Friday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Welcome Home

Jedrick Wills Set To Visit

There will be a whole lot of talent visiting Michigan this upcoming week - I'll touch on that a little more in a second - but one of the names worth highlighting ($) is Jedrick Wills, a four-star offensive tackle out of Lexington, Kentucky and the #36 overall player in the 2017 class. Wills' Crystal Balls are heavily weighted toward Kentucky, but Michigan has a chance to fight their way into this race.

Weekend Visitor Lists

A lot of talent will be coming to Ann Arbor this weekend for Michigan's camps. Like, "Independence Day" amounts of talent. "Ben-Hur" amounts of talent, even. Here is a free list of notables from MGoFish, and here's one that requires a subscription from Rivals ($). A few names you might recognize: Kai-Leon Herbert, Tedarrell Slaton, Nico Collins, Wyatt Davis, Baron Browning, Ja'Raymond Hall, Dylan McCaffrey, and JKP. Crootin', hanging out together, and getting better every day.

Antwuan Johnson Talks Visits

One of the themes with these roundups is that many of the 2017 recruitments are going to stretch on for a long, long time. Michigan will certainly get a lot of problems solved with this class - not that the roster has many problems left, mind you - and then development will be critical for years to come afterward. The 2018 cycle, it goes without saying, is not something to genuinely worry about just yet. 2018 recruiting is more apt to brick-laying at the moment.

So, with that granular sodium chloride out of the way, let's cover Johnson's recent interview with Rivals ($), where he talked about his plans for visiting other schools. Overall, it was pretty standard stuff for a 16-year old recruit.

"I don't know right now," Johnson said when asked where he might go [this summer]. "I'm sitting down with my parents right now. I'm thinking about hitting Alabama on July 17 and getting up to the Irish Invasion at Notre Dame. Other than that, I'll probably just be hitting a lot of junior days and visiting some campuses."

Johnson added Michigan coaches have not tried to discourage him from seeing other schools.

"I just thought Alabama would be a nice team to add to my resume," he said. "To pick that offer up would be great ... them and perhaps Michigan State, Notre Dame. That would look good on my sheet. My parents and I had a sit-down and we talked about that. I feel like [Alabama] would be a good camp to get to and experience that.

Sounds like a fun summer to me. There may be end up being a little more drama down the road, but right now both Michigan and Johnson are doing just fine while looking at their options.

Michigan In Second For Four-Star DT

Darnell Ewell (Norfolk, VA) knows exactly who his leader is right now. It's Ohio State.

The four-star 2017 defensive tackle, who weighs in at 6'4" and 295 pounds, said that Michigan, Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame round out his top five, in order. But he's also somewhat undecided, and that's where more visits come in. He'll be visiting Michigan on June 25th.

"My family is in Michigan, thats a reason why I'm going for the visit - to be around family," he said. "Going to Michigan means being with family to me."

"I'm ready to visit, check it out and learn more. See some historical sites and just the school in general."

Ewell has offers from all of the above schools and many more, including Florida, Florida State, LSU, Stanford, and UCLA.

Vague Optimism For Linebackers

Four-star linebacker Jordan Anthony (IMG Academy) spoke to 247Sports ($) and said Michigan is still recruiting him hard. The top-150 player is in the process of visiting various top schools, so a lot will be riding on his next trip to Michigan. No date is set, though, so this is something to revisit down the road.

Meanwhile, Texas native Kenneth Murray will be taking an official visit to Michigan ($), and he also announced an August 10th decision date. Murray will early-enroll.

"Michigan is definitely a part of my picture," he said. "I'm going to try and get up there this summer. They will be one of my officials for sure, no matter what.

"Coach Harbaugh is a big reason for that. Also, since its so far from my house it can be hard trying to get up there but if I take an official it will be easier on my dad's pockets."

Also, three-star linebacker Shanon Reid (Fort Myers, FL) said Michigan and Mississippi State are sticking out to him out of all his offers. MSU is the favorite in this one, but Michigan has a puncher's chance. Michigan is doing well with enough linebacker prospects that it's not make or break.

Donovan Johnson Update

No Michigan offer yet for the three-star cornerback out of Detroit, but that's all right for Johnson.

"I'm in no rush right now. You could say that Penn State, West Virginia and Virginia Tech lead," he said. ....

"I have been hearing from Oregon more, and I have that offer," Johnson said. "I've been talking to the coaches. I've been hearing from Iowa ... that's pretty much it ... and Michigan State."

Michigan will still be in the thick of it if they decide to offer. MGoBlog happened to do some scouting of Johnson at the SMSB camps this past week, and here is what they had to say:

Three-star 2017 Cass Tech CB Donovan Johnson is a great athlete who looks to be around 5'9". ... I can see the argument for Michigan extending him an offer; I can also see why they haven't done so yet. The main targets at corner right now have higher upside.

Johnson has said that the ball is in Harbaugh's court when it comes to recruiting him; but, we'll see how hard Johnson works this summer and whether he impresses at the camp circuit. Johnson could be a later addition if things bounce the right way.

Tyler Friday Visit A Success

Back to 2018 recruiting for a second: four-star New Jersey native Tyler Friday, a defensive end out of Don Bosco Prep, visited campus this past weekend and had a good time. Bricks were successfully laid ($):

"I see Michigan as a fit for me," he told Wolverine247. "I got a chance to talk with Coach Brown, Coach Mattison and Coach Harbaugh while I was there. We talked a lot about how they are going to play defense and why I would be a great fit for them and their program. ...

"I'm hoping to come back really soon," he said. "I liked sitting down with the coaching staff and getting to know them better. I feel like our relationship is starting to take off and that we will have a great relationship in the future. I love the way they are using their defensive linemen."

Other News & Notes

Four-star 2017 tight end Tyler Johnson (Gilbert, AZ) included Michigan in his top 14. Michigan just offered ($) a three-star fullback and LSU commit, who will also be visiting this weekend. Here's a jovial interview ($) with Jalil Irvin. Here's an article on Team Hypercool.

Also, three-star tackle Joel Honigford (Sugarcreek, OH) visited U-M last weekend ($) and had a good time. He has a top four of U-M, MSU, Auburn, and the Buckeyes, despite no offer from Urban Meyer.