The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2023 THE WOLVERINE 55 MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK ceiver commit Semaj Morgan and his family. The two played on the same 7-on-7 team together in the offseason. Anderson included U-M among his top seven schools on Dec. 7. The Wolverines are the only Power Five school east of the Mississippi River on his list that includes USC and Oregon. Expectations are that he will make a return this offseason, and the Morgan family will continue to press to make friends into future teammates. Anderson is the No. 10 player in Cali- fornia, and the No. 14 wide receiver and No. 88 overall prospect in the country per the On3 Consensus. ANTHONY SPECA LB • 6-1½ • 215 Pittsburgh Central Catholic On3 Rating: HHH Speca could be the second linebacker commit out of Pennsylvania for Michi- gan in the last two seasons. His last unof- ficial visit to U-M was in mid-October for the Penn State game. The Nittany Lions are also emerging as a front-runner in the race for the Pennsylvania standout. Linebackers coach George Helow has been communicating with Speca ev- ery week since Sept. 1, when college coaches were allowed to directly con- tact 2024 recruits. Speca has posted strong opinions about Michigan on so- cial media following the team's last two wins, even calling Jim Harbaugh "the greatest head coach of all time." Penn State recruits talent in its home state well, but given how much Speca has publicly shown his love for the reigning Big Ten champions, this recruitment will not be a slam dunk for the Nittany Lions. Speca is the No. 7 player in Pennsyl- vania, and the No. 27 linebacker and No. 286 overall prospect nationally in the On3 Consensus. BEN ROEBUCK OT • 6-7 • 340 Lakewood (Ohio.) St. Edward On3 Rating: HHH Roebuck is a massive presence on the offensive line that has helped St. Edward win back-to-back state championships. He has personally visited Ann Arbor twice this year and intends to put his focus back on recruiting now after taking minimal trips during the fall. The Wolverines would love to be the school that gets to host him first following his state title win. U-M already grabbed one 2024 offen- sive line commitment from Northeast Ohio in November with four-star interior lineman Luke Hamilton, and would like to continue that momentum with Roebuck. Not only is Roebuck friends with Ham- ilton, but he also holds U-M coach Sher- rone Moore in high regard. In turn, Moore has told Roebuck that he's one of the top Ohio targets for the team in this cycle. Roebuck is the No. 15 player in Ohio, and the No. 19 offensive tackle and No. 382 overall prospect in the country in the On3 Consensus. BRIAN ROBINSON Edge • 6-4 • 225 Austintown (Ohio) Fitch On3 Rating: HHHH Two factors are going to shape Rob- inson's decision for his future commit- ment. Both of them just so happen to be calling cards for U-M. Robinson's first pri- ority is education, and he's already done extensive research and even toured the school's engineering program. The sec- ond key factor for him is relationships. U-M assistants Steve Clinkscale and De- nard Robinson are both demonstrating a high degree of communication with one of the best pass rushers in the country. Clinkscale grew up one street over from Robinson's father in nearby Youngstown and that friendship has been passed down to the rising senior. In addition, Brian is actually a second cousin to De- nard, the former Michigan quarterback. Those two factors, along with on-field success at the edge position for Michigan, are why Robinson has been on campus unofficially three times this fall and twice in the summer. He's also heard extensively from 2024 U-M linebacker commit Mason Curtis, the first player to join the class. Robinson is the No. 5 player in Ohio, and the No. 14 edge and No. 124 overall pros- pect nationally per the On3 Consensus. JACOB ODEN DB • 6-0½ • 185 Harper Woods (Mich.) High On3 Rating: HHHH Similar to Prieskorn, the fly-around defensive back from metro Detroit is another high-priority in-state target, and that's been the case for the past two years. Oden is a frequent attendee at Michigan and made unofficial visits to campus for the Colorado State and Michigan State games this past fall. Oden's father, Rod, who's also the head coach of Harper Woods High, is a Michigan graduate. The entire family has grown close to lead recruiter Steve Clink- scale, whose sheer honesty and belief in always speaking the truth in conversa- tions have certainly created a gravita- tional pull for Oden toward the U-M co- defensive coordinator. He can play any position in the secondary, but Michigan is eyeing him as more of a cornerback or in nickel packages because of his ability to blitz off the edge and defend the run. Oden is the No. 5 player in Michigan, and the No. 14 safety and No. 173 overall recruit nationally per the On3 Consensus. CHANNING GOODWIN WR • 6-1 • 180 Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day On3 Rating: HHH Goodwin has a pair of talented team- mates, Jadyn Davis at quarterback and Jordan Shipp at receiver, who also are being recruited heavily by Michigan. Whether they come as a package deal remains to be seen, but Goodwin's inter- est in the U-M program runs deep. He's a legacy, and his father, Jonathan, is a former Wolverine from the mid-1990s who went on to a 13-year NFL career and earned a Super Bowl ring in New Orleans. Goodwin has flown up to campus from Charlotte five times since early July, in- cluding for three games — Hawaii, Penn State and Michigan State. Goodwin's father is not influencing his son's deci- sion, even though the 6-1, 180-pounder has grown fond of the team culture and camaraderie inside Schembechler Hall. U-M wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy, who offered Goodwin during the spring evaluation period, is a former teammate of the elder Goodwin at Michigan and they are still good friends. Bellamy feels that the younger Goodwin's chemistry with teammates Davis and Shipp would carry over well at the next level with U-M. The On3 Consensus lists Goodwin as the No. 11 player in North Carolina and the No. 71 wide receiver in the country. ❏ Rochester (Mich.) Adams tight end Brady Prieskorn is the top-ranked prospect in Michigan and another U-M priority for 2024. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM