Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Poaching more Seminoles?

Hey everybody, time for another Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup! There’s a variety of different stories this week, as guys are recapping visits, planning visits, and much more. Check out all the happenings below.

Four-star LB sets return visit

With Michigan’s two biggest home games approaching, names of visitors are starting to materialize. For the Wisconsin game on Oct. 13, 2020 four-star linebacker Ethan West announced he will be returning to Ann Arbor, per 247Sports ($).

A Virginia native, West was offered by the Michigan staff back in May, and traveled to Ann Arbor for a visit the next month. Linebackers coach Al Washington has been the main recruiter, and West says he has a “really good relationship” with him so far.

West is ranked 250th overall for the 2020 class, and the 11th best inside linebacker by the 247Sports Composite. There are no Crystal Ball picks yet, but he holds offers from Florida, LSU, Maryland, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, among others.

Florida State de-commit could mean good news for Wolverines

Besides flipping former Seminole pledge Mike Morris earlier this month, Michigan is still pursuing a couple Florida State commitments. Well, in the midst of a disastrous season, one of Michigan’s targets decided to decommit from FSU.

Three-star cornerback Renardo Green had been committed since April, but was still fielding high interest from other schools. Over the summer, Green stated he was looking to take an official to Michigan during the season, and this commitment makes that much more likely.

The main contender here seems to be Ohio State, where Green has already set up an official for The Game in November. Green is ranked as the 46th-ranked cornerback in the country and 453rd overall.

Michigan ‘dream school’ for top 2020 in-state prospect

Four-star athlete Enzo Jennings has been getting attention from schools all over the country, but it’s hard beating the school he grew up loving.

“Yeah, Michigan was my dream school. I have been watching Michigan since I was young and I still love Michigan. It’s just the family school like everyone in my house loves Michigan and when I got my offer from there, everybody just went crazy,” Jennings told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($).

Despite being from Detroit, Jennings hasn’t made a visit to campus recently, but is looking to change that soon.

“I have been to Michigan before, but not that recent. I want to see more of the campus because last time I was there, I didn’t get to see that. I kind of want to tour everything. I want to see a game, too,” said Jennings.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete could play either side of the ball, but is leaning more towards the defensive backfield in college. He especially could see himself in Michigan’s system under Don Brown.

“A lot of coaches say I’m strong and long, so I can put my hands on receivers and got an advantage with that. I can disrupt their route and play man-to-man. That’s definitely a strength of mine and that’s what I love (about Michigan’s defense), so I could see myself as a fit.”

Other than the Wolverines, schools like Ohio State, Georgia and Penn State have been standing out to Jennings. He’ll also be making a couple trips south to Georgia and Auburn this season. He has two Crystal Balls to Notre Dame, but the first is from a year ago and are probably outdated.

Michigan has a good shot and the longest connection with Jennings, but they need to get him on campus and establish more consistent contact with the top 100 prospect.

2020 defensive end enjoys first trip to the Big House

Three-star Indiana prospect Deontae Craig got to witness the blowout of Nebraska in person last Saturday, and came away impressed.

Craig spoke with TMI’s Brice Marich about his experience ($). “Coach Harbaugh has built an excellent program up there, and it was very impressive to see. I definitely have a lot of interest in their program after taking in a game and just seeing how crazy the atmosphere/fans are.”

Greg Mattison was the one speaking with Craig the most, and Mattison’s wife served as an unofficial tour guide for their trip. They definitely made Craig feel at home. “The hospitality for sure. Normally that is expected when you go on visits, but there from the moment I walked in, you could just feel it was different.”

Craig has not received an offer from the Wolverines yet, but Mattison told him they’d be “recruiting (him) hard.” Craig does hold offers from Michigan State, Tennessee, and Indiana at this time. He’s looking to take visits to the former two during this season, as well as a possible return trip to Ann Arbor. This will be a recruitment to keep an eye on as the 2020 cycle moves forward.

That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of the Recruiting Roundup. As always, be sure to come back next week for more recruiting news and updates!