Friday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Getting down to the nitty-gritty

It’s finally Friday, and that means it is time for another Friday Michigan Recruiting Roundup!

The Michigan Wolverines have a big recruiting weekend on deck, and Jon Simmons will provide a full visitors list later this morning, but for now we have a ton of updates to get to, so let’s jump right in.

5-star ATH isn’t visiting U-M alone this weekend

The Michigan coaching staff is going to do everything it can this weekend to convince 2019 5-star athlete Quavaris Crouch to commit to the program, but the coaching staff will also have to convince a couple others, too.

According to The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb ($), Crouch is visiting Ann Arbor with both his mother and his grandmother.

This may not seem like big news, but it absolutely is. His mother and grandmother are huge influences in his life, and Crouch originally said he was unsure if they would accompany him. Now that they are confirmed to check out everything U-M has to offer, this will only help Michigan’s chances of landing the No. 28 overall player in the 2019 class.

Another development is Crouch’s former high school coach, who continues to be a mentor in his life, may also make an appearance in Ann Arbor. With all these major influences around Crouch, hopefully they enjoy the visit enough to sway him to Michigan.

We will provide a further update on his visit as soon as we can.

When the f#&$ is Zach Harrison going to make up his mind?

I feel like I am being trolled with every Zach Harrison update at this point.

The same stuff gets repeated — his final three teams are Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. From Michigan, he has a good relationship with linebackers coach Al Washington (from Ohio) and defensive line coach Greg Mattison. Over at Ohio State, defensive line coach Larry Johnson is his go-to guy. At Penn State, it’s head coach James Franklin.

That was all repeated in this recent story from the Ohio State 247Sports page ($), but there were a few other takeaways, as well. Urban Meyer was at his high school game last week, and the student section was chanting his name. Apparently Harrison didn’t hear it at the time, but was told it later on by his mother, who has been reported to favor the Buckeyes over Michigan and Penn State.

Harrison also said whenever people see him, they say “O-H” to him, expecting an “I-O” in return. Whether he says it back is unknown, but the pressure is clearly building on him.

“It’s a lot,” he said. “I think about it all the time.”

This is my opinion (I have no sources here), but I have a gut feeling he is going to commit to Ohio State solely because the pressure is building every day and he doesn’t want to let his people down. Other people think a delay in a commitment is good in Michigan’s favor, which it may be, but it is my opinion he will commit to Ohio State when it’s all said and done.

For what it’s worth, Sam Webb thinks otherwise ($), so here’s to hoping I am wrong and he is right.

Michigan in the hunt for former Florida State commit

It seems like recruits committed to Florida State seem to be dropping from the bandwagon because of its awful season, and Michigan is firmly in the mix for one of those players that may be headed elsewhere.

2019 3-star cornerback Renardo Green recently spoke with 247Sports’ John Garcia Jr. ($) about his interest in other programs, the main two being Michigan and Ohio State.

“Michigan has been hitting me up we are trying to set up a visit,” Green said. “Been talking to coach Z (Michael Zordich), he says he wants me to come up for a game.”

Green already has a visit to OSU set up — for the Nov. 24 game against Michigan.

Green is the No. 46 cornerback, No. 61 player from Florida and No. 453 overall player in the 2019 class.

2020 5-star big man likes John Beilein, Michigan hoops

Let’s end on a basketball note, shall we?

John Beilein and the Michigan basketball program is hosting one of the 2020 class’ top prospects — 5-star center Walker Kessler.

The 6-foot-10, 205-pounder is a Georgia legacy, as his father, uncle and brother all played for UGA. Kessler told TMI’s Sam Webb ($) Georgia will “always have a place in my heart,” but he doesn’t feel obligated to be a Bulldog just because family members went there.

Enter: Beilein and company. One of the best coaches in the college game who has developed several big men into NBA draft picks, including Mitch McGary, D.J. Wilson and, most recently, Moritz Wagner.

“I like hi(Beilein) a lot,” Kessler said. “He’s a pretty straightforward guy. (Here) with the southern hospitality (people) might not give it to you straight. They might curve it in to make it sound nicer. But coach Beilein just gets to the point, and I love that. I love always a straightforward guy. He’s honest. He’s not going to try and BS you around something. He’s just going to tell you how it is.”

Kessler also told Webb academics are a “big thing” in his recruitment. Other factors include playing style, his relationship with the coaching staff and location, as he wants to be in a “big college town.”

He hopes to decide by this time next year, so this recruitment is far from over. Stay tuned.

That’s all for this week! Be sure to check back on Monday as we recap a huge recruiting weekend for Michigan, and be on the lookout for Jon Simmons’ recruiting visitors list, which drops at 9 a.m.