Friday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Updates on Big House visitors, Lewis Cine and Daxton Hill

Happy Friday, Michigan fans, and welcome back to another edition of the Friday Recruiting Roundup!

We’ve got tons of recruits coming to Ann Arbor tomorrow to check out the Wolverines in action; our own Jon Simmons will have an article on the full visitors list later on today.

But for now, here’s the latest recruiting news.

Giles Jackson details his commitment to U-M

In an exclusive interview with yours truly, 2019 4-star all-purpose back and Michigan commitment Giles Jackson explained why he ended up committing to the Wolverines, and how another commit helped him get to Ann Arbor.

“The constant communication with the coaches and me being a priority to them,” Jackson said. “(2019 quarterback commit Cade McNamara) had a huge impact. It’s always fun playing with him.”

Jackson also plans on recruiting some of the biggest names currently out there, including 5-star safety Daxton Hill (who we will talk about later) and 4-star tight end Isaiah Foskey.

For the full interview, click here.

Atlanta 2020 defensive end takes in Big House experience

2020 defensive end Kyle Kennard is one big dude for a junior in high school. At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Kennard is currently unranked, but that probably will not last long.

Kennard was one of the visitors last weekend, and the Atlanta, Georgia native spoke with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($) about his time in Ann Arbor.

“I talked with Don Brown, Greg Mattison, Tony Jones and Jim Harbaugh,” Kennard said. “Most of the coaches told me to stay focused and they were also telling me different schemes and where I’ll fit at. I really like the coaching staff because they are very professional yet aggressive in their coaching styles.”

Coaches also told him he would be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, and a defensive end in a 4-3.

Kennard only has a few offers to his name, most notably from Minnesota and Arizona State, so this recruitment is just in the beginning stages.

In-state 2020 OL also visits Big House for WMU game

2020 in-state offensive tackle Grant Toutant was also at the Big House last Saturday. The unranked lineman from Warren is listed at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds. Another big boy for being a junior in high school, Toutant only has one offer to his name — Indiana State.

Still, he spoke with Marich ($) about the visit to Ann Arbor, and how it was his first ever trip to the Big House.

“Amazing,” Toutant said. “Never been to Michigan Stadium before. Talked to coach Warinner briefly about our game the night before and also coach Harbaugh. Coach Kugler and Ron Prince came by to see how everything was going too. Connor Anderson spent most of the time with us. The atmosphere and tradition really stood out. Everyone was really friendly and it felt like a family. I felt comfortable being around everyone.”

After the visit, Toutant said he is “very interested” in the Maize and Blue, especially because he wants to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. U-M has a very good engineering school, so this will only help the Wolverines if they decide to extend an offer down the road.

Daxton Hill’s parents believe U-M visit will “solidify things”

With his visit coming up this Saturday at the Big House, TMI’s Sam Webb has done a great job of detailing 5-star safety Daxton Hill’s recruiting process over a span of three articles.

In the third and final installment of the series, Webb spoke with Hill’s parents (FREE) and they believe their son knows where he wants to go.

“I think I know which way he’s turning and going,” Mrs. Hill said.

“I think the (Michigan) visit coming up will solidify some things for him because he goes back and forth,” Mr. Hill said.

Mrs. Hill also told Webb her son “has made relationships with certain players.”

“I won’t say the school, but he says with one school, ‘I have a relationship with more of the recruits than the others.’ I think I got a feel for which way he’s going (with that),” Mrs. Hill said. “That’s more important. One of the main (decision) aspects is his teammates – that class going in with him.”

This could all be real good or real bad for Michigan. But I suppose we will see soon enough, won’t we?

2019 4-star S Lewis Cine returning to Ann Arbor soon

You heard right, folks. 4-star safety Lewis Cine is coming back to Ann Arbor, this time on an unofficial visit for the Nebraska game next weekend. TMI’s Steve Lorenz ($) was the first to report the news.

I can also confirm this report after speaking with Cine Wednesday evening. This is just an unofficial visit for him, since he took his official earlier this year.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder is being recruited by Don Brown to play Viper. He is the 50th-ranked overall player, the No. 3 safety and the No. 7 player in Texas, according to 247Sports’ composite. Cine would be the second Viper to commit to the class, with 3-star Joey Velazquez being the first.

This is great news for Michigan. Cine was trending toward Penn State for the longest time, but a visit to Georgia made it seem like he was going to be a Bulldog. At this point, I have no idea where his head is at, but he is at least interested enough in the Wolverines to give them another visit.

That’s all for now! Be sure to check back in on Monday for another recruiting update!