Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: The Opening Report Card

Top DT target Michael Thompson to commit soon

There hasn’t been a lot said about Missouri tackle prospect Michael Thompson, although he’s the #2 tackle in the class and the #43 overall player. Thompson said he’ll commit in the next couple of weeks ($).

Who leads, however, is more of a toss-up. We don’t really know where he’ll end up going (although his Crystal Balls all point to Missouri), but we do know his commitment won’t exactly be the end of his recruitment, so to speak. He still plans to visit Michigan for either the Barbecue later this month or an official visit in the fall, and he has a great relationship with Coach Mattison.

“Me and coach (Greg) Mattison we got real good communication, real good. I feel comfortable with him,” Thompson said, adding: “It’s not one specific thing, I just mess with him, I can trust him outside of football (and) during football I feel like he would be one of those persons I feel good with.”

247Sports’ Steve Lorenz had this to say ($):

Michigan is also right in the mix for 2018 Top100 defensive tackle Michael Thompson. The Wolverines would almost certainly be in a top three if he released one today and Missouri is the other program who would probably be a lock to be on that list as well.

We’ll see how this pans out.

McGrone visiting for the Barbecue at the Big House

You’re probably familiar with Cameron McGrone at this point; the linebacker prospect has been feeling the pull from Michigan’s coaches and will be visiting again soon ($).

“Everyday or every other day me and the coaches text just to get the comfort-ability down,” McGrone said. “They’ve been texting me all weekend asking me how I have been doing, they see me on Twitter making big plays, so I like that.”

McGrone also has a friend in Chris Evans, who told him why he ended up signing with Michigan.

“He said when he went in it was immediately it felt like family,” McGrone said of Evans. “He said he talked to guys and felt like he’s known them forever. (Plus), just the football history is great.”

Overall, things are going well for the four-star linebacker.

The Opening Report Card

This weekend’s The Opening was a chance for scouts to get a closer look at some great talent around the country, and Michigan commits and targets were no exception. First up: Myles Sims, who played safety at the event ($).

He is a corner all the way, but his skill set will offer Don Brown & company a range of possibilities. Also worthy of note is he has been an active recruiter, just as promised. His main target has been Kearis Jackson, and he believes he made some headway.

Quick rundown: Kearis Jackson, a four-star receiver and top-100 player out of Georgia, is trying to commit before his senior season begins and has a slew of visits lined up this month - including one to Michigan, although he’s not sure on all the dates just yet. He might just ‘hop in the car with’ Sims when Sims heads to AA for the BBQ later this month ($).

Sam Webb also called Jeremy Ruckert’s performance the best display he’s seen since O.J. Howard some years ago. Ruckert released his top four on Monday, with Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State on the list. He said he’ll commit in the next few weeks.

As for the aforementioned Cameron McGrone, Allen Trieu had this to say ($):

He is a low four-star right now, but he is positioning himself for an upward move. As far as recruiting goes, I think this one ultimately comes down to Michigan and Notre Dame even though he has other schools on his list. It was all Irish, and Michigan came in later, but I think they have made a strong impression on him in a short time, but need to keep the heat on to overtake Notre Dame.

Gemon Green took one for the team, playing nickel, but said he’ll be headed up to the BBQ as well (I would presume with his brother).

More on Josh Jobe

He’s been mentioned before, but the longtime Miami commit and four-star cornerback prospect is still weighing offers from Alabama and Michigan, and he spoke to Scout at length about his sometimes stressful recruitment and his “business decision” of picking a school ($).

"'Bama is serious. 'Bama is the best team," he said of the Crimson Tide, which took part in a satellite camp of their own and got to meet him on FIU’s campus. "We were just talking, talking about life, talking about school. They're talking to me about corner. I'll play anything a college coach wants me to play.”

It’s impressive, in a way, that Michigan is so seriously in this considering that Jobe hasn’t yet visited Michigan’s campus, but has been to Tuscaloosa twice already. He’s a native Floridian, but due to age restrictions has transferred out of state for his senior year - to Connecticut.

"I'm going to take a visit soon, but I don't know when," he said. "I've got to try to get to some places I've never been before."

Perhaps Michigan holding its shot for later in the process won’t prove detrimental at all, but could give them late momentum. We’ll see how it all plays out.

News & Notes

2018 four-star tight end Luke Ford will be visiting later this month as well, and had a number of nice things to say ($). It seems he’s a very realistic possibility and someone who could end up committing down the road.