Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Early Signing Period Primer

Well, the day has finally come. It’s time for hundreds of high school athletes across the country to put pen to paper and decide where they’ll spend the next few years of their career.

Michigan has had a good few days leading up to signing day, landing two 4-stars in offensive lineman Trevor Keegan and linebacker Anthony Solomon.

As for Michigan’s current commits, everything appears to be sewed up tight. Everybody except 3-star athlete Amauri Pesek-Hickson will be signing tomorrow. The one worrisome recruit, Quinten Johnson, affirmed on Twitter he’ll be signing early.

That being said, there are still a handful of decisions involving Michigan left to be made. I’ll run down each one and detail when it’s happening, so you can be prepared.

4-star WR Cornelius Johnson

Starting off the day will be the Connecticut receiver, who is announcing his decision between Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, Notre Dame and Alabama at 9:15 a.m.

The Wolverines should be getting good news here, as crystal balls have been rolling in for Michigan, stemming from Johnson’s official visit last weekend.

5-star DE Zach Harrison

Things go downhill from here. After a valiant recruiting effort, it looks like Harrison will be choosing his hometown Buckeyes over Michigan.

Harrison has been notoriously tight lipped during this process, so something crazy could happen, but chances are slim. If you’re an optimist, he’ll be deciding at around 12:30 p.m.

Originally planning to just post his decision on Twitter, he’ll now be holding a ceremony, which is probably another bad sign since it means this won’t be an announcement that will cause public backlash from his community.

4-star LB Kalen DeLoach

After his official visit to Florida State last weekend, where DeLoach has been committed to since late July, the buzz has been all about him sticking with the Seminoles.

He said he was “locked in” to Florida State, but The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb relayed DeLoach’s father said his son was on a “visit high” when he said that, and he hadn’t made a decision yet. ($).

DeLoach’s parents clearly prefer Michigan, but DeLoach himself seems to want to stick with Florida State, where he is more connected with his fellow commits. This doesn’t look as positive for Michigan as it did before the weekend, but it’s recruiting and anything could happen.

DeLoach will be signing at 1:15 p.m., so watch out for any late change of heart at that time.

Now for updates on a couple recruitments that will be stretching to the second signing day in February.

Could crowded class push 5-star back to Michigan?

The Daxton Hill flip was one of the most devastating events in recent Michigan recruiting history. His chances on coming back have been discussed extensively since he flipped, but Isaiah Hole of Wolverines Wire has the most definitive update from sources yet (FREE).

In his article, Hole discusses what it would take for Hill to flip back to Michigan. Per sources, Hill does not want to be in a three-man safety class. With Hill, Alabama has two currently committed. But the Crimson Tide are the heavy favorites to flip current Ohio State 4-star safety Jordan Battle later today, crowding the class further.

If that happens, Hill, who will be signing in February, may come back to the Wolverines, where he has an excellent shot to start at free safety from Day 1.

This obviously would be an extremely juicy development for Michigan fans. Not only would they get a nationally ranked top 10 player back, Ohio State would also lose a top 100 player.

However, Hole says he is only 65 percent sure this scenario would take place. This is an increase from his previous assessment of 45 percent. The numbers don’t really mean anything, but it is significant he believes it is more likely to happen than not. Hold onto your butts, everyone.

Michigan trying to get in with 4-star DT

Even before Aubrey Solomon decided to transfer, the Michigan staff has been pushing for another defensive tackle to join the 2019 class. One player they’ve set their sights on is Maryland 4-star D’Von Ellies.

According to 247Sports’ Brian Dohn ($), Ellies “toyed with the idea of signing his national letter of intent this week, but the Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh defensive tackle will wait until February, according to his coach.”

Ellies won’t be waiting all the way until February, though. He’ll be announcing his decision at the Polynesian Bowl on Jan. 19.

This is fortunate for Michigan, as it gives them more time to get Ellies on campus for a visit. On Sunday, the recruiting calendar entered a dead period that ends Jan. 11. This gives Michigan about a week to get Ellies on campus, which is essential in swaying his mind.

Right now, Penn State holds all of the crystal ball picks. USC is also a factor, but if the Wolverines gets him for an official visit, they could have a real shot at landing the 4-star at an important position of need.

This is just the start of what will be a very busy day for recruiting. Stick with Maize n Brew as we’ll have all the news and updates as Michigan tries to land its third top 10 class in four years.