The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
JUNE/JULY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 51 ❱ MICHIGAN RECRUITING NOTEBOOK man Nathaniel Marshall is the highest rated verbal pledge in the class. However, Marshall dropped 27 spots to the No. 71 overall recruit nationally. He is also ranked as the No. 6 defensive lineman. Marshall gave Michigan a surprise commitment following an unofficial visit in April. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, USC and others. Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot quar- terback Carter Smith is Michigan's next-highest-ranked commit. However, Smith fell 23 spots to the No. 210 overall recruit nationally. He also dipped on the quarterbacks list, checking in at No. 19 nationally. The future Wolverine had a strong performance at the Elite 11 Orlando re- gional in April, showing notable im- provements as a pure passer. It wouldn't be surprising to see him earn a finals in- vite once Elite 11 concludes its regional tour. Smith picked Michigan over offers from Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and others in the fall. He has remained completely solid with the Wolverines despite the offseason staff changes. Howell (Mich.) High defensive line- man Bobby Kanka fell out of the On300 after previously being ranked No. 297 nationally. Kanka remains a four-star prospect and is now On3's No. 26 de- fensive lineman nationally; he was pre- viously No. 24. Kanka committed to Michigan last August over offers from Kansas, Louis- ville, Michigan State, Penn State, Ten- nessee and others. He returned to Ann Arbor for the spring game April 20. Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offen- sive lineman Avery Gach stayed put as a three-star. He had a brief drop in the position rankings and is now listed as the No. 32 interior offensive lineman nationally. Gach committed to Michigan over finalists Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin in early May. Alcoa (Tenn.) High tight end Eli Ow- ens also remained a three-star recruit. He is ranked as the No. 45 tight end na- tionally, dropping two spots from the No. 43 tight end nationally in the previ- ous rankings update. Owens committed to Michigan in January over offers from Alabama, Ken- tucky, Mississippi State, North Caro- lina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and others. At 6-2, 230 pounds, Owens projects as more of an H-back at the next level. — EJ Holland MICHIGAN ADDS JAMES BROWN FROM SMU AS SENIOR ANALYST Michigan has hired James Brown as a senior analyst with a focus on special teams and safeties. Brown previously served as the director of high school relations at SMU, where he played a key role with recruiting thanks to his vast network in the Lone Star State. Brown was at SMU for a year before leaving for Ann Arbor to join his son, JB Brown, who is Michigan's new special teams coordinator. JB was promoted this offseason after previously serving as an analyst under former U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh. James is a veteran of the game but rela- tively new to the world of college football. Prior to joining the staff at SMU, he was a longtime Texas high school coach, com- piling a 113-80 record over the course of 17 years. An El Paso native, James coached in both the Houston and Dallas areas, which are loaded with some of the best recruit- ing talent in the country. His ties to the two high school football meccas could help the Wolverines find more success in Texas on the recruiting trail. James spent 11 of his 17 years as a head coach at Mansfield Timberview in the Dallas area and led the team to a 13-1 re- cord and an appearance in the Class 5A Division I regional finals in his last season (2022). Timberview is home to three-star 2025 defensive line target Dilan Battle, who visited Michigan in the fall and is a prior- ity target. — EJ Holland U-M defensive line commit Bobby Kanka from Howell (Mich.) High remained a four-star prospect in the most recent On3 rankings update. PHOTO BY ZACH LIBBY