The Wolverine

April 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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50 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2019 BY BRANDON BROWN M ichigan's 2020 recruiting board is starting to take shape, and certain players are becoming priori- ties. The list below is a combination of the recruits Michigan really wants and those that are showing strong interest in the Wolverines. U-M certainly won't land all of these guys, but the staff is hoping they can bat .500 or close to it on some of the star players mentioned. (All rankings are from Rivals.com.) QUARTERBACK Phoenix Pinnacle Four-Star JD Johnson The Wolverines already have their quarterback with Johnson in the fold. The 6-4, 187-pounder made a huge jump in the most recent batch of Ri- vals rankings and is now the No. 8 pro-style quarterback and No. 138 overall prospect nationally. He is working to prepare to be the full-time starter for the first time this fall. He is not shutting his recruit- ment completely down, but he is very solid with U-M and definitely wants to play for Jim Harbaugh. Also High On The Board: — Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside three- star Anthony Richardson — Southfield (Mich.) A&T three- star Anthony Romphf RUNNING BACK Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Four-Star Bijan Robinson There are a couple of elite running backs in the 2020 class, but Michigan doesn't seem to have much of a shot with the five-stars. Robinson, however, visited U-M last fall and seems to have legitimate interest in the Wolverines. The 6-1, 205-pounder is from the same state as U-M's quarterback commit JD John- son, an interesting dynamic should Johnson throw on the recruiting hat. As the No. 7 running back and No. 55 overall player nationally, Robin- son is in the discussion as an elite back and would be another huge pull out of the Grand Canyon State for the Wolverines. Also High On The Board: — Baltimore St. Frances four-star Blake Corum — Folsom (Calif.) High four-star Daniyel Ngata — Fairfield (Ohio) High three-star JuTahn McClain WIDE RECEIVER Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East Four-Star AJ Henning Despite being listed as an all-pur- pose back, Henning is being looked at by Michigan as a slot receiver. The versatile 5-10, 170-pounder is dan- gerous in space. He is adept at carry- ing the ball, but excels at catching the ball out of the backfield and as a split end. He also has value as a kick and punt returner. The No. 4 all-purpose back and No. 110 overall prospect nationally likes Michigan quite a bit, but also is high on Ohio State, Notre Dame and Stanford. It's worth noting that U-M does have a commitment from Columbus (Ohio) Northland three-star wide re- ceiver Kalil Branham, but his pledge came before the hiring of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Everything seemed fine between Branham and Michigan as of mid- March. Also High On The Board: — Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star Marcus Rosemy — Suffield (Conn.) Academy four- star Jaden Dottin — Omaha (Neb.) Burke three-star Xavier Watts TIGHT END Windsor (Ontario) Holy Names Four-Star Theo Johnson At 6-5 and 235 pounds, Johnson has great size at the tight end po- sition and possesses a solid blend of strength and smooth athleticism. He visited Michigan several times in the fall for a couple of games and returned in 2019 for a Michigan bas- ketball game. He is not being pressured by tight ends coach Sherrone Moore and un- derstands he is a wanted man. Penn State has been involved more than just about every other program in the country, but Johnson keeps returning to Ann Arbor, which is obviously a good sign. The Canadian product is the No. 5 tight end and No. 181 overall prospect in the country. Johnson would pair   FOOTBALL RECRUITING Michigan's Class Of 2020 Dream Team Bijan Robinson of Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe is rated as a four-star talent, and the No. 7 run- ning back and No. 55 overall player nationally by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM RIVALS' 2020 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of March 18 Rk. School Commits 1. Alabama 12 2. LSU 9 3. Clemson 9 4. Miami 9 5. Ohio State 7 6. Michigan 7 7. Georgia 5 8. Florida 6 9. Oklahoma 7 10. Texas A&M 6

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