Michigan’s jam-packed recruiting spree comes to an end this weekend (for now) with the biggest collection of talent visiting campus in a long time. A boatload of top targets and commits will be making the pilgrimage to Ann Arbor, several for an official visit.
I’ve put together a comprehensive rundown of every prospect that has stated their intentions to be on campus this weekend. As always, these lists can change on a whim, some may not make it, and others will show up without notice.
Commits
Chris Hinton (official) — 5-star, #22 overall, #2 SDE
Hinton has been committed to the Wolverines for almost a year now, and will finally be using his official visit to get the trip from Georgia paid for. The fact that Michigan impressed Hinton so much that he has made the trip up multiple times on his own dime is a feather in the cap for the staff.
Nolan Rumler (unofficial?) — 4-star, #135 overall, #6 OG
Rumler will be making the trip up from Ohio for the festivities this weekend. He has not stated whether it will be an official or unofficial, but since he is so close to campus I’d assume unofficial. He’ll probably save his official visit for the season.
Trente Jones (???) — 4-star, #292 overall, #32 OT
Another member of the offensive line class, Jones has also not made it clear whether this will be his official visit or not. Since he’s coming from Georgia, it makes it a little more likely this is his official, but he may also be saving it for the fall. Jones last visited in February, right before he committed to the Wolverines.
Karsen Barnhart (unofficial) — 3-star, #379 overall, #39 OT
After winning an in-state battle at the end of April, Barnhart will be making his fourth trip to Ann Arbor. All of his visits, including this one, are unofficial. Being so close to campus means Michigan shouldn’t have to use one of their allotted officials on the talented lineman. Barnhart has received a sizable bump in his ratings after showing out at The Opening in Canton last month.
Charles Thomas (???) - 3-star, #397 overall, #16 ILB
The earliest commit in the 2019 class, Thomas will be making long awaited return to Ann Arbor for this weekend. Similarly to Jones, given the distance from IMG in Florida, I’m not sure if this will be an official or unofficial visit. Regardless, it will be great to have a leader in the class up on campus selling Michigan to his peers.
Zach Carpenter (unofficial) — 3-star, #497 overall, #18 OG
Carpenter’s commitment was a pleasant surprise over the Crystal Ball favorite Clemson. The Ohio native will also be making an unofficial visit. He has shown his willingness to make the trip to Ann Arbor before, coming up for consecutive weekends after receiving an offer in April.
2019 Targets
Zach Harrison (official) — 5-star, #4 overall, #3 WDE
Man, it’s tough out here for a weak-side defensive end. Ranked fourth nationally overall, Harrison is only ranked third at his position. While technically his visit was yesterday, I’m including him in this group. Unfortunately, he’s heading up early, on the 21st, so he can attend Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights camp the next night. Michigan is doing all the right things here, but pulling such an elite talent from Columbus is one of the hardest jobs in recruiting.
Lewis Cine (official) — 4-star, #48 overall, #3 S
Cine is one of many players Michigan is battling for with Penn State. Landing an elite safety would be an accomplishment for Jim Harbaugh he has not achieved yet in recruiting. Cine has already officially visited Penn State and Texas, so Michigan has an advantage getting the last word in.
Mazi Smith (official) — 4-star, #124 overall, #7 DT
Smith is one of the best bets to join the class. A local recruit, he has been to campus multiple times already. He has already taken an official to Penn State, but did not sway any of his Crystal Ball selections away from Michigan. They are still 100 percent maize and blue.
Trevor Keegan (unofficial) — 4-star, #143 overall, #17 OT
One of the most important visitors this weekend will be Keegan, who the Wolverines have been surging with recently. They jumped out early after he camped in Ann Arbor last summer, but Ohio State gained ground and was thought to be leading a couple of months ago. Since then, Michigan, led by Ed Warinner, has turned the tides yet again in Michigan’s favor. This being an unofficial is even more good news, since it means the staff can get him on campus during the season again more easily.
Eric Gray (official) — 4-star, #250 overall, #3 APB
This is another huge visit for Michigan to land. Gray is one of the staff’s top targets at his position. They are battling Penn State, Mississippi State and Arkansas, with Gray already taking an official to the Nittany Lions. One of the top running backs in the country, John Emery, is favoring Mississippi State, which may eliminate them from contention with Gray.
DJ Turner II (official) — 3-star, #436 overall, #40 CB
Turner’s decision date is June 25, making him the favorite to be the next player to join the class. All 13 of his Crystal Ball selections are on the Wolverines right now. Barring something extraordinary happening on his visit, Turner will be the one to replace recent decommit Te’Cory Couch in the secondary.
