Michigan Trending For Donovan Peoples-Jones
Alright, so, grains of salt: DPJ's recruitment isn't wrapping up any time soon, there will be a lot of suitors trying their best to woo him and ... well, that's all I've got for the grains of salt. Now to the good stuff ($):
"Michigan is going to be extremely tough to beat in the end," they said. "He is a very open-minded kid that is giving other schools a fair chance but I would be shocked if it's not Michigan, especially with the academic programs he is interested in at Michigan. That's an extremely important aspect of his recruitment. Outside of Michigan, it's Ohio State, Michigan State, Alabama, Clemson and Florida State that are going to be the main schools."
This comes on the heels of Crystal Balls in favor of Michigan from Clint Brewster, Steve Lorenz and others. Quite simply, I think Harbaugh is using the same approach with Peoples-Jones that he used while recruiting Rashan Gary - methodically and relentlessly stacking everything in Michigan's favor that he can possibly get his hands on. Which leads us to....
Ambry Thomas, JKP Updates
I'd spoken on Friday about weekend visits from Luiji Vilain and James Hudson III, but it turns out they were not the only ones to head to campus. Top in-state targets Ambry Thomas and Jaylen Kelly-Powell were in town as well. The visit went well ($):
"Ambry Thomas and I sat down with Coach Brown, Partridge and Zordich and went over X's and O's. They showed us where we fit if we came there. And we are priority #1 at our positions."
Thomas, Kelly-Powell and Peoples-Jones are the top three recruits in the state, according to 247Sports. Michigan commit JaRaymond Hall is fourth, while Josh Ross and Phillip Paea come in sixth and eighth, respectively.
Luiji Vilain Visit A Success
Not a whole lot of information has come out about Vilain's trip to Michigan this past weekend, but Brandon Brown reported ($) that Vilain sat down with coaches and had a good time. Vilain, who like Benjamin St. Juste is Canadian, has a top three of Michigan, USC and Virginia Tech. Many have been predicting Vilain will commit to the Wolverines in the next couple of weeks.
James Hudson Gets His Offer
Another weekend visitor, interior athletic disruptor and destroyer of lands James Hudson III walked away very impressed with Michigan ($).
"I was offered by Michigan on the visit," Hudson stated. "The visit went great and it was exciting to get offered while I was there. I have to say this offer sticks out a lot to me."
Hudson, who is 6'5" and 280 pounds, could play a few spots on the defensive line or even at offensive tackle. The Toledo, Ohio native was accompanied by his parents, who were similarly impressed with campus.
Pushing Hard For 5* Ohio State Commit
There's a report from 247Sports that Michigan is trying to make strides with Shaun Wade, a five-star 2017 corner committed to Ohio State. According to the report ($), Wade's commitment to Ohio State is soft and his recruitment is still ongoing. Michigan has a long shot, but a shot nonetheless, to flip another elite Ohio State pledge.
And while we're on the subject of candidates for flipping, here is an interesting article from Garrett Fishaw I think you'd enjoy. Also, Michigan is going hard after 2018 tight end and Alabama commit Malcolm Epps ($).
Satellite Camps Update: 38 Now Planned
Because of course there is. The Free Press has a breakdown on all the latest camps, and a full schedule that will make you want to sit down and relax.
Texas Linebacker Feels The Love
Three-star 2017 linebacker Kenneth Murray (Missouri City, Texas) has received not just one, but two visits from Chris Partridge during the spring evaluation period. The message? Murray is important to Michigan ($).
"My coach told me that he flew back out just to see me," Murray said. "That really meant a lot to me. Michigan has made me a priority already in the short time since they've offered. I really like Coach Partridge and I also really like Coach Jim Harbaugh and what he's doing with their program."
Murray seemed to be pretty early in the process on his end, still deciding how he's going to tackle his recruitment. But he was impressed with Michigan's plans for life after football, and he was also told that Michigan's admissions have approved him already as a potential early enrollee.
'Just Playing Football'
Five-star 2017 running back Najee Harris (Antioch, CA) talked in depth to Scout this weekend about his recruiting process and the attention that comes with being the #1 player in the class, and mainly he seemed disinterested in the whole thing.
"Honestly, I'm just trying to be the best I can be and I don't really listen to the comparisons..." he said. "It's not that it is boring, I just have more stuff to worry about than the attention so I don't focus on it."
When asked who had visited his high school, he gave this as a response. "Nebraska, Cal, Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, USC, UCLA. I can't remember them all. There have been a lot of schools coming by." Meanwhile....
No. 4 overall prospect, RB Najee Harris pic.twitter.com/cvZJtIMbXX
— Erik McKinney (@EMcKinneyESPN) May 22, 2016
Extending An Offer To Obinna Eze
Michigan's recruiting along the offensive line is at once promising and murky. There are a lot of prospects that Michigan feels confident about and is in good standing with. However, it's hard to make easy predictions about how it will likely play out.
We'll throw another small piece into this conundrum, this time in the form of four-star Nashville, Tennessee tackle Obinna Eze. Eze, who is 6'8" and 263, doesn't have a top list and admitted that the Michigan offer surprised him ($).
"My coach told me to give Jay (Harbaugh) a call," Eze told The Michigan Insider. "I did and he said he admires my improvement and handwork, then he offered me. It felt pretty good and I didn’t see it coming. It’s really nice to know that schools outside the SEC think good of me too. I'm just grateful to God and I'm looking forward to developing a great relationship with Michigan."
Wyatt Davis Discusses Summer Plans
On the subject of offensive linemen, California five-star Wyatt Davis broke down his plans to navigate a myriad of interested teams. Five-stars usually have a longer recruiting period, but Davis seems especially unsure of the direction he's trying to go right now.
Other News & Notes
In case you missed it, Evan has a great breakdown of Dylan McCaffrey being named an Elite 11 finalist. Cass Tech's Donovan Johnson got invited to The Opening. The recruitment for four-star 2018 cornerback Houston Griffith, the top player in the state of Illinois ($), is heating up. Michigan offered, followed by Florida State. Kurt Taylor is a man.