The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 55 MICHIGAN RECRUITING to be seriously considering the Wol- verines after being committed to Mi- ami earlier in the cycle. Gray, Rivals' No. 18 cornerback and No. 207 overall prospect nationally, is certainly cov- eted and would be a great addition to U-M's class as a true outside corner. Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne four- star cornerback Darion Green-Warren would also be a great fit in the 2020 class. At 6-0 and 185 pounds, he too has good size, which would be per- fect opposite Belleville (Mich.) High four-star cornerback Andre Seldon, who has been committed to Michigan since last summer. The 5-9, 154-pound Seldon is likely a true nickel corner, which would make Gray or Green- Warren solid complements. Green- Warren is the No. 20 cornerback and No. 221 overall prospect nationally per Rivals, and was previously committed to Oklahoma. USC seems to be the fa- vorite, but he has always maintained a lot of interest in the Wolverines. Several other prospects likely received their offers Aug. 1 as well. Windsor (Ontario) Holy Names four-star tight end Theo Johnson is pretty much Mich- igan's only remaining target at the posi- tion, with three-stars Matthew Hibner and Nick Patterson already commit- ted. Johnson, a 6-5, 235-pound freak of an athlete, is high on U-M along with Penn State, Iowa and Georgia. He is going to be at Penn State for the U-M game for his official visit, and will likely check out at least Georgia and Michigan with officials during the fall as well. Rivals' No. 6 tight end in the country already used one of- ficial visit to Iowa earlier this summer. A couple of linemen are also still high on U-M's board. Littleton (Colo.) Columbine four-star offensive tackle Andrew Gentry and Moor- park (Calif.) High four-star offensive tackle Jonah Monheim are still being recruited by the Wolverines. The 6-8, 305-pound Gentry will be in Ann Arbor for the Notre Dame game later this fall, which could be a capper in his recruitment. Rivals' No. 8 offensive tackle in the country is also seriously considering BYU be- cause of his religion. Monheim — a 6-4, 280-pounder who is the No. 33 offensive tackle in the country per Rivals — hasn't been to Michigan since April and feels like an Oklahoma lean, but he's still on the market and being recruited by the Maize and Blue. MICHIGAN'S 2021 CLASS OFF TO GOOD START The Wolverines haven't picked up a 2021 commitment since May, but the two pledges are strong ones. Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson four-star offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi got the ball rolling for U-M's 2021 class March 19 in somewhat sur- prising fashion. He quietly picked up an offer after a strong camp perfor- mance and then broke the news. Ri- vals now views the 6-6, 285-pounder as the No. 5 player in the state and the No. 19 offensive tackle in the country. "Still feels the same as the first cou- ple days I committed — amazing!" El-Hadi noted recently. Two months after El-Hadi broke ground on U-M's 2021 class, La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy four-star pro-style quarterback JJ McCarthy pledged to the Wolverines as well. The 6-2, 180-pounder is the No. 3 pro-style quarterback and No. 11 overall pros- pect in the country per Rivals. McCar- thy is going to be the face of the class moving forward, and he's very well equipped for that role — he loves try- ing to recruit other standout players. "I've been hitting up everybody," McCarthy said. "You can see that on my [Instagram] story. Every other five minutes I'm shouting someone out. I'm trying to show love and show that I appreciate other guys. "I'd love to take that to Michigan with me and take some of those guys under my wing. My job is to get guys to just visit Michigan and then let the coaches do their job because they're amazing at it." A FEW NEW OFFERS IN JULY The Michigan coaches have only of- fered four prospects in the month of July, and two of them were the direct result of prospects visiting for the BBQ at The Big House. Per the usual, July and August are slow months for new offers as the dead period winds down and the coaches get ready for the season opener, but recruiting never completely halts. Here is a look at the latest pros- pects to pick up a tender from U-M: St. Louis Lutheran North four-star weakside defensive end Travion Ford Ford is the No. 10 weakside defensive end in the 2021 class according to Ri- vals and already has 20 offers. The 6-3, 207-pounder has been to Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and Ohio State this summer, and has men- tioned Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Tennessee as other schools that he is seriously considering. Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass four-star wide receiver Dekel Crowdus With new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis creating his #SpeedInSpace man- tra, it seemed like only a matter of time before Crowdus picked up an offer. The 5-10, 169-pounder is lightning in a bottle, but also a pretty complete pass catcher as the No. 22 wide receiver in the 2021 class per Rivals. He picked up his offer from Michi- gan while at the BBQ and has 15 total tenders as of Aug. 8, including from Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee, among others. Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian's Country Day four-star tight end Louis Hansen Hansen also picked up his offer at the BBQ, which isn't surprising. He goes 6-5, 222 pounds and really looks the part. The 2021 prospect boasts more than a dozen offers now, including from Geor- gia, LSU, Penn State and others. U-M is going to be in the mix for Rivals. com's No. 3 tight end in the country. Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic running back Emeka Megwa Megwa is only heading into his soph- omore season, but he is already 6-0, 213 pounds and claims more than 20 offers. Florida, LSU, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas and Texas A&M are among those that want the big back from the Lone Star State. ❏ Four-star quarterback commit JJ McCarthy is one of the top players in the country, ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 11 overall recruit in the land, and is trying to sell U-M to other top prospects. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM