The Wolverine

2020 Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 159 FOOTBALL RECRUITING The Wolverines still want to add another corner to the fold this cycle and are trend- ing for three-star Naples (Fla.) Palmetto Ridge prospect Kamonte Grimes. At 6-3, 200 pounds, Grimes is bigger than the av- erage corner, but the Wolverines love his athletic profile. Michigan is also going hard after guys like four-star Los Angles Loyola prospect Ceyair Wright, the No. 100 prospect na- tionally; four-star Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany athlete Jaylin Smith, the No. 195 recruit in the country; and Pasa- dena (Calif.) Muir four-star Jamier John- son, the No. 184 rising-senior in the land. However, all will be tough to pull in from out West. SAFETY Committed: 1 (Clayton [Ohio] North- mont three-star Rod Moore) Projected Take: 2 Synopsis: Moore has great track times and will be counted on as a downhill strik- ing safety. The three-star prospect is locked in with the Wolverines, but the staff would like to add one more at the position. Four-star Ewa Beach (Hawai'i) Camp- bell prospect Titus Mokiao-Atimalala is at the top of the board. He is listed as the No. 49 wide receiver in the senior class and has an offer from the Wolverines on the other side of the ball as well, but he best projects in the secondary. Michigan is a top school along with programs like Notre Dame, USC and Washington. Reisterstown (Md.) Franklin two-star safety Daymon David is one of the hottest recruits nationally and is also a top-of-the- board prospect at the position. He recently listed Michigan in his top six. The Wolverines have also offered four- star Lafayette (La.) Comeaux standout Malik Nabers and three-star Alpharetta (Ga.) High prospect Jaden Slocum, and is keeping both warm. SPECIALIST Committed: 1 (Orchard Lake [Mich.] St. Mary's three-star Tommy Doman) Projected Take: 1 Synopsis: Michigan decided to take a specialist this cycle in Doman. The Adidas All-American is a combo prospect and will be expected to handle kickoffs, field goal kicking and punting for the Wolverines. He was a first-team Associated Press All- State kicker last fall and also earned a spot on the 2019 Kohl's National Scholarship Camp All-Camp team as a punter. Doman is ranked as the No. 2 punter nationally by former Wolverine Brandon Kornblue's Kicking School. ❑ Names To Know In 2022 With the recruiting calendar speeding up more and more each year, Michigan and every other program across the country are spending more time evaluating and recruiting the rising junior and sophomore classes in comparison to previous years. The Wolverines are in good early position with the five 2022 players listed below, and U-M fans will need to keep an eye on them moving forward: WR Tyler Morris, La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy Morris exploded onto the recruiting scene last year and put up monster numbers while catching passes from 2021 Rivals100 Michigan quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy, who is now at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. Morris, the No. 9 wide receiver and No. 56 overall prospect in the junior class according to 247Sports, has a special connection with McCarthy and visited Michigan just before the beginning of the abrupt dead period. Area recruiter Sherrone Moore is putting in major work here. Michigan and Notre Dame appear to be the early front-runners with schools like Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin also in the mix. The four-star prospect needs to add some weight, but he is an athletic and explosive pass catcher on the outside. WR Kaleb Brown, Chicago St. Rita Brown, 247Sports' No. 5 wide receiver and No. 35 overall prospect in the class of 2022, spends most of his time at running back for St. Rita. However, he has been electrifying at wide receiver during this offsea- son. Think top 2020 signee A.J. Henning, but thicker and potentially even better. Brown plays club seven-on-seven football with Mc- Carthy and is looking to visit Michigan as soon as the dead period is over. Like with Morris, both Jim Har- baugh and Moore and have been heavily involved in this recruitment throughout the dead period and are making him a top overall target for next cycle. This one had the makings of a Michigan-Notre Dame battle early, but Ohio State recently offered, and more national schools are starting to show interest. LB Tyler Martin, Acton (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols The No. 15 inside linebacker in the junior class according to 247Sports, Martin is a natural thumper in the middle. The 6-3, 235-pounder plays with a true old-school mentality and loves smashing people in the mouth, which is why Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown fell in love with him so early. There is some concern that Martin may eventually outgrow the position, but overall he is an elite-level recruit and a big fish for Michigan. The Wolverines appear to be in the pole position. Brown has done a fantastic job of recruiting Martin, he has been to Ann Arbor on several occasions and he is buying into the Massachusetts to Michigan movement. Schools like Arkansas, Nebraska and Virginia are involved, but this one might be Michigan's recruitment to lose. LB Joshua Burnham, Traverse City (Mich.) Central At 6-3, 200 pounds, Burnham is an athletic, attacking linebacker that can play multiple spots in Brown's defense. Michigan has been all in on 247Sports' No. 7 outside linebacker and No. 75 overall player in the junior class since offering him earlier this year, and is doing everything it can to keep him home. While Michigan appears to be the early front-runner, Burnham is very interested in Ohio State, which recently jumped in the mix. Iowa and Wisconsin are a couple of other programs to watch in this recruitment. CB Will Johnson, Grosse Point (Mich.) South Another in-state prospect, Johnson is an absolute stud at the cornerback position. He will be in the five-star conversation as the recruiting process runs its course — 247Sports currently rates him the No. 16 overall recruit in 2022. At 6-1, 180 pounds, Johnson has the height, length and cover skills to be an immediate-impact player at the position. Of all the prospects mentioned, Johnson may be the biggest must-get of them all, especially with Michigan struggling to recruit top-level corners this cycle. The Wolverines definitely have Johnson's attention early on, but he has a slew of national suitors like LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC. This one will be an intense battle. — EJ Holland Chicago's Kaleb Brown, 247Sports.com's No. 5 wide receiver and No. 35 overall pros- pect in the class of 2022, is a U-M priority. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM

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