Hello, all.
My name is Anthony Broome, and I will be taking over the recruiting roundups for Joshua Henschke, who is moving on to cover the on-field product of the Michigan Wolverines exclusively.
I'll share a little bit about myself before we get started. I am currently the managing editor over at The Big House Report, formerly run by Henschke, where we cover all things Wolverines on the gridiron and on the court. I've been writing about and following recruiting for awhile now, and when the opportunity presented itself to become a part of Maize N Brew, I knew it was something I wanted to contribute to.
I do plan on doing things a bit differently, while staying true to what the people come here for. If there's anything you think our roundups have been lacking or that you would like to see differently, please let us know in the comments below.
Now that my intro is out of the way, let's get to what matters most: Michigan football recruiting.
Lucier-South Sets Official Visit Date
2015 five-star defensive end Keisean Lucier-South announced via his Twitter page on Friday evening that his official visit date to Ann Arbor will take place the weekend of Oct. 11, where the Wolverines will play Penn State under the lights at Michigan Stadium.
It looks like KLS is goin to Ann Arbor on October 11th
— Keisean South1⃣6⃣ (@KLSouth16) May 3, 2014
This is a huge visit for the Wolverines, as they have used these night games at the Big House as fantastic weekends for recruiting in the past with some big names in attendance.
According to 247's Steve Lorenz, it may not be the only time (FREE) Lucier-South visits Ann Arbor to get a closer look at the program.
As we reported earlier this week, it's not likely to be the five-star's only visit to Ann Arbor, as he's looking to take an unofficial visit sometime this summer.
By all accounts, it appears that UCLA and Michigan are the two teams to beat right now for Lucier-South. It is going to be tough for Brady Hoke to pull him out of California, but there is definite mutual interest here.
As far as a timetable for a decision goes, I talked to Lucier-South for TBHR (FREE) shortly after his offer from the Wolverines. He told me that he will probably wait until signing day to decide, as well as where coaches are saying he would fit in Michigan's scheme.
Lucier-South is going to be a great addition to whatever program he decides to go to. He might be the best hybrid pass rusher in the 2015 class, with many comparing him to the likes of Dion Jordan and Anthony Barr. Time will tell where he ends up landing.
Wolverines Keep The 2016 Offers Coming
The 2015 recruiting cycle is in full swing, but that has not stopped the Wolverines from getting a head start on the 2016 class, as well.
2016 five-star offensive guard Richard Merritt has been offered by Michigan, according to his Twitter page.
MICHIGAN OFFERED TODAY
— Richard Merritt (@_58thegreat) May 2, 2014
Not that this really means anything, but it WAS an all-caps tweet, so he appears thrilled with the offer coming from the Wolverines.
Another 2016 prospect that has been offered is four-star defensive end Jordan Woods, according to one of his high school coaches.
#TC DE @jordantc80 offered to today by @umichfootball #GoBlue
— Justin Wentworth (@jwentworth42) May 2, 2014
These are just a few of the offers that have come recently to 2016 prospects. I get questions all the time asking why Michigan likes to offer prospects so early on in the process, and the best explanation I can give is that they like to get in the ear of some of these kids early on and build a relationship so that Michigan is in it at the end.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Welcome to the recruiting world.
Michigan Interested in Elite 2017 Defensive End
Yes, yes, I know. Throwing the word "elite" into a phrase involving a prospect coming off of his freshman season is a bit much, but this one may be justified.
Michigan has shown interest in 2017 defensive end AJ Epenesa, who was a MaxPreps Freshman All-American following last season and looks to be positioning himself as one of the best prospects in America.
247's Steve Lorenz said he expected Michigan to stop in and check on Epenesa on April 30. ($)
Epenesa is coming off of an excellent performance at the Chicago NFTC, where he beat out 2015 five-star DE Jashon Cornell and many others for MVP honors for the defensive line position.
Performing at a high level against the likes of guys like Cornell is extremely impressive as a freshman. Epenesa will only keep developing and get better in time, so it's scary to think of what he could be once he hits a college campus. Michigan is right to be keeping tabs on him early before he blows up.
O, 2015 Quarterback Commit, Where Art Thou?
We've talked a lot about future classes in this roundup, but what about 2015, which is where the Wolverines are most focused right now?
With the hiring of Doug Nussmeier back in January, Michigan has stripped down the offense to a more pro-style look, and they are looking for their quarterbacks of the future that will fit in that offense.
Things have opened back up a bit with Nussmeier on the recruiting trail now. He reportedly watched in-state prospect Alex Malzone at a throwing session last week, and it reportedly went fantastic. Malzone is scheduled to make the drive over to Ann Arbor soon and meet with the coaching staff.
While a scholarship offer has yet to come, it really is only a matter of time before it does, and it is starting to appear more and more as if Malzone is the top quarterback target for Michigan in this class.
In another shameless plug, I broke down the 2015 quarterback situation over at TBHR (FREE), and gave four names, including Malzone, that are in contention for that quarterback spot that could be Wolverines before it's all said and done.
Thanks for reading, and again, sound off in the comments with any feedback you have for me in regards to the roundups.
Be sure to follow Maize N Brew's Anthony Broome on Twitter, @AnthonyTBroome.