Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: South & West

2019 RB Quavaris Crouch set to visit Michigan

Scout has an interesting piece up ($) about Quavaris Crouch, who’s the #1 running back in the 2019 class according to the 247Composite, just inching barely ahead of Noah Cain. Crouch recently visited Alabama, and a trip to Ann Arbor for the barbecue is up next.

"I'm very excited about the trip because I have a good relationship with running backs coach Jay Harbaugh," Crouch said. "I call him a lot and make sure I stay in touch. With him, it's not always about football, which is something I really like. I'm actually getting to know him as a person. He always talks to me about character and being a good person.

"Michigan is a school where I think I could fit well because of how they run the ball and the success they've had with bigger running backs.”

He also hopes to get some face time with Jim Harbaugh.

"When I think about Michigan, Coach Harbaugh grabs my attention," Crouch said. "He's a great coach and knows what he's looking for when it comes to players... I'd like to get to know him and develop a relationship with him."

Checking in on the west coast

Scout also has some interesting nuggets about 2018 west coast players ($), particularly four-star athlete Talanoa Hufanga and five-star quarterback Matt Corral. For Hufanga, Eugene Hankerson had this to say:

“At this point, the most important factor in choosing a college is playing time. Hufanga’s intrigued with Michigan’s usage of Jabrill Peppers. In TMI's opinion, USC, Michigan, Oregon, and Oregon State are the front runners.”

For Corral, the story being told is that Michigan is seemingly less interested in Corral than Corral is in Michigan, after the five-star decommitted from USC earlier this summer. We’ll see how that develops, given that Michigan already has a QB in this cycle.

Also, Michigan is still definitely in the running for five-star wide receiver Jalen Hall, who is keeping U-M in the mix in part because of their academic prestige.

Another McCaffrey in the house?

TMI’s Evan Petzold spoke to 2019 athlete Luke McCaffrey, the younger brother of Dylan and Christian. Michigan seems to be in good position in the very early going ($).

"Ohio State, UCLA, Michigan, and Virginia are the schools that I hear from the most, but I really can't tell completely right now," he said. "I would say Notre Dame is close to offering."

"I hope to get to a few (Michigan games) this season," he added. "I would like to go to the game against Air Force because I've got a good friend there. I have talked about going to the UCLA game against Texas A&M. It would be cool to get out to an Ohio State game too."

McCaffrey’s hoping to win the quarterback job with his brother Dylan now in Ann Arbor. But, ya know.

In the 2016 season, McCaffrey completed 5-of-7 passes for 63 yards. He ran the ball 23 times for 245 yards and two scores. He also added 47 receptions for 717 yards, and nine touchdowns. He also played defense and made 42 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss. McCaffrey added two interceptions, four passes defended, and one fumble recovery.

I think he’s okay regardless.

Student Sports Flickr

Top Fives

Unsurprisingly, Michigan made the top five for Michael Thompson, Jr. this week, but the writing on the wall is still pointing toward Missouri ($).

While we’re talking top fives where Michigan is not the favorite, 2018 three-star safety Randy Russell recently included Michigan in his top five ($), along with Florida, UCLA, Louisville, and Virginia Tech.

“Michigan is a prestigious school,” he said. “They have a huge reputation with a lot of the coaches on the staff having NFL experience and things of that nature. It will help getting prepared for the next level."

It’s a wait-and-see situation, and Michigan isn’t out of it.

News & Notes

Rivals caught up with recent offeree Jordan Whittington, who’s a high-four-star receiver in the 2019 class. He had this to say ($):

“Michigan is one of the most elite schools in the country,” he said. “I think Alabama and Clemson sit up on a tier all by themselves, but then there’s another level – Michigan is on it, Ohio State is on it and so are a few others....

“They opened my eyes a little bit,” he said. “But right now I’m still focusing on those four schools (Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, and UCLA, his top four). Those are still my clear top four.”

Rivals also caught up with Rick Sandidge, who said he’s “honestly.. confused” with how he feels during this recruiting process ($).

"I’ll be at South Carolina next weekend but then after that I’ll be switching to high school-season mode probably," he said. "I’m going to take all five of my official visits this fall. I’ve been saying where I want to go but I’m not for sure now.

"I really have no idea — I honestly don’t know how I'm going to decide. I’m wide open right now. Honestly, I’m confused."

He did add that recent visits to Michigan and Georgia both stood out to him. But perhaps a little time off from the recruiting process would be good for him in the short term.

Oh, and Michigan should be getting a visit from 2018 four-star cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart sometime at the beginning of August ($).