The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1444545
FEBRUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 53 MICHIGAN RECRUITING sive lineman Jayden Wayne, the No. 32 overall prospect nationally. "I have a good relationship with Coach Elston." Platte City (Mo.) Platte County edge rusher Chandavian Bradley, the No. 36 overall prospect nationally, shared sim- ilar sentiments. "It certainly does play a part," he said. "I love Coach Elston's style as a coach, and I loved the connection I had with him. He's one of the guys I've connected well with over all of this." Other key Michigan defensive line and edge rusher targets Elston recruited at Notre Dame were top-100 prospects Nyckoles Harbor, Samuel M'Pemba, Jason Moore, David Hicks and Keldric Faulk as well as On300 prospect Kend- rick Gilbert. — EJ Holland FIVE-STAR OL TARGET JOSH CONERLY DELAYING DECISION Five-star 2022 Seattle Rainier Beach offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. was among the headlining uncommitted re- cruits at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio in early January, and has in turn seen a lot of attention from teammates and media alike. For Conerly, there was no doubt the all-star contest represented the highest quality of players he has gone up against. "I'm definitely getting the best com- petition I've had ever," he said. "So I say I'm getting good run. It's getting me ready for the next level, in my opinion. "These are all next-level dudes that are going to go far, so I feel like I'm one of those guys, and they're making me better daily." With the competition, Conerly has spotted areas he needs to improve upon before getting to the next level. "I definitely have to get my weight up for sure," he said. "And definitely be- come more explosive and better with my hands. Because everyone's really, really technically sound, so I got to be able to keep up with all these defensive ends." Conerly announced a top six and also revealed that he would be pushing his recruitment beyond the February sign- ing period, as he looks to make official visits in March. The senior already made an official visit to Michigan during the season and said there currently isn't a plan to unof- ficially visit U-M again before making a decision but said, "I know they'd love to have me, and I'd love to be out there." Michigan remains a top school for him though, largely due to his relation- ship with offensive line coach Sherrone Moore. "I talk to Coach Moore nearly every day, so it's constant," he said. "He really just checks up on me to make sure I'm good mentally." Moore even checked in on Conerly on his experience through his week in San Antonio and gave him some pointers. Beyond his relationship with Moore, the culture at Michigan really sticks out. "The real brotherhood amongst the team and how much they really believe in each other," he said. "A lot of their coaching staff are Michigan men them- selves, so there's a pride thing about being a Michigan man there." Outside of Michigan, Conerly's top six consists of Oregon, USC, Miami, Washington and Oklahoma. He's eying a March decision and plans on making official visits to USC and Mi- ami, with his final two official visit des- tinations not yet decided. — Tim Verghese MICHIGAN SIGNEES TAKE PART IN ALL-STAR GAMES Michigan was well represented in postseason All-American contests, with signees Will Johnson, Keon Sabb, Derrick Moore and Amorion Walker all selected to the Under Armour All-American Game. Johnson, Michigan's lone five-star signee in the 2022 cycle, was regarded as the best cornerback at the event and should see his ranking rise even higher. He closed out a strong week with two tackles in the All-American Game. Moore, a de- fensive end, followed up a strong week of practices by winning Under Armour All- American Game MVP honors, finishing with two sacks in the game. Sabb had a strong week of practices but didn't record any stats in the game. Walker also flashed throughout the week, but didn't record any stats in the game. Michigan defensive back signee Zeke Berry, wide receiver signees Darrius Clemons and Tyler Morris, and five- star offensive tackle target Josh Conerly Jr. were all selected to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. Unfortunately, due to positive COVID tests the week of the game, Berry and Clemons were unable to participate. Morris is still re- covering from an injury and was unable to participate as well. Howeve r, M i c h i ga n q u a r te rba c k signee Jayden Denegal was a late ad- dition to the All-American Bowl and represented the East team in the game, despite hailing from California. Conerly had an up-and-down week of practices but finished the week as the starting right tackle for the West team in the All- American Bowl. Denegal impressed with his physical makeup during the week but didn't enter the game until the fourth quarter to close it out for the East. Berry and defensive line signee Ma- son Graham will represent the Wolver- ines at the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii in January. Michigan edge commit Kevonte Henry has yet to sign and is evaluating other options but will also participate in the Polynesian Bowl. Conerly was also selected to the Polynesian Bowl. — Tim Verghese MICHIGAN DB SIGNEE ZEKE BERRY TABBED ALL- AMERICAN BOWL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Michigan defensive back signee Zeke Berry was named the All-American Bowl Defensive Player of the Year. Berry recorded 25 tackles, three sacks and one interception in seven games as a senior. The On300 prospect also starred on the offensive side of the ball and led Johnson, the No. 3 cornerback and No. 21 overall prospect nationally per the On3 Consensus, was named the best corner- back at the week of practices for the Under Armour All-American Game. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND