The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 47 MICHIGAN RECRUITING MICHIGAN COACHES CONTACT 2021 RECRUITS September marked a huge shift in the recruiting landscape. College coaches at the FBS level can now be- gin initiating contact with prospects in the 2021 class. The rule went into effect Sept. 1 at exactly midnight. Before September, 2021 recruits had to initiate contact with coaches. Now, coaches are permitted to call, email, direct message through social media and text them. Like coaches around the country, the U-M staff has been hard at work reaching out to some of the top players on its board. One of the first recruits to hear from Michigan was four-star Ga'Quincy McKinstry, who is ranked as the na- tion's top 2021 athlete and No. 32 overall recruit in the class per Rivals. McKinstry is a versatile prospect that can play multiple positions at the next level, but best projects as a cornerback. Michigan is working to get McKin- stry on campus for an unofficial visit this season, which is a must. Pulling the Pinson (Ala.) Valley product out of the Southeast will prove to be dif- ficult, given he likes schools like Ala- bama, Clemson and Florida. The Wolverines also got in contact with most of its top running back targets, including Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial's Camar Whea- ton, West Bloomfield (Mich.) High's Donovan Edwards and Cincinnati (Ohio) Roger Bacon's Corey Kiner. Wheaton, the nation's No. 7 overall junior, is going to be an extremely tough land, but Michigan is in a re- ally good spot for both Edwards and Kiner. In fact, it wouldn't be far- fetched to say the Wolverines have the early advantage with both tal- ented ball carriers. Edwards is ranked No. 89 in the class by Rivals, while the three-star Kiner is listed as the nation's No. 20 junior running back. Michigan landed two three-star tight ends in the 2020 class and wants to add an elite player at the position next cycle. The Wolverines made sure to reach out to Henderson (Nev.) Lib- erty four-star Moliki Matavao, who is ranked as the No. 1 tight end and No. 42 overall junior in the country. Michigan is also after some of the best the nation has to offer along the offensive line. Wolverines offensive line coach Ed Warinner made some calls in Texas, contacting Fort Worth All Saints' Tommy and James Brock- ermeyer and Houston Bellaire Epis- copal's Cullen Montgomery. All three recruits have visited U-M in the past. The Brockermeyer broth- ers are looking to make a return trip to Ann Arbor in November, while Mont- gomery is in the process of mapping out his own visit to The Big House. Tommy Brockermeyer is a five-star ranked as the nation's No. 5 over- all recruit, while brother James is a three-star center listed No. 3 at his position for the class. The three-star Montgomery is regarded as the na- tion's No. 35 offensive tackle in 2021. Michigan contacted some of its top defensive targets as well, including four-star Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Cath- olic defensive tackle Tywone Malone and four-star St. Louis Lutheran North defensive end Travion Ford. Malone visited U-M this summer, and the Wolverines are considered the early frontrunners for the nation's No. 36 recruit. Michigan is squarely in the mix for Ford and will host the na- tion's No. 172 prospect later this fall. The U-M staff will continue to work the phones and social media as 2021 recruiting continues to heat up. COMMITS LEADING SEVERAL NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS High school football season is in full swing, and several U-M commits are stars for nationally ranked teams. Baltimore St. Frances is home to four 2020 Michigan verbal pledges in four-star running back Blake Corum, four-star linebacker Osman Savage, three-star linebacker Nikhai Hill- Green and three-star offensive line- man Micah Mazzucca. St. Frances climbed as high as No. 2 in the MaxPreps national rank- ings after opening the season with a statement win over No. 11 Miami Central and taking down respected Chicago-area program Simeon. In arguably the biggest high school game of the season yet, St. Frances took on No. 1 Santa Ana (Calif.) Ma- ter Dei in an epic clash in Los An- geles as part of the Trinity League versus The USA Showcase. Although Corum racked up more than 200 all-purpose yards and Sav- age scored two touchdowns while playing some running back, St. Fran- ces fell 34-18. St. Frances is still one of the best teams in the country, but it may not have a case for the national championship now. Honolulu St. Louis is ranked No. 7 nationally by MaxPreps, and is mak- ing its own case as the best of the best. Led by three-star 2020 Michi- gan wide receiver commit Roman Wilson, St. Louis notched an impres- sive win over powerhouse Las Vegas Bishop Gorman in week three. St. Louis has stomped in-state op- ponents and looks like a team that could beat just about anyone on the mainland. Wilson has been terrific so far, hauling in two touchdowns on the year, and threatening defenses over the top with his elite speed. No other Michigan commits are on top-25 teams, but Olney (Md.) Good Counsel should threaten to be in there later in the year. Good Counsel is one of the most feared teams in the DMV area and has a strong defense, headlined by three-star 2020 U-M de- fensive line commit Kris Jenkins. Good Counsel, which MaxPreps ranks No. 31 in the country, logged quality wins over Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic and Baltimore Mount St. Joseph to open up the year, before losing 31-8 to Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco. Good Counsel is still the top-ranked team in Maryland and could move up the national rankings. Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic is also in the top 50 nationally and features four-star Michigan safety commit Jordan Morant, though they have played just one game through Sept. 14 — a 25-6 victory over Phila- delphia Imhotep Charter. ❏ Ga'Quincy McKinstry of Pinson (Ala.) Valley is listed as the No. 1 athlete and No. 32 overall prospect in the class of 2021 by Rivals, and quickly heard from Michigan after coaches were allowed to contact juniors. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM