Recruiting visitors list for the Wisconsin game

Football recruits have not been able to take official or unofficial visits to college campuses in almost a year by now, so the recruits and their families are taking matters into their own hands. Most of the 2021 and 2022 class will be in Ann Arbor to watch the game and see the campus on their own, with a collection of elite targets they are trying to sway.

All seven of the confirmed uncommitted targets are ranked in the top 150 of the composite, with most of the talent concentrated in the defensive backfield. If anything, this season has shown that there is the opportunity for early playing time in the secondary on this team.

Commits

IMG Academy (FL) JJ McCarthy - Five-star, No. 18 overall, No. 2 PRO

Ravenwood (TN) Junior Colson - Four-star, No. 104 overall, No. 8 OLB

Mater Dei (CA) Cristian Dixon - Four-star, No. 207 overall, No. 36 WR

Cass Tech (MI) Raheem Anderson - Four-star, No. 211 overall, No. 2 C

IMG Academy (FL) Greg Crippen - Four-star, No. 254 overall, No. 5 C

St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) Jaydon Hood - Four-star, No. 306 overall, No. 13 ILB

Choate Rosemary Hall (CT) Tristan Bounds - Three-star, No. 401 overall, No. 33 OT

Northmont (OH) Rod Moore - Three-star, No. 434 overall, No. 31 S

Bolingbrook (IL) Tyler McLaurin - Three-star, No. 475 overall, No. 29 OLB

St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) Ja’Den McBurrows - Three-star, No. 591 overall, No. 48 CB

Mansfield (MA) TJ Guy - Three-star, No. 886 overall, No. 48 WDE

St. Mary’s (MI) Tommy Doman - Three-star, No. 1911 overall, No. 2 P

Garber (MI) Alex VanSumeren - Four-star, No. 218 overall, No. 17 DT

Buckingham Browne & Nichols (MA) Tyler Martin - Four-star, No. 279 overall, No. 9 ILB

The most notable visitors in this list are the St. Thomas Aquinas duo of Hood and McBurrows since both committed without seeing campus first. They have both still received attention from other schools but the staff is hoping this visit will lock them in with Michigan for good.

Xavier Worthy was scheduled to visit, but canceled this week. This would normally be cause for alarm, but he was on campus with the other two wide receiver commits just a couple of weeks ago so it’s nothing to worry about as of now.

Targets

2021

Loyola (CA) Ceyair Wright - Four-star, No. 72 overall, No. 5 CB

Wright’s recruitment has been pretty quiet, so it can be hard to tell which schools have the best shot. He could come off this visit seeing everything he needs and commit, a la Zach Charbonnet, or he could enjoy himself and end up staying home at USC. While the latter is more likely, you can’t count anything out with a quiet kid like Wright.

2022

Mater Dei (CA) Domani Jackson - Five-star, No. 3 overall, No. 1 CB

Jackson and his father had a trip to Ann Arbor booked back in March, but had to cancel because of Covid. They’re finally getting the chance to visit this weekend. While it’s not the circumstances they envisioned, it’ll give Jackson the chance to get a sense of the atmosphere around the recruits and their families.

Grosse Pointe South (MI) Will Johnson - Five-star, No. 7 overall, No. 3 CB

The other elite cornerback target with Michigan ties, Johnson is much more familiar with the program given that his father Deon played for the Wolverines in the 1990s. After some social media shenanigans surrounding Ohio State with Jackson a couple of weeks ago, it still looks like he is considering everyone openly.

Nazareth Academy (IL) Tyler Morris - Four-star, No. 68 overall, No. 11 WR

A fairly recent addition to the list, Morris will get the chance to meet up with his former teammate JJ McCarthy once again. Morris is one of the more likely top-tier candidates for Michigan to land in 2022 with a handful of Crystal Balls already logged.

Traverse City Central (MI) Joshua Burnham - Four-star, No. 129 overall, No. 11 OLB

The in-state stud and lifelong Wolverine fan will be making the trip to Ann Arbor for the gathering as well. He also has several Michigan Crystal Balls, which were submitted right after he got his offer. Burnham has said he wants to take visits before deciding, but that seems difficult with the extended dead period.

St. Louis University (MO) Isaac Thompson - Four-star, No. 146 overall, No. 16 CB

While he is listed as a cornerback, it looks like Michigan is recruiting Thompson as a safety or hybrid defensive back. Texas appears to be the favorite right now, but that lead is not insurmountable and this visit will go a long way in this recruitment.