Friday Michigan Football Recruiting Roundup is Psychic

Peppers Sets Decision Date

Consensus five-star athlete and Michigan target Jabrill Peppers will make his decision on national television on May 26th. Is this a good thing for Michigan? Absolutely. The Wolverines have been firmly in the driver's seat ever since Peppers came to Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit, and no one has made up any significant ground since.

Yes, Peppers will take a visit to Penn State and maybe even Rutgers, but he still looks like a lock to end up in the maize and blue. There simply isn't enough time for another school to overtake Michigan.

Wolverines Offer a Pair of Young Lone Star Linebackers

TX LB Malik Jefferson (2015)
6'3", 215 pounds
Hudl highlights

Jefferson is one mean dude. He already holds offers from Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and many others, and the Longhorns are the presumed leader. He's a very heady, explosive SAM prospect who probably won't end up at Michigan, but it's hard not to offer a player like him under any circumstances.

TX LB Cameron Townsend (2015)
6'1", 195 pounds

Townsend is an inside prospect who holds offers from Texas, Houston, Baylor and Michigan as of now. He's a good but not great athlete and should be on the four-star line when his cycle comes around.

Crystal Ball Predictions: Happening

247 Sports began to invite non-247 authors to join in on their crystal ball predictions not too long ago, and I was lucky enough to get an invitation. Whether or not my predictions will be legitimate or plain wrong has yet to be determined, but they exist nonetheless:

Surprise: Alex Bars commits to Notre Dame, and I'm already O-fer. Embry to Michigan State is the only real reach as of now; the Spartans haven't offered him yet, but I think they'll eventually pull through and get one hell of a sleeper. Smith to the Irish and Winovich to Michigan are the only cases where I went against the grain.

You can check out my page here. I'll make more predictions as more information comes to light.

General Notes and Multimedia Items

WILL/MIKE prospect Kyron Watson was once considered a Michigan lock, but things changed quickly when he checked into a spring camp well under six feet tall. The staff cooled on him, and he quickly committed to Kansas. Chase Winovich makes up the entire linebacker board as of now, but someone like Noah Furbush could pop up should Winovich drop in favor of Ohio State.

Michigan is atop ESPN's class rankings.. for now:

Hey Michigan, you are now No. 1 in the latest ESPN recruiting rankings for the 2014 football class: es.pn/12gLqDs

— WolverineNation ESPN (@WolverineNation) May 17, 2013

I've never been able to trust their recruiting rankings, for what it's worth.

Class of 2015 offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez is a name to keep an eye on. The staff has been in touch with him; he could be one of the next 2015 offers.

Finally, Michigan plans on recruiting some football royalty down the line:

Hearing #Michigan dropped in on another son of a famous father yesterday. 6-2, 190 lb. Plano (TX) Prestonwood Christian WR, Michael Irvin Jr

— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) May 14, 2013

They're also recruiting 2015 receiver Cordell Broadus to some extent. Cordell is the son of Snoop Dogg.. err.. Snoop Lion. Hopefully he doesn't mumble like his father: every time I listen to a Snoop track I end up screaming at him to speak up.