The Wolverine

March 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MARCH 2018 THE WOLVERINE 19 noted on Feb. 7. "I wouldn't say it caught us off guard. We understood it was a possibility." Reese's defection wasn't the only signing day disappointment for Har- baugh and the Wolverines. Five-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, who attended the Ohio State-Michigan game in Michigan Stadium last No- vember, opted to become a Buckeye. Given the Wolverines' need at tackle, Petit-Frere was a top priority. U-M even practiced for the Outback Bowl at his high school, Tampa's Berkeley Prep. As it turns out, Michi- gan will be battling against him, rather than with him. Those developments made Michi- gan's second signing day quieter than it would have been otherwise. Harbaugh knew all along, though, that the first round of signings would supply the bulk of the class. "I don't know what the numbers exactly will be, but somewhere around 80 percent seemed to decide on the first signing day, and today that number is 20 percent more that signed throughout college football," he said. "I think our number will be close to that. There was a priority for the youngsters to sign on the first signing day. That's probably the big- gest takeaway." As for the new process, Michigan's head coach took it in stride and ac- knowledged the positives involved. "I understand it and feel good about it," he said. "A lot of the fami- lies felt really good about it. Those that didn't had the ability to wait and make their decision and make more visits until they ultimately decided on the second signing day. So yeah — I understand it and understand the motivations for it." The tweaked NCAA schedule will also allow for official visits in the spring. That will change the outlook going forward, Harbaugh noted. "I remember a time when very few visits occurred during the fall," he said. "Most all the visits were after the football season took place, and there were unofficial visits during the season. Official visits came after- wards. "I think you'll see a model where official visits will come in the spring, in the fall and after the season. So a youngster that has been playing high school football, Friday night games sometimes can compact the official visit. So does it make more sense to visit when you're not playing a game on a Friday night? "The choice gives more options for the family and more options for the vis- itors. Having more options is better." SOLID CORE ALREADY IN PLACE Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown won't lack options. He has nine starters returning and gets plenty of help in the form of nine de- fensive players from the class of 2018. There's at least one standout at every level of the defense. Defen- sive end Aidan Hutchinson (6-6, 258) comes out of nearby Dearborn, Mich., the son of former Wolverine standout Chris Hutchinson (1988- 92). The elder Hutchinson owns five Big Ten championship rings, and the son will be seeking some hardware of his own. At linebacker, explosive blitzer Cameron McGrone (6-1, 225) out of 2018 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Michael Barrett ATH 6-0 215 Valdosta, Ga. (Lowndes) Ronnie Bell WR 6-1 174 Kansas City, Mo. (Park Hill) Sammy Faustin CB 6-2 190 Naples, Fla. (Naples) Vincent Gray CB 6-2 180 Rochester, Mich. (Rochester Adams) Gemon Green DB 6-2 175 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) German Green DB 6-2 178 DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) Hassan Haskins RB 6-1 207 Eureka, Mo. (Eureka Senior) Ryan Hayes TE 6-7 262 Traverse City, Mich. (Traverse City West) Aidan Hutchinson DE 6-6 258 Dearborn, Mich. (Divine Child) Jalen Mayfield OL 6-5 275 Grand Rapids, Mich. (Catholic Central) Cameron McGrone LB 6-1 225 Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) Joe Milton* QB 6-5 220 Orlando, Fla. (Olympia) Mustapha Muhammad TE 6-4 244 Missouri City, Texas (Ridge Point) Luke Schoonmaker TE 6-6 229 Hamden, Conn. (Hamden Hall Country Day) Myles Sims* DB 6-3 173 Atlanta (Westlake) Christian Turner RB 5-11 185 Buford, Ga. (Buford) Taylor Upshaw* DE 6-4 240 Bradenton, Fla. (Braden River) Ben VanSumeren FB 6-3 232 Essexville, Mich. (Garber) Julius Welschof DE 6-6 253 Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany (FOS Altoetting) * Early enrollee Jim Harbaugh's 2018 recruiting class saw several defections, including four-star linebacker Otis Reese, who flipped to Georgia on National Signing Day after being committed to the Wolverines since June 2016. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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