The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/917835
JANUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 57 MICHIGAN RECRUITING much and be good enough to gain all of these accomplishments," McGrone said. "Football was the last sport I tried out and came to be the one I was best at and enjoyed the most. It's crazy to see how far I've come." The three commits will be working on a trio of targets throughout the week in San Antonio. Carterville (Ill.) High four-star tight end Luke Ford is tops at his position nationally and continues to be pur- sued by Michigan, but looks like an Alabama lean. The 6-7, 247-pounder never officially visited U-M, but did get a home visit from Michigan's tight end coach Greg Frey. Another official visitor from the Ohio State weekend, Corvallis (Ore.) Crescent Valley four-star athlete Tala- noa Hufanga will be in San Antonio for the week proving why he's Ri- vals.com's No. 1 athlete and No. 63 overall prospect nationally. He's high on Michigan, but will be tough to lure away from the West Coast. Though he's basically a pipe dream for Michigan at this stage of his re- cruitment, Santa Ana (Calif.) Ma- ter Dei wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown did officially visit Ann Arbor for the Michigan State game and re- mains intrigued by Jim Harbaugh. Rivals.com's No. 1 wide receiver and No. 3 overall player nationally will likely end up at USC or Notre Dame. EARLY ENROLLEES READY FOR ANN ARBOR Last year 's recruiting class con- sisted of double-digit early enroll- ees, and five of them — fullback Ben Mason, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, defensive back Ambry Thomas, wide receiver Tarik Black and offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz — received significant playing time during their rookie campaigns. Michigan will only welcome three early enrollees in the 2018 class, and it could be tricky for them to find the field, given their positions and col- lege readiness. Orlando (Fla.) Olympia four-star dual-threat quarterback Joe Milton likely won't be needed in 2018 with such a crowded quarterback room, but he's still ready to get on campus and get to work. "I just feel like if I graduate early I can learn the playbook," Milton said. "That will really help me get on the field early. Michigan is where I want to go and live my life. That's just the best decision for me." The 6-5, 210-pounder is the No. 11 dual-threat quarterback and No. 189 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals, and has a rocket for an arm. Michigan's cornerbacks should be a strong suit heading into 2018, but Atlanta Westlake four-star cor- nerback Myles Sims may still find his way onto the field because of his great length and ball skills at 6-3, 173 pounds. Rivals.com's No. 79 overall prospect nationally has been very outspoken about signing early and getting on campus in January. Finally, one of the newest members of Michigan's 2018 recruiting class, Bradenton (Fla.) Braden River three- star strongside defensive end Taylor Upshaw, committed while in town for the Ohio State game and can't wait to be back as an official student- athlete. "It was pretty quick, but I'm ex- cited about it," Upshaw said. KEVIN DOYLE NAMED GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR WASHINGTON, D.C. Washington (D.C.) St. John's Col- lege High three-star pro-style quar- terback and Michigan commit Kevin Doyle was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the District of Columbia after a very productive senior season. The 6-4, 210-pounder went 159-of- 252 passing (63.1 percent) for 2,620 yards and 22 touchdowns against just four intercep- tions. He also carried the ball 23 times for 94 yards and two more scores. D o y l e c a r r i e s a modest rating — Ri- vals.com lists him as the No. 24 dual- threat quarterback in the county — but he couldn't be happier about what he's been able to accomplish. "It's really an honor to me and very humbling," he said. "People al- ways talk about getting recognition, and this is ultimately one of the high- est recognitions you can get on a na- tional stage. Stars, offers or commit- ments mean nothing for this award. It specifically highlights character, academics and obviously football abilities. "Getting Gatorade Player of the Year really has allowed me to reflect on how good of a team we had." Doyle also reeled in a local award that carries a lot of weight, when he was named the All-Metro Player of the Year by The Washington Post for the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. ❏ 2018 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Ronnie Bell WR 6-1 170 Kansas City, Mo. (Park Hill) Kevin Doyle QB 6-4 210 Washington, D.C. (St. John's College High) Sammy Faustin CB 6-2 170 Naples, Fla. (Naples) Gemon Green DB 6-2 173 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) German Green DB 6-2 180 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) Hassan Haskins RB 6-1 207 Eureka, Mo. (Eureka) Ryan Hayes OL 6-7 250 Traverse City, Mich. (West) Aidan Hutchinson DE 6-6 248 Dearborn, Mich. (Divine Child) Jalen Mayfield OL 6-5 250 Grand Rapids, Mich. (Catholic Central) Cameron McGrone LB 6-1 210 Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) Joe Milton QB 6-5 210 Orlando, Fla. (Olympia) Mustapha Muhammad TE 6-5 240 Missouri City, Texas (Ridge Point) Otis Reese LB 6-2 195 Leesburg, Ga. (Lee County) Luke Schoonmaker TE 6-6 229 Hamden, Conn. (Hamden Hall Country Day) Myles Sims DB 6-3 173 Atlanta (Westlake) Christian Turner RB 5-10 180 Buford, Ga. (Buford) Taylor Upshaw DE 6-4 235 Bradenton, Fla. (Braden River) Ben VanSumeren ATH 6-3 235 Essexville, Mich. (Garber) 2019 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Stephen Herron DE 6-4 225 Louisville, Ky. (Trinity) Christopher Hinton DE 6-5 265 Norcross, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian) Nolan Rumler OL 6-4 300 Akron, Ohio (Hoban) Charles Thomas LB 6-0 216 Fairburn, Ga. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) DOYLE