The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/763983
56 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2017 The Michigan staff was able to convince Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hen- dricken three-star weakside defen- sive end Kwity Paye that Ann Arbor, not Boston College where he was previously committed, was the place for him. Now, defensive coordinator Don Brown has his eyes on another BC commit. Cheshire (Conn.) Cheshire Acad- emy three-star athlete Brandon Se- bastian has been committed to the Eagles since April, but he's giving Michigan, and Brown, a very serious look and plans to visit soon. "I'm still committed to BC as of right now," Sebastian said. "I'm tak- ing an official visit to Michigan on Jan. 13. Kwity has been talking to me. He wants me to visit up there and he thinks I'll like it a lot. I've never been up there so we'll see." Sebastian's four-star Cheshire Academy teammate Tarik Black, a wide receiver who committed to the Wolverines Dec. 14, has also been talking to the 6-1, 172-pounder about Ann Arbor and what Michigan has to offer. Even though Paye and Black have been in Sebastian's ear, neither of them are as instrumental in the process as Brown. Sebastian lit up when talking about U-M's defensive mastermind. "He's like a father figure to me honestly. He's like a mentor. I respect him a lot and really like him as a person and a coach," Sebastian said of Brown. "He and Coach [Frank] Leonard offered me while he was at Boston College. Once he went to Michigan I kind of thought he could recruit me there because we have such a good relationship." With a commitment in place to Boston College but a Michigan visit looming, Sebastian has some things to figure out. He plans to address all of that soon and knows that eventu- ally he'll have to make up his mind. "It's pretty much just between Michigan and Boston College for me," he said. "I have to discuss everything with my parents, but I'll probably make a final decision right after my visit to Michigan. I'll sit down and weigh all of my options and talk about everything and see how it goes." Sebastian is a standard graduate and will enroll next summer at what sounds like either Michigan or Bos- ton College. — Brandon Brown Michigan May Flip Another Boston College Pledge PREP PROFILES Nashville (Tenn.) David Lipscomb three-star defensive tackle Rutger Reitmaier was committed to Oregon as of mid-December, but ultimately may end up a Wolverine. The 6-3, 274-pounder was offered by Michigan in mid-October and he's been thinking about the Wolverines ever since. Even though the offer got his attention, his commitment to the Ducks was still strong as evidenced by what he said during an appear- ance on Bill King's radio show in Nashville. "I would say there's a little bit of intrigue [with Michigan]," Reitma- ier said. "They've definitely pitched early playing time there. I think that's a good opportunity for me, but I'm obviously still pretty committed to Oregon … probably 100 percent committed to Oregon. "The coaches there probably brought me in the best, really made me feel at home up there. That's the main reason I picked them." Now that Mark Helfrich is out at Oregon, the biggest reason for Re- itmaier picking the Ducks is gone. Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison has been lobbying hard with Reitmaier and his family to convince them that Ann Arbor is the place for him. In a rather unique move in the re- cruiting world, Reitmaier 's father only was in Ann Arbor for Michi- gan's homecoming contest against Indiana to see what things would be like for his son should he flip to the Wolverines. The elder Reitmaier has bonded well with Mattison and is now reportedly in full support of his son flipping to U-M. Rivals.com Southeast analyst Woody Wommack understands why Mattison is so high on the lineman. "Reitmaier is a tough interior guy who is good at getting off the ball quickly," Wommack said. "He's a tad undersized, but should fit nicely in a 4-3 scheme." In terms of where Reitmaier ulti- mately ends up, Wommack also has a solid bead on his recruitment. "He seems unsettled given the Ore- gon situation," Wommack explained. "Tennessee would still like to get him on campus for an official visit, but it remains to be seen if he will visit Ann Arbor." Michigan has two other big-time targets at the defensive tackle posi- tion in Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County five-star Aubrey Solomon and South Jordan (Utah) Bingham four-star Jay Tufele, but Reitmaier is coveted as well. It will be interesting to see if U-M can benefit from the fallout in Eugene. — Brandon Brown Volunteer State Defensive Tackle Intrigued By U-M ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Cheshire Academy Cheshire, Conn. Class: 2017 Position: Athlete Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 172 Rivals.com Rankings: Currently unrated Brandon Sebastian ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ David Lipscomb Nashville, Tenn. Class: 2017 Position: Defensive Tackle Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 274 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 15 player in Tennessee and No. 28 defensive tackle nationally Rutger Reitmaier Sebastian "It's pretty much just between Michigan and Boston College for me. I have to discuss everything with my parents, but I'll probably make a final decision right after my visit to Michigan." Reitmaier "I would say there's a little bit of intrigue [with Michigan]. They've definitely pitched early playing time there."