The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 47 FOOTBALL RECRUITING schools to jump in the mix for Swint. Helow has strong ties throughout the Sunshine State and is helping U-M make a strong impression early on. Swint also has been in touch with run- ning backs coach Mike Hart, which shows he's a true priority in 2025. Swint has offers from Florida, Florida State and Ole Miss, and will be a tough pull from the Southeast. But that won't stop Michigan from making a huge push. WR JACOREY WATSON, 5-10, 170 Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek (90) Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy made a swing through the Houston area during the spring evalu- ation period and came away extremely impressed with Watson. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder ran an 11.4 100 as a fresh- man and should be running sub-11 by this time next year. An explosive player in the slot, Wat- son is one of the more electrifying re- cruits on this list. The in-state schools are on him as well, but Michigan is an intriguing option. OL DAVID SANDERS, 6-6, 240 Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day (90) From top-100 2023 cornerback Chris Peal to elite 2024 quarterback Jadyn Da- vis to a handful of others, Providence Day has become a go-to school for Michigan on the recruiting trail. Sanders is the best prospect the pro- gram has to offer in 2025, so it's no sur- prise the Wolverines are in on him early. Sanders has yet to visit U-M, but the Maize & Blue have his attention and are likely to get him on campus this fall. DL ZAHIR MATHIS, 6-5, 230 Philadelphia Imhotep Charter (90) Michigan notched a commitment from four-star linebacker Semaj Bridgeman out of Philadelphia powerhouse Imhotep Charter this summer and already is in- volved with his highly touted teammate. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Mathis could play edge at the next level or bulk up into a three-technique. Either way, there is a lot to like about his frame and talent. U-M is quickly creating inroads at Imhotep Charter and should get him on campus for his first visit this fall. EDGE ARI WATFORD, 6-4, 215 Virginia Beach (Va.) Salem (91) The best young prospect in the Nor- folk/Virginia Beach-area, Watford has the look of a five-star prospect and is quickly racking up offers from top pro- grams across the country. Michigan jumped in the mix earlier this offseason thanks in large part to Karschnia, who is helping the Wolver- ines expand their network in the state of Virginia. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Watford is a lengthy edge with plenty of athleticism and room to add weight. EDGE BRANDON THOMAS, 6-3, 225 Baltimore St. Frances (90) Thomas is originally from the Nor- folk/Virginia Beach area and is another prospect that Karschnia made sure the Wolverines jumped on early. Thomas has since transferred to national power- house St. Frances, where Michigan has enjoyed plenty of success, landing guys like Blake Corum, Nikhai Hill-Green and Derrick Moore in recent cycles. Those ties should help with Thomas once he gets adjusted at his new home. EDGE ZAYDEN WALKER, 6-2, 220 Ellavillle (Ga.) Schley County (92) Michigan hosted Walker for an unof- ficial visit in the spring and extended an offer while he was on campus. The Peach State native does hold offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn and Geor- gia, but the fact that he visited Ann Ar- bor so early in his recruitment shows he has legitimate interest. Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is very familiar with the state of Georgia and swung by to see him during the spring evaluation period. LB KAMAR ARCHIE, 6-1, 215 Princeton (N.J.) Hun School (90) Michigan hasn't recruited the state of New Jersey hard since the departure of former assistant Chris Partridge. How- ever, that is changing now that Grant Newsome is a full-time assistant. New- some played his high school ball in the Garden State and has taken over as area recruiter. One of Newsome's first offers was Ar- chie, who is already showing early inter- est and should be making his first visit at some point in the near future. LB JADON PERLOTTE, 6-3, 200 Buford (Ga.) High (90) Michigan analyst Dylan Roney has been helping the staff identify lineback- ers and edge prospects, and extended an offer to Perlotte in February. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Perlotte is a ver- satile linebacker that can play multiple spots depending on how he develops over the next couple of years. Michi- gan is working hard to make inroads at Georgia powerhouse Buford, and Per- lotte is just one of its many talented un- derclassmen with U-M offers. LB ANTHONY SACCA, 6-2, 200 Philadelphia St. Joseph's (90) Newsome is also helping Michigan establish more of a footprint through- out the entire Northeast and extended an offer to Sacca during the spring Running back Jordon Davison is another in the long line of great players hailing from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. He visited U-M for the Ohio State game last year. PHOTO BY SCOTT SCHRADER/ON3.COM