Michigan Monday Crootin’: Pesek-Hickson pledges, Jalen Perry on commit watch, other visit reactions

The Michigan coaching staff made the last game visit weekend count, gaining the signature of 3-star athlete Amauri Pesek-Hickson right before kickoff.

As our own Jonathan Simmons reported, the Blue Valley North (Overland, Kan.) product pulled the trigger for the Wolverines only weeks after receiving his first FBS offer. He focused on basketball until an injury forced him back to the field.

Simmons noted a potential career parallel.

“If this story sounds familiar, it’s because his path is extremely similar to Ronnie Bell’s last year,” Simmons wrote. “At (No. 824) in the country, Pesek-Hickson is actually ranked about 650 spots higher than Bell ever was. After Bell’s pleasantly surprising production this season, here’s hoping Jim Harbaugh and staff have revealed another diamond in the rough.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder spends a lot of his film catching passes out of the backfield and finding all ways around defenders.

At 0:45, watch him hurdle over a tackler. While Kansas is not necessarily a hotbed for college talent, it’s worth noting Pesek-Hickson and Blue Valley North compete in the highest state classification (6A).

As a third-down back, he’s an intriguing tool in this Swiss Army knife offense. He’s a big body that operates out as a backfield or slot receiver. If that size translates to a pass blocker, he’ll see the field early.

Otherwise, he could transition to box safety or Viper. His highlights show decent closing speed and some power.

His pledge brings Michigan’s class to 25 members. It still stands at ninth in the country, and first in the Big Ten. Class size concerns were discussed last week.

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The weekend’s labor may continue to produce fruit in the form of 4-star Dacula (Ga.) cornerback Jalen Perry.

The two Steves of 247Sports — Lorenz and Wiltfong — submitted crystal balls ($) predicting Perry would sign for the Maize and Blue. Eighty-two percent of analysts project him in Ann Arbor next season.

Perry officially visited for the 31-20 victory over Indiana. He has now been on campus twice in the last month, with the Penn State blowout being his first visit.

Perry stands over 6-foot, just like fellow Georgia cornerback D.J. Turner. He ranks No. 171 in the nation, No. 19 at cornerback and No. 22 in Georgia according to 247Sports composite.

4-star tight end commit Erick All’s mother posted the following, seemingly hinting Perry was already committed during game time. He’s second from left next to 4-star running back Zach Charbonnet.

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5-star receiver Kyle Ford announced Michigan as one of his five finalists.

The Orange, Calif. native tore his ACL in late September, allowing him to focus on school and the recruiting process. It’s also given him time to doubt the future of presumed favorite Southern Cal.

The Trojans are on the verge of a coaching change after falling to 5-6 after a 34-27 loss to rival UCLA. Colorado just fired Mike MacIntyre, so the instability in Boulder likely eliminates them, as well.

That leaves both Oregon and Washington to compete with Michigan for his services. He officially visited both, and last stopped by Ann Arbor on July 29, 2017 for an unofficial.

Without an extra trip, this looks like a long shot for the nation’s No. 29 overall prospect.

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Two more players reacted positively to their time in town.

Massive 2019 offensive tackle Dawand Jones set a December commitment date immediately upon receiving an offer from Harbaugh prior to the game.

The Indianapolis product towers over everyone at 6-foot-8, 360 pounds. He also attends Ben Davis, the same high school as junior Chris Evans.

He talked to Wolverine Wire’s Evan Petzold and detailed his admiration for Ed Warinner’s philosophy.

“Those dudes will go to war for their brother, it doesn’t matter if it’s offense or defense — they stick together,” Jones said. “I just love that the coaching staff is great. Michigan has four offensive line coaches, so it’s not just one guy that can help me. It’s numerous, which I loved. The environment is something I’ve never seen. It’s beautiful.”

Offers from Southern Cal and Florida State inspire confidence in his abilities. That said, he is ranked No. 932 in the nation, No. 83 at offensive tackle and No. 12 in Indiana, according to 247Sports.

The final development came from 2020 4-star cornerback Miles Brooks.

He currently goes to Trinity Christian down in Jacksonville (Fla.), though his father Marcus grew up in Detroit. Marcus figures to be a bonus for Michigan in this recruitment, as Miles calls him, “the absolute biggest Michigan fan.”

“Michigan is pretty high (on my list),” Brooks said to Petzold. “I like it there because of the atmosphere and the academics side of it – that’s most important.”

He holds offers from luminaries such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Penn State and Ohio State. This interest has helped boost him to No. 164 in the country, No. 13 at cornerback and No. 27 in Florida, per the 247Sports composite.

He has no timeline for a commitment, but asserted he will return to Ann Arbor soon.