This Saturday, Michigan will be hosting the annual BBQ at the Big House. The event started under Rich Rodriguez and the tradition has continued on. The BBQ has been the biggest recruiting event of the summer in past years.
Based on this year’s list, though, the focus is much more on the 2020 class than the current cycle. Michigan has almost filled this year’s recruiting class with 18 commitments already. There are still a handful of 2019 targets that will be in attendance, but most of the top guys left on their board won’t be deciding until well into the season.
On the other hand, the 2020 list is loaded. Michigan will be receiving visits from several highly ranked national prospects, as well as a bunch of interesting in-state players. Last year’s event demonstrated that it can make an impression on rising juniors, as it resulted in the commitment of Nolan Rumler, and the (now decommited) Stephen Herron Jr.
Michigan will be laying the foundation with a lot of players from across the country who will be making their first visit to Ann Arbor. The 2019 attendees may not be as star-studded, but the BBQ could play dividends for the 2020 class in a big way.
With all that being said, let’s see who will be on campus this weekend.
2019 Commitments
Nolan Rumler - 4-star, #126 overall, #7 OG
Cade McNamara - 4-star, #268 overall, #10 QB
Trente Jones - 4-star, #297 overall, #31 OT
Erick All - 3-star, #426 overall, #19 TE
DJ Turner II - 3-star, #445 overall, #42 CB
Quinten Johnson - 3-star, #479 overall, #39 S
Zach Carpenter - 3-star, #509 overall, #20 OG
Jack Stewart - 3-star, #624 overall, #60 OT
Gabe Newburg - 3-star, #690 overall, #54 WDE
Enough’s been said about these guys already. We know who they are and it’ll be good to have plenty of current commitments on campus with the opportunity to build relationships with uncommitted targets.
2019 Targets
Josh Sanguinetti - 4-star, #158 overall, #11 S
Michigan has picked up interest for the Florida 4-star lately, after hometown Miami moved on to other prospects. Sanguinetti is a great backup plan if Michigan doesn’t land Daxton Hill or Lewis Cine. Formerly ranked in the top 100, Sanguinetti has fallen in the ratings a bit this offseason.
Isaiah Foskey - 4-star, #172 overall, #6 TE
Foskey has been at the top of Michigan’s recruiting board at tight end for a long time. But now with Erick All in the fold, tight end is not as high of a priority. Nevertheless, Jim Harbaugh would be happy to pick up a highly-rated prospect such as Foskey.
Mike Morris - 4-star, #314 overall, #20 SDE
Michigan has been targeting a handful of Florida State commits for some reason, including Morris and 5-star cornerback Akeem Dent. Despite being committed to the Seminoles for two and a half years, his pledge does not seem solid. This will not be Morris’ last visit to Ann Arbor. He has also set up an official visit for the Western Michigan game on Sept. 8. The vibe here is the Wolverines could get him if they wanted.
Mike Sainristil - 3-star, #724 overall, #62 CB
Sainristil is another player committed elsewhere Michigan is trying to flip, this time from Virginia Tech. Despite his verbal to the Hokies, he has four crystal ball picks for him to switch to Michigan when it’s all said and done. An interesting twist is Sainristil is from Everett, Massachusetts, and a former teammate and good friend of top safety target Lewis Cine. There may be some strategy involved in this recruitment. Also, word is the staff is recruiting him as a slot receiver.
Jamal Hill - 3-star, #870 overall, #67 S
Hill picked up a Michigan offer after his performance at a satellite camp the staff attended. During the camp circuit, he picked up several more mid-tier Power 5 offers, including Arkansas, NC State, Louisville, Indiana and Vanderbilt. He’s probably a break-in-case-of-emergency player at safety if the Wolverines whiff on all their other targets.
Quintel Kent - 3-star, #1096 overall, #130 WR (247 ranking)
Kent has stated that Michigan is his leader, but it’s unclear if he’s a take for the staff right now. Michigan is the Ohio product’s best offer, so it’s not surprising he shows so much interest. He’s probably another backup plan if the Kyle Ford and Cornelius Johnson recruitments don’t go well.
