The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 43 ❱ FOOTBALL RECRUITING fer from the Wolverines. Norris is another prospect who is tough to get a read on because he rarely does interviews. Miami is also involved here and is looking to keep him home. Georgia Tech is doing everything it can to keep him solid and is hosting him for a visit in November. Norris is tabbed as the No. 52 defensive lineman in the land and a three-star prospect by On3. DL Joseph Mbatchou, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson — Mbatchou made an official visit to Michigan in October, shortly after backing out of his verbal pledge to Florida. Michigan made a strong impres- sion and is now a contender down the stretch. However, Mbatchou, On3's No. 31 defensive tackle in the 2025 class and a three-star recruit, is high on Auburn and Texas, and he has visits scheduled with Florida, Tennessee and USC. LB Bradley Gompers, Pittsburgh Central Catholic — Michigan recently hosted Gompers for a visit and is a threat to flip him away from Duke. Owusu- Boateng is the priority, but Gompers is a prospect the staff really likes. Duke is working hard to keep him, and Penn State also is involved. This recruitment is a little foggy, but Michigan is a player. Gompers is listed as the No. 104 player and No. 3 athlete in the land by 247Sports. COOL QB Bryce Underwood, Belleville (Mich.) High — Michigan is all in on landing the five-star LSU commit, the nation's No. 1 overall prospect, and is doing everything it can on the NIL front. Underwood is in one of the lower categories because our confidence level remains at 35 per- cent. This recruitment is mostly transactional, so a recruiting visit isn't required, but it would have been nice to see him show up to U-M before the end of the season. Underwood was back at LSU for its 42-13 loss to Alabama on Nov. 9. WR Derek Meadows, Las Vegas Bishop Gor- man — Meadows is directly tied to Underwood. If Michigan can't flip Underwood, it's not getting Meadows. The two run in the same circles, and it's clear Meadows' renewed interest was fueled by U- M's efforts with Underwood. The No. 80 prospect and No. 11 wide receiver in the class according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Meadows did have a good visit, but Notre Dame is in a better spot to flip him at this time. DB Brandon Finney, Owings Mills (Md.) Mc- Donogh — Penn State is the heavy favorite to flip Finney away from Oregon, and the Nittany Lions are doing everything they can to get him to shut things down soon. However, Michigan is continu- ing to work hard on Finney, and his official visit to Michigan is still scheduled for Nov. 23 and the Northwestern game. Michigan has a lot of work to do, but the Finney dream is still alive. The On3 Industry Ranking tabs Finney as the na- tion's No. 51 player and No. 5 cornerback. COLD OL Zac Stascausky, Portland (Ore.) Central Cath- olic — Michigan recently extended an offer to the four-star Washington commit. He'll start off in this category since he is a new target and has never been on campus. It will be interesting to see if Michigan can make a move here. Oregon is also involved and had him on campus earlier this fall. Stascausky is ranked as the nation's No. 25 of- fensive tackle and a three-star prospect by On3. EDGE Tobi Haastrup, Houston Mayde Creek — Michigan extended an offer to Haastrup in October. He has a filled up an official visit schedule that does not include U-M. However, he did make it clear that he would consider moving things around. Michigan has one home game weekend left to get the four- star prospect on campus. Haastrup is rated as the No. 281 player and No. 30 edge rusher nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. FREEZING OL Nolan Davenport, Massillon (Ohio) Washing- ton — Michigan extended an offer to Davenport last month but was unable to get him on campus. The three-star prospect and Wisconsin commit, who is ranked as the No. 32 interior offensive line- man in the land by On3, seems locked in with the Badgers and has no plans to make a trip to U-M at this time. EDGE Triston Abram, St. Louis Christian Broth- ers — Abram notched a Michigan offer this fall and visited in September. He was set to be back on campus in November but canceled the trip. It looks like the country's No. 61 edge according to the On3 Industry Ranking is sticking with his com- mitment to Indiana. DL Javion Hilson, Cocoa (Fla.) High — Hilson included Michigan in his top group after backing out of his commitment to Florida State this fall. However, the nation's No. 46 prospect and No. 3 edge per the On3 Industry Ranking has yet to make a visit to Michigan and is trending toward Texas. DB Donovan Starr, Brentwood (Tenn.) Raven- wood — A four-star Auburn commit, Starr was scheduled to make an official visit to Michigan in October. However, he canceled the trip and is looking to stay in the South, with Alabama and Georgia appearing to be potential flip destinations for the No. 129 recruit and No. 16 cornerback per 247 Sports. DB Adonyss Currie, Lancaster (Calif.) Quartz Hill — Michigan has continued to work on Currie behind the scenes, but there hasn't been any real movement. The Texas A&M commit, On3's No. 71 player and No. 9 cornerback in the 2025 class, ap- pears content with the Aggies. CLIMATE CHANGE LB Cameron White, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood — White backed off his pledge to Central Florida and made an official visit to Michigan just a few days later. Michigan clearly has the lead for the un- ranked White, but a lot will depend on how things shake out with Owusu-Boateng. DB Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech — Michigan is clearly in a strong spot to flip Graham away from Colorado. However, the Wolverines already have four commits in the secondary, are trending for Dotson and are in a great spot for Littleton. It's unclear how Graham, the No. 34 cornerback in the nation and a four-star prospect per the On3 Industry Ranking, fits in. ❑ Graceson Littleton of Tampa (Fla.) Wiregrass Ranch is ranked by On3 as the nation's No. 97 overall player and No. 12 cornerback. PHOTO COURTESY ON3