2020 3-star CB Jalen Kimber was ‘shocked and excited’ when offered by Michigan

The Michigan coaching staff is putting its finishing touches on the 2019 class. Once the 2019 class has everything signed, sealed and delivered, the focus will immediately shift to the 2020 class.

One member of that class who recently received an offer from Michigan is 3-star cornerback Jalen Kimber.

“I found out about it (last) Wednesday and I found out from my coach and from (Michigan cornerbacks) coach (Michael) Zordich over the phone when I went to the field house at my school,” he told Maize n Brew Monday night. “I didn’t know what to say. I was in shock and excited.”

The 6-foot, 170-pounder from Arlington, Texas holds other offers from Texas A&M, TCU, Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue, Oklahoma State, SMU, Baylor, Missouri and Houston. The Fighting Irish actually offered him the day before U-M did, and Missouri offered him the same day as the Wolverines.

With a growing number of Power 5 scholarships, Kimber and his father are planning out which schools will get an unofficial visit in the summer.

The three schools guaranteed to get a visit?

“Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M,” Kimber said.

The schools recruiting Kimber the hardest to this point, other than Michigan, are SMU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Penn State and Purdue. It is likely Purdue will also get a visit from Kimber, as he said he’d like to visit West Lafayette, as well.

“Trying to fit all the visits in gets tough. That’s what me and my dad are working on,” he said.

One reason it is getting difficult may have to do with the three things Kimber wants out of his future college. Those three things include “a good education, a strong alumni support system and next level football development.”

Michigan is certainly able to provide those three things, but another thing it can provide is continuity. The reason for that is due to Kimber playing a very similar style of defense in high school that Michigan runs under defensive coordinator Don Brown.

“I think they run the 4-2-5, right? Yeah that viper is where (Jabrill) Peppers played. We run the same thing here at (Mansfield) Timberview,” he said. “It would be easy to pick up on the small differences (since) the core is the same.”

Kimber admits he is taking the recruiting process “slow, letting things develop, building relationships and evaluating.” He is scheduled to graduate in Dec. 2019 and he wants to be on the campus of his future school in the spring of 2020.

“Letting things develop” and “building relationships” will be the next step for Michigan’s coaching staff. Kimber says he has only had communication with Zordich, but he is slated to speak with Brown soon.

This recruitment is in the very early stages, so stick with Maize n Brew as we will provide updates on Kimber when they are provided.