The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 57 BY EJ HOLLAND T he dead period is still active, which means Michigan is not allowed to host recruits, per NCAA rules. Michigan commits and parents, however, took matters into their own hands and organized a big visit weekend, which took place Nov. 13- 15. Recruits and their families were prohibited from meeting with the U-M coaching staff, but they did tour the campus, hang out in Ann Arbor and watched the Michigan vs. Wis- consin game at a local eatery. Overall, a dozen commits in the 2021 recruiting class, including big names like Rivals100 quarterback J.J. McCar- thy and Rivals100 linebacker Junior Colson, as well as 2022 Rivals250 line- backer pledge Tyler Martin took part in the event, which served as a unique bonding experience. "It was a great experience for every- one to come together," Colson said. "I had a lot of fun meeting everyone. [Three-star defensive end commit] TJ Guy is really cool. I think we're going to room together. [Three-star kicker commit] Tommy Doman is great. [Four-star offensive tackle commit] Tristan Bounds is huge. Just meeting everyone was an amazing experience." "The visit went great," three-star cornerback pledge Ja'Den McBur- rows added. "We got a whole view of the campus. I got to bond with my future teammates. Everything went really well. The class bond is great. It's unbelievable seeing your new teammates that you'll be playing with for the next three or four years." However, the big visit weekend wasn't just limited to commits. Rivals100 West Bloomfield (Mich.) High running back Donovan Ed- wards — the No. 65 overall recruit nationally — joined the commits for the game watch party Saturday night after scoring six touchdowns in his team's district championship earlier in the day. Another top target, Rivals100 Los Angeles Loyola cornerback Ceyair Wright — the No. 95 overall recruit nationally — got the full experience. "I thought it was an amazing expe- rience," said Wright, who had never been to Michigan prior to this trip. "I loved the campus. The city is re- ally nice. It kind of has an old town feel to it. I really liked the people around Michigan. It's definitely high up there for me." The weekend also gave Michigan a jump-star with its 2022 recruiting class. Rivals100 wide receiver Tyler Morris (the No. 70 recruit nationally), Rivals100 cornerbacks Domani Jack- son (No. 2) and Will Johnson (No. 13), and Rivals250 safety Isaac Thompson (No. 135) joined in on the festivities. Thompson, who hails from St. Louis, set a decision date of Dec. 4 shortly after the visit, and the Wol- verines are definitely trending in the right direction. "The visit was great," Thompson said. "I got to talk to a few of the recruits, and it was nice. I talked to Tyler Martin and J.J. McCarthy a lot, and they gave me a lot of information about Michigan. "Michigan is definitely one of my top schools with Florida, Texas, Mis- souri, Auburn and some others." While Michigan didn't perform up to par on the field, the visit weekend was a huge success with both recruits and their parents. The future looks bright in Ann Ar- bor. COMMIT TOMMY DOMAN RECEIVES ALL-AMERICAN JERSEY Top 2021 kicker/punter and Michi- gan commit Tommy Doman of Or- chard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's re- ceived his All-American Bowl jersey via a virtual presentation in October. Doman was set to take part in the game in San Antonio Jan. 9 before it was canceled due to the ongoing CO- VID-19 pandemic. The contest show- cases some of the top high school football players on a yearly basis and is broadcast live on NBC. "It was a real honor for me and my family as well," Doman said. "We put in a lot of sacrifices just to be in a po- sition to earn a spot in the All-Amer- ican Bowl. It's an honor for me and my family, and we're really proud of it. … It's surreal that I won that spot over such great competition." Doman would have had the oppor- tunity to compete against and with other top recruits nationally, includ- ing future teammates like Rivals100 quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Rivals100 wide receiver Xavier Worthy, Ri- vals100 linebacker Junior Colson and Rivals250 defensive lineman Quintin Somerville. Still, Doman is happy with the way the class has been bonding over MICHIGAN RECRUITING Recruits Gather In Ann Arbor For Big Weekend Despite being in the middle of a recruiting dead period and therefore not allowed to attend the game, several Michigan commits and targets made the trip to Ann Arbor on their own dime the weekend of the Wisconsin game, including quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy (left) and safety pledge Rod Moore (right). PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND