The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 53 MICHIGAN RECRUITING wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy isn't afraid to go after the best recruits in the country. And Bel- lamy is all in on Samp- son. A Louisiana native, Bellamy has been able to connect with Sampson on a personal level, and the two keep in touch on a weekly basis. Sampson rewarded Bel- lamy for his hard work by listing Michi- gan in his top group in mid-May. Michi- gan was the only out-of-region school to make the cut, so odds are he'll stay in the South. But if anybody can pull him out of Louisiana, it's Bellamy. Expect Sampson to make an official visit to Michigan this summer, with the Wolverines continuing to battle Ala- bama, LSU, Texas A&M and others. TOP QB TARGET DANTE MOORE HEADED TO ELITE 11 FINALS Dante Moore is going back to Los An- geles. The five-star 2023 quarterback from Detroit King took part in last year's Elite 11 West Coast regional in order to prove himself against fellow five-star signal- caller Malachi Nelson and other top passers from around the country. Nelson edged out Moore for the un- derclassman award at that event. After a strong showing at the Elite 11 regional in Ohio this spring, Moore is going back to Los Angeles as a senior for the com- petition's finals and has a big chip on his shoulder. "It feels good," Moore said. "One of my biggest dreams has been to get an invite to the Elite 11 and winning it. I came out here, competed and had fun. I enjoyed my time. My experience in LA last year was great. I had a chance to compete against some of the top quar- terbacks nationally. This time it's the finals. It's going to be even bigger than what that was." Moore will look to prove himself as the best quarterback in the nation in June. For now, the No. 9 overall pros- pect in the On3 Consensus is juggling recruiting with offseason workouts and school. Moore says he's going to take his time and enjoy the recruiting process by taking all of his official visits. He plans to make his decision at the end of the summer, right before his high school season. Moore has made official visits to Or- egon and LSU so far. He had been trying to make the short trip over to Michi- gan during the first half of May, but his plans have continued to change. Still, Moore anticipates being back in Ann Arbor soon. "I've probably been there over 100 times," he said. "When I was younger, Three Thoughts From Midwest Elite 11 The Wolverine was in Cleveland, Ohio, this spring for the Elite 11 Midwest re- gional, which showcased some of the top quarterbacks in the region. Here are three Michigan recruiting thoughts from the event. 1. Dante Moore Punches Golden Ticket Last summer, five-star Detroit (Mich.) King quarterback Dante Moore flew out to Los Angeles for the Elite 11 regional to prove himself against some of the best out West, including fellow five-star Malachi Nelson. Moore gave it all he had, showing his competitive edge by joining the same group as Nelson and leading the drills. After a bit of a slow start, Moore wowed with his accuracy, ball placement and footwork. The fact that he even opted to go out West shows you what kind of kid he is. Moore was almost perfect during the final gauntlet and appeared to have edged Nelson for best underclassman. Instead, it was Nelson who received the accolades after the camp, while Moore was left with a sick feeling in his stomach. This year, Moore stayed close to home and blew away the competition at the Ohio regional, earning a golden ticket to the Elite 11 finals, which will be held in — you guessed it — Los Angeles. Moore will have an opportunity to go head-to-head against rival Nelson yet again — in the biggest competition for all high school quarterback recruits. Don't bet against Moore this time around. He has a chip on his shoulder and something prove. That's when he's at his best and what makes him a special prospect. 2. The In-State 2024 Debate There was quite a bit of discussion about in-state 2024 quarterbacks CJ Carr and Isaiah Marshall back in the winter. It's clear Carr has separated himself as the better prospect for next cycle. He has developed well physically and even grown an extra inch. He has elite- level mechanics and accuracy, which have vaulted him up the rankings. On the flip side of the coin, Marshall still has some mechanics to clean up and is undersized, especially for not being a plus athlete. He has zip on his passes and is a very cerebral player but needs to be mechanically consistent. Michigan's Jim Har- baugh and Matt Weiss could get the most out of him. Carr and Marshall would be an interesting pair, with the Wolverines likely to take two at the position. 3. Class Of 2025 QB Ryan Montgomery Experiences Growth Spurt Rising 2025 Findlay (Ohio) High quarterback Ryan Montgomery has changed a lot since we first saw him last offseason. A rising high school sophomore, Montgomery is now a legit 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and still growing. It wouldn't be surprising if this is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound kid by the time he's entering his senior year. It's hard to say exactly where Montgomery will land in the rankings in the future because he's still getting comfortable with the growth spurt. Montgomery had really impressive moments during the camp but was also a bit inconsistent and looked a little off in some of his movements — you can tell he's still getting adjusted to his body. Weiss loves what Montgomery brings on the field and from a football IQ stand- point. And it's not hard to see why — the potential is definitely there. It will be really interesting to see what Montgomery looks like this time next year. — EJ Holland For regular reports on Michigan football recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com.