The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2023 THE WOLVERINE 59 2 0 2 4 - L O O K I N G T O T H E FUTURE lineman nationally in the On3 Consen- sus, and three-star La Grange (Ill.) Lyons Township prospect Eddie Tuerk, the No. 33 defensive lineman in the nation. The two Midwest natives have visited U-M on multiple occasions. EDGE Commits: 1 Need: 4 On300 Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth pros- pect Mason Curtis committed to Michi- gan last summer and is listed as a line- backer. However, Curtis, On3's No. 143 overall prospect and No. 13 linebacker nationally, is now being looked at as a pass rusher. Curtis returned to Michigan for a visit in January and spent the majority of time in the edge room. With Curtis locked up, Michigan can turn its attention to a board absolutely loaded with big names. The highest ranked of the bunch are Washington (D.C.) Friendship's Dylan Stewart, the No. 5 overall player and No. 1 edge in the country; Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe's Elijah Rushing, the No. 8 prospect and second-best edge in the land; Cincinnati Taft's Elias Rudolph, the No. 21 player and No. 4 edge nationally; and Buford (Ga.) High's Eddrick Houston, the No. 24 prospect and No. 5 edge in the country. Both Stewart and Rudolph have visited Michigan in the past. Michigan is also squarely in the mix with several more top pass rushers, including Miami (Fla.) Columbus' Dylan Stephen- son, No. 106 player and No. 12 edge; Tulsa (Okla.) Noah's Danny Okoye, No. 168 pros- pect and No. 16 edge; Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga's DD Holmes, No. 142 player and No. 11 defensive lineman; and Aus- tintown (Ohio) Fitch's Brian Robinson, No. 177 player and No. 17 edge. Michigan is considered the clear leader for Robinson going into the spring. This list doesn't stop there, though. Ijamsville (Md.) Oakdale's Dominic Nich- ols, the No. 277 overall prospect nation- ally, has visited in the past, while Olney (Md.) Good Counsel's Darien Mayo, the On3 Consensus No. 265 player and No. 18 edge nationally, is set to make his first visit in March. Three-star Chicago Ken- wood prospect Marquise Lightfoot, the On3 Consensus No. 22 edge nationally, has visited Michigan on multiple occa- sions. LINEBACKER Commits: 1 Need: 2-3 Michigan has a mysterious commit at linebacker in unranked South Park (Pa.) High prospect Zachary Ludwig, who may end up being a long snapper at the next level. Ludwig is a relative of Michi- gan strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert and held no other offers at the time of his verbal pledge. That means Michigan needs to be more selective at the position moving forward. Olney (Md.) Good Counsel's Aaron Chiles, On3's No. 113 prospect and No. 11 linebacker nationally, is at the very top of the board. Chiles closely resembles Michigan linebacker Junior Colson and named U-M his leader fol- lowing his January visit. He is set to re- turn to Ann Arbor for another look at the program in March. Local prospect Jeremiah Beasley, the No. 241 overall prospect and No. 25 linebacker nationally, is only a month away from his decision and has Michi- gan in his top group along with Michi- gan State and Penn State. This race is a bit of a toss-up, but Michigan is work- ing hard on the Belleville (Mich.) High product. U-M has hosted Stafford (Va.) Moun- tain View 's Kris Jones, the No. 110 player and No. 10 linebacker nation- ally, and Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb's Edwin Spillman, No. 166 overall and No. 18 linebacker, for visits in the past. Michigan is also in play for Arden (N.C.) Christ School's Cayden Jones, the No. 147 player and No. 14 linebacker in the land; Long Beach (Calif.) Poly's Dylan Williams, the No. 156 talent and No. 16 linebacker nationally; and On3 Con- sensus four stars Brayden Platt of Yelm (Wash.) High and Payton Pierce of Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy. DEFENSIVE BACK Commits: 1 Need: 4 Michigan scored a big commitment for the back end of its defense this winter when Harper Woods (Mich.) High safety Jacob Oden gave the Wolverines his ver- bal pledge Feb. 2. Oden is rated as the No. 22 safety in the land by On 3 and can line up anywhere in the secondary. The Wolverines want to add some true elite corners this cycle. Two Ohio prospects are at the top of the board in Springfield High's Aaron Scott, On3's No. 19 player and No. 3 cornerback in the nation, and Cleveland Glenville's Bryce West, who ranks as the No. 20 player and No. 5 cornerback. Both have made unof- ficial visits to Michigan. Baltimore St. Frances prospect Ify Od- ibegwu (No. 182 overall, No. 15 corner- back), recently named Michigan in his top group and is looking to visit soon. Philadelphia St. Joseph prospect Omil- lio Agard and Miami Central Earl Kulp, both On3 Consensus four-stars, have vis- ited in the past, while Philadelphia Im- hotep's three-star Kenny Woseley Jr., the No. 10 player in Pennsylvania, is looking to make a trip to Ann Arbor soon. Michigan did not take a true safety last cycle and is casting a wide net in 2024. The Wolverines have hosted Bu- ford (Ga.) High's KJ Bolden, the No. 11 overall recruit nationally; Northside (Ga.) Warner Robins' Ricardo Jones, the No. 118 overall prospect nationally; and Miami Chaminade-Madonna's Zaquan Patterson, the No. 259 overall prospect nationally. The Wolverines are also working to bring in guys like Hicksville (N.Y.) Holy Trinity's Josiah Brown, the No. 50 over- all recruit nationally; West Orange (N.J.) Seton Hall's Jaylen McClain, the No. 99 overall prospect; and Florence (S.C.) West Florence's Kelvin Hunter, No. 254 overall. Chattanooga ( Tenn.) Brainerd's Boo Carter, an On3 Consensus four-star and No. 22 safety in the land, and Cincin- nati Taft's Jay'Quan Bostic and Tayshawn Banks have visited Michigan and can play multiple roles in the secondary. ❏ Baltimore St. Frances Academy 's Ify Odibegwu is On3's No. 182 overall prospect and No. 15 cornerback. He recently named Michigan in his top group and is looking to visit soon. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM