The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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50 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2023 BY ZACH LIBBY B eginning in 1965, the Gatorade brand has annually recognized the top high school football player for each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. According to the website, athletes are chosen based on their athletic, academic and character excellence. Among the 51 state winners in 2022-23, four are cur- rently recruited by Michigan and have re- ported offers from the two-time reigning Big Ten champions: • ATH Nyckoles Harbor, Washing- ton (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll Harbor, the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2023 class per the On3 Consensus, took home Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Washington, D.C., after com- piling 45 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries as a senior. Regarded to possess the highest ceiling among all seniors nationally, Harbor also caught 5 touchdown passes as the starting tight end for Carroll. This is the first Gatorade award that Harbor has won for football but he's al- ready a two-time Gatorade recipient for boys track and field. He will be a two- sport athlete in college with both varsity teams at Michigan running a conjoined effort to bring the five-star athlete to Ann Arbor. • QB Jadyn Davis, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day Davis, the top prospect for Michigan in the 2024 class across all positions, took home the Gatorade Player of the Year award for North Carolina as he led Provi- dence Day to a state championship in November. The No. 2 rising junior quar- terback nationally, according to the On3 Consensus, threw for more than 3,400 yards and totaled more than 40 touch- downs en route to a 12-win season. Da- vis also received the North Carolina Mr. Football Award and the MaxPreps Player of the Year for his home state in 2022. The Wolverines have conducted an all-hands-on-deck approach for Davis, dating back to June, when the four-star debuted on campus for an unofficial visit. Davis returned three more times before the start of the winter, including for two game visits last season. • RB Jordan Marshall, Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller Marshall rushed for 1,961 yards and 30 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 364 yards and 4 touchdowns this past season for a 13-2 Moeller team that reached the OHSAA state semifinals for the second consecutive year, earning him the Ga- torade Player of the Year award for the state of Ohio. As one of the finalists for the Ohio Mr. Football Award, Marshall went on to finish with 4 touchdowns in two separate games in 2022. Marshall has already made three visits to Michigan, including for the win over Michigan State in late October. He is the No. 4 running back and No. 45 overall prospect nationally in the 2024 recruiting class, per On3. • QB Stone Saunders, Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt Finishing his first two seasons with more than 100 passing touchdowns for the Central Pennsylvania Catholic prep powerhouse, Saunders became the third football player in the history of Bishop McDevitt to win the state's Gatorade Player of the Year award. He led his team to a 13-1 record and state championship in 2022, finishing with 3,583 yards passing and 54 touchdowns. Michigan was the first Power Five offer for Saunders and brought the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder for an unofficial visit in the offseason. Saunders didn't return for a game-day trip last fall. However, he re- mains a top target on U-M's 2025 quar- terback board. MICHIGAN BUILDING RECRUITING BRIDGES IN MID-ATLANTIC REGION Michigan is a true national program and recruits that way. Having connections in every part of the country is imperative for such an approach. The Mid-Atlantic, specifically from Virginia Beach up to Baltimore, is a hotbed of talent that lacks a blue blood presence. Michigan has taken advantage in recent cycles, landing players like star running back Blake Corum. Now, the Wolverines are looking to establish an even bigger footprint. Former Michigan associate head coach Biff Poggi previously served as head coach at Baltimore powerhouse St. Fran- MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK Michigan Recruiting Targets Earn Gatorade State Player Of The Year Honors Jadyn Davis, Michigan's top prospect in the 2024 class, earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in North Carolina. He's the No. 2 quarterback nationally in the On3 Consensus. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM