The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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PREP PROFILES Philadelphia Imhotep Charter tight end Naseir Upshur committed to Flor- ida State in August and five-star tight end Isaac Nauta of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy seems to like Georgia at this point. Next up on Michigan's tight end board is Tampa (Fla.) Berke- ley Prep's Jacob Mathis. The 6-5, 227-pound three-star, who has already been invited to play in the prestigious U.S. Army All-Ameri- can Game, fits Jim Harbaugh's mold when it comes to tight ends, and is versatile enough to use that size as a receiver or a blocker. In 2014, Mathis recorded 55 receptions for 874 yards and 12 touchdowns to help Berkeley Prep reach the Class 3A region play- offs. As a sophomore and freshman, he caught a combined 37 passes for 531 yards and five touchdowns. Mathis isn't the most talkative kid, but he has mentioned a few schools in the past that are extremely interested in him. "I don't have any favorites right now," he said. "But the schools re- cruiting me the hardest are Ole Miss, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Missouri." Of those schools, Alabama, Florida and U-M seem to have separated themselves a bit from the rest of the pack. In June, Mathis attended the Michi- gan satellite camp in Florida and liked what he saw from the U-M coaches. "It's just a great opportunity to go to Michigan with Coach [Jim] Harbaugh there now," Mathis told Rivals.com. "That's a great staff. I had the chance to talk to them a lot down at the camp at USF. I liked those coaches a lot." As of mid-September, Michigan was the lone of- ficial visit that Mathis had set u p , b u t e v e n someone near his recruitment, like Rivals Southeast regional analyst Rob Cassidy, isn't sure what that means right now. "I don't know where Michigan stands with him exactly because he's a tough dude to read," Cassidy ex- plained. "He doesn't leak anything. I think he likes Michigan, but he won't name them a leader or a favorite or anything like that." The fact that Mathis will be at Mich- igan for homecoming Oct. 9 when the Wolverines host Northwestern indi- cates that his interest is high. Like Cassidy said, Mathis is re- served about his recruitment, and his comments about when a commitment could come confirms that. "I don't have a timeline as to when I will decide," Mathis said. "I will com- mit whenever I feel comfortable." — Brandon Brown Florida Tight End Is Still A Priority For U-M ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Berkeley Prep School Tampa, Fla. Class: 2016 Position: Tight End Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 227 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 56 player in Florida and No. 25 tight end nationally Jacob Mathis