The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 49 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK "Coach Alford is my dawg," said Blay- lock, the nation's No. 22 running back according to the On3 Industry Ranking. "I hope our relationship continues to build. I'm happy for him and his new job." Alford's ability to identify and evalu- ate underclassmen early will also be an essential recruiting tool for Michigan. One of the four 2026 running backs who holds an Ohio State offer is Mineral (Va.) Woodberry Forest's Savion Hiter, who is listed as the No. 18 overall prospect and No. 1 ball carrier in the country in the On3 Industry Ranking. "I'm learning nothing is guaran- teed in this process, so I'm just rolling with it," Hiter told The Wolverine. "It's shocking, but I respect Coach Alford a lot, and hopefully the relationship will continue to build." The first running back in the 2026 class to notch a Michigan offer was For- ney (Texas) High's Javian Osborne. He doesn't hold an offer from OSU yet, but knowing what Alford has done for the Buckeyes has piqued his interest even more about U-M. "He's had a lot of good RBs come through Ohio State. Being at Michigan, which is a heavy run team might be a match made in heaven. I'm looking for- ward to meeting him," Osborne said. LB RECRUITS REACT TO BRIAN JEAN-MARY HIRE Michigan has been without a line- backers coach for several months after the Wolverines parted ways with Chris Partridge in the middle of the season. Now, a familiar face is back in Ann Arbor. Brian Jean-Mary is officially return- ing to Michigan after spending the 2020 season with the Wolverines. During his one cycle with Michi- gan, Jean-Mary was able to land Junior Colson, the No. 78 prospect and No. 10 linebacker in the land and the No. 2 recruit in Tennessee. The second-team All-Big Ten pick as a junior is now on his way to the NFL Draft. The hiring of Jean-Mary, who spent the last three seasons at Tennessee, will allow U-M to make up for lost time in the 2025 recruiting class. Jean-Mary was already in on several top Michigan targets at the position, including Dal- las Skyline's Elijah Barnes, the No. 109 player and No. 14 linebacker in the 2025 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. "We have a great relationship," Barnes said. "He also coached my [current] po- sition coach [Peter Jinkens] at Texas. It's another opportunity for him to coach at a great program." Jean-Mary has strong ties in the Lone Star State thanks to his stint at Texas, where he doubled as the program's re- cruiting coordinator. Jean-Mary was especially active in Dallas during his time with the Longhorns and has con- tinued to recruit the city through mul- tiple stops. Expect Barnes to be at the very top of the board for this cycle. Jean-Mary spent the early part of his career at Georgia Tech and still has deep ties in the Peach State. He has continued to recruit Georgia hard over the years and made several offers to recruits there this cycle, including former Michigan linebacker commit Mantrez Walker. "I think that's a great addition for them," Walker said. "He's a great guy, and he's going to lead the room in the right direction. He recruited me at Ten- nessee, so maybe I'll get in contact with him to get back up to Michigan." Three-star linebacker Kenyon Rivera, who plays alongside Walker at Georgia powerhouse Buford High, shared simi- lar sentiments. "I think Coach Brian is an amazing fit for Michigan," Rivera said. "His style of coaching is amazing." Jean-Mary helped the Volunteers win some key in-state battles in Tennes- see from 2021-23. Just last cycle, Jean- Mary landed four-star linebacker Edwin Spillman out of Nashville (Tenn.) Lip- scomb Academy. The program is also home to three- star linebacker Kris Thompson, who notched a Michigan offer in the fall and was in heavy contact with Jean-Mary at Tennessee. "I built a great relationship with Coach BJ already at UT, so him going over to Michigan just makes The Big House that much more comfortable," Thompson said. Michigan already lost one 2024 line- backer signee in Jaden Smith. However, Jean-Mary should help keep the rest of the group intact. In fact, four-star Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth signee Ma- son Curtis was recruited by Jean-Mary during his time at Tennessee. "Coach BJ and I have a relationship from when he recruited me at Ten- nessee, and I'm excited to have him at Michigan," Curtis said. — Zach Libby MICHIGAN COMMITS RISE AND FALL IN NEW ON3 RANKINGS On3 released its new rankings for the 2025 recruiting class at the end of Feb- ruary. The update featured some move- ment for Michigan's early commits. Howell (Mich.) High defensive line- man Bobby Kanka jumped into the On300 and is now ranked as the No. 24 Dallas Skyline's Elijah Barnes is the No. 109 overall prospect and No. 14 linebacker in the 2025 class per the On3 Industry Ranking. U-M's new position coach Brian Jean-Mary was already recruiting him while he was at Tennessee. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND