The Wolverine

February 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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FEBRUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 59 T en Michigan commits/signees participated in some form of an all-star game in the month of January and just about all of them lived up to their own respective hype. U-M came out as one of the programs that should be happy with how its future players performed on a big, national stage. ALL-AMERICAN BOWL SAN ANTONIO Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian five-star defensive tackle Christopher Hinton performed very well in San Antonio. The 6-4, 285-pounder came into the week as a four-star strongside defensive end and left as a five-star defensive tackle, according to Rivals.com. He showed great quickness and strength, and also used his hands very well from the interior of the defensive line. Hinton finished the game with two tackles and a fumble recovery, and spent a lot of time in the West squad's backfield. He consistently beat the man in front of him and looked like one of the elite defensive linemen in the country. He's now the No. 2 de- fensive tackle and No. 15 overall pros- pect nationally to become the Wolver- ines' highest-rated signee/commit. Michigan's other five-star signee, Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washing- ton safety Daxton Hill, was part of that West squad and, like his team, didn't quite bring his best effort on game day. The 6-0, 190-pounder flew around all week during practice, but wasn't asked to do much in the game. He missed an open-field tackle on Nebraska wide receiver signee Wan- dale Robinson, and then whiffed on North Carolina quarterback signee Sam Howell near the sideline before Howell walked into the end zone. Rivals' No. 1 safety and No. 24 overall prospect in the country was pretty hard on himself after the game. However, Hill still looked the part and did what he was asked to do on basically all but two plays. He'll arrive in Ann Arbor in June with hopes of earning a significant role in Don Brown's defense immediately. Last but certainly not least from San Antonio was Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick wide receiver Cornelius Johnson. The 6-3, 199-pounder was a three-star prospect and considered the No. 69 wide receiver in the coun- try heading into the All-American Bowl, but after showing out all week long and catching two passes for 24 yards and two touchdowns in the game itself, he's now a four-star prospect and considered the No. 27 wide receiver and No. 171 overall prospect nationally. He made everything about the wide receiver position look easy while in Texas and left very satisfied with his performance, just like the Rivals evaluators who awarded him a big bump in the final rankings. UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICA GAME ORLANDO, FLA. Six future Wolverines represented Michigan in the Under Armour All- American Game and a couple of them made some splash plays as well. Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High four-star safety Quinten John- son had a great week of practice. He showed off his speed, instincts and ball skills with a couple of interceptions. During the game, the 6-0, 195-pounder broke up a pass and recorded a tackle. His solid season, postseason and all- star appearance has him ranked as the No. 16 safety and No. 182 overall prospect nationally. Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood four-star defensive tackle Mazi Smith had some of the bigger "wow" plays during the week of practice. The 6-3, 303-pounder put offensive linemen on their butts a few times and consis- tently held his own. He recorded a tackle in the game and received a pretty nice bump in the rankings because of his efforts. He finished the cycle as the No. 9 de- fensive tackle and the No. 142 overall prospect nationally, and is already on campus as an early enrollee. Akron (Ohio) Hoban four-star offensive guard Nolan Rumler got off to a slow start for the week, but picked it up and did well toward the latter part of the practice sessions and in the game. The 6-3, 310-pounder started at right guard and did fine. Still, he slid in the rankings a bit and is now Rivals' No. 10 guard and No. 199 overall prospect nationally. Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive tackle Trente Jones has had one of the more meteoric rises in the rank- ings over the course of 2018. The 6-5, 302-pounder was a three-star pros- pect when he committed to Michi- gan and is now the No. 12 offensive tackle and No. 90 overall player in the country. Part of the reason for the climb is how he performed against top talent. Jones showed his athleti- cism and strength in Orlando and rose in the rankings despite not start- ing the game. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas inside linebacker Anthony Solomon actually lost a star and is now considered a three-star prospect. At 6-1, 200 pounds he's a bit small for a linebacker and isn't quite fluid enough to play safety. However, he played linebacker just fine in the Under Armour game, recording a tackle on the day. He currently checks in as the No. 25 in- side linebacker nationally, but he'll play viper at Michigan and should   MICHIGAN RECRUITING Future Wolverines Stand Out In All-Star Games Christopher Hinton of Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian arrived at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio as four-star defensive end. The 6-4, 285-pounder excelled at the event, prompting Rivals to promote him to a five-star defensive tackle and the No. 15 overall player in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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