The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 ❱ PREP PROFILES Michigan hosted On3 Top-100 2026 Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher's offen- sive lineman Darius Gray for an unofficial visit in mid-April. Gray made the 10-hour drive from Vir- ginia to Ann Arbor and enjoyed his first in-depth look at the program. "Getting up there was something I wanted to do for a long, long time," Gray said. "I had the opportunity to go up there this spring, and I wasn't going to miss it. It exceeded what I thought. It was even bet- ter than what I was expecting — coaches, players, facilities. They had a family at- mosphere. "Coach [Grant] Newsome is one of the smartest guys and coaches in the game of football. Coach [Sherrone] Moore is a great dude. Everybody in that building is together as one. ... I just loved it all." The visit gave Gray an opportunity to bond with U-M's first-year offensive line coach. "Coach Newsome is a great guy," Gray said. "Our connection is growing. We're getting closer and closer. He's pretty young, so it feels like there is more fa- miliarity. It feels like he knows what I'm looking for because he just played at Michigan in 2017. It wasn't too long ago that he was in my shoes and decided to play at Michigan. My family loves him, and I love him. I can't wait to keep grow- ing a connection with him." A highlight of the visit for Gray, the No. 4 interior offensive lineman and No. 42 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle, was getting in the film room with Newsome. "We watched film of last year," Gray said. "Inside zone, double teams, duos, whatever it was, we talked about it. The way they coach is great. One thing I learned is when you kick step and some- one makes an inside move, rather than posting, just flip sides. If I'm a left tackle, and he goes inside, just make myself a right tackle. "Little things like that can take guys like me to the next level. When you watch film with them, it makes you realize why they send guys like Cesar Ruiz to the NFL and are about to have five or six guys drafted. The knowledge in that building for the offensive line is insane." Gray was also able to spend extended time with new Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, who made a strong im- pression. "He's not going to let the program fall," Gray said. "They'll be back in the playoffs and in the top four like every other year. I know he's going to succeed. "Off the field, he's a great dude as well. When you have a head coach that coached the offensive line and sent guys to the NFL, you want a guy like that leading the building. We had a great talk. I would love to play for him." Gray plans to return to Michigan for his second visit this fall. — EJ Holland Michigan hosted several underclass- man recruits in April, including Jaylen Pile from Texas. The three-star 2026 receiver out of Dallas Parish Episcopal notched an offer from the Wolverines this winter and enjoyed his first-ever trip to Ann Arbor. "I loved it," Pile said. "It was amazing. You can feel the energy there. The campus was nice, especially the athletic facility. Everything they have there is top-notch. You can see why they won the national championship. All the staff members were awesome and knowledgeable." Michigan has had a chaotic offsea- son with several staff changes. Sherrone Moore is now the head coach and has been extremely active on recruiting weekends. Moore made sure to spend some per- sonal time with Pile on the visit. "I got to talk to Coach Moore at the end of it," Pile said. "It was awesome. He's a really amazing dude. You can see why all of the players gravitate toward him. He holds everybody accountable. He knows what it takes to go back to back, and he's holding them to that standard every day." Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy has been leading the way in Pile's recruitment and also made a strong im- pression on him. "Our conversation went really well," Pile said. "We sat down and talked shop for a little bit. He's an amazing coach and an even better person. He's a great de- veloper. "We got to do some film review, and he took me through what would be a normal film day at Michigan. It was nice to see how hands-on he was and how detail- oriented he is. You're not able to have one- on-one meetings with a lot of coaches, and he took time out of his day to do that. I sat down with him for an hour and a half. That shows how much they care." Another highlight of the trip was get- ting to watch Michigan go through prac- tice. "They practice with intent," Pile said. "Everything seems very detail-oriented. They don't let anybody slack off. They get live replays from every rep. It was cool. "After a one-on-one rep, they would replay it on the screen, so you could see how you did and what the coaching points were. Everybody took on the coaching points. They didn't have egos. They all produced after the criticism. It showed me what the culture is." Overall, Michigan will be a contender for Pile moving forward. "Michigan is very high for me," he said. "It's an amazing spot. The education there is top-notch. Everybody there wants you to do well. It all comes together." Along with Michigan, Pile holds offers from Auburn, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin and others. At 6-foot, 178 pounds, Pile also is ranked as the No. 85 wide receiver and No. 510 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Industry Ranking. — EJ Holland Top-100 Virginia Offensive Lineman Is Excited About U-M 2026 Texas Wideout Gravitates Toward Michigan ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ St. Christopher's School Richmond, Va. Class: 2026 Position: Interior offensive line Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 285 On3 Rankings: No. 2 player in Virginia, and No. 4 interior offensive lineman and No. 42 overall prospect nationally ❱ Darius Gray ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Parish Episcopal School Southlake, Texas Class: 2026 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 178 On3 Rankings: No. 100 player in Texas and No. 126 wide receiver nationally ❱ Jaylen Pile