The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 175 MICHIGAN TOP 10 BY BRANDON BROWN F or a while it looked like Michi‑ gan may only land one prospect from the home state in 2016 with Detroit Cass Tech offensive guard Michael Onwenu being the only commit‑ ted Michigander for a while. U‑M ended up with three after a couple of late pledges from Rockford kicker Quinn Nordin and Detroit Martin Luther King cornerback La‑ vert Hill. The 2017 close‑to‑home class looks like it may be much kinder to the Wolverines, heading into the summer. 1. Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR Detroit Cass Technical High School Peoples‑Jones is consid‑ ered a five‑star prospect and the No. 11 overall player in the country. As a receiver, he doesn't have a weakness, exhibiting great speed, ab‑ surd leaping ability, sticky hands, good strength and solid route running. Last year, as a rising junior, he became the first underclassman ever to win the national Nike Football Rating Championship (a mea‑ sure of overall athletic ability) title at Nike's The Opening in Beaverton, Ore., recording a 4.42 in the 40‑yard dash and a 42.4‑inch vertical jump in the competition. Michigan and warm‑weather programs like USC and Florida have been mentioned as some of the schools he looks at the most. 2. Ambry Thomas, CB Detroit Martin Luther King Collegiate At 5‑11, 165 pounds, Thomas had a better year on offense as a junior, but the No. 174 overall player in the nation has all of the tools to be a lock‑down corner. He has a national offer list that includes Michigan, Michigan State, Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and UCLA, among many others. 3. Donovan Johnson, CB Detroit Cass Technical High School Johnson doesn't hold an offer from either U‑M or Michigan State — some peo‑ ple believe he's a little under‑ sized at 5‑10, 169 pounds. However, he's well built and can absolutely fly with a 4.41 40‑yard dash time on record from Nike's The Opening. He's the No. 200 over‑ all player in the country and holds offers from Louisville, Nebraska Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. 4. Joshua Ross, LB Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory Catholic High School Ross' performance at Nike's The Opening re‑ gional camp in Chicago earned him a prestigious invitation to The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore., in early July. The 6‑0, 219‑pound linebacker surprised nobody by committing to Michigan in late March after bonding with new U‑M defen‑ sive coordinator Don Brown. The No. 206 overall player in the country will follow in the footsteps of his older brother, James, by playing his college football in Ann Arbor. 5. Antjuan Simmons, LB Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Simmons, at 6‑1 and 199 pounds, is considered the No. 214 overall player in the nation, but he doesn't have ideal size for a line‑ backer and isn't speedy enough to be a true safety. That being said, he's a football player to the bone. Game after game in high school, Simmons produces multiple highlight plays, including big hits and impressive runs when lining up at running back. Simmons commit‑ ted to Ohio State March 1. 6. Hunter Rison, WR Ann Arbor Skyline High School Rison is a solidly built, technically sound wide re‑ ceiver, who uses his body and strength to get position on cornerbacks despite be‑ ing just 5‑11, 190 pounds. He is a hard worker, and that makes up for his lack of elite athleti‑ cism. He is rated as a four‑star recruit and the No. 237 overall prospect nationally by Rivals.com. Michigan never offered Rison, but his fate was probably always sealed because of his dad, Andre, a standout at Michigan State in the late 1980s and a 12‑year NFL veteran. Despite an early commitment to the Spartans followed by a decommitment, the Spartan legacy is back in the fold with MSU. 7. Corey Malone-Hatcher, DE Saint Joseph High School The 6‑3, 246‑pounder is listed as the No. 13 strong‑ side defensive end in the country by Rivals.com, but he also plays linebacker in high school. Malone‑ Hatcher has been somewhat limited by injuries in his career, but he's outstanding when healthy and is a four‑star talent according to Rivals.com. MICHIGAN TOP 10 The Best In The State For The Class Of 2017 Last Year's Cream Of The Crop With Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh playing from way behind with the 2016 class, landing two of the top four prospects in Michigan along with the nation's top kicker — Quinn Nordin from Rockford — should be deemed an in‑state success. Rk. Player Pos. High School College 1. Daelin Hayes LB Ann Arbor Skyline Notre Dame 2. Michael Jordan OL Plymouth Ohio State 3. Michael Onwenu OL Detroit Cass Tech Michigan 4. Lavert Hill CB Detroit King Michigan 5. Demetric Vance S Detroit Cass Tech Michigan State 6. Desmond Fitzpatrick WR Waterford Mott Louisville 7. Khalid Kareem DE Farmington Hills Harrison Notre Dame 8. Trishton Jackson WR West Bloomfield Michigan State 9. David Reese LB Farmington Florida 10. Brandon Randle LB Battle Creek Central Michigan State