(Photo: Isaiah Hole, 247Sports)
Notes
Ninja stuff: Through somewhat deductive reasoning, Michigan may be looking in really good shape with Allen (TX) four-star defensive end target
Levi Onwuzurike.
Our best intel throughout the process has pegged Washington as the biggest threat to the Wolverines for Onwuzurike's services (from Michigan's view), with Baylor on the outside looking in. However, with recent reports surfacing that Baylor may actually be the biggest threat, I did some digging on their end and was told that as of now, Baylor's staff is expecting Onwuzurike to leave the state to play college ball.
The end result there would point towards Michigan. I'm getting close to putting a 247Sports Crystal Ball on the Wolverines for Onwuzurike, but want to get a little more intel on Michigan's end before doing so.
Nauta/TE stuff: There are two things we've written on 2016 five-star
Isaac Nauta throughout the week: One, we expect him to choose Georgia on Saturday at the Army game and secondly, our intel on the Michigan end suggests that they still believe there's a chance that they're the choice.
The fact that Georgia did not rush a hire at the tight end position suggests that there isn't a high level of concern on their end that he would commit elsewhere. Nauta has only spoken to his potential position coach once, and it sounds like it went well. Meanwhile, Michigan maintained contact with Nauta up until Tuesday, when he privately made his decision and is not talking anymore heading into Saturday.
Let's assume Nauta chooses Georgia. The next two targets on their board are the same ones that have been there for a bit now, as Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep's
Jacob Mathis and Nixa (MO) three-star
Chase Allen are both being recruited relatively heavily. Someone in the VIP Chat yesterday asked if Michigan would go first come, first serve in this one, and I can confirm with certainty that it IS the case. With that in mind, provided Nauta chooses Georgia, I will put a 247Sports Crystal Ball on Chase Allen to
Michigan on Saturday afternoon. I believe there's a chance he will commit on his official visit on the weekend of the 15th.
2017 package deals: I'm not a big fan of talking about potential "package deals" because most times, they don't come to fruition. However, a couple of them may actually exist within the in-state offers in the 2017 class in
Ambry Thomas/
Jaylen Kelly-Powell and Ja'Raymond Hall/
Antjuan Simmons.
We covered what Simmons said about Hall earlier this week, but Thomas also had some interesting quotes regarding the idea of he and Kelly-Powell playing together in college. It's something we covered earlier in the process, but still sounds like a real possibility.
"We're family," he said. "We definitely would like to play with each other at the next level. It's something we talk about consistently."
What's interesting about that idea is that the two seem to list a variety of different schools, with Kelly-Powell looking to visit Stanford and Duke (examples), while Thomas is focused on seeing LSU, Tennessee and others. Among the common schools with both guys? Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan (Kelly-Powell does not hold a MSU offer). If both do play at the same school, I'd lean towards it being either Notre Dame or Michigan, with the Wolverines probably holding the slight edge.
Bits
- An under the radar player Michigan may pursue in the 2017 class is Jenks (OK) three-star tight end
Reese Leitao. Michigan has been evaluating him, and he's expected to be at the Army Combine on Thursday.
- One four-star who really would like a Michigan offer is Clearwater (FL) Central Catholic four-star speedster
CJ Cotman, who says he's been looking to get in contact with the staff for weeks. He did hear from the Wolverines on Wednesday, and an offer may be forthcoming.
- We didn't score any quotes from him at last week's Under Armour combine, but 2017 five-star defensive end
Jarez Parks maintains a high interest in Michigan. Along with
Joshua Kaindoh, Parks will be a major target at defensive end in the cycle.
- Speaking of Kaindoh, Michigan is in the early mix there as well. He's an IMG kid, but is originally from the Baltimore area, so coming back up north to play his college ball isn't going to be an issue. Again, I believe he and Parks will be two of the most targeted defensive players on their 2017 board.
.I would be shocked if we lost him to any school at this point.Some worry about Clemson I don't see it his uncle lives down there but his connection to Michigan is too deep at this point this isn't a De'shawn Hand situation at all
We'll see how it plays out down the stretch. It's still dead period.
might have to disregard might not have the grades
️ @asibo_ 
