruited by Michigan before and Coach Ferrigno continued that by stopping in to see Cassius on Friday.
LB Cameron Smith – Granite Bay, CA/Granite Bay – Coach Ferrigno is the California-connect and he also found time to check in on Cameron Tuesday among his many stops. Smith said the coaches plan to offer him in a couple of weeks.
LB Justin Hilliard – Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier – Another top priority in the 2015 class, Hilliard was visited by Coach Smith on Monday.
LB Jordan Fox – Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep – Fox appears to be a very underrated player by his star rating but not by his offer list. Fox will probably continue to get some attention from the Michigan coaches if they choose to pursue his teammate, Brandon Wimbush. Coach Mattison and Coach Manning were in the school last Friday.
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| He's being modest, but to be honest there's not much promise of getting Adonis Thomas. [247] |
LB Adonis Thomas – Lawrenceville, GA/Central Gwinnett – Coach Hecklinski stopped in to see Adonis Thomas and offered him in the process. Thomas is highly athletic and will be tough to pull from the south.
Offensive Line
OL Jake Fruhmorgen – Tampa, FL/Plant– Fruhmorgen was recently offered but the coaches haven’t been able to work out a visit yet despite being in the Tampa area last week.
OL Sterling Jenkins – Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin– Coach Hoke and Coach Mattison stopped in to see Jenkins on Thursday. He remains a high priority in the 2015 class.
OL Gabe Megginson – Jacksonville, IL/Jacksonville – Coach Funk talked with Gabe about a week ago and told him that if the coaches were in the area they’d stop in to see him but nothing has been planned yet.
OL Harrison Moon – Chattanooga, TN/Signal Mountain– Coach Nussmeier told Moon that he plans to see him later this week and that the staff likes him as an NFL tackle-type along with his potential as a jumbo tight end. Moon says a visit to Ann Arbor is pretty much a guarantee.
OL Richie Petitbon – Washington, DC/Gonzaga – Petitbon says an offer from Michigan will go a long way but he likes them a lot already. Coach Mallory was in his school last week and he plans to communicate with him moving forward.
Quarterbacks
QB David Sills – Elkton, MD/Eastern Christian Academy– Sills told me that Coach Nussmeier is planning on visiting him this Wednesday to watch him throw.
QB Jake Browning – Folsom, CA/Folsom – Coach Ferrigno visited Browning on Tuesday and Jake says he’s already quite interested in Michigan but wants to learn a lot more.
QB Zach Gentry – Albuquerque, NM/Eldorado– Gentry’s name has been brought up in the quarterback picture but he has not spoke with the coaches yet.
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| Sills got an offer from USC in 2010, when he was a 7th grader. [Sylvia Carson via MaxPreps] |
QB Brandon Wimbush – Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep – Wimbush seems to be a name really climbing the board since the hiring of Coach Nuss. He said the coaches have stopped by twice in the past couple of weeks. Brandon told me that Coach Nuss really liked what he saw on tape and will stop in to see Wimbush this week sometime. Coach Manning will accompany Coach Nuss as it’s his recruiting area.
QB Nick Johns – Washington, DC/Gonzaga – I posted an update with Johns last week and his relationship is really developing with Coach Mallory and he plans to start one up with Coach Nussmeier as well. Coach Nuss wants to watch Johns throw in person and it may happen this week.
QB Kyle Kearns – Pleasanton, CA/Foothill – Coach Ferrigno stopped by to see Kearns last Tuesday and set up a throwing session for Coach Nussmeier to attend this Tuesday. Kearns could get an offer if the session goes well, something he is hoping for. Kearns loves the staff at Michigan and if offered might be the favorite to commit at the QB position.
QB Jarrett Stidham – Stephenville, TX/Stephenville – Stidham was offered about a week ago and while I didn’t hear back from him I included him on this list as I’m pretty sure he was visited.
QB Alex Malzone – Bloomfield Hills, MI/Brother Rice – Alex told me that Coach Nuss was very impressed with his film and while he hasn’t visited his school yet, when he does it will probably be to watch him throw. He might find time to squeeze it in this week.
Running Backs
RB Soso Jamabo – Plano, TX/Plano West – Coach Funk visited Jamabo on Tuesday last week and while he’ll be tough to pluck from Texas, his trainer is former Michigan running back David Underwood, so Michigan is a frequent topic of discussion.
