Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Visits, a potential flip and a commitment

Hey, everybody, and welcome to this week’s Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup.

Jon had some prior commitments this week, so I am taking over the roundup for this week. Speaking of commitments, Michigan just landed one a few days back. How about we start with him this week.

2019 three-star defensive end Gabe Newburg commits to U-M

Newburg committed at the most inconvenient time ever (during Michigan basketball’s national championship game) so almost no one saw this on Monday night.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound three-star defensive end hails from Clayton, Ohio and had other offers from Michigan State, Iowa, Rutgers, Cincinnati and others.

His addition catapulted Michigan’s recruiting class to No. 3 overall in the 2019 class. He is the third defensive end to commit to the 2019 class, so I think it’s safe to say the Maize and Blue are pretty set at the position moving forward.

2019 five-star linebacker visited Michigan this week

The top inside linebacker in the 2019 class, five-star Brandon Smith, took an unofficial visit to Michigan on Tuesday.

Smith is the 19th ranked overall player in his class, according to 247Sports’ composite, and is from Mineral, Virginia. The kid is an absolute beast for his position, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 215 pounds.

He has offers from the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Notre Dame and other top tier programs. Penn State currently holds 80 percent of Crystal Balls, while Florida State holds the remaining 20 percent. He plans on visiting Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Penn State later this week.

In-state 2019 quarterback Sam Johnson updates recruitment

Michigan already has one quarterback committed in the 2019 class, but after taking just one in 2018 Jim Harbaugh may be looking to take two signal callers in 2019.

Enter — Sam Johnson, a three-star, 6-foot-4 quarterback from Walled Lake Western who has been on Harbaugh’s radar for a long time.

Johnson Jr. spoke with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($) and was actually asked about the possibility of competing with Michigan’s currently committed 2019 quarterback — four-star Cade McNamara.

“Me and the coaches had already talked about (McNamara) committing the day he did,” Johnson said. “Competition breeds success. This is my hometown and I’ve never been afraid of competition.”

Johnson also said Michigan is in his top five schools as of now and that he plans to visit Boston College, Syracuse, Iowa and NC State soon.

Michigan begins an attempt at a flip, hosts four-star defensive end Purdue commit

The Wolverines hosted four-star defensive end George Karlaftis for an unofficial last Friday.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end is currently committed to Purdue, but at the very least seems open-minded to seeing what Michigan has to offer. Michigan was the first school he has visited since committing to Purdue back in February, so there is some interest here.

In fact, the interest seems pretty real, as he told TMI’s Steve Wiltfong ($) that the unofficial to Michigan was the “best unofficial I’ve ever had, hands down.” He also told Wiltfong he plans on visiting Michigan again in the future.

Karlaftis holds other offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame and a handful of other top schools.

2019 four-star offensive lineman to visit Michigan this summer

Georgia four-star offensive lineman Keiondre Jones told TMI’s Josh Newkirk he plans to visit Michigan this summer.

The Hogansville, Georgia native admitted he hopes to learn more about the program when he visits because he doesn’t know much about it.

He also admitted he isn’t sure whether or not distance will factor into his decision.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Me and mom would have to talk about it, and if we decide it’s a place that I want to go she would be okay with that and we’ll make it work out.”

Jones is the 134th ranked overall player and seventh ranked guard in the 2019 class, per 247Sports’ composite. The Crystal Ball currently favors Clemson with 56 percent. Georgia has 22 percent, while Florida State holds 11 percent and Auburn owns 11 percent.

That’s all for this week! Stay tuned for more updates on everything Michigan recruiting.

Follow Von Lozon on Twitter for more Michigan football news @von_lozon