Kareem Walker Visiting Michigan on Wednesday
The Michigan Wolverines will host one of their top 2016 targets on Wednesday as five-star running back Kareem Walker (Wayne, NJ), who is the top player at his position in the class.
Michigan was the first school to offer Walker and this will be his first visit to Ann Arbor. It appears that he has built a good rapport with coach Roy Manning and is friends with Jabrill Peppers, so the Wolverines do have a few good ties going for them early on in the process.
He will be in attendance while fall camp is in progress, so it will provide a chance for him to see how practices work and what the Wolverines are all about in their preparation for the season.
Michigan will have stiff competition for his services, though, as Alabama and Penn State are after him pretty hard as well. 247 Sports' Crystal Ball currently has him as an 83 percent pick to land with the Crimson Tide, but it is still far too early in the process to make any concrete predictions.
Walker is a major target for the Wolverines, especially if they lose out on 2015 four-star Mike Weber (Detroit, MI). Michigan's current three-headed attack of running backs (Derrick Green, DeVeon Smith, Ty Isaac) will be heading into their fourth year of eligibility in 2016, so they will need to reload somehow.
There is a lot of time to go before National Signing Day 2016, so we will have to wait this one out, as a lot of dominoes will have to drop.
Auden Tate Chooses Florida State
The Wolverines lost out on one of their 2015 wide receiver targets on Tuesday as three-star prospect Auden Tate (Tampa, FL) committed to Florida State.
With that being said, Tate still plans on taking an official visit to Michigan this fall, according to Kelly Parsons of the Tampa Bay Times. (FREE)
If I had to make some sort of proclamation, I don't believe he will flip anywhere from Florida State. In fact, it would not shock me if an official to Michigan never took place, but we will see what happens.
So where does Michigan go at wide receiver now? Well, they just brought in four-star athlete Brian Cole (Saginaw, MI), who has the look of a wide receiver at the college level. It's possible that they only take one player at this position, but two seems likely.
A player to keep an eye on is three-star prospect Grant Perry (Bloomfield Hills, MI), who is a teammate of quarterback commit Alex Malzone. He has yet to receive an offer from the Wolverines, but if one comes, signs point to a quick commitment from Perry.
Keisean Lucier-South Rumor Dispelled
Earlier this week, five-star 2015 defensive end Keisean Lucier-South told Rivals that Michigan was his "favorite school," which sparked a ton of debate and speculation on social media. ($)
Well, 247's Steve Lorenz took to Twitter to clear up the situation.
#Michigan is not the "favorite" for Keisean Lucier-South as has been reported. He claims no leaders at this time.
— Steve Lorenz (@TremendousUM) August 6, 2014
I suppose there is a difference between "favorite school" and "top school," but the comments are still interesting regardless. Lucier-South will be taking an official visit to Michigan this fall, so their chances of landing him are still very favorable.
But KLS-to-Michigan is far from a done deal. Anyone who follows recruiting should know to temper their expectations throughout the process.
Wolverines Sitting Well With Top 2015 Defensive Prospects
Speaking of 2015 guys on the defensive side of the ball, the Wolverines still have a ton of their top guys on the board. If things fall the way that I believe they could, it will be a very nice haul for them on that side of the ball.
Staying with defensive ends, Michigan's other target opposite KLS is four-star Darian Roseboro (Lincolnton, NC). He will be making his college decision on Aug. 29 and the Wolverines seem poised to pull a commitment from him.
He recently released his top five and discussed it with 247's Ryan Bartow, where he talked about Michigan and his experience at the BBQ. ($)
Moving back to the linebacker spots, the Wolverines have already filled one in Darrin Kirkland Jr. (Indianapolis, IN) and could very well pull another talented prospect from the same city.
Four-star outside linebacker Asmar Bilal (Indianapolis, IN) looks like he will be choosing between Michigan and Notre Dame. 247's Steve Wiltfong has a nice feature story on him up, which you can check out here. ($)
I am by no means some sort of recruiting clairvoyant, but my gut tells me that the Wolverines can and will land both of these players. To see who else I believe will be a part of this class, you can check out my 2015 recruiting class predictions over at my website, The Big House Report. I will be releasing a new one shortly, but my most recent one can be found here, and yes, I too whiffed on Auden Tate. (FREE)
That's it for Wednesday. Check us out again Friday for the latest in Michigan football recruiting.
Be sure to follow Maize n Brew's Anthony Broome on Twitter, @anthonytbroome.