The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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72 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING Harbaugh has earned himself a repu- tation as a relentless recruiter. The youngest coach on staff has a lot of energy and a knack for connecting with prospects closer to his age. During the bye, the younger Har- baugh was in St. Louis to check in on four-star wide receiver Kamryn Babb. The 6-1, 175-pound standout from Christian Brothers College High tore his ACL earlier this year but has remained high on Michigan's board. The No. 34 wide receiver and No. 164 overall prospect nationally would fill a position of need in the 2018 class and could make up the entire haul at his position. The coach also headed out to his old stomping grounds in Corvallis, Ore., to check in on Crescent Valley four-star athlete Talanoa Hufanga. The 6-1, 194-pounder figures to be a safety at the next level, but is con- sidered the No. 2 athlete and No. 57 overall prospect nationally because of his versatility on both sides of the ball. Hufanga has already scheduled his official visit to Michigan for the Ohio State game Nov. 25 and has consistently mentioned the Wolver- ines among several Pac-12 schools as one of his favorites. He still has nine other schools he's interested in, in- cluding Utah, Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama, Washington, USC, Oregon State, UCLA and Nebraska. Since he's officially visiting Michi- gan it's pretty safe to say that U-M is in the top half of that group, but the distance from home may factor into his decision. From the youngest coach on the staff to the oldest and wisest of the bunch, Greg Mattison also hit the recruiting trail during the bye week. Michigan's defensive line coach was in the St. Louis area, scoping out two of U-M's top targets along the defen- sive front. Parkway North four-star defen- sive tackle Michael Thompson and Lutheran North four-star strongside defensive end Ronnie Perkins know each other well and would be a for- midable one-two punch along any defensive line. It could happen at Missouri or Michigan, with those schools being the only two both prospects have in their respective top groups. Thompson has yet to set one up, but Perkins will be in Ann Arbor Dec. 8 for his official visit. The 6-4, 273-pound Thompson is the No. 4 defensive tackle and No. 55 overall prospect nationally, while Perkins comes in at No. 13 among strongside defensive ends and No. 243 over- all nationally. Perkins, at 6-4 and 260 pounds is the No. 5 player in the Show-Me State, with Thompson checking in at No. 2. Before linebackers coach Chris Par- tridge also headed down to Geor- gia to check in on Barrett and Goss, he stopped by The Sunshine State to see a couple of committed pros- pects. Vero Beach (Fla.) High four- star inside linebacker David Reese, a Florida commit, and Jensen Beach (Fla.) High four-star safety Jamien Sherwood, an Auburn pledge, are close friends and visited Michigan together earlier this summer. Reese (6-2, 210 pounds) and Sher- wood (6-2, 200 pounds) are two of the more impressive looking players in the country. Reese is considered the No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 109 prospect regardless of position, while Sherwood comes in at No. 17 among safeties and No. 200 overall. Both players seem like great fits at U-M, and the staff is going to continue to pursue them regardless of their status. CALIFORNIA TARGETS Finally, safeties coach Brian Smith took a trip out west during the bye week to see a trio of Californians. Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra four-star athlete Bryan Addison, Anaheim (Calif.) Servite four-star safety Julius Irvin and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star wide re- ceiver Amon-Ra St. Brown all got a visit from Smith, and all also decided to officially visit for the game against the Spartans. All three had good things to say and seemed to enjoy the trip despite the bad weather and the loss to MSU. The 6-5, 175-pound Addison is the No. 3 athlete and No. 59 overall prospect nationally, while the 6-1, 180-pound Irvin checks in as the No. 26 safety in the country. Both of them are being recruited by Michi- gan to play in the defensive backfield and could be a scary duo roaming the deep part of the field. St. Brown is the biggest fish of them all as the No. 1 wideout and No. 4 overall prospect nationally. At 6-1 and 187 pounds, he plays much bigger than that, but also operates in space like a slot receiver. He was virtually unstoppable during the off- season camp circuit and would be a big-time target for any quarterback. The mentioned players don't make up Michigan's entire recruit- ing board, but it's pretty telling when the coaches will spend time and re- sources to visit them during a bye week. Atlanta Westlake four-star corner- back Myles Sims, Buford (Ga.) High three-star running back Christian Turner, Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County four-star outside linebacker Otis Re- ese, Hamden Hall (Conn.) Coun- try Day School three-star tight end Luke Schoonmaker, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central three-star offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield, Indianapolis Cathedral four-star guard Emil Ekiyor, Traverse City (Mich.) West three-star offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, Orlando (Fla.) Olympia four-star dual-threat quar- terback Joe Milton, Naples (Fla.) High three-star cornerback Sammy Faustin, and DeSoto (Texas) High twins four-star cornerback Gemon Green and three-star safety German Green — all Michigan commits — also received visits from members of U-M's staff. ❏ Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five - star Amon-Ra St. Brown, the nation's top wide receiver and No. 4 overall prospect, offi- cially visited Michigan for the Michigan State game Oct. 7. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN