The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1279712
38 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2020 PREP PROFILES With the ongoing global pandemic, public high schools around the Bal- timore metro area have shut down football for the fall. Instead of waiting to potentially play in the spring, 2021 Reisterstown (Md.) Franklin safety Daymon David is taking what is becoming a common route by foregoing his final year of high school and enrolling early at the college of his choice. With high school football behind him, David has been working hard at weekly training ses- sions with elite defensive back trainer Antonio Johnson. Recruiting is also at the fore- front of David's m i n d . A l a t e bloomer in this cycle, David has several Power Five programs recruiting him on a daily basis. But he is in no rush to make a decision. "I'm really chilling on the recruiting process," David said. "I'm not letting it get to my head. I'm staying humble. My top schools right now would be Michigan, Mississippi State, Okla- homa, Indiana and Boston College." Michigan has one safety commit- ted in its 2021 class in three-star Ohio prospect Rod Moore. The Wolverines would love to add another player at the position, and it's clear David headlines the safety board. "A bunch of defensive backs have come out of Michigan like Charles Woodson and Jabrill Peppers," Da- vid said. "It speaks for itself. I have a good feel for the coaching staff, play- ers and the scheme. "Everything fits. I just want to get there and feel the culture on campus." The 6-2, 170-pound senior and new U-M safeties coach Bob Shoop talk on a daily basis and have built up a very strong re- lationship. "We talk about something new every day," David said. "He shows me how I can fit into the system and make a lot of plays. He's a cool dude. I like him a lot. It's big time that he's coached top defenses because I'm trying to get developed." David also has weekly video chats with U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh. "Coach Harbaugh comes with a lot of energy," he said. "He's really funny. We have a lot of good talks. Of course, his brother [John] is an NFL head coach. That's a big connection because if I go as hard as I can then I can be a first-round pick. And I'm a Ravens fan. But yeah, I love Coach Harbaugh's ex- perience and what he's said." David wants to make official visits before making a decision. He has no exact timeline in mind, but he will obviously have to make a commit- ment at some point before January. — EJ Holland It's hard to find 300-pound de- fensive tackles that can move. And that's a big reason why four-star 2022 Kettering (Ohio) Archbishop Alter prospect Derrick Shepard (6-3, 310) is seeing his stock rise on the recruit- ing trail. Shepard had a dominant perfor- mance at July's ESPN camp in Ohio and has the look of an elite-level player in the trenches. He is up to 13 offers and is attracting interest from several other top programs. "Recruiting has been a blessing," he said. "I treat all my offers as a blessing. I thank the man above for allowing me to play at the next level. Recently, I've talked to Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Northwestern. Everything has been going great." Right now, Shepard has offers in hand from Florida State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Pitts- burgh, Purdue and a handful of other Football Bowl Subdivision programs. U-M jumped in the mix with a ten- der in April and has been in close contact with him ever since. In fact, defensive line coach Shaun Nua had another call with Shepard in early August. "Our talk went really well," Shepard said. "He was just telling me about their meeting about the upcoming season. He also told me more about where I would fit in on the defense. "He definitely knows what he's talking about. He's a smart man. He gives you good advice on and off the field." Michigan holds a pair of commit- ments from Ohio this cycle in Markus Allen and Rod Moore. Both are close to Shepard and have been recruiting him to Ann Arbor. "I actually planned on visiting with Markus and Rod a week be- fore the quarantine started," Shepard said. "They've been recruiting me when we work out together. Rod and Markus tell me to go there and be great. They're my brothers. I've known them for two years, and our bond keeps getting better." So where does Michigan stand with Shepard early on? "Michigan is pretty high," Shepard said. "I like the defense that they run. They use a four-man front, and that's my favorite defense to play in. I would get to play in the three-tech- nique. They have good academics. They have a great business major." R i v a l s . c o m currently rates S h e p a rd a s a four-star prospect and the No. 80 over- all recruit in the 2022 class. — EJ Holland Sleeper Safety Looking To Enroll Early For Spring Semester U-M Is After Another Big-Time Ohio Prospect ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Franklin H.S. Reisterstown, Md. Class: 2021 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 170 Rivals.com Rankings: Currently unrated Daymon David ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Archbishop Alter H.S. Kettering, Ohio Class: 2022 Position: Defensive Tackle Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 310 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 80 overall prospect nationally Derrick Shepard David "A bunch of defensive backs have come out of Michigan like Charles Woodson and Ja- brill Peppers. It speaks for it- self. I have a good feel for the coaching staff, players and the scheme. Everything fits." Shepard on where U-M stands on his schools list "Michigan is pretty high. I like the defense that they run. They use a four-man front, and that's my favorite defense to play in."