Tyrece Woods - 3-star, #2011 overall, #110 WDE (247 ranking)
Woods caused some griping from fans after receiving an offer at Michigan’s camp in June. He was ranked a 2-star at the time, and only 247 has evaluated him. They’ve bumped him up to a 3-star recently, but he’s still lowly ranked. I don’t see Michigan having room for him in their defensive line class. His offer may have been more to help relations with the Belleville coaching staff, which needs to be repaired after losing out on Devontae Dobbs and Julian Barnett. Allen Trieu, the midwestern expert for 247, has put in a crystal ball to Cincinnati recently, so Michigan fans may need not worry.
2020 Commits
Denver Warren - 4-star, #280 overall, #22 DT
Warren is the latest commitment for the 2020 class, and boy did he love his last visit to Ann Arbor. That enthusiasm should help while recruiting other fellow prospects.
Andre Seldon - 3-star, #453 overall, #33 CB
Next up in the line of slightly undersized, pass breakup machines from the state of Michigan, Seldon committed after camping for the staff in mid-June. Hopefully he starts up the pipeline to Belleville, which has a couple other names on this list.
2020 Targets
Elias Ricks - 5-star, #18 overall, #2 CB
Excitement about a 5-star cornerback from southern California has to be tempered, but Michigan has impressed the young star enough to get him to take the trip across the country. Ricks will be a tough pull from USC, who has nine crystal ball picks already, but Michigan will try its hardest.
Kevin Pyne - 5-star, #19 overall, #3 OT
One of the top recruits in the nation, Pyne stands 6-8.5 and weighs 275 pounds. He’s from Don Brown territory in Massachusetts, which gave Michigan a good head start. Notre Dame is the main competition, considering Pyne’s cousin, Drew Pyne, is a four-star quarterback already committed to the Irish in the 2020 class.
Kalel Mullings - 4-star, #48 overall, #3 OLB
One of Michigan’s top targets for the 2020 class, Mullings is from Don Brown territory in Massachusetts. He camped with the Michigan staff twice during June, so they’re getting a lot of face time with the talented linebacker. Michigan has six crystal ball picks already, with one for Notre Dame as well.
Mookie Cooper - 4-star, #83 overall, #9 RB
Last summer, Michigan received visits from three of Cooper’s teammates from St. Louis powerhouse Trinity Catholic. Michigan won’t end up with any of those three, but they are hoping to turn the tides with Cooper. He visited last during the Ohio State game last fall, where he received his offer. Texas has the only two crystal balls right now.
Cole Brevard - 4-star, #102 overall, #7 DT
Brevard will be making his first trip to Ann Arbor, along with his mom and older brother. Michigan is hoping to jump in what is shaping up to be a Big Ten battle, with Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin also fighting hard for the Indiana prospect. Hopefully the staff can make a good impression on him and, just as importantly, his mother.
Michael Carmody - 4-star, #200 overall, #26 OT
Another solid prospect at tackle, Carmody has been picking up offers left and right. Penn State, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, and Northwestern are just a few that have joined Michigan in pursuit for the Pennsylvania recruit. At 6-5, 265, Carmody is listed as a TE/OT, which means he’s athletic and matches the mold of recent Michigan linemen recruits Ryan Hayes and Karsen Barnhart.
Geirean Hatchett - 4-star, #203 overall, #7 OG
Hatchett is considered one of the top linemen in the 2020 class. He received his offer from Michigan back in March, shortly after the Ed Warinner hire became official. This may turn into a national race, with teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford and Oklahoma also showing interest for the Washington prospect. However, the hometown Washington Huskies hold six crystal balls already.
Josh Downs - 4-star, #228 overall, #41 WR
Downs is from Georgia and was a teammate of 2019 commit DJ Turner before Turner transferred to IMG Academy. Nevertheless, Downs is also friendly with Chris Hinton and Christian Turner, so the Georgia connection remains strong. He holds double-digit offers already, but Michigan has stood out to him so far.
Tirek Murphy - 4-star, #289 overall, #30 RB
Murphy earned his offer after showing off at Michigan’s satellite camp at Wagner College this June. He is one of several players from New York City’s Christ the King high school making the trip up to Ann Arbor, but probably the most notable for Michigan fans. His head coach has a longstanding relationship with Chris Partridge. Murphy holds 17 FBS offers so far.
Traeshon Holden - 3-star, #299 overall, #58 WR
Playing for Biff Poggi at national powerhouse St. Frances Academy, Holden has several Power 5 offers already. Michigan was one of them, making him the eighth player on his team to get one from Harbaugh and company. Holden has admitted he doesn’t know much about Michigan yet, but is looking to learn when he’s on campus. Originally from Florida, the Gators are standing out early.
