The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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PREP PROFILES Michigan is expected to heavily recruit the Golden State under new head coach Jim Harbaugh (who has spent the past 13 years of his coach- ing career at four different stops in California), and the early returns are promising. The U-M staff has of- fered more than a dozen players out West since ar- riving on campus in late December. Westlake Vil- lage (Calif.) West- l a k e f o u r - s t a r w i d e r e c e i v e r T h e o H o w a r d i s o n e p l a y e r whose offer from the previous staff was reaffirmed by the new regime in Ann Arbor. Although small at 5-11 and 168 pounds, he's enough of a playmaker (869 receiving yards and seven touchdowns this past fall) to earn a ranking as the No. 18 wideout and No. 104 overall player in the nation. "I'm getting to know more about Michigan," he said. "I didn't really know about them a lot. But after talking with them and looking at all the alumni like Desmond Howard that went there, and all the other re- ceivers that played there, I've begun to like the school more. "Recently, I've just been look- ing up a lot of stuff about academ- ics. I've always wanted to major in business when I go to college, and I learned that they have a good un- dergraduate program in business." Howard's connection to some other U-M targets in the Los An- geles area could be a boost for the Maize and Blue. Wideout Dylan Crawford (No. 66 o v e r a l l p l a y e r nationally) and quarterback KJ Costello (No. 25) of Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic are close friends of How- ard's. The trio is con- sidering a spring practice visit, which could help U-M make a strong move for secur- ing early pledges in the 2016 class. Howard, however, insists that he's not in any hurry. He'll take his time and explore his options. "I want a good school with great coaches and also a good academic school," Howard said. "Things like early playing time, where I can just showcase my abilities. Definitely, I'm going to take my time and see who else comes in." Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and USC are already among his scholarship offers, so he'll have plenty of options come decision time. — Tim Sullivan Explosive Wideout Likes U-M ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Westlake High School Westlake Village, Calif. Class: 2016 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 168 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 15 prospect in California, No. 18 wide receiver na- tionally and No. 104 overall player in the country Theo Howard