The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 45 MICHIGAN RECRUITING is completely solid and can't wait to enroll early. "Michigan kept pushing for me, so I'm going to give them my all just like they are giving me their all," he said. "I want it to go out there and see it, but I understand. "As long as they don't push back the early enrollees, I'm going to keep working and doing what I do. Me and my mom have had a conversa- tion about just going up there and looking at the campus." Worthy is also excited to watch Michigan play on television this fall. At The Wolverine, we pride ourselves on hitting the recruit- ing trail and seeing prospects Michigan is recruiting live at games and various events. Over the month of September, we traveled across the country and got a look at several commits and targets. Here are the five best we saw: 5. WR Carnell Tate, Chicago Marist (2023 target) I've been driving the Tate bandwagon for months now, and I am all in on him as a prospect. Tate will easily be a top-100 recruit nationally in his class. I saw him in the same seven-on-seven tournament as 2022 Rivals100 prospects Kaleb Brown and Tyler Morris, and it was clear he was the best player on the field. The 6-2, 170-pound pass catcher is athletic and runs routes like a small guy. His catch radius is amazing, and he brings the ability to completely dominate in the red zone. I ended September by seeing Tate practice in pads, and he just further verified everything. 4. DL TJ Guy, Mansfield (Mass.) High (2021 commit) I only saw Guy in a private workout, but he was so impres- sive. At 6-5, 245 pounds, the Michigan commit is explosive, athletic and just moves so well for his size. Guy's change of direction and flexibility are special. The unranked three-star prospect is drastically underrated, and I'm fully confident that he'll be the steal of the class. He didn't just look athletic during the training session — keep in mind that he ran point guard on the basketball team and got some offers in that sport. He has yet to train year-round for football and is still raw from a fundamental standpoint, but his ceiling is sky high. 3. LB Junior Colson, Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood (2021 commit) "The Haitian King" lived up to his billing on national televi- sion this month, recording several tackles, sacking fellow Michigan commit J.J. McCarthy and even making a couple of key plays on fake punts. At 6-2, 225 pounds, Colson is extremely well put together. He's a big, physical backer, but what makes him special is his speed and athleticism. He covers a ton of ground sideline to sideline and is a plus in pass coverage. He can also come off the edge and fill the traditional inside linebacker spot. Michigan is recruiting him as a viper, which will allow him to showcase his skill set. Rivals.com's No. 87 overall prospect nationally has only been playing linebacker for a couple of years, so he still has a high ceiling. He's also a safe bet to end up being the best recruit in this class. 2. CB Jaeden Gould, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic (2022 target) It's rare that I leave a training session thinking a guy could be a five-star prospect. Usually, I wait to see kids in pads before I make that grand of a declaration since there is only so much you can get from HUDL highlights. But Gould is an anomaly. He had as great of a training session as a prospect could. I literally did not see one bad rep from him. The four-star prospect is built like a safety but moves like a corner. His footwork is outstanding, his ability to turn his hips is elite and his speed at 6-2, 190 pounds is impressive. Gould also made a couple of one-handed grabs look easy. For as much fuss as fellow 2022 four-star Myles Rowser gets as a corner/safety prospect, I feel like Gould — the No. 26-ranked safety in the land — is the better recruit and is truly what you want in a safety that can play corner. If he has a big junior year, his ranking should skyrocket. 1. LBL Joshua Burnham, Traverse City (Mich.) Central (2022 target) How could the dude that scored six touchdowns in front of The Wolverine not top this list? Burnham had a sensational in-game performance in September. The four-star prospect threw for four scores, ran for a touchdown, and lined up at wide receiver and "mossed" a kid for another. Oh yeah, he also registered half a dozen tackles on the defensive side of the ball in a blowout win over rival Traverse City (Mich.) West. Burnham, the No. 185-ranked prospect nationally per Rivals.com, is obviously getting recruited on the defensive side of the ball, where he brings a ton of length and athleti- cism. Much like the aforementioned Colson, Burnham can play whatever linebacker spot you want him to. He should easily be a top-100 prospect in the country and perhaps even top 50. He put on quite the show. — EJ Holland The Five Best Recruits The Wolverine Saw On The Road In September Joshua Burnham threw for four scores, ran for a touchdown and made another impressive catch in the end zone in a blowout win over rival Traverse City (Mich.) West in front of The Wolverine in September. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND