Hoosier Leader Now?
Michigan hosted a pair of four-star Indiana prospects on Monday, and it was well-known that the Wolverines were working from behind on each. Wide receiver Austin Mack, considered an Ohio State lean, forged a stronger connection with the new coaching staff, per Scout's Josh Newkirk ($):
"This visit really helped a lot," Mack said. "This is the second time I was able to get down and speak with the coaches and build that relationship. It definitely ranks them a lot higher in my eyes.
"Seeing how beneficial the education and the coaches are at Michigan. Knowing that the next few years they won't be losing like they have been. Success is going to come and it's definitely going to come from hard work. They have definitely moved up and are team to think about."
Mack told Newkirk that he has no leader heading into his June 7th decision; the general consensus, however, is that Michigan made a move but still has ground to make up on the Buckeyes.
That's also the case with defensive end Auston Robertson and Michigan State, though Michigan managed to replace another rival in his top three, per ESPN's TomVH ($):
“I don’t really have a relationship like that with Ohio State anymore, so why keep them in the top three,” he said. “So now it’s Michigan State, Notre Dame and Michigan."
Robertson admits the Wolverines have some ground to make up on the other two schools on the list, but says he will give them a shot to do so.
Robertson wants his mother to visit each of his top three schools before he also decides on June 7th, so while Michigan still needs to make a push, they should get that opportunity.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
New Offers: Electric In-State WR Adds M Offer
I usually don't comment on offers by saying things like, "I love this offer," but that's exactly how I felt when Michigan offered three-star 2017 Orchard Lake St. Mary's WR Kahlee "KJ" Hamler on Tuesday. I was worried Hamler's size—listed at 5'9", 155 lbs.—may keep Michigan from offering; a look at his tape should show you why they did anyway. I saw him in last year's Prep Kickoff Classic, in which he scored one touchdown and had another called back for a hold irrelevant to his play, and came away really impressed.
Michigan State got in earlier on Hamler, along with a handful of others, but he told The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan the Michigan offer made a significant impact on his recruitment ($):
Hamler's decision timeline remains unchanged. He wants to wait until the end of his junior year before even thinking about a college commitment. However, the Michigan offer is one that could catalyse the process, and speed things up a bit. If nothing else, seeing the Block-M in the mix could open the eyes of some other schools.
"That offer was a big factor in my recruitment," he explained. "It should start moving faster now - I think that should start making it move faster. I really wasn't expecting it. I think I'm still going to wait until after my junior season, or in the beginning of senior year. I haven't really decided yet, but I'm just going to be patient for right now."
Hamler added that he plans to make Michigan his next visit.
Receivers highlighted Michigan's other offers this week. Unranked 2016 CA WR Devaughn Cooper, a teammate of offered four-star OT Alex Akingbulu, added the Wolverines to an offer list that includes Arizona, Kansas, Washington, and Washington State; he told Garrett Fishaw (aka MGoFish) the offer was "very big," and he considers the possibility of playing college ball with Akingbulu "an awesome opportunity."
Michigan also threw their hat in the ring for 2016 three-star FL WR Michael Irvin Jr., son of the Dallas Cowboys Hall-of-Famer, per Scout's Amy Campbell. It should come as little surprise that Irvin is expected to land at Miami (YTM), his father's alma mater.
The Wolverines may have a better shot with another recent offeree, 2016 four-star WR Diondre Overton, who told Sullivan he plans to arrange a visit ($). Clemson and Tennessee are major players in his recruitment.
Seven other recent offers have brief snippets but no full articles yet, at least at a cursory glance while juggling 50 open browser tabs:
- Three-star 2016 NC WDE Jimmie Taylor, whose recruitment is beginning to expand outside the in-state schools, as evidenced by M's offer.
- Five-star 2017 TX dual-threat QB Shawn Robinson, who will be one of the most sought-after prospects in the class.
- Top-100 2017 GA RB Trey Sermon, another national-level prospect.
- Another top-100 2017 Georgia prospect, ILB Nate McBride, was offered as a WILL/MIKE.
- Yet another top-100 2017 Georgia prospect, OT Andrew Thomas, is already up to 12 offers.
- Four-star 2017 CB Jaylon Redd, whose recruitment thus far has mostly focused on the West Coast.
- Four-star 2017 CA TE Jimmy Jaggers, who recently visited campus while in the area for a 7-on-7 tournament.
247's Brian Perroni reports that Michigan is on the verge of offering unranked 2016 NM DE Teton Saltes—I repeat: TETON SALTES—who has six offers after playing his very first year playing football. He looks poised to blow up; Oregon is among the other programs showing serious interest. I need this guy to commit so I can yell "blame it on the Teton!" every time he gets a sack.
In-State Updates: Fitzpatrick Waiting, Corley Cooling?
When his Farmington High teammate, David Reese, flipped his commitment from Louisville to Michigan the weekend of the spring game, it seemed like an inevitibility that three-star WR Des Fitzpatrick would follow suit. That may still happen, but it won't be for a while, as Sam Webb reports Fitzpatrick now plans to wait until the fall before making a final decision ($).
Meanwhile, Michigan appears to be losing ground with four-star Detroit King WR Donnie Corley, who told Scout's Josh Newkirk his contact with the staff has grown infrequent ($):
"I don't think they are laying off me," Corley said of Michigan. "But I haven't had a lot of contact with them. So I don't really know what is going on with that.
"I talk with Coach Fisch sometimes, but other than that, I really don't talk with the coaches. I really don't know what's going on with them."
Corley mentioned LSU, Michigan State, and Tennessee as the three schools in hottest pursuit.
In better news, Michigan appears to be in very good position with four-star Cass Tech OG/DT Michael Onwenu; he told Newkirk he could see himself playing for Tim Drevno, who kept it real when assessing the current state of the offensive line ($):
"My impression is he is a good guy," he said of Drevno. "He's a real coach. From the beginning they wasn't where they need to be. Like other coaches will tell you they have good potential. He told me the real [story]. He told me they got a lot of work to do."
That being said, could he see himself playing for a coach like Drevno?
"Yes I can," said Onwenu.
Onwenu is hoping for an invitation to the Army All-American Game; if he receives one, he plans to announce his commitment there.
Etc.
Rivals' Josh Helmholdt reports four-star WI OT Cole Van Lanen, who added a Michigan offer in April, will visit campus on Saturday ($). He plans to cut his list to four in a month before making an "end of summer-ish" decision. Michigan and Wisconsin should both make that final list.
Four-star OR ATH Lamar Winston told Rivals' Blair Angulo that he'll "definitely" take an official visit to Michigan ($). While Oregon is the presumed favorite, and both LA schools are also heavily involved, Winston is showing serious interest.
The recruitment of four-star OH LB Brendan Ferns took a surprising turn when he mutually parted ways with overwhelming favorite Ohio State because they don't have his preferred petroleum engineering major. Ferns' older brother Michael recently transferred from Michigan to West Virginia. Even though Brendan's recruitment is now wide open, Michigan isn't expected to get involved; Penn State and West Virginia should both get a hard look from him.
