The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/100796
������ football recruiting choice. I loved the tradition here when I came here and took a visit, but they had a big influence on me.��� It���s Not Everything While having a high school teammate attend the same college can be a help to many players, it���s not the only ��� or even a large ��� factor to many recruits. They can choose a particular school for a multitude of reasons, and for some playing with a friend is down on the list. Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Taylor Lewan, a high school teammate of junior defensive end Craig Roh, feels comfort is more important. ���I would say Craig didn���t have a huge influence on me,��� Lewan said. ���That���s just because, when it comes to going for four or five years at a school, that���s your decision. That���s your thing, and you have to see what fits you the best. You have to know what���s right for you.��� At the end of the day, though, Roh���s commitment to Michigan was a benefit to the Wolverines��� chances of landing Lewan. He helped his teammate grow comfortable with the prospect of spending his college years in Ann Arbor. ���He definitely talked to me about it,��� Lewan said. ���He told me more about the coaches, and gave me more of an insight on the coaches. That was a factor, but it���s a coincidence that we ended up at the same spot because it���s perfect for each of us.��� The Next Group Michigan���s 2012 recruiting class has a number of players from the same school or who were friends prior to their commitment to Mich- ball together,��� Ross added, ���and playing in college together was the dream from the beginning. Now to see it���s happening, it���s really exciting.��� Jenkins-Stone was the first to commit to Michigan, deciding on April��16 of this year, and Ross followed May��2. According to Richardson, playing with his friends in college was a large part of the reason he chose to join Michigan���s recruiting class May��19. ���It���s cool,��� he said. ���Actually, I grew up with James, so we���ve been ��� Roy Roundtree on joining Michael Shaw and Brandon Moore at U-M ���We all grew up together. Shaw and I have been best friends since we were younger. To see them commit here, I had no choice. I loved the tradition here when I came here and took a visit, but they had a big influence on me.��� igan. Four-star tight end Devin Funchess and three-star defensive end Mario Ojemudia both hail from Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison High. Defensive back Terry Richardson and linebacker Royce JenkinsStone are both four-star products out of Detroit Cass Tech, and their childhood friend ��� Orchard Lake, Mich., linebacker James Ross ��� is also a Michigan commit. ���All of us played little league foot- playing together for a long time.��� When he was selected to the Under Armour All-American Bowl, Richardson thanked Ross and JenkinsStone for pushing him to become an All-American. The three grew up hoping to play together at the next level, and Michigan allowed that dream to come true. Though Ross and Jenkins-Stone are playing in a different All-American game than Richardson ��� they���ll par- Current Michigan Teammates Recruited From The Same High School Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis DeSales ��� Freshman defensive end Keith Heitzman ��� Redshirt junior offensive lineman Patrick Omameh Detroit Cass Tech ��� Junior defensive tackle Will Campbell ��� Redshirt sophomore safety Thomas Gordon ��� Freshman defensive back Delonte Hollowell Fort Bend (Texas) Dulles ��� Fifth-year senior linebacker Brandon Herron ��� Senior wide receiver Darryl Stonum ��� Fifth-year senior defensive back Troy Woolfolk Inkster (Mich.) ��� Sophomore quarterback Devin Gardner ��� Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cameron Gordon Pahokee (Fla.) ��� Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Richard Ash ��� Junior linebacker Brandin Hawthorne ��� Junior running back Vincent Smith ��� Senior wide receiver Martavious Odoms Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral ��� Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Taylor Lewan ��� Junior defensive end Craig Roh Roy Roundtree (right) switched his commitment from Purdue just prior to National Signing Day in 2008 so that he could join friends Michael Shaw (left) and Brandon Moore in Ann Arbor. photo by per kjeldsen Trotwood (Ohio) Madison ��� Redshirt junior tight end Brandon Moore ��� Redshirt junior wide receiver Roy Roundtree ��� Senior running back Michael Shaw Youngstown (Ohio) Liberty ��� Redshirt sophomore linebacker Isaiah Bell ��� Redshirt sophomore running back Fitzgerald Toussaint November 2011��� ������ the wolverine��� 89