Brian Cole Commits to Michigan
On a weekend that was jam-packed with recruiting news and notes, the biggest shocker of all was not even BBQ related, and it came in the form of a huge 2015 commitment.
The Michigan Wolverines received a verbal pledge on Saturday from four-star athlete Brian Cole (Saginaw, MI) following a two-day visit to Ann Arbor.
Cole made the announcement via his Twitter account in one of the more awesome Photoshop jobs I have seen in awhile.
Take a look:
Proud to say im a Michigan Wolverine! 〽️ pic.twitter.com/TLMcQMPR7Q
— B.Cole...✊ (@Young__Kid__) July 26, 2014
Nice touch, Mr. Cole. If you are not familiar in what that is in reference to, check out LeBron James' letter in Sports Illustrated a few weeks ago.
Cole had been a guy that many in the field did not see ending up at Michigan, as they had a ton of competition from Michigan State and Ohio State, but quarterback commit Alex Malzone has been in his ear often and it appears that it had a huge effect on Cole's decision.
He is the top in-state prospect for the class of 2015, so in terms of taking care of business on their home turf, this is a big recruiting victory for the Michigan Wolverines.
Cole has the ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback, but he looks most likely to stick on the offensive side of the ball. Reports seem to indicate that Michigan was recruiting him at wide out, so for now it looks like that's the spot.
If that is the case, Brady Hoke has potentially put together his best offensive class so far at Michigan with the potential for more playmakers. Malzone, Cole, Chris Clark and potentially Mike Weber or Damien Harris would be a pretty big haul for a team that looks to build from the trenches.
Top 2016 Receiver Chambers to Release Top Five Monday, Commit Friday
One of Michigan's top wide out targets was present at the BBQ at the Big House on Sunday afternoon and solidified a timeline for a commitment.
2016 receiver Cameron Chambers (Philadelphia, PA) told 247 Sports at the event that he will release his top five list of schools on Monday and will commit to one of those schools on Friday.
After a 2-day visit to #Michigan, 2016 Top100 WR Cameron Chambers will make his college decision Friday (FREE): http://t.co/uoxgiDJj0A
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) July 28, 2014
Chambers is a four-star prospect and the 27th-ranked player at his position in the class, according to the 247 Composite Rankings.
This looks like another classic Michigan-OSU recruiting battle, with both schools likely being in the mix with the top five schools and the two deciding factors by the end of the week.
The 247 Crystal Ball has the predictions in favor of the Buckeyes, but given the timing of this latest development, you have to like Michigan's chances here. We will have to wait it out and see what happens, and we won't be waiting long.
Wolverines Offer In-state Lineman Onwenu
The spots available in the 2016 class will be more wide open in comparison to the previous two cycles, which means that things are going to start picking up soon with commitments in that class.
Well, in order for commitments to roll in, scholarship offers must roll out, and the Wolverines are not wasting any time extending them to their top prospects.
One of the more notable offers to come out of the BBQ at the Big House was from in-state two-way lineman Michael Onwenu (Detroit, MI). The Wolverines are reportedly recruiting him to play nose tackle on defense.
Even though the pipeline has been cut into recently, the Wolverines never hesitate to show interest in Cass Tech kids, which seems like a constant regardless of who the head coach at Michigan is.
Robertson Adds Offer from Michigan
The Wolverines were busy with 2016 prospects on Sunday, offering four-star defensive end Auston Robertson (Fort Wayne, IN) while he was on campus for the BBQ.
He made the trip with a fellow 2016 four-star prospect, wide receiver Austin Mack, also from Ft. Wayne. He seemed to have nothing but good things to say about the visit, speaking with 247's Steve Wiltfong. (FREE)
"Man it was great I got the offer," Robertson told 247Sports after leaving campus. He made the trip with friend, fellow 2016 four-star and major Michigan target in Top100 receiver Austin Mack.
"I love the coaching staff, but I'm going to stay humble and wait everything out with Austin."
Mack is having a big summer converting from tight end to defensive end, and it looks like Michigan's chances at landing him are pretty good.
That's it for Monday. Come back Wednesday and join us for the latest in Michigan football recruiting news and notes.
Be sure to follow Maize N Brew's Anthony Broome on Twitter, @anthonytbroome.