(Editor's note: Today is the first day for Joshua Henschke, who will be helping out around here with recruiting and football coverage. Give him a welcome in the comments and be sure to follow him on twitter.)
Plenty O' Visitors
Michigan will be hosting a large amount of visitors Sunday afternoon as they will be in attendance to watch the basketball team take on Wisconsin at the Crisler Center. Eric compiled a solid list of who is attending so far, who might make the trip and those who won't be able to make it. The list will be updated throughout the week as visitors are confirmed.
The list is headlined by 2016 offensive line commit Erik Swenson and it appears he is the only visitor that holds an offer from Michigan as of right now. However, Eric hints that there is a possibility some targets may walk away with offers after this visit.
"Among the possible prospects to walk away with an offer are Daelin Hayes, Desmond Fitzpatrick and Lawrence Gordon. I expect all three of these players to receive an offer at some point, and that could come as early as this weekend. Each have shown considerable interest in the Wolverines already and are targets that Michigan would like to land in what looks to be a larger class than the 2014 and 2015 versions."
EDIT: Desmond Fitzpatrick has rescheduled and will no longer be visiting this weekend. Same story for Hayes. Both will visit for the Michigan State game on February 23.
Get familiar with Swenson by checking out his Hudl page that has a short highlight tape.
The Malik McDowell Saga is Never-ending
The story of five-star defensive end Malik McDowell's (Southfield, MI) recruitment will not go away quietly into the night. After committing to the Spartans a little over a week ago, he has yet to be signed sealed and delivered to East Lansing. In fact, there is a strong possibility that may not even make it to campus at all.
According to 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong, who spoke with McDowell's father earlier this week, the younger McDowell still wants to be a Spartan, but continues to eye trips ($) to Florida State, Ohio State and Michigan in hopes to find a compromise with his mom.
"He wants to go check out Florida State again and Ohio State again. Michigan could be the first or second or the last. They’re 30 minutes away. We have no issue getting up there and checking it out. I told him it’s going to be a compromise with him and his mom. I know you shouldn’t have to compromise with your mom about this decision, but you can’t want something that bad to risk a relationship."
So you're saying there's a chance?
General Odds and Ends
Steve Lorenz from 247Sports has a thorough look into the potential storyline's of the 2015 recruiting cycle ($). In his article, he expects this years cycle to be a bit slower than years past.
"The last two seasons have been filled up fast, with Michigan easing into the finish line without much fanfare or drama. It may not be the case, but expect it to change a bit this season. The biggest reason why is because Michigan remains in the top group of many top prospects early. Those players are going to want to see the wins on the field before they're ready to make a commitment to the Wolverines. Whether Brady Hoke is really on the hot-seat or not, the perception is already out there, and top players will not want to commit to a school that's looked at as a sinking ship. This means more official visits during the season and more recruiting by the coaches later in the cycle."
Winning heals all wounds, and the same goes for recruiting. In order to regain some the lost recruiting momentum, Michigan will need to put out a solid product in the 2014 season.
Just Got Offered by Michigan〽️🐺
— Cle#⃣1⃣1⃣ (@Cle_Missile) February 10, 2014
Michigan offered four-star DE Clelin Ferrell (Richmond, VA) yesterday. Ferrell is teammates with 2016 wide receiver Scott Bracey whom also holds a Michigan offer. It's too early to tell how legitimate Michigan's chances are landing either both or one of the two. But the coaching staff, particularly linebackers coach Roy Manning, has been hitting their school particularly hard as of late.
I just received an invite to play in the US Army All-American Game. 🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏😎 #BLESSED #KLS
— Keisean South1⃣6⃣ (@KLSouth16) February 11, 2014
Four-star DE Keisean Lucier-South (Orange, CA) received an invite to the US Army All-American Game today. Lucier-South once referred to his offer from Michigan as his "dream offer."