The Wolverine

December 2021

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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DECEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 49 BY EJ HOLLAND M ichigan took full advantage of The Game on the recruiting trail. With the early signing period just a couple of weeks away, the Wolverines hosted some of their biggest remaining 2022 targets while they look to close strong and boost a class that currently ranks outside of the top 10 nationally. Five-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei defensive back Domani Jackson was the headliner of the bunch. Jackson, the No. 10 overall recruit nationally, has long been considered Michigan's top overall priority this cycle. The Wolverines blew him away with their dominant win over chief rival Ohio State in a raucous environment. "The atmosphere was unbelievable," Jackson said. "It was everything I ex- pected. It was a great game. To keep it real, it really got me thinking." However, there is still work to do here. The former USC commit is once again interested in the Trojans after they made a splash hire by landing Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. Alabama is also heavily involved and built plenty of mo- mentum following Jackson's official visit to Tuscaloosa in November. Michigan does seem to be in the driver's seat for another elite defensive back, Zeke Berry. The No. 59 overall prospect nation- ally out of Concord (Calif.) De La Salle is down to Michigan and Oregon, but the Wolverines have the lead coming out of his official visit for The Game. A deci- sion is expected to come on or before early signing day on Dec. 15. "They are pretty high in my book," Berry said. "It was different than my Pac-12 visits. They handle things differ- ent — from the way they watch film to the team bonding to the coaching to the atmosphere. It's crazy how they do things differently than the Pac-12. That's why Michigan got that win over Ohio State. "Despite the weather and the snow, the coaching staff is incredible. With that coaching staff, I feel like I would play re- ally well in the Big Ten." Jackson and Berry weren't the only top secondary recruits on campus that week- end. The Wolverines also played host to Clemson safety commit Keon Sabb, the No. 101 overall prospect nationally. Clem- son has a no-visit policy, which means a flip to Michigan is definitely in play. The Wolverines hosted Sabb for an of- ficial visit in the summer, so this return trip was an unofficial visit, meaning the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy prospect by way of New Jersey and his family paid their own way to Ann Arbor. Michigan jumped in the mix for Sabb extremely early and is now trending in the right di- rection as his process winds down. "I like Michigan," Sabb said. "[Michi- gan defensive back] Brad Hawkins is from New Jersey, so that helps with me. I like Coach [Jim] Harbaugh. He's just a really cool guy and a great coach. We've had some really good conversations." While Michigan already holds com- mitments from consensus five-star Will Johnson, On300 prospect Kody Jones, three-star Myles Pollard and three-star Damani Dent in the secondary, the Wol- verines would take all three of the afore- mentioned secondary standouts. TOP 2023 RECRUITS REACT TO MICHIGAN'S WIN OVER OSU While all eyes are on the 2022 recruiting class ahead of the early signing period, Michigan is already starting to look ahead. The Wolverines brought in several   MICHIGAN RECRUITING Michigan Hosts Top 2022 DB Targets Elite cornerback Domani Jackson, an On3 Consensus Five-Star Plus prospect after being dubbed a five- star recruit by all four recruiting services, was at Michigan Stadium for The Game and called the atmo- sphere "unbelievable." PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND 2022 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Aaron Alexander LB 6-1 204 Belleville, Mich. (Belleville) Jayden Denegal QB 6-4 215 Apple Valley, Calif. (Apple Valley) Damani Dent S 6-1 179 Jacksonville, Fla. (Terry Parker) Mason Graham DT 6-3 292 Anaheim, Calif. (Servite) Kenneth Grant DT 6-5 340 Merrillville, Ind. (Merrillville) Kevonte Henry DE 6-4 208 Lawndale, Calif. (Leuzinger) Will Johnson DB 6-2 182 Grosse Pointe, Mich. (Grosse Pointe South) Connor Jones OL 6-7 285 Monument, Colo. (Palmer Ridge) Kody Jones DB 6-0 180 Germantown, Tenn. (Germantown) Marlin Klein TE 6-6 215 Rabun Gap, Ga. (Nacoochee) Alessandro Lorenzetti OL 6-6 275 Windsor, Conn. (Loomis Chaffee School) Colston Loveland TE 6-5 230 Gooding, Idaho (Gooding) Tyler Morris WR 6-0 175 La Grange, Ill. (Nazareth Academy) Micah Pollard LB 6-3 200 Jacksonville, Fla. (Bartram Trail) Myles Pollard DB 6-2 180 Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood) Jimmy Rolder LB 6-2 220 Chicago (Marist) Deuce Spurlock LB 6-2 220 Huntsville, Ala. (Madison Academy) CJ Stokes RB 5-10 188 Columbia, S.C. (Hammond School) 2023 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Adam Samaha K 6-0 170 Ann Arbor, Mich. (Huron) Joel Starlings DL 6-5 310 Richmond, Va. (Benedictine)

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