Ian Stewart - 3-star, #318 overall, #60 WR
Stewart was a standout at Michigan’s Elite Camp in mid-June, where he earned an offer. Since then, he’s received two crystal balls for Michigan, which splits his percentages 50-50 between them and Michigan State.
Bryce Mostella - 3-star, #329 overall, #17 WDE
As one of the top players in the state, Michigan has been pursuing Mostella pretty hard, and it seems to be working. He got a handful of crystal balls after he was offered, which is usually a good sign. He’s also the teammate of commit Mazi Smith.
Devell Washington - 3-star, #397 overall, #77 WR (247 ranking)
Washington picked up offers from Michigan and Ohio State in back to back weeks in June, after excellent camp performances. Michigan State has the only crystal ball selection, but the Buckeyes are very interested in the Michigan prospect. The Wolverines are also hot on his tail in this Big Ten fight.
Braiden McGregor - 3-star, #402 overall, #17 SDE
If you’re looking for a safe bet to join the 2020 class, look no further than McGregor. The Port Huron native has four crystal ball predictions in for the Wolverines already. Notre Dame is also a contender.
Beau Allen - 3-star, #416 overall, #18 QB
Michigan offered the signal-caller back in May, soon after local Kentucky extended a scholarship. the Wildcats hold the only two predictions for Allen so far.
Dallas Fincher - 3-star, #463 overall, #19 OG
Another teammate of Smith at East Kentwood, Fincher looks to be an in-state battle with the Spartans. He has three crystal ball picks for Michigan State so far, but Michigan will look to turn the tides on his visit. He also has an offer from Wisconsin, which is good to see.
Riley Keller - 3-star, #535 overall, #24 QB
Keller is a Toledo native, and attends the same high school as Chris Wormley once did. He hasn’t received an offer yet from the Wolverines, but members of the staff have visited his school to see him throw. Despite not having an offer from them, he has an Ohio State crystal ball. However, West Virginia looks to be the leader right now.
David Baker - 3-star, #575 overall, #103 WR
Baker is another prospect who has hosted Michigan coaches for an evaluation at his high school in Indianapolis. The Wolverines have offered, along with a handful of other Big Ten schools, including Iowa, Purdue and Indiana.
Jalen Williams - 3-star, #580 overall, #99 WR (247 ranking)
Williams will be joining his Belleville teammate Andre Seldon on their trip to Ann Arbor. Williams only holds offers from a couple of MAC schools right now, but Michigan will be sure to keep tabs on his development as they continue trying to get a pipeline going at his school.
Mark Redman - 3-star, #600 overall, #16 TE (247 ranking)
Michigan offered Redman in June at a USC camp, and could be one of the staff’s top targets at the position moving forward. Redman lives in Newport Beach, California, but grew up for a time in Michigan. He still has family in the area, so there is a connection there. In-state UCLA may be the top competition here.
Michael Statham - Unranked OT
Statham is basically an unknown to the recruiting services at this point in the process. He transferred from Philadelphia to Maryland powerhouse St. Frances this summer, so his national awareness will certainly rise. West Virginia is the only school to offer so far.
Jaheem Joseph - Unranked CB
Michigan immediately jumped to the top of the list for Joseph, who has flown under the radar so far by the ranking sites. Despite this, he already has offers from Louisville and Syracuse. This will be the Floridian’s first visit to Ann Arbor.
RaeQuan Beal - Unranked QB
Beal will be making the short trip from Detroit for the BBQ this weekend. His only offer is from Central Michigan right now. Allen Trieu of 247 has said that Beal possesses a cannon for an arm, but hasn’t been able to evaluate his other tools yet.
Darius Jones - Unranked CB
Michigan was the first offer for Jones, who is a teammate of former 2019 target Demontae Crumes. The Kentucky native has since received an offer from the local Wildcats as well.
Lamareon James - Unranked ATH
James is an offensive weapon, racking up the receiving and rushing yards last season, while also contributing in the defensive backfield. Michigan is among several Power 5 schools to offer the Virginia prospect, including Virginia Tech, Virginia, UNC, and Maryland. This will be James’ first visit to Ann Arbor.
This list should not be considered set in stone, like any event with this many unofficial visits. Some of these guys may not make it, and players will show up that were not announced beforehand. Regardless, this will be an exciting weekend for Michigan football.