Quinten Johnson (official) — 3-star, #472 overall, #37 S
Johnson has received a couple Crystal Balls for Michigan after scheduling his official visit. He is another strong candidate to commit during his visit. Sporting the eighth highest Nike Football Rating in the country and a 4.48 40, Johnson is an elite athlete.
Giles Jackson (official) — 3-star, #600 overall, #7 APB (247 ranking)
Michigan immediately jumped to the top for Jackson after offering him earlier this week. So much so that he’s already scheduled his official visit to see Ann Arbor for the first time. A 7-on-7 teammate of quarterback commit Cade McNamara, you can be sure he’ll have someone in his ear recruiting him to Michigan all the time.
Wandale Robinson (official) — 3-star, #649 overall, #7 APB
An athlete capable of running and catching the ball, Robinson’s commitment is a bit open as of now. His top group includes Purdue, Ohio State, Kentucky and Duke, with the latter three all holding Crystal Balls. Michigan is looking to take the lead with this offensive weapon on his visit.
Aeneas DiCosmo (official) — 3-star, #669 overall, #48 WDE
This will be a key visit for Michigan, as they are currently battling Stanford and Notre Dame for his talents. UCLA also recently offered, which may push back his decision timeline, which was originally supposed to be sometime soon after his Michigan visit. Stanford also still has an official visit to offer, so this battle is far from over.
Josiah Miamen (unofficial) — 3-star, #909 overall, #64 WDE (also plays TE)
Despite his position ranking at defensive end, Miamen is being offered by Michigan as a tight end. He would rank as the 34th best tight end nationally if listed as one. Miamen visited yesterday, a day after receiving his Michigan offer. Thanks to his obvious interest and enthusiasm, Michigan has already received a Crystal Ball in their favor. Right now, his forecasts are split between Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn State and cloudy.
George Johnson III (official) — 3-star, #953 overall, #91 ATH
There hasn’t been much news about Johnson, an athlete out of Florida who holds several Power 5 offers, but he’s moving fast with Michigan. He just got an offer from Florida State, which caused a Crystal Ball forecast in their favor, so the Wolverines may have a harder time than initially expected. Michigan is supposedly pitching him as a slot receiver with the potential to return kicks and even try out at quarterback.
2020 Targets
Myles Hinton (unofficial) — 5-star, #10 overall, #2 OT (247 ranking)
As if landing a 5-star defensive end isn’t good enough, he also has a younger brother who might be even better, and plays a position that Michigan desperately craves. Offensive tackle Myles will be joining his brother Chris on his official visit. The younger Hinton can’t take his official yet, but Michigan will have him on campus as much as he wants in an unofficial capacity. Michigan holds 100 percent of the Crystal Balls for the early 5-star.
Parker McQuarrie (unofficial) — not ranked
Michigan was the first offer for the 6-foot-7 quarterback out of New Hampshire. This will be his first visit to Ann Arbor and the Wolverines look to make an impression on him. Besides Harrison Bailey, McQuarrie has been the 2020 quarterback the staff has been pursuing the most. I expect Michigan to make big strides here during the visit.
Pretty, prettaaay, prettaaay good huh? Now for some predictions to inevitably make myself look silly in the near future.
Most likely to commit
I’m disqualifying DJ Turner since he has his decision set for the 25th, and that looks to be all Michigan. After him, I’d say to watch out for Mazi Smith. He’s been a heavy Michigan lean for a while now and could be waiting until this visit to drop.
Quentin Johnson and Giles Jackson’s recruitments have accelerated quickly, with Johnson getting four Crystal Balls for Michigan this week, and Jackson scheduling his official right after receiving his offer. These two may want to jump on board sooner rather than later.
Wandale Robinson had an interesting tweet after Andre Seldon’s commitment which could mean good news for the Wolverines, but I don’t think he’ll be ready to decide quite yet. Don’t overlook Myles Hinton, either, who may not want to wait to join his brother in the maize and blue for long.
Least likely to commit
This is disappointing since he is the highest ranked name on the list, but don’t get your hopes up for Zach Harrison just yet. Michigan still has a lot to overcome in order to get Harrison’s signature, but this visit will be a step in the right direction. He will be deciding over the summer, though, so be on the lookout for a commitment soon.
After Harrison, I’ll say that Lewis Cine isn’t in the right stage in his recruitment to make a decision quite yet. This will still be a battle between Penn State and Michigan. Aeneas DiCosmo is another target who has other strong contenders. Stanford is the leader right now, and Michigan would really have to knock it out of the park for DiCosmo to drop during his visit.
Needless to say, this weekend will be very exciting for Michigan football. This will be one of the most impactful stretches of the 2019 (and even 2020) cycle, playing a big role in how the class will shape up in February. Join Maize n Brew as we provide more coverage of the visits and provide updates and reactions from the young athletes as they experience what it would be like to be a Michigan Wolverine.