Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Michigan showing in-state players attention, and vice versa

Welcome in, ladies and gents, to this week’s Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup.

It hasn’t been a crazy week on the recruiting trail for the Michigan Wolverines, but there are still a couple big stories to talk about, so let’s dive right in.

Michigan “definitely” moved up 2019 5-star OL Devontae Dobbs’s leaderboard

In an interview with The Michigan Insider’s Josh Newkirk ($) at the Elite Big Man Camp in Farmington, Michigan, in-state 2019 five-star offensive lineman Devontae Dobbs admitted he and Pep Hamilton have been communicating a lot more often, which is moving the relationship between Dobbs and Michigan in a “positive direction.”

In his attempts to repair the school’s relationship with Dobbs, Hamilton made it necessary to get head coach Jim Harbaugh in on it as well. Harbaugh and Dobbs are now communicating, calling and texting “every now and then.”

“I really don’t have a top list, but (Michigan is) definitely moving into a positive direction,” Dobbs said.

As long as Harbaugh and company establish Dobbs as one of their main targets in the 2019 class, the Wolverines will at least have a shot at landing the 6-foot-4, 270-pound offensive lineman from Belleville, Michigan.

Two 2019 West Bloomfield players to visit Michigan tomorrow

In an interview with Maize n Brew last night (FREE), 2019 in-state three-star wide receiver Tre Mosley confirmed he and his teammate, 2019 four-star linebacker Lance Dixon, are visiting Michigan tomorrow.

“It’s 100 percent (happening),” Mosley said. “We talked about it earlier (on Tuesday).”

The two West Bloomfield natives are also visiting the first week of March, along with teammates 2020 safety Makari Paige and 2020 linebacker Cornell Wheeler.

This is great news for the Wolverines, who have made it a mission to recruit the state of Michigan harder for the 2019 class. Getting these players on campus early and often is exactly what Harbaugh and company want, so this is a great step in their relationship with these in-state players.

An offer may come soon for 2019 in-state four-star running back

TMI’s Josh Newkirk ($) reported that Cass Tech four-star running back Jaren Mangham has received a lot of interest lately from Michigan, and Jim Harbaugh has personally made contact with him. Mangham said an offer “may be extended any day.” He also told Newkirk he plans to visit U-M soon.

This would be a huge pick up for Michigan. Having seen this kid play live, he is the real deal. He’s 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds and can absolutely truck people over. He’s being recruited hard by Michigan State — and has offers from schools like Clemson, Alabama, Oregon and Florida — so Jim Harbaugh and company are going to have to pick up the pace here if they are to have a chance at getting a commitment from Mangham.

Michigan firmly in the running for 2019 four-star tight end

Jim Harbaugh signed a ton of tight ends in the 2018 class, but he is still going for gold at the position in 2019.

The nation’s fourth-ranked tight end Isaiah Foskey is heavily interested in the Wolverines. Foskey told TMI’s Steve Lorenz ($) he is beginning to familiarize himself with new tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, and his interest with Michigan “remains really high.”

“They are a prestigious academic institution that uses the tight end position frequently. I’ve always had high interest in Michigan,” he said.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder from Concord, California is being sought after by a lot of big football programs, including Alabama, Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame and UCLA. With that said, it’s good to know Foskey realizes how much Michigan relies on the tight end position. If that is a main factor in where Foskey ends up going, Michigan has a real chance here.

Visit planned this weekend for 2019 four-star safety

We end this week’s Wednesday recruiting roundup on a pretty good note. TMI’s Steve Lorenz ($) received word that 2019 four-star safety Kenyatta Watson II will be in town this weekend.

Watson II is a 6-foot-2, 177-pound safety from Loganville, Georgia and has a lot of big-time offers — Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma — pretty much every big-time school you could think of.

This is a step in the right direction for Michigan to get Watson II on campus. This will be his first visit to Ann Arbor, so the Wolverines should be rolling out the red carpet if they want to compete with the schools that are really vying for his services, especially Florida State and Notre Dame, who currently have 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively, of the crystal ball predictions as of now.

That’s all for this week! Be sure to check in next Wednesday as we go through another week of Michigan recruiting.