The Wolverine

August 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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FOOTBALL RECRUITING U-M's Top Targets For The Class Of 2014 M from putting their signatures on Na- tional Letters of Intent, but the Wol- verines' class is already almost full. That means focus has shifted further into the future for the coaching staff. Here are 14 of Michigan's top targets in the 2014 class. MICHAEL FERNS • LB St. Clairsville High School/ St. Clairsville, Ohio he's lived in Ohio his entire life, Ferns didn't grow up a fan of the home- state Buckeyes. In fact, St. Clairsville's proximity (only 10 miles) to Wheel- ing, W.Va., saw him grow up a West Virginia Mountaineers fan. However, he has narrowed his choices to Michi- gan, Notre Dame and Penn State prior to the beginning of his junior year, and he plans to select from among those three in November. linebacker who moon- lights as a tight end on offense. He is a big, fast, physical defender who racked up 130 tackles as a sophomore starter. He has sideline-to-sideline speed and the power to stop running backs in their tracks. The Recruitment (Offered): Although The Player: Ferns is a 6-3, 235-pound DAMON WEBB • DB Cass Tech High School/Detroit grew up a Michigan fan, as did his father. However, offers from big-name schools around the Midwest — Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin among them — and interest from schools around the country such as 74 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2012 cornerback who is also a very talented wide re- ceiver. He transferred to Detroit Cass Tech from University of Detroit Jesuit midway through the season last fall, so he didn't play much football in his soph- omore year. That's bound to change at Cass, where he projects to start at both wideout and cornerback. The Recruitment (Offered): Webb The Player: Webb is a 5-11, 170-pound ichigan's 2013 recruiting class may be more than six months BY TIM SULLIVAN Alabama and LSU mean that he'll have plenty of options before all is said and done. PARRKER WESTPHAL • DB Bolingbrook High School/Bolingbrook, Ill. 180-pound cornerback who could project to a number of positions at the next level. As a soph- omore starter on a state championship team, he compiled 56 tackles, seven stops for loss and two sacks. He also deflected 20 passes, forced one fumble and recovered two fum- bles. He is a big hitter, especially for a young player, and also has the athleti- cism to cover receivers downfield. The Recruitment (Offered): Westphal The Player: Westphal is a 6-1, pound gunslinger who has already started for two years on the high school varsity level. As a sophomore, he threw for more than 1,300 yards, while toss- ing 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has the prototypical size for a pocket passer in the pro-style offense. The Recruitment (No Offer): West- ern Michigan and Wisconsin have offered Stewart, and although he participated in Michigan's summer camp in June, he has yet to pick up an offer from the Wolverines. If one does come down the road, Brady Hoke's coaches could position them- selves very well to land Stewart. has double-digit offers — most of which he picked up in one week- end in late April. West Virginia (the first to offer), Florida and Ohio State are among the schools chasing West- phal. His high school defensive backs coach is former Wolverine Todd Howard, and though he won't steer Westphal to any particular school that is a positive for Michigan. MALIK MCDOWELL • DL Loyola High School/Detroit 290-pound man-child who already has the size of a col- lege defensive tackle, but has enough quick- ness to play out on the edge at the next level. He was primarily an of- fensive lineman for De- troit Loyola as a sophomore, but he is expected to get more playing time on defense this fall. The Recruitment (Offered): Though McDowell has limited experience at his projected college position, schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Stanford have already offered. He admits he grew up a U-M fan, but will explore all of his options before coming to a decision. The Player: McDowell is a 6-6, CHANCE STEWART • QB Sturgis High School/Sturgis, Mich. The Player: Stewart is a 6-6, 205- BRANDON HINES • DT Homestead High School/Mequon, Wis. defensive tackle who played his first season of varsity football at Me- quon (Wis.) Homestead this fall. Though he missed time with injury, he has put in work in the weight room (he entered the year at 265 pounds) to get up to size for the position. The Recruitment (No Offer): Wiscon- The Player: Hines is a 6-2, 280-pound sin has been interested in Hines the longest, but he has built up a strong relationship with Michigan defen- sive coordinator Greg Mattison. If he picks up an offer from Michigan down the road, the Wolverines will be right near the top of his list. COREY HOLMES • WR St. Thomas Aquinas High School/ Fort Lauderdale, Fla. pound wide receiver known for his smooth moves and ability to get open. He struggles at times to hold onto passes, but that can be im- proved with more reps. He missed most of his sophomore season due to injury, catching just six passes for 94 yards (15.7 yards per reception) and two touchdowns. The Recruitment (Offered): Holmes The Player: Holmes is a 6-1, 170- grew up a big Michigan fan, even though he's from the Sunshine State.

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