The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan recruiting Visits On Pause Michigan's first three games of the year were at home in Michigan Sta‑ dium, and the first two in particu‑ lar featured a number of recruiting visitors. The lackluster third oppo‑ nent, Akron, saw a smaller visitor list (though surprisingly, they saw the most competitive game). The Wol‑ verines' two weeks away from Ann Arbor following that game — first an away game at UConn and then a bye week — means a long stretch without a hefty visitors list. That will change with the Maize and Blue's return to Ann Arbor for the Oct. 5 homecoming game against Minnesota. The Wolverines' topranked commit, Paramus (N.J.) Catho‑ lic defensive back Jabrill Peppers, will be the headliner. The 6-1, 210-pounder is a five-star prospect and No. 2 over‑ all player in the country. He and team‑ mate Juwann Bushell-Beatty, an of‑ fensive lineman and fellow Michigan commit, will take their official visit to Ann Arbor for that game. Several commits who live closer to Ann Arbor will also make the trek to catch up with their future teammates. Beyond the senior commits, the headliners are underclassmen. The two big names to confirm early are Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice 6-2, 185-pound quarterback Alex Mal‑ zone and Maitland (Fla.) Orangewood Christian 5-11, 215-pound linebacker Jimmy Martin. While neither has been offered, each of them already holds several Division I scholarship offers in hand. Martin, the No. 19 inside line‑ backer in the junior class according to 247Sports, is versatile enough to also play fullback at the next level. While the Minnesota game's visi‑ tors list is a strong return to campus for the Wolverines — with many more recruits also attending — it pales in comparison to the Ohio State list at the end of the year. Several official visitors and dozens of prospect on unofficial visits will be in town. Initial 2015 Rankings Revealed Michigan's coaching staff picked up 2014 commitments at a blistering pace once they got started. The 2015 class is already moving even faster, with six pledges in the fold before the 2013 season even began. The coaches even beat Rivals.com's team of experts to the punch, landing all six of those players before the initial listing of the top 250 players for 2015 was released. Now, however, there is a strong in‑ dication of just how highly ranked those six players will be. The initial Rivals250 to Watch for 2015 comprises the majority of prospects who will ul‑ timately earn four-star rankings. Four of Michigan's six commitments made the list. One of the two headliners is Berea (Ky.) Madison Southern running back Damien Harris. The 5-11, 210-pounder was the first prospect that Michigan's coaching staff offered in the 2015 class, and they have a good eye for talent. He is an early Rivals.com five-star prospect — one of just 10 nationally at this point — thanks to his combina‑ tion of size, speed and vision. ESPN