The Wolverine

December 2016

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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52 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2016   MICHIGAN RECRUITING ning to enroll early, which could see the overall number grow to 12 or 13. The Detroit duo of five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones of Cass Tech and four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas of Martin Luther King have early enrollment plans and could be considered U-M leans. The 6-1, 188-pound Peoples-Jones is the top player in Michigan, and the No. 2 wide receiver and No. 13 over- all player in the country. Thomas, the state's second-best player, is the No. 17 cornerback and No. 178 over- all player in the nation. Look for both to be on campus in mid-December for potential official visits with many of U-M's commits. Cheshire (Conn.) Cheshire Acad- emy four-star wide receiver Tarik Black has a top five consisting of Ala- bama, Auburn, Michigan, Stanford and UCLA. Unless he picks Stan- ford, he'll enroll early, and Michigan might have the best shot as of mid- November. The 6-3, 201-pounder is the No. 14 wide receiver and No. 99 overall prospect nationally. The nation's top center is Braden- ton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Ce- sar Ruiz. Originally from New Jersey, the 6-3, 313-pounder is thought to be a heavy U-M lean and will let the world know if it's true Dec. 18. Land- ing Ruiz, the No. 118 overall player in America, and getting him on cam- pus early as a true center would re- ally bolster Michigan's offensive line heading into 2017. Last but certainly not least is the nation's top overall prospect, Najee Harris. The 6-2, 222-pound specimen of a running back out of Antioch (Calif.) Senior is an Alabama com- mit, but Michigan's plan for him to enroll early has put the Wolverines squarely in the mix. He's another prospect expected in Ann Arbor for the big recruiting weekend of Dec. 10. NEW OFFERS BEING DOLED OUT Michigan had its bye Oct. 14 and that allowed the staff to focus on recruit- ing a bit more than normal, resulting in some new offers being issues. With high school seasons nearing conclusions, the U-M coaches were able to get in another round of film and in- person observations making for more thorough evaluations. The result was a handful of notable offers from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15: WARREN ERICSON 2018 Offensive Lineman Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett The three-star guard picked up his Michigan offer and fully intends to visit as soon as possible. The 6-4, 290-pounder has an early interest in Michigan, which is usually necessary for coveted prospects in SEC country. Ericson is the No. 29 player in Georgia and the No. 14 offensive guard nation- ally according to Rivals.com. JT DANIELS 2019 Quarterback Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei The offer to the 6-1, 190-pound Dan- iels is noteworthy because it's the first to a quarterback in the 2019 class. He and his seven-on-seven team visited Ann Arbor back in April, and Daniels loved the time he spent with Jim Har- baugh and inside Michigan Stadium. BRU MCCOY 2019 Athlete/Wide Receiver Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei The Wolverines also offered Daniels' teammate and classmate McCoy. The 6-3, 205-pounder is listed as an ath- lete but figures to play wide receiver at the next level. His father is originally from Chicago and is a big fan of the Wolverines. That connection can't hurt U-M's chances with one of California's top 2019 prospects. TOMMY TOGIAI 2018 Defensive Tackle Pocatello (Idaho) Highland The 6-3, 293-pounder is the first pros- pect from the state of Idaho to earn an offer from the Wolverines in the Rivals era, and if he actually came to U-M he'd be just the fifth Idahoan to ever make the team at Michigan and the first since 1943. The junior is the No. 13 defensive tackle and No. 177 overall player na- tionally, and continues the interest in Polynesian players by the Michigan staff. TALANOA HUFANGA 2018 Athlete Corvallis (Ore.) Crescent Valley It is far too early to make a prediction on the 6-1, 194-pound Hufanga, but Michigan could play a serious role in his recruitment. The four-star athlete especially likes how the Wolverines are playing and the prestige of the program now under head coach Jim Harbaugh. He is the top prospect in Oregon, and is considered the No. 9 athlete and No. 142 player nationally. Both the Ducks and Beavers have offered the in-state talent along with other heavy hitters in the Pac-12 like UCLA, USC and Utah. ❏ 2017 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) AJ Dillon RB 6-0 228 Groton, Mass. (Lawrence Academy) Ja'Raymond Hall OL 6-5 255 Oak Park, Mich. (Oak Park) Kai-Leon Herbert OT 6-4 279 Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage) Joel Honigford OT 6-5 277 Sugarcreek, Ohio (Garaway Local School) James Hudson DE 6-5 271 Toledo, Ohio (Central Catholic) Donovan Jeter DT 6-5 255 Beaver Falls, Pa. (Beaver Falls) Jaylen Kelly-Powell S 6-0 180 Detroit (Cass Tech) Corey Malone-Hatcher DE 6-3 246 Saint Joseph, Mich. (Saint Joseph) Ben Mason LB 6-3 230 Sandy Hook, Conn. (Newton) Dylan McCaffrey QB 6-4 185 Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Valor Christian) Phillip Paea OL 6-4 277 Berrien Springs, Mich. (Berrien Springs) Kwity Paye DE 6-3 225 Warwick, R.I. (Bishop Hendricken) Joshua Ross LB 6-0 219 Orchard Lake, Mich. (St. Mary's) O'Maury Samuels RB 5-10 190 Los Lunas, N.M. (Los Lunas) Andrew Stueber OT 6-6 305 Darien, Conn. (Darien) Benjamin St-Juste CB 6-3 185 Montreal, Quebec (Vieux-Montreal) Kurt Taylor RB 5-9 201 Covington, Ga. (Newton) Luiji Vilain DE 6-4 240 Alexandria, Va. (Episcopal) J'Marick Woods DB 6-3 198 Florence, Ala. (Florence) 2018 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Emil Ekiyor OL 6-4 315 Indianapolis (Cathedral) Otis Reese S 6-2 195 Leesburg, Ga. (Lee County)

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