The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1111798
46 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2019 BY BRANDON BROWN T he Wolverines signed only two prospects from the state of Michi- gan in the 2019 class in Paw Paw four-star offensive tackle Karsen Barnhart and East Kentwood four- star defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Based on how the in-state picture looks in the 2020 class already, it's safe to assume that two signees would be the floor for U-M. Michigan already has pledges in place from Belleville four-star corner- back Andre Seldon and West Bloom- field four-star inside linebacker Cor- nell Wheeler, and is in a good spot with several other local products. Here's a look at seven prospects from the Great Lakes State that are strongly considering the Wolverines (all rankings are from Rivals.com): Oak Park High Wide Receiver MALIQ CARR At 6-5, 215 pounds, Carr is a matchup nightmare and actually moves pretty well at that size. The No. 49 wide receiver in the country is strongly considering the Wolverines and seems enamored with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' new offense. "Coach Gattis is a game changer in the program. It's that simple," Carr said after including the Wolverines in his top five. LSU, Notre Dame, Purdue and Texas A&M round out Carr 's final- ists, and it really feels like U-M is the team to beat for his services. Muskegon High Athlete CAMERON MARTINEZ The three-star recruit has the po- tential to be a great playmaker in Gattis' offense. At 5-10, 185 pounds, he actually plays quarterback in high school and is listed as the No. 29 ath- lete nationally. He usually camps as a wide receiver and almost always makes defensive backs looks silly. He is a lot like Mike Sainristil, George Johnson III and Giles Jackson in U-M's 2019 class in that he's versa- tile, on the small side and electric in space after the catch. He would be a great weapon for the new #SpeedIn- Space movement. Port Huron Northern Weakside Defensive End BRAIDEN MCGREGOR Even though he is still just a three- star prospect as of late April, Mc- Gregor appears to be one of Michi- gan's top overall targets. Defensive line coach Shaun Nua and tight ends coach Sherrone Moore are working overtime to land the big defender. McGregor has a loaded top 10 that consists of Alabama, Clemson, Flor- ida, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State, but U-M, Notre Dame and Ohio State seem to be the most se- rious players with the Wolverines likely pacing the pack for a prospect that may be closing in on a decision. "Every single hire at Michigan has been a great hire. I love all of them," McGregor said. "I've sat down and talked with Coach Gattis. Coach [Anthony] Campanile is awesome, Coach [Shaun] Nua is awesome. "I've been talking to them on the daily. I'm staying in contact with them and on top of that, Coach [Don] Brown is texting me pretty much ev- ery day, too. It's a good relationship with all of them there." McGregor has a chance to shoot up the rankings because of how im- pressive he looks and how he's per- formed during offseason camps. It doesn't matter if he's a three-star, a four-star or even a five-star — the Michigan coaches want him badly. West Bloomfield High Safety MAKARI PAIGE For a while it seemed like Paige might not be a top priority for the Wolverines, but a mid-April visit to Ann Arbor cleared the picture up for the four-star safety. "When I first got there, they put a big emphasis on me being a priority," he explained. "It was Coach [Chris] Partridge, Coach Campanile and Coach Moore. Coach [Roy] Roundtree is one of the coolest coaches I've ever met, too. "Don Brown came up to me and hugged me, saying that I belong there. He emphasized that. The other coaches did, too. It was a team effort." As the No. 13 safety and No. 240 overall prospect nationally, Paige is certainly a top-flight recruit, and at MICHIGAN RECRUITING Wolverines Focusing On Several In-State Juniors 2020 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) JD Johnson QB 6-4 187 Phoenix (Pinnacle) Micah Mazzccua OT 6-5 330 Baltimore (St. Frances) Nick Patterson TE 6-3 215 San Antonio (San Antonio Christian) Osman Savage LB 6-2 220 Baltimore (St. Frances) Andre Seldon DB 5-9 154 Belleville, Mich. (Belleville) Cornell Wheeler LB 6-0 229 West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) 2021 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Giovanni El-Hadi OT 6-6 285 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Stevenson) Although Port Huron Northern defensive end Braiden McGregor was listed as just a three-star prospect by Rivals.com as of late April, he is one of Michigan's top overall targets. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN