Over the weekend, Michigan hosted several top targets on official and unofficial visits and from the looks of things, it went off really well and could have a big impact on the 2016 class.
Harbaugh Hosts the Kellys
The main visitor that most Michigan fans were watching was California’s top player and one of the staff’s top overall targets, Clovis West (CA) OLB Caleb Kelly. He spoke with Scout’s Greg Biggins about his official which included a trip to the Harbaugh household ($):
Going to Coach Harbaughs house was a lot of fun as well. He has TVs all over the place there. My mom liked the academic programs and was shocked how many alumni they have. She liked Coach Harbaugh’s family and mentioned how kind they all were.”
He also talked about how Michigan wants to move him around and his plans to announce on NSD.
As for him hanging out at Harbaugh’s house, it’s not the first time I’ve heard of that but it is pretty cool when it happens. Moves like that could break a tie if he’s struggling to decide between Michigan and Oklahoma, like expected.
King Comes to Town
As I mentioned earlier, Detroit King seniors ATH Armani Posey and WR Donnie Corley made their way to Ann Arbor for the UNLV game and had a great time.
“It was great the atmosphere the coaches, the players energy everything was good.” said Posey, who though only holds an offer from Davenport, is a name to watch very closely. Though he was unable to spend a lot of one-on-one time with the coaches since they were preparing for the game, they let him know that they’ll be watching him moving forward.
Like mentioned by Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz, Posey’s situation is one to monitor closely as he and Corley are very close ($). If the staff ends up extending an offer, I believe he’d jump on the opportunity quickly and would immediately increase Michigan’s chances at landing Corley as well.
What’s Going on with Falcon?
There has been a lot of rumors and reports about Southfield (MI) RB commit Matt Falcon‘s status as a Michigan commit after some cryptic tweets the other day. However, I can tell you that Falcon is “1000% committed” to the Wolverines and isn’t wavering at all.
But, like with all injuries, it is a situation to monitor. But, in the words of Forest Gump:
Still a “Top School” for Numero Uno
Paramus Catholic (NJ) defensive tackle and the nation’s #1 player, Rashan Gary, looks to be much closer to making a decision than ever before with his official visits on tap and the likely last thing to do beforehand. But with the chance that he doesn’t use one of the five on a trip to Ann Arbor (he’s already visited multiple times and may use his OVs on new places), analysts have started to cool on his chances to end up in the Maize and Blue.
While it’s not a slam dunk, and never was, he let Rivals’ Adam Friedman know that Michigan is still in great shape ($):
Michigan, you know, they’re going to be one of my top schools”
Though you almost always have to take a top recruits interviews with a grain of salt, Gary was quick to name Michigan among his top schools and talked about his relationship with Greg Mattison and his former head coach Chris Partridge. So, if you’re a tea leaf reader, things definitely look good still for the Wolverines here.
Nauta Taking Notice of Michigan’s Butt
While Rashan Gary is easily the top target on Michigan’s defensive board, IMG Academy (FL) TE Isaac Nauta is right at the top of the offensive recruiting board, and for good reason. He is one of the most college ready players in the class, fits exactly what the staff wants at the tight end position and now that he’s decommitted from Florida State, looks like a legit option for this class.
Nauta recently spoke with Bleacher Report’s Tyler Donohue about his upcoming official visits, including his trip to Ann Arbor for the Michigan State match up and what he’s looking to see on his trip:
I want to get a feel on how the players view Coach Harbaugh as a leader and a person,” Nauta said. “There’s definitely a lot of new things to look at with Michigan.”
He also talked about, possibly, the Wolverine’s #1 recruiting pitch:
In just a few games, they’ve already shown how much they like to use the tight end at Michigan,” he said. “Jake Butt (second on Wolverines with 14 receptions) is off to a strong start there. He’s going to put a really good season together.”
Most analysts have locked in their prediction of him staying home in Georgia and playing for the Bulldogs but I haven’t completely jumped on that bandwagon just yet. If the staff can knock his socks off on his visit, show him how well he’d fit in Harbaugh’s system and sell him on living up north near his extended family, I believe they could possibly land the nation’s #1 tight end.
But will that 2nd tight end spot be available by the time he visits?
Mathis Sets his Official Visit
Berkeley Prep (FL) TE Jacob Mathis has quickly shot up the recruiting board and looks to be the best bet to take that 2nd spot, and it could possibly happen soon.
According to Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz, Mathis has set his official visit to Michigan for the October 10th homecoming matchup with Northwestern ($).
Mathis is a dynamic, pass catching tight end in the mold of Devin Funchess so even if he decides to commit during his OV to guarantee his spot in the class, the staff will likely continue to heavily recruit Nauta and De La Salle (CA) TE Devin Asiasi.
Viramontes to Start at Quarterback
One of the bigger questions surrounding Michigan’s current commitments outside of Matt Falcon’s health is the college position of star Norco (CA) ATH Victor Viramontes. Though he’s a very good high school quarterback, most believe he’ll move to H-back, linebacker or safety when he gets to Ann Arbor. However, that is not the case. Well, at least not at first.
Varmints spoke with Scout’s Greg Biggins about his official visit to Michigan last week for the Oregon State game and broke the news that the staff sees him as a quarterback and will give him the chance to start his career there ($):
I was with Coach Fisch (QB coach) watching film so that tells me they want me to start out at quarterback. I wasn’t in any of the defensive meetings, the film I watched was quarterback film. I’m comfortable playing anywhere they want me but I’ve always been a quarterback so it would be cool to get a crack there first.”
This isn’t much of a shocker as I believed he could possibly start and be a fan favorite quarterback early on in his career. It also makes sense with there likely being at least one transfer at the position this offseason and Harbaugh normally bringing in multiple QBs per recruiting class.
Quick Hitters
- 2016 WR Donald Stewart is still a very real option for Michigan and told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich that his relationship with Jim Harbaugh is “probably the best out of all the other coaches” ($).
- 2017 LB Josh Ross was in attendance for the UNLV game and was hanging out with LB commit David Reese and WR Donnie Corley during the game.
- 2017 OT Tedarrell Slaton let 247Sports’ Ryan Bartow know that Michigan still leads in his recruitment because of the coaching staff ($).
- 2017 ATH Devon Hunter told 247Sports’ Evan Watkins he “consistently” talks with Michigan and plans on visiting in the not-so-distant future ($).
- 2017 C Cesar Ruiz spoke with Rivals’ Adam Friedman about his interest in the Wolverines ($) and while he said they’re a top team for him, he’s clearly looking to see how the team does on the field.
Recruiting should start to take off even more over the next couple weeks. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss a post while also following @MGoFish and the rest of the crew, @EJenkIII and @TheMatterbater on Twitter for all of the latest news.
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