Cass Tech visitors offered
Michigan hosted several of the top 2016 players in the state on Tuesday night for the basketball game. The most notable of visitors came from Cass Tech High School in Detroit.
Cass Tech had three players at Crisler Center in 2016 prospects Michael Onwenu and Demetric Vance and 2017 prospect Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Onwenu is a four-star offensive/defensive lineman was offered back in the summer of 2014 but the new staff has recently started to show more interest in him. He received an offer from Alabama earlier this week, so the rest of the country is noticing his talent as well.
Vance is a three-star athlete who looks like a college defensive back. He was offered by the Wolverines while on his visit Tuesday.
Peoples-Jones may be two years away from being on a college campus, but his offer from Michigan on Tuesday is a notable one. He has the look of a future five-star prospect and the top receiver in the nation at some point, so keeping an eye on where his recruitment goes.
Michigan wants to be a national recruiting power, but it is important to first and foremost take care of business at home. Tuesday was the first step in regaining that. We are all aware of the drama surrounding Cass Tech and Ohio State recently, so we will see if that plays out on the recruiting trail going forward.
Falcon nabs Michigan offer
Matt Falcon (Southfield, Michigan), one of 2016's rising running back prospects, was in town on Tuesday visiting and received an offer from the Wolverines as well.
(Falcon's name is awesome, so it'd be irresponsible to not throw this in here)
Blessed to say I have been offered by the University of Michigan! #goblue pic.twitter.com/GuqgpxKRXT
— Matt Falcon (@mfalcon21) February 18, 2015
Falcon is a four-star prospect and one of the state's top talents. He missed his sophomore season with a knee injury, but bounced back in 2014 in a big way and earned offers from some good schools. One could argue Michigan should have offered him sooner, but they have now, so that's what matters most.
They'll likely only take one running back in this class, so we'll see what happens from here.
Desmond Fitzpatrick offered
Wide receiver Desmond Fitzpatrick (Farmington, Michigan), another top ten talent in the state, was in Ann Arbor on Tuesday and picked up an offer from the Wolverines.
Fitzpatrick is a three-star prospect and the 57th ranked wide receiver in the 2016 class, but that ranking could definitely shoot up soon. His film would suggest he is poised for a huge breakout in his senior season.
He is currently committed to Louisville, but we'll see if he sticks with that. Things appear to be trending heavily to Michigan here.
Other offers
Michigan has extended a few other offers in recent days:
Star-studded cameos in Ann Arbor Tuesday
Much has been made about Jim Harbaugh changing the culture at Michigan and pushing the brand forward in unique ways, and he added to that repertoire on Tuesday when it was announced that NFL Draft prospects Jameis Winston and Bryce Petty were on campus being tutored by the Wolverines head coach.
QBs Jameis Winston (FSU) & Bryce Petty (Baylor) are preparing for the NFL Combine at Schembechler Hall. pic.twitter.com/2ICM9XMVrc
— Michigan Football (@umichfootball) February 17, 2015
This is yet another thing Harbaugh can use when on the recruiting trail. Most prospects are familiar with his work, but it says a lot about him as a coach that Winston and Petty would come to Ann Arbor for his guidance. Regardless of popular opinion, this is good for Michigan on the trail and they will certainly use stuff like this to their advantage under this staff.
Robert Washington update
Maize n Brew spoke briefly to four-star 2016 running back Robert Washington (Huntersville, North Carolina) on Tuesday about where he is at in the process. He told me that he is still putting his top schools together and has not decided on a final list yet, but that he can see Michigan in the final group.
Washington says he has heard from the new staff and they reaffirmed his scholarship offer that he received under Brady Hoke.
He does not have any visits planned yet but hopes to get those set soon. He was reportedly set to decide on a school in March, but said he has pushed his decision date back to late April.
That's it for Wednesday. Check back in Friday for the latest in Michigan football recruiting.