The Wolverine

September 2022

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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12 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2022   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS JALEN ROSE MAKES PITCH FOR BRONNY JAMES TO JOIN U-M Bronny James is one of the biggest names in high school basketball and the possibility exists a partnership with U-M could be on the table. The 6-foot-3 son of NBA star LeBron James is a four-star prospect and ranked by On3 as the No. 7 combo guard and No. 38 overall player in the 2023 class. The teenage James is also a social media superstar with over 11.9 mil- lion followers and carries a $7.3 million NIL valuation from On3. Michigan was recently named among the schools re- cruiting him, along with Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and others. The James family has ties to U-M through head coach Juwan Howard, who played with and coached LeB- ron James during his time with the Miami Heat. One of U-M's most prominent alums, former basketball star Jalen Rose, made the pitch on ESPN for the younger James to join the Wolverines. "First and foremost Bronny, your parents don't have to get to know the head coach," Rose said. "They won a championship with him in Miami. And you want to pick a school with a head coach that knows what it's like to play and perform on that level to get you there. "Second, you went to L.A. to make your name. Come back to the Midwest and show your game," Rose contin- ued. "Ann Arbor is a very quaint college town. You don't have to worry about being followed by paparazzi. "You get a chance to wear a backpack, go to class, and be on campus. And go to The Big House, where there are 120,000 chanting your name, chanting the football anthem and singing the best fight song in the history of collegiate sports." No timeline is known for a potential decision from James. James, the son of NBA star LeBron James, is a four-star guard pros- pect in the class of 2023. He is being recruited by Michigan, along with Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and others. PHOTO BY DAN FRITZ Eight Michigan players have been included on preseason watch lists for 13 major college football awards, a loaded list. Graduate kicker Jake Moody won the Lou Groza Award for the nation's top placekicker last season and is aiming to be- come the first-ever two-time winner (it began in 1992). The 2021 consensus All-American was U-M's first-ever to take home that hardware last year after converting on 23 of 25 field goal tries and a program-record 56 extra points. The Maize and Blue also have one who found himself on a whopping five watch lists ahead of the 2022 campaign — junior running back Blake Corum. The 5-8, 210-pounder is a candi- date for the Doak Walker Award (best running back), Maxwell Award (player o f t h e yea r) , Pa u l Ho r n u n g Awa rd (most versatile player), Walter Camp Award (outstanding player of the year) and Wuerffel Trophy (top community servant). I n 1 2 ga m e s a yea r a go, C o r u m rushed for 952 yards and 11 touch- downs and added 24 receptions for 141 yards and one score. He also returned 12 kickoffs for 304 yards. Also of note, senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith — who has established himself as one of the defense's top leaders this offseason following a breakout 2021 campaign that included 37 tackles — was named to the Bednarik Award watch list (de- fensive player of the year). — Clayton Sayfie Michigan Players On Preseason Watch Lists For Major Awards Here's a look at the 13 awards Wolverines were named candidates for: Award Player Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) Senior DT Mazi Smith Doak Walker Award (best running back) Junior RB Blake Corum Lou Groza Award (top placekicker) Graduate K Jake Moody Mackey Award (best tight end) Senior TE Erick All, Graduate TE Luke Schoonmaker Maxwell Award (player of the year) Corum Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) Graduate OL Olusegun Oluwatimi, Junior OL Zak Zinter Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) Corum Ray Guy Award (best punter) Graduate P Brad Robbins Rimington Award (best center) Oluwatimi Walter Camp (outstanding player of the year) Corum Wuerffel Trophy (top community servant) Corum

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