The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING him while I was up there was great, and that's something I'm looking at." Muhammad is close friends with Michigan commit Emil Ekiyor, a four-star offensive guard at India- napolis Cathedral, and the two of them participate in a group chat to try and convince other prospects to come to Michigan. That's a pretty solid indicator of what Muhammad plans to do when the time comes, which — according to him — will be on or near National Signing Day. Michigan is also keeping tabs on Jacksonville (Fla.) Providence School four-star tight end Will Mallory and Carterville (Ill.) High four-star tight end Luke Ford. Mallory, a Miami commit, is a Michigan legacy — Mal- lory's dad, Mike Mallory (1981-85), and uncles, Doug Mallory (1983-87) and Curt Mallory (1988-91) all played at Michigan — and Ford, a former Ar- kansas pledge, has been to U-M since decommitting from the Razorbacks and plans to be back in Ann Arbor for the BBQ at The Big House July 29. Rivals.com lists the 6-5, 210-pound Mallory as the No. 16 tight end na- tionally, while the 6-7, 247-pound Ford is rated as the No. 5 tight end and No. 136 overall prospect in the country. THE LOWEST RECRUITING NEED While landing a tight end or two in 2018 is essential, bringing in a wide receiver may not be. The Michigan staff loaded up on wideouts in 2017, reeling in four studs in Detroit Cass Tech five-star Donovan Peoples- Jones and Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four-star Tarik Black, who both en- rolled early, plus Pinson (Ala.) Clay four-star Nico Collins and Iowa City (Iowa) West four-star Oliver Martin. However, Michigan is trying to add to its receivers group. St. Louis Christian Brothers College High four-star Kamryn Babb, Naza- reth (Pa.) Area four-star Jahan Dotson, Ontario (Calif.) Colony three-star Michael Ezeike, Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County four-star Kearis Jackson and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Amon- Ra St. Brown seem to make up the majority of realistic wide receiver options for Michigan. At 6-1 and 175 pounds, Babb is built more like a running back and would be a great compliment to Michigan's 2017 haul. Rivals.com's No. 17 wide receiver and No. 89 overall prospect nationally has included Michigan in his top nine along with LSU, Ala- bama, Ole Miss, Ohio State, USC, Mis- souri, Nebraska and Notre Dame. His top group is loaded with college foot- ball's finest, but U-M is right there. "I heard a lot of great things about Michigan in terms of what they have to offer while I was there," he said after a visit to Ann Arbor earlier this spring. Babb smiled and said yes when asked if Michigan would be a part of his process until he makes a decision. With a lankier, slimmer build at 6-0 and 165 pounds, Dotson is another slot type that would be a nice compli- ment to U-M's wide receiver crop in the 2017 class. Dotson, the No. 26 wide receiver and No. 135 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals.com, is electric in space and versatile as evi- denced by him playing quarterback last year. Dotson has a loose top three consisting of Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, and many believe the Nit- tany Lions might be the leader. Michigan impressed him during a visit last summer, though, and he's consistently mentioned U-M as a top option. "It was a really nice area in Ann Ar- bor," he said. "Obviously the stadium was amazing, and the campus and fa- cilities were really cool I really enjoyed myself." Dotson, who spent his junior sea- son at The Peddie School in New Jer- sey, will finish out his prep career back in his hometown of Nazareth. Penn State has been in good shape with him for a long time. The most recently offered receiver in the group is Ezeike, who is attrac- tive because of his 6-5, 210-pound frame. While just the No. 73 player in the state of California according to Rivals.com, he has a combination of athleticism, size and lack of football experience, which makes him a very intriguing prospect. He's never been to Michigan before, but is paying close attention to the Maize and Blue since touching base in early June. "I met the Michigan coaches at the USC camp, and they said they'll keep in contact," Ezeike explained. "When they texted me, I was like: 'Wow they really do have interest in me.' Then when they finally offered, I was just really excited." The jumbo receiver likes the idea of playing football in a colder envi- ronment and plans to take an official visit to Michigan in the fall. Another stocky, running back-like wide receiver at 6-0 and 190 pounds, Jackson has Michigan in his top eight along with Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, Auburn, Alabama, LSU and Florida State. Michigan has made a very solid impres- sion on Rivals.com's No. 33 wide receiver and No. 159 overall prospect na- tionally. "Michigan is one of my top schools," Jackson said. "I picked my top schools because they all have great programs and the coaches are some of the best in the country. "Just from my peers I've heard great things about Michigan. I know it's a great school, and it has a lot of tradition. It's all about football at a place like Michigan. I can't wait to visit and see it." Jackson knows Atlanta Westlake Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rivals.com's No. 1 wide receiver and No. 4 overall pros- pect in the country, is considering Michigan. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM