The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1194003
JANUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 51 MICHIGAN RECRUITING across the country. The Michigan staff did just that, and their stops resulted in several new offers. The Wolverines were very active in the state of North Carolina. They are looking to make an impact in the Tar Heel state and actually put a scholarship on the table for 2021 North Carolina athlete commit Dontavius Nash, the No. 249 overall prospect and No. 17 athlete nationally per Ri- vals. The Gastonia (N.C.) Hunter Huss product has been committed to the Tar Heels since June, but the Wolverines will look to lure him away. Michigan also offered three-star 2021 Kings Mountain (N.C.) High line- backer Dameon Wilson during their run though the state. U-M was also busy in the Sunshine State. With the Wolverines earning a commitment from 2020 Florida outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell, the door may be open to land more talent out of the Southeast. The Wolverines became the first school to offer 2022 Tampa (Fla.) Berk- ley wide receiver Xavier Townsend, a teammate of Harrell. Michigan also returned to power- house Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and offered a pair of 2021 prospects in four-star athlete Lovasea Carroll, the No. 89 overall prospect and No. 5 athlete in the country, and four-star Markevious Brown, the No. 19 corner- back in the land. Jim Harbaugh's squad has a big need for defensive backs next cycle and went out to Tennessee and offered a pair in four-star Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth safety Andre Turrentine, the No. 162 prospect and No. 12 safety in the coun- try, and three-star Brentwood (Tenn.) High cornerback John Howse IV. Michigan also went out to New Jer- sey to look for its quarterback of the future and offered 2022 Oradell (N.J.) signal-caller Steven Angeli. He holds tenders from Ohio State and Penn State, among others, and is considered one of the best overall recruits in his class. U-M didn't forget about prospects close to home. They also offered 2022 West Bloomfield (Mich.) High running back Dillon Tatum. He is a teammate of four-star 2020 Michigan commits Cor- nell Wheeler and Makari Paige. FUTURE WOLVERINES WIN STATE TITLES There is no better way to finish off a senior season than helping your team win a state title. A handful of Michigan commits had the opportunity to do just that, includ- ing four-star Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East wide receiver AJ Henning, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Illinois. Henning rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown in Lincoln Way East's 12-0 win over Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Town- ship in the Illinois 8A state champion- ship. Henning played wide receiver for most of the season but transitioned to running back due to terrible weather conditions. Still, Henning was able to make plays when Lincoln Way East needed him most. He finished his illustrious high school career as a two-time state champion. Despite playing with a cast on his hand, three-star 2020 defensive line commit Aaron Lewis was a force for Williamstown (N.J.) High throughout the New Jersey state playoffs. Lewis made tackle after tackle in the Group V New Jersey state champion- ship and helped Williamstown topple Marlton (N.J.) Cherokee 30-14. One of the more underrated recruits in Michi- gan's class, Lewis shone bright on a huge stage. It wasn't a state championship, but four-star 2020 Michigan linebacker commit William Mohan also finished his season on a high note. The future viper led a strong defen- sive effort in Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall's 27-0 shutout win over Staten Is- land (N.Y.) Tottenville in the New York PSAL City Conference championship game. Like Mohan, three-star 2020 defen- sive line commit Kris Jenkins didn't have a chance to compete for a state title. But he did still lead Olney (Md.) Good Counsel to a gritty 16-14 win over Washington (D.C.) St. John's in the Washington Catholic Athletic Con- ference championship game. The WCAC is recognized as one of the toughest high school football leagues in the country. This was Good Counsel's first WCAC title game vic- tory since 2012. Good Counsel finished the season ranked No. 17 in the nation by MaxPreps.com. ❑ 2020 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Reece Atteberry OT 6-5 290 Centennial, Colo. (Eaglecrest) Blake Corum RB 5-9 180 Baltimore (St. Frances) Eamonn Dennis WR 5-10 173 Shrewsbury, Mass. (Saint John's) Jaylen Harrell LB 6-4 235 Tampa, Fla. (Berkeley Prep) AJ Henning APB 5-10 183 Frankfort, Ill. (Lincoln Way East) Matt Hibner TE 6-4 228 Burke, Va. (Lake Braddock) Nikhai Hill-Green LB 6-2 225 Baltimore (St. Frances) Kris Jenkins Jr. DE 6-3 235 Olney, Md. (Good Counsel) Aaron Lewis DE 6-5 240 Williamstown, N.J. (Williamstown) Micah Mazzccua OT 6-5 330 Baltimore (St. Frances) Braiden McGregor DE 6-6 250 Port Huron, Mich. (Northern) William Mohan LB 6-1 190 Brooklyn, N.Y. (Erasmus Hall) Jordan Morant S 6-0 190 Oradell, N.J. (Bergen Catholic) RJ Moten ATH 6-0 201 Delran, N.J. (Delran) Kalel Mullings LB 6-2 220 Milton, Mass. (Milton Academy) Makari Paige S 6-3 185 West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) Nick Patterson TE 6-3 215 San Antonio (San Antonio Christian) Jeffrey Persi OT 6-7 265 San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (JSerra Catholic) 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) Roman Wilson WR 6-0 170 Honolulu (St. Louis) Zak Zinter OT 6-6 300 Cambridge, Mass. (Buckingham Browne & Nichols) 2021 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Giovanni El-Hadi OT 6-6 285 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Stevenson) J.J. McCarthy QB 6-2 180 La Grange Park, Ill. (Nazareth Academy) 2022 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Alex VanSumeren DT 6-25 260 Essexville, Mich. (Garber)