The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2020 THE WOLVERINE 55 MICHIGAN RECRUITING attendance from the 2022 recruiting class either. Fast-rising 2022 Westerville (Ohio) South wide receiver Kaden Saunders loved his time on campus and said Michigan is moving up his list. Saun- ders also holds offers from Michigan State, Penn State, Notre Dame and others. Fellow Ohio native and massive 2022 Strongsville (Ohio) High offen- sive lineman Blake Miller also en- joyed his time in Ann Arbor. The 6-6, 305-pounder is a priority target for the Wolverines next cycle. MORE RECRUITS ON CAMPUS FOR FINAL VISIT WEEKEND Along with the elite junior day, Michigan also had a chance to host a small group of recruits March 7, the final weekend before on-campus visits were axed. Among them was 2021 Rivals100 quarterback and Michigan commit J.J. McCarthy, who has remained com- pletely solid to the Wolverines since making his verbal pledge last spring. McCarthy is the face of Michigan's 2021 recruiting class and has been working hard to get other top pros- pects to join him in Ann Arbor. McCarthy actually spent a lot of time helping Michigan recruit 2021 Ri- vals250 Napa (Calif.) High tight end Brock Bowers, who was also on cam- pus for an unofficial visit. A four-star prospect, Bowers is pretty open in his recruitment early on. The fact that Michigan got him on campus on his own dime bodes well. The Wolverines will look to get him back for an official visit. On the defensive side of the ball, U-M is looking to make headway with 2021 Rivals250 weakside defensive end Nahki Johnson, who is verbally com- mitted to Pitt. The Homestead (Pa.) West Mifflin product sided with the Panthers last summer, but still made his way to Michigan. The Wolverines like Johnson as a pass rusher and will continue to attempt to pry him away from his home-state program. Rising 2021 Bolingbrook (Ill.) High outside linebacker Tyler McLaurin got his first look at Michigan since picking up an offer a couple of months ago. The Chicagoland recruit had a chance to meet with defensive coordinator Don Brown and came away very im- pressed with the campus and facilities. Michigan has been doing a lot of recruiting in New England thanks to the aforementioned Brown's connec- tions to the region — Brown is a Mas- sachusetts native and coached in the area for years. The Wolverines hosted a pair of of- fered prospects from the Boston metro in two-star 2021 Everett (Mass.) High wide receiver Tyrese Baptiste and his teammate, rising 2022 athlete Ismael Zamor. While Baptiste isn't highly rated, he is a speedy wide out with upside. Meanwhile, Zamor could be one of New England's top overall prospects in the 2022 recruiting cycle. NEW OFFERS GO OUT IN MARCH Michigan's March visitor week- ends resulted in several new offers in both the 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes, as well as the 2023 recruiting class. With Rivals100 prospect J.J. Mc- Carthy already in the fold this cycle, Michigan can focus on 2022 quarter- back recruiting. And the Wolverines became the first program to offer Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk quarterback Jaxon Dailey. Since the Michigan tender, Dai- ley has added an offer from Iowa State. The 6-3, 195-pounder threw for 1,297 yards, rushed for 144 yards and scored 15 total touchdowns as a sophomore. Dailey wasn't the only Southeast Polk product Michigan offered dur- ing its elite junior day. The Wolver- ines also extended scholarships to 2022 defensive back Xavier Nwankpa and 2023 offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor. The elite junior day also resulted in an offer to 2022 Canal Winchester (Ohio) High running back Stephan Byrd. Along with Michigan, Byrd has tenders from Minnesota, Pitt, West Virginia and others. Two offers came out of Michigan's final visit weekend, including one to three-star 2021 Hilliard (Ohio) Brad- ley tight end Jack Pugh. While Michigan is in the mix with a few of the country's top-ranked tight ends, the Wolverines are impressed with Pugh's skill set and ability. He also has offers from Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and others. The other prospect to earn an op- portunity from the Wolverines was rising 2022 Atlanta Westminster tight end Holden Staes. Michigan is actu- ally the first, and so far only, Football Bowl Subdivision program to offer Staes, who should see his stock go up this spring. Aside from on-campus visitors, Michigan offered a pair of intrigu- ing 2021 defensive backs in three-star Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren product Jantzen Dunn and three- star Philadelphia Northeast product Tyreek Chappell. Dunn is one of the hottest recruits in the country and will, without a doubt, be a mover in the rankings. Along with Michigan, Dunn has re- ceived recent offers from Ohio State, Florida State, USC, Texas and others. Chappell is listed as a wide re- ceiver, but Michigan is recruiting him as a cornerback. U-M corner- backs coach Michael Zordich put in the call and offered Chappell. In fact, the Wolverines are making a huge impression early on, and Chappell is looking to make an official visit. Finding high-level defensive line- men is another priority for Michigan this cycle, and position coach Shaun Nua identified and offered three- star Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic prospect Derek Wilkins. Ranked as the No. 27 strongside defensive end this cycle, Wilkins has the ability to slide inside at the next level. He has interest in Michigan early on and is also looking hard at schools like California, Nebraska, Or- egon and USC. Michigan recently became the first, and so far only, Football Bowl Subdivision pro- gram to offer 2022 tight end Holden Staes of Atlanta Westminster. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM