Photo Credit: MaxPreps

Inside the Fish Bowl Returns from a Bachelor Party

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

Sorry about the lack of content over the last couple days but after a nice weekend trip to Detroit for my brother’s bachelor party, I’m back with the latest edition of Inside the Fish Bowl. Just no one make too much noise or open the blinds.

With the summer nearly here and regional camps picking up, recruiting information is starting to pick up big time. That includes top visitors coming to campus, top targets planning their decisions and predictions coming in for the staff’s top names on the board.

Collins Comes to Town

While everyone knows and wants Cass Tech (MI) WR Donovan Peoples-Jones in Michigan’s 2017 class, Clay-Chalkville (AL) WR Nico Collins is not too far behind on the priority list.

The top player in Alabama (finally) made his way up to Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit this past weekend after cancelling previous trips at the last second. And it doesn’t look like the staff disappointed.

Thanks to his family connections to the state and program, Michigan is much more of a threat than most in the SEC may want to believe. Though he’ll be very tough to pull from the in-state Crimson Tide and Nick Saban won’t give up on him until the final whistle, he told 247Sports’ Kipp Adams that Michigan has caught his eye the most and he “fell in love” with UM during his trip ($).

Let’s just say, if Michigan can stay on top and land Collins, the war between Harbaugh and the SEC may go to a whole other level.

Snells like a Future Commitment?

One of the latest offers to go out from Michigan that some stargazers may have questioned was to Waxahachie (TX) ATH Kenedy Snell.

When he received his offer, Snell only held an offer from Louisiana-Monroe. Add in another recruit recently misleading people about an offer and it was understandable that some questioned it. Well, The Wolverine crew was able to reach out to his head coach, former Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals QB Jon Kitna, who confirmed the offer ($).

With the offer in hand, Snell told TMI’s Brice Marich that Michigan is his leader with the offer and the staff wants him to visit in June ($). The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown was able to confirm that date as he’ll visit on June 18th ($), the same day as Michigan’s QB and Big Man camps.

As Snell’s biggest offer by far, quickly becoming his leader and getting a visit set up, Michigan could be expecting a commitment during/soon after his trip. I’m not ready just yet to put in a Crystal Ball for him to UM until more information is gathered and it’s 100% confirmed that he’s a take for the staff, though I do believe he would be a really nice addition to the roster. Either way, things look very good at this point for Michigan and Snell.

Dotson’s Decision

Moeller (OH) TE Matt Dotson is one of the top names on the tight end board for both Michigan and Michigan State, who he looks to be down to as he approaches his decision.

While every Crystal Ball has gone to Michigan State over the last couple days thanks to the reports of Dotson favoring the Spartans, Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz is hearing positive things on the Wolverines’ end about the Buckeye State star ($).

This should be a very interesting decision as State has plenty of players from his high school on the roster while Michigan has the tight end friendly system. No matter who lands his first commitment will likely have to fend off the other throughout the cycle.

Will it Be Michigan for Two Elite Lineman? 

It’s no secret that the offensive line is the top priority left in the 2017 recruiting class and there are plenty of elite options left on the board. Two of the top names on the list are Poly Prep (NY) OT Isaiah Wilson and American Heritage (FL) OL Tedarrell Slaton.

Wilson is one of the top tackles and players in the entire class and a priority for the staff. Thanks to their early recruitment and possible early playing time, Michigan has long been a favorite for him. According to Wolverine247’s Steve Lorenz, UM still holds a lead over Alabama ($). On top of that, Rivals’ Adam Friedman is predicting Wilson to the Wolverines after interviewing him at the New Jersey Rivals Camp.

As for Slaton, he’s long been naming Michigan his leader and they look to be at the top of his list. However, things at the tippy top may have changed a bit as he told Fightin’ Gators’ Jacquie Franciulli that Clemson is now his leader ($). This is another example of how fluid the world of recruiting can be. But even if the Tigers are indeed in front, I still like where the Wolverines stand with the satellite camps coming up and more visits likely to happen.

Taylor Already Teetering?

When Michigan landed the commitment of Springfield (OH) DL Leonard Taylor, most, including myself, thought it would be very tough for the Wolverines to hold onto his commitment and fend off the in-state Buckeyes. And though he continues to say he’s firmly committed to UM, he continues to leave the door open for Ohio State during interviews.

Taylor spoke with Bucknuts’ Bill Kurelic about his recruitment, mentioning that he’s keeping his options open with so much time to go before NSD 2018, which is the right thing to do for any recruit. He also told Kurelic about his interest in Ohio State, family connections to the program and how the Buckeyes’ 2016 NFL Draft really impressed him ($).

While predicting flips is difficult, at this point, it’ll be extremely impressive if Michigan can keep Taylor in the fold throughout the cycle. There’s just too much time left and too much in OSU’s corner, but here’s my optimistic face:

Elite Visitors are Coming

Photo Credit: MaxPreps.com

Garrett Fishaw
Latest posts by Garrett Fishaw (see all)