Monday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: All-Big Guys Edition

A long, steady process for Ronnie Perkins

Like defensive line recruiting? Excited to hear about forces of nature and athletic marvels who can build a working two-deep on Michigan’s defensive line?

Well, Alim McNeill, who I mentioned in last Monday’s roundup, is one guy who definitely fits that bill. Ronnie Perkins is another - the 6’4”, 250-pound 2018 four-star player out of St. Louis, Missouri has that speed-power combo that can’t be taught. And Michigan is currently “among his fiercest pursuers,” according to Scout ($).

"What makes Ronnie so special is he can play inside and outside,” said Perkins’ head coach, Carl Reed, who grew up in Detroit. “He's an elite pass rusher off the edge, an elite pass rusher on the inside, and he can play against the run."

From his tape, I can confirm. Perkins also has great handwork, combine-type athleticism and works hard on special teams. He’s the kind of do-it-all, football-is-football player that Harbaugh loves.

So, now that we’ve talked up Perkins for a good minute, where does Michigan stand with him? The Wolverines made his top 12 about a month ago despite Perkins not being too familiar with the Wolverines, but that lack of familiarity could change.

“We're going to get to Michigan this summer, Oklahoma, Texas and LSU this summer so we'll be making our rounds,” said his coach. “Distance won’t be a factor in his decision.”

Michigan is also a good fit given Perkins’ top priorities.

"No. 1 is going to be a defensive line coach and who he feels best prepares guys to play in the national football league, which is his No. 1 goal,” Reed explained. “And also, he wants to play at a program where you can compete for national titles. At the end of the day I think those things are going to play out. He wants to play at the highest level so you're looking for a program that can get you there."

A former NFL defensive coordinator fits the bill pretty well. Anyway, Perkins does not plan on waiting around until Signing Day 2018 to make his decision, but there’s still a long way to go before this one plays out. Perkins is definitely a name to keep in mind, though.

The ongoing journey of Rick Sandidge

Like defensive line recruiting? Hey, I did this already. Well, it turns out that 2018 four-star North Carolina prospect (and 6’5”, 288-pound tackle) Rick Sandidge is another guy Michigan is pursuing hard - and again, they’re doing well despite not being a familiar location to him.

“They've got a good tradition, but for me the way I look at a school I don't care about the tradition,” said Sandidge this past Thursday ($). “I care about the people that will be there the next three or four years that will be coaching me. The people that will be like a mother and dad when my mother and dad are back here in North Carolina."

And as for Jim Harbaugh? "I find him very funny, an outgoing guy."

"I actually got on the phone (early last week) with Coach Harbaugh and I was on the phone with him for about 30 minutes,” Sandidge recalled. “We were just talking about life and school and how we need to get you down here and have a good time, grades, and stuff like that."

Michigan has already made Sandidge’s top 11, but they will be getting their first in-person visit this week. How that goes will determine a lot. Sandidge is planning for a Signing Day commitment.

Sandidge could be a really good 320-pound athlete in college along that D-line.

Checking in on OT Jalen Mayfield

247Sports sat down with 2018 four-star tackle Jalen Mayfield this week, and Mayfield said he’s working harder than ever now that he’s a Michigan commit.

"My focus now is helping my team win another championship. With recruiting out of the way I can give full focus to my team and help us bring another one home." (He plays for Catholic Central in Grand Rapids.)

But, Mayfield is still managing to get in some recruiting of his own during his free time - even if he won’t say who he is recruiting to join the Maize and Blue.

"The coaches want us to keep that to ourselves," he said. "They want it to be exciting. There are definitely some guys that we feel really, really good about though. It should be a great class when it's all said and done. We're all trying to do our part and help as well."

Jalen also earned ‘Alpha Dog’ honors this weekend at the “Best of the Midwest” camp at Grand Valley State University - which is the new iteration of the “Sound Mind Sound Body” camp that could not be continued under the recent changes to NCAA policy.

Things going very well for younger Hinton

Let’s quickly recap the Hintons, shall we? Elder brother Chris Hinton is a 6’4”, 265-pound 2019 defensive end, and a blue-chip guy with 86% Crystal Balls pointed at U-M. Younger brother Myles is a 6’6”, 300-pound offensive tackle who’s yet unranked, but is so big and disruptive in his freshman highlight film it’s actually quite comical. Both are from Georgia.

Well, Hinton the younger also has a growing affection for U-M, and he spoke about it to Scout ($).

“I loved it,” Hinton told The Michigan Insider. “It was amazing. We toured the school and went to the Ross business school and [saw the] engineering program.”

“I was already very interested, but the recent visit just made me love it more,” he added. “I liked the community feel to Ann Arbor. I also liked how everyone there wanted you to be your best in the class on the field and after football.”

“Nowhere else has been like that.”

So, it’s safe to say he had a good time.

Both Hintons have said they plan to visit Michigan again in the future. They could possibly be the first pledges in their respective classes to commit to Michigan.