Michigan Football Recruiting Roundup: Has Flip Season Begun?

2017 Defensive End commit targets LSU, Notre Dame commits after firings

Corey Malone-Hatcher has continued his recruiting efforts after Les Miles’ and Brian VanGorder’s oustings in Baton Rouge and South Bend. The four-star defensive end out of St. Joseph has quickly become a fan favorite after his efforts to land a commitment from receiving target Tarik Black early last week, and his advantageous approach to the first major coaching changes of 2016 should only serve to bolster his role as a recruiting leader.

Malone-Hatcher has specifically targeted four-star OT Austin Deculus out of Cypress, TX, this weekend, who showed some confusion after the announcement of Miles’ firing on Sunday. The 8^th-ranked offensive tackle in the country has spoken about the possibility of visiting Ann Arbor in the past, and the possibility of early playing time under Harbaugh’s meritocracy could be an appealing offer.

Michigan hosts Peoples-Jones for PSU game

The nation’s top overall receiver joined Malone-Hatcher and a handful of other UM commits in the Big House Saturday for Michigan’s Big Ten opener, his first visit to Ann Arbor this season. Peoples-Jones has yet to make a commitment, but all signs have pointed towards Michigan thus far. Peoples-Jones announced his official commitment to the US Army All-American Game Sunday evening.

He also performed admirably in Cass Tech’s matchup against East English, finishing with a 64-yard pick-six and a 39-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Other notable visitors included JaRaymond Hall (4* OT commit) and Kurt Taylor (3* RB commit).

Collins cancels visit to Ann Arbor

Another receiver target high on Michigan’s list, Nico Collins, cancelled his scheduled visit to Ann Arbor Saturday after transportation became an issue. Collins, a four-star WR from Alabama, has taken four visits to Ann Arbor already, which certainly says something about his feelings towards Michigan, so there shouldn’t be any cause for panic. Three-star safety J’Marick Woods also cancelled his visit last-minute seeing as he and Collins were set to ride together to Ann Arbor.