RB Johnny Frasier – Princeton, NC/Princeton – Frasier was offered just about a week ago and the coaches plan to visit him this upcoming week. Johnny couldn’t tell me which day or who it might be, but North Carolina is usually reserved for Coach Manning.
Tight Ends
TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. – Buffalo, NY – Canisius – TJ told me that Coach Hoke and Coach Nussmeier are supposed to see him this week. Most people believe Wheatley is a Michigan lock but he says he has no leader.
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| We didn't need an excuse to put a random photo of Wheatley bowling through Spartans here, but there's one anyway. [Bentley] |
TE Austin Ervin – Saint Johns, MI/Saint Johns – Ervin was supposed to be visited by Coach Manning last Wednesday but he wasn’t feeling well so it didn’t materialize, but Ervin is on the radar.
TE David Edwards – Downers Grove, IL/Downers Grove North – Once thought to be a possible QB target, Michigan is now recruiting Edwards solely as a tight end. Coach Hoke and Coach Heck visited Edwards and invited him to a “Junior Day” coming up in February. They want to see his blocking ability and footwork from the TE spot. Edwards is really hoping for an offer.
TE Jackson Harris – Columbia, TN/Columbia Central – Coach Nussmeier had planned on seeing Harris last Friday but the plans fell through. They are currently trying to set up something for this week and an offer could be in Harris’s future if Coach Hoke is on board.
TE Jalen Wilkerson – Douglas, GA/Coffee – The coaches visited Wilkerson and told him that they “recruit the world” and that he’s their #3 tight end on their board right now. The coaches would like to check on him again next week and Wilkerson was very excited about that.
TE Chris Clark – Avon, CT/Avon Old Farms – Clark informed me that Coach Ferrigno will be by his school on Wednesday this week. The coaches have told Clark that they plan to recruit him very hard and Clark said the idea of playing for Michigan has him excited.
WR Irvin Charles – Haddonfield, NJ/Paul VI – Charles told me that he hasn’t been visited yet but Coach Manning is supposed to stop in and see him sometime this month.
Receivers
WR Christian Kirk – Scottsdale, AZ/Saguaro– Coach Ferrigno stopped in to see Kirk on Friday at his school.
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The following list of prospects are known to have had Michigan interest at varying levels but did not hear from the coaches during their travels and stops over the past couple of weeks. (* indicates those that don’t appear to be being recruited anymore, of course subject to change)
ATH Kai Locksley* – Baltimore, MD/Gilman School
ATH Mykelti Williams – Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central
CB Garrett Taylor* – Richmond, VA/St. Christopher’s
CB Jordan Whitehead* – Monaca, PA/Central Valley
DE Jalen Dalton – Clemmons, NC/West Forsyth
DE Terry Beckner Jr. – East St. Louis, IL/East St. Louis
DL Tim Settle – Manassas, VA/Stonewall Jackson
LB Ricky DeBerry – Richmond, VA/St. Christopher’s
LB Anthony Malaguti* – Ramsey, NJ/Don Bosco Prep
LB Cameron Townsend* – Missouri City, TX/Ridge Point
LB Arthur McGinnis – New Orleans, LA/Warren Easton Senior
OL Garrett Thomas – Many, LA/Many
OL Chuma Edoga* – Powder Springs, GA/McEachern
QB Brady White* – Newhall, CA/Hart
RB Andre Robinson* – Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt
WR Juwan Johnson – Glassboro, NJ/Glassboro
WR Desean Holmes* – Mission Hills, CA/Bishop Alemany
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The final list of prospects are also known targets of the coaching staff but did not respond to me one way or the other.
DE Clelin Ferrell – Richmond, VA/Benedictine School
DL Shy Tuttle – Lexington, NC/North Davidson
DL Josh Alabi – Detroit, MI/Cass Tech
LB Wyatt Cook – Owings Mills, MD/McDonogh
LB Chris Green – Toledo, OH/Central Catholic
OL Rob Dowdy – Westerville, OH/Westerville South
OL Matthew Burrell – Woodbridge, VA/C.D. Hylton
QB Josh Rosen – Bellflower, CA/St. John Bosco
RB Mike Weber – Detroit, MI/Cass Tech
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Recruiting is really starting to ramp up as the coaches have been logging miles all over the place. Many recruits have mentioned that they’ve been invited to a “Junior Day” type of event on February 23, when the basketball team hosts Michigan State. That will be another topic of coverage as the date approaches but this is something a lot of recruits are already looking forward to.
If there are any other prospects you’d like me to look into let me know in the comment section.