The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING has visited U-M on multiple occasions, and although other programs continue to battle, the Wolverines may have the upper hand, for now. "Right now, it's an Auburn-Michi- gan battle," Friedman said. "Georgia's in the mix, but defensive tackle depth is going to hurt them in the end. Every other week, it's back-and-forth leading between the two. It's about how com- fortable he can get at Auburn, because Michigan has the edge there." That comfort is provided by not only the likes of Peppers (and his classmate at both Paramus and Michigan, offen- sive lineman Juwann Bushell-Beatty), but also former Paladins head coach Chris Partridge, now the Director of Player Personnel in Ann Arbor. Gary transferred from nearby Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School to play for Partridge at Paramus Catholic, and now the coach's presence at Michigan — along with the academic clout of the University — could help the Wolver- ines bring in another big-time player. Should the coaching staff close on all the seniors listed above, they would hold commitments from the No. 1 (Gary), No. 3 (Mitchell), No. 5 (John- son), and No. 7 (Hawkins) prospects in New Jersey, along with Pennsylvania's second-best in Upshur. That would be one outstanding way to help the class approach its completion. FIVE-STAR CHALLENGE AND THE OPENING In past years, Michigan commit- ments have littered the rosters of the Rivals Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour and Nike's The Opening, the top two national sum- mer camps for football prospects. This season was more underwhelming (in part because Michigan had only six commitments at the time of the Chal- lenge), but a trio of future Wolverines impressed over the camp season. Detroit Cass Tech offensive lineman Michael Onwenu participated in both events, and made a case at the Five- Star Challenge to improve his ranking. Currently the No. 9 guard and No. 191 overall prospect nationally, he staked a claim for being the nation's top guard at the Rivals' event. He finished sec- ond to the nation's top lineman, Allen (Texas) High five-star Greg Little, for the positional MVP honor. "Onwenu was certainly in conten- tion for the Offensive Line MVP award after dominating his one-on-one reps throughout the day," said Rivals Mid- west recruiting analyst Josh Helm- holdt. "What jumps off the field about Onwenu is that at 6-foot-3 and 367 pounds, he is very strong at the point of attack, but also plays exceptionally light on his feet." Though not committed to Michigan at the time, Camden (N.J.) four-star defensive end Ron Johnson was also in Baltimore June 6-8 for the event. Unlike Onwenu, he didn't have the breakout performance that fans would hope for the No. 6 weakside defensive end and No. 109 overall prospect na- tionally. At just 6-3 and 221 pounds, he didn't take advantage of the quickness typical of defensive ends without great size. Both Onwenu and Avon (Ind.) quar-