Inside the Fish Bowl Talks Eason, Nauta and Mothers

While this weekend won’t be one of the top recruiting visits for Michigan, some (potentially) big news has hit the internet involving the 2016 class. And the Wolverines are at the center of the attention:

Taking the Eason Route to Nauta 

Michigan’s 2016 class features one of the best quarterback hauls in the nation with Brandon Peters and Victor Viramontes already committed to the program. But could it get even better?

According to ChatSports’ Mack Ferguson, the nation’s #1 quarterback and current UGA commit, Lake Stevens (WA) QB Jacob Eason, is starting to put out feelers to other programs with the uncertainty of Mark Richt’s future at Georgia. And a familiar name looks to be a favorite for his services:

One thing that is clear about the 4 schools in contention to gain Eason’s signature is that 2 of them are much more likely than the others. Although Eason has deep family ties to Notre Dame (dad played at ND in the 80’s) and loves the Alabama offense, our source has told us that Florida and Michigan would be the 2 schools most likely to gain his commitment.

On top of Michigan and Florida looking like the favorites, Ferguson also heard that Eason is a packaged deal with Michigan’s top offensive target on the board, IMG Academy (FL) TE Isaac Nauta:

Eason is likely to come as a package-deal with the nation’s #1 TE, 5-star Isaac Nauta. Nauta has long been considered leaning to Georgia, but would likely look around more if Richt was no longer the coach. Nauta and Eason have spoken multiple times in the past few days, and have Michigan as ther mutual #1, with Florida a close second.

Before running out and grabbing your Eason jerseys, I’d take this with a big grain of salt. While I believe Eason is interested in Michigan thanks to Harbaugh, I’m not too sure how hard the staff will pursue him with Peters already firmly committed and his ceiling being, arguably, just as high. Plus, it’s ChatSports that’s reporting it.

  • Best case scenario: Michigan signs both Peters and Eason, along with Nauta, after Richt is fired at Georgia.
  • Worst case scenario: Michigan goes after Eason, Peters decommits and they miss out on Eason and Nauta.
  • Probable scenario: Michigan keeps the option open but doesn’t push too hard and holds on to Peters and very possibly signs Nauta.

Either way, enjoy some of Eason’s highlights:

More Defensive Tackle Talk 

According to The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb, Trinity (TX) DT Chris Daniels will officially visit Michigan this weekend for the Rutgers game ($).

Daniels is one of the top defensive lineman in the class and on the Michigan board but out of the four tackles there (Daniels, Rashan Gary, Keyshon Camp and Jordan Elliott), I believe Daniels is the least likely to be a part of this class. He has plenty of ties to Michigan but my Oklahoma source has heard that not only is he leaning towards the Sooners but his “mom loves OU” as well. And we all know how hard that is to overcome.

Speaking of mothers…..

Webb has continued to hear great things about what Michigan has done to win over Westside (TX) DT Jordan Elliott‘s mom ($). With her and her son planning on viisting in December, UM is looking more and more likely in this race.

As for the top defensive tackle and player on the board, Scout’s Brian Dohn had the latest on Paramus Catholic (NJ) DT Rashan Gary taking his other official visits with his team’s season coming to a close:

Corley Likely Heading Elsewhere 

As for some potential bad news on the trail, King (MI) WR Donnie Corley is looking more and more likely to commit elsewhere.

While he’s not off the board or table in anyway, the tea leaves aren’t looking great. Not only has Michigan clearly started pushing for other top receiver targets (Dylan Crawford, Keyshawn Young, and Eddie McDoom), Corley still has yet to set up his official visit to Ann Arbor. Could he still set it up? Of course, but with his announcement date coming in just over a month (December 8th), either Corley or the UM staff will need to set something up quickly.

If I had to put money on where he’ll land, I’ll stick with Michigan State. They’ve been the rumored favorites for awhile now and have continued to look like his landing spot.

Quick Hitters

  • Flanagan (FL) LB Devin Bush Jr is down to his final two schools and it’s the rumored favorites, Michigan, and his father’s alma mater, Florida State. Where will he land? I still like UM’s chances here but I don’t know if it’s as much of a slam dunk as it was in the past.
  • According to Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz, newly offered McKeesport (PA) ATH Khaleke Hudson, not only will Michigan push hard for him, some members on the staff have been pushing for him for awhile now ($).
  • Keep an eye on 2016 Sprayberry (GA) CB Dreshun Miller. He let me know the staff has been keeping in contact with him regularly.
Garrett Fishaw