Earlier this week on Wednesday, Sept. 1, college coaches all around the country had the ability to directly reach out to prospects in the 2023 class, and the Michigan coaches wasted absolutely no time contacting their top junior targets.
Two of the recruits who heard from the Wolverines on Sept. 1 are four-star talents who reside in the state of Michigan — offensive lineman Cole Dellinger and defensive lineman Jalen Thompson.
Dellinger, who is the younger brother of former four-star offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger, who Michigan targeted heavily in the 2021 class who ended up at LSU, plays at Clarkston High School. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound interior offensive lineman spoke with offensive assistants Grant Newsome and Kyle DeVan.
“The edits looked great and The coaches told me that I was a top priority,” Dellinger told Maize n Brew. “I really like them they know what they are doing and they bring great energy.
“I really like the new coaches, and the atmosphere is amazing.”
Dellinger has seen Ann Arbor up close before, and is slated to see it again tomorrow for the Western Michigan game. Other schools Dellinger plans on checking out this fall include Michigan State, LSU and Ole Miss. Northwestern, Purdue and Pitt are a few other schools heavily recruiting him.
As for Thompson, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Cass Tech product got to catch up with defensive line coach Shaun Nua.
“We didn’t have much time to finish talking, but he was just telling me he likes me as an overall player basically,” Thompson told Maize n Brew. “He’s a very good coach and I feel I can relate to him very well.”
As for his feelings about the Wolverines overall, Thompson said, “Good, they treat me like family and have a winning program.”
Much like Dellinger, Thompson has also seen Ann Arbor in person before, but he is also familiar with Michigan State. His former high school head coach, Thomas Wilcher, was hired by the Spartans this offseason, and he took a couple visits to East Lansing over the summer. The Spartans will be a formidable opponent in this recruitment, so keep your eye on them in this recruitment moving forward.