The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
PREP PROFILES U-M's pursuit of 2017 prospects in its home state was initially known as the "Pipeline Nine" — the first nine Michi- ganders to earn scholarship offers from the Maize and Blue. That list has ex- panded to include a few more players, but one of the initial members of the group still counts Michigan among his favorites. St. Joseph (Mich.) High 2017 defen- sive end Corey M a l o n e - H a t c h e r picked up an early offer from the Wol- verines, and other schools in pursuit include Alabama, Michigan State and Ohio State. Still, his connection to Ann Arbor has kept U-M right in the thick of his recruitment. "I'm really close with [defensive line] Coach [Greg] Mattison," Malone- Hatcher said. "He is making sure he keeps watch - ing my weight," he added with a laugh. "I guess he wants me to go crazy in the gym while I'm injured. Coach [Jim] Har- baugh gave me props on my khakis so that was fun." It's that injury — Malone-Hatcher had lower-leg surgery that caused him to miss most of his junior season — that kept him from having an even larger profile on the recruiting circuit. The 6-3, 246-pounder is a four-star prospect just outside the 2017 Rivals250. His combi- nation of quickness and size makes for a nice total package along the defensive front. "He does remarkably well running with tight ends and running backs, but defensive end still looks like the likely position for him in college," Rivals. com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said. "Malone-Hatcher showcases a great first step and builds speed to the quar - terback. He's still mastering the finer points of the posi- tion, but the raw physical tools have attracted coaches." Malone-Hatcher has been to several games — and sum- mer camp the last two seasons — in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines are consid- ered the team to beat. But he still has dozens of schools under consideration, and wants to make sure he does his due diligence with visits before narrowing down his process. He's seen several of his top schools, though, and his father, Orlando Malone, said they don't want to prolong the pro- cess any longer than necessary. "We'll come to a decision when he feels comfortable with one school," Malone said. "I don't want him to miss out on any experiences, so we're making sure he sees everything he needs to see." — Tim Sullivan Homegrown Pass Rusher Could Be A Wolverine ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ St. Joseph High School St. Joseph, Mich. Class: 2017 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 246 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 7 player in Michigan and No. 13 strongside defensive end nationally Corey Malone-Hatcher