The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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58 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 PREP PROFILES Baltimore St. Frances four-star in- side linebacker Shane Lee is a speci- men at 6-0, 235 pounds and is rated as the No. 33 overall player in the country. He's just outside five-star status according to Rivals.com's lat- est rankings, but that could certainly change in the future. Michigan hosted an impressive group of visitors for the regular-sea- son finale Ohio State Nov. 25, and Lee was among them. As a member of former Michigan staffer Biff Pog- gi's squad, Lee is going to remain on U-M's radar, and he plans to keep the Wolverines on his mind as well. "The Michigan visit definitely ex- ceeded my expectations," Lee said. "It's cool how it's the largest stadium in college football. It was a lot differ- ent than the other places I'd been to. "The fans are crazy and are so ded- icated to the team and their players — it was great to see." It was a huge visit weekend for Michigan with 11 official visitors were in town. Lee wasn't able to spend a lot of time with the U-M coaches because of that, but he still managed to enjoy his time in Ann Arbor. Lee holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame and Ohio State, and says that he doesn't have any leaders mid- way through his junior year of high school. He did reveal that Michigan's struggles this season, including the loss to Ohio State that he witnessed firsthand, wouldn't change his view of the Wolverines. "No, it doesn't at all," he said. "Coach Harbaugh is definitely still an elite coach. He's unorthodox and is just really fun to be around. I could see myself potentially playing there someday." Lee isn't close to a decision, but he is starting to think about what he wants in a school. Michigan checks a lot of his boxes, and he knows he'll have to start paring things down be- fore too long. "I'd say the biggest factor for me in choosing where I want to play is what the university can do for me and my future aside from football," he said. Lee recorded 78 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, three forced fum- bles and two fumble recoveries as a junior, and was named first-team All-Metro by The Baltimore Sun. — Brandon Brown U-M Is In The Mix For The Nation's Top 2019 Inside Linebacker ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ St. Frances H.S. Baltimore Class: 2019 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 235 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 1 prospect in Maryland, and No. 1 inside linebacker and No. 33 overall player nationally Shane Lee Lee on Michigan "I could see myself potentially playing there someday." Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star weakside defensive end Nolan Smith has been commit- ted to Georgia for almost a year, but that didn't stop Jim Harbaugh and his staff from offering the 6-3, 228-pounder in early October. Smith, a Georgia native, doesn't know much about Michigan as a school or a program, but U-M has a man working on him from the inside. "I know [Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star outside line- backer and Michigan commit] Charles Thomas obviously with him being committed, and he tells me about how Michigan throws a lot of blitzes. "I like hearing that be- cause that means a lot of one-on-one situations, and pass rushers like me love that type of situation. That's what I do best. In a one-on-one sit- uation — that's where I make my money. I'd love to get that all the time." The athletic pass rusher grew up a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs and shocked no one when he committed to UGA in January of this year. "I'm a hometown kid, and I grew up loving the Bulldogs. They were my first offer, too," Smith said. "A lot of schools said that I was too small whenever I camped. I camped at Georgia, I loved it and they offered me. "[Bulldogs head coach Kirby] Smart was right there with me for the whole camp, and he told me per- sonally that he wanted me to lead my class. I felt like that was something special, and he believed in me from the jump." Smith definitely sounds like he's more than solid to the Bulldogs, but he's not completely shutting out other schools. Smith has many big- time offers and to him Michigan is one of them. It'll be tough for the Wolverines to flip him away from the Bulldogs, but he does plan to at least give other schools a shot. "Most schools don't know that I'm trying to take all five of my official visits," he said. "I'm committed, but I'm trying to see other places. I just really want to make sure the reason why I committed is the right reason. I'll give any school that's on me hard a chance." Smith finished his junior campaign at IMG Academy with 41 total stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also had an interception, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt. — Brandon Brown The Wolverines Are Trying To Flip Defensive End Away From Georgia ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla. Class: 2019 Position: Defensive End Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 228 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 7 prospect in Florida, and No. 2 weakside defensive end and No. 24 overall player in the country Nolan Smith Smith "I'll give any school that's on me hard a chance."