The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING the Wolverines have ground to make up on Michigan State and others. That doesn't appear to be the case with St. Joseph (Mich.) High defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher. The 6-3, 246-pounder is ranked as four-star prospect, the No. 7 player in Michigan and the No. 13 strongside defensive end nationally. He has taken several visits to Ann Arbor, and although his father is an Alabama native who grew up rooting for the Crimson Tide, the distance from home makes Michigan a favorite, along with Notre Dame. Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's wide receiver Kahlee "K.J." Hamler is the No. 8 player in the state. Though he stands just 5-9 and 152 pounds, Hamler shows explosive downfield ability that has him rated as the No. 54 wideout nationally. He has taken sev- eral visits to Ann Arbor as well, but U-M will have to beat out a number of contenders for him. Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Pow- ell has been starting for the Detroit powerhouse since he was a freshman, and has quickly developed one of the state's most impressive offer lists. The 6-0, 180-pounder is listed as a three- star prospect, the No. 10 player in the state and the No. 24 safety nationally. A 4.0 student, Kelly-Powell lists Duke, Michigan and Stanford as his top contenders. U-M is in good shape, and have a chance to seal the commit- ment before he begins his senior year. Other in-state players with offers include three-star defensive backs Al- len Stritzinger and Scott Nelson from Warren (Mich.) De La Salle and Uni- versity of Detroit-Jesuit, respectively, and Detroit Cass Tech offensive line- man Jordan Reid. With Michigan's success on the recruiting trail thus far, they may no longer be as prominent on the program's recruiting board as they once were. Expect them to camp at U-M to prove they still have a place in the class. Future in-state classes also look rosy for Michigan. Rising junior of- fensive lineman Marquan McCall is a teammate of Hall at Oak Park (Mich.) High, and defensive back Kalon Gervin plays alongside a number of U-M targets at Detroit Cass Tech. Two legacies also hold Michigan offers: Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is the son of defensive lineman Chris Hutchinson, and Detroit Country Day linebacker Kolin Demens watched his older brother Kenny Demens play linebacker in Ann Arbor. Muskegon (Mich.) High offensive lineman Ant- wan Reed took multiple visits to Ann Arbor this fall and rounds out U-M's 2018 in-state offers. U-M's 2019 offer list doesn't in- clude any in-state players among the 16 with offers through early May, but Southfield (Mich.) High quarterback Samuel Johnson III, Belleville (Mich.) High defensive end Devontae Dobbs and Oak Park (Mich.) High quarter- back Dwan Mathis all could end up as serious Michigan targets. ❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com.