Recruiting Visitors: March 25-27

Michigan had a load of visitors in Ann Arbor this past weekend for the new coaching staff's first junior day.  There were several talented players in town, a few of whom I profiled below.

Mark Harrell - Tight end - Charlotte, NC
Offers: Auburn, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Scoop: Harrell is a 6'5", 260 lb. tight end/offensive tackle prospect.  Michigan's coaches have made it clear to Harrell that they want him to play tight end.  Maybe I'm guilty of stereotyping, but when I first saw pictures of Harrell awhile ago, I assumed playing tight end at a high level was a pipe dream.  But after seeing some recently posted video of him, I'll admit my initial guess was wrong.  The kid can flat-out run.  A good comparison might be Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph, although Rudolph was more of a wideout as a high schooler.  Harrell hasn't voiced much of a preference as far as position goes, saying that he'll play wherever a team needs him.  He can't afford to add too much weight and stay at tight end, but if he can transform his body a little bit, he could remain there.  He also has excellent potential as an offensive tackle because he plays low and moves his feet so well.  The kid is a very impressive player.  He has stated that distance is not a factor, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him commit to a program in the midwest.

Wayne Morgan - Cornerback - Brooklyn, NY
Offers: Alabama, Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, Miami-FL, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse
Scoop: Morgan is a 5'11", 188 lb. defensive back.  He's a jack of all trades for his high school team, playing quarterback, running back, safety, cornerback, kick returner, etc., but most teams want him as a corner.  From what I see on film, I have some questions about his speed.  He has decent hips and playmaking ability, but I think he might fit better as a safety at the next level.  New York doesn't typically produce a great deal of football talent, but he has earned offers from schools in various areas of the country.  His early favorite appeared to be Rutgers, but as the recruiting cycle continues and he gets more offers, I would expect that Rutgers falls behind; mediocre Big East teams have a hard time hanging with the big boys when it comes to recruiting.  Morgan added a Michigan offer on his trip to Ann Arbor, so it will be interesting to see how things play out.  I'm not extremely optimistic about kids from his part of the country, though.

Jonah Pirsig - Offensive tackle - Blue Earth, MN
Offers: Auburn, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Scoop: Pirsig is a 6'9", 300 lb. offensive tackle.  Which is huge, in case you didn't know.  Watching Pirsig on film, he's an extremely impressive prospect.  He has very good feet and moves much better than one would expect for someone his size.  There are plenty of tackles who are three or four inches shorter that would love to be as agile as him.  Pirsig took a swing through the midwest and visited four schools - Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.  He seems interested in staying in Big Ten country, which is good for Michigan.  But Wisconsin and Ohio State have good histories with monster linemen, too.  Wherever he goes, I think this kid is going to be a very good player.

Se'von Pittman - Defensive end - Canton, OH
Offers: Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, West Virginia
Scoop: Pittman is a 6'4", 225 lb. defensive end/outside linebacker.  The only highlights available are from his sophomore season, so it's difficult to glean too much.  However, if I had to make a prognostication, I would assume that he's going to play defensive end at the next level.  He's a little bit stiff in his movements, which makes me think he'll play with his hand down.  Additionally, he has the frame to add plenty of bulk.  The frontrunner for Pittman seems to be Ohio State, and I get the feeling that OSU is going to have their pick of a number of very good defensive end prospects from within their own state's borders.  Michigan will have a good chance at much of OSU's leftovers, but I'm not optimistic about the Wolverines' chances with Pittman.

OTHER NOTABLE VISITORS:

De'van Bogard - Cornerback - Cleveland, OH
Joe Bolden - Linebacker - Cincinnati, OH (Profiled last week)
Chase Deback - Offensive tackle - Charlotte, MI
Devin Funchess - Tight end - Farmington Hills, MI (Offered)
Allen Gant - Wide receiver/safety - Sylvania, OH
Sam Grant - Tight end - North Royalton, OH (Offered)
A.J. Williams - Tight end - Cincinnati, OH (Offered)
Chris Wormley - Defensive end - Toledo, OH (Offered)
Mario Ojemudia - Defensive end - Farmington Hills, MI (Offered)

MagnusThunder is the author of Touch the Banner, a Michigan football blog.