The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/956415
APRIL 2018 THE WOLVERINE 53 MICHIGAN RECRUITING Bowen spent a lot of time talking to the coaches about his football future af- ter recently decommitting from Notre Dame as a baseball prospect. "I got to eat with Coach Harbaugh, and I also spent the day with Coach [Jim] McElwain and Coach [Roy] Roundtree," Bowen noted. The two-sport star has upcoming visits to Michigan State and North- western before he plans to return to Ann Arbor for an official visit. The 6-1, 175-pounder would like to com- mit before his senior season kicks off, so it'll be interesting to see if he picks up an offer from the Maize and Blue. As the No. 67 wide receiver in the country, Bowen isn't necessarily a top priority. However, Harbaugh loves those multi-sport, versatile guys. The Michigan staff also hosted Walled Lake (Mich.) Western three- star athlete Kobe Myers. The 6-1, 190-pounder is a bit of a tweener, but the Michigan coaching staff seems to have a perfect position for guys like him. "Coach Brown talked to me about possibly playing safety or outside linebacker, the Viper position," My- ers explained. "I don't have an offer yet, but I'm fine with that. I know that they are keeping an eye on me, and I plan to show them what I can do." The No. 29 player in the state of Michigan already holds offers from several Mid-American Conference schools along with Cincinnati, Iowa and Syracuse, but a tender from U-M would likely be a game changer. Another intriguing prospect to keep an eye on from the event is Pittsburgh North Allegheny three- star junior cornerback Joey Porter Jr. If the name looks familiar, that's be- cause he's the son of longtime Pitts- burgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter. Junior is built differently than dad at 6-1, 165 pounds, but he can defi- nitely play. He's already reeled in offers from Arizona State, Cincin- nati, LSU, Maryland, Nebraska, Pitts- burgh, Rutgers and West Virginia, among others, and would love to add Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State to the list. Michigan also brought in Long- mont (Colo.) Fairview freshman strongside defensive end Brayden Wood. The 6-3, 230-pounder is a young buck, but already holds offers from Colorado State and Texas Tech. As a friend of Michigan defensive lineman Carlo Kemp, Wood got a first-hand tour of the facilities and more, and also spent a lot of time with defensive line coach Greg Mattison. "The trip went great," Wood ex- claimed. "We got the full treatment. My favorite part about the whole thing was sitting down with Coach Mattison and having a one-on-one conversation with him. "We went over a couple schemes and talked about the Michigan de- fense, and what they all had to offer. He focused on what they can offer after football, which was something I really found interesting. We also went over my film." Wood didn't pick up an offer, but as a freshman he's definitely a name to watch moving forward. One visitor did pick up an offer while in town. River Rouge (Mich.) High three-star weakside defensive end Ruke Orhorhoro stands out physi- cally at 6-5, 235 pounds, and the Mich- igan coaches definitely took notice. Orhorhoro almost couldn't believe that he picked up an offer from U-M. "It was amazing," Orhorhoro said. "My heart started beating really fast, and I couldn't stop smiling. "It's Michigan. I'm just very thank- ful to receive an offer from them." Orhorhoro is now waiting to see if any other offers come in, and then he'll start scheduling official visits as he wraps up his junior year. The Michigan coaches also hosted Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Chris- tian four-star junior Zach Charbon- net, the nation's No. 22 running back; Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian Academy junior four-star offensive guard Will Harrod; Wauke- sha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial fresh- man defensive end JC Latham; and Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville four-star junior Paul Tyson, the No. 8 pro-style quarterback nationally. All four have been offered by Michigan and Charbonnet, Harrod and Tyson are all extremely high on the Wolverines. Latham is just a freshman, but the future five-star prospect has expressed interest in U-M for some time. ❏ On The Web For regular reports on Michigan football recruiting plus videos of U-M commitments and targets visit TheWolverine.com. More Visitors On The Way For Spring Game Michigan will holds its annual spring game April 14, and many more recruits will invade Ann Arbor to get an early, offseason taste of The Big House. The list is certainly fluid, but a couple of big-time prospects are expected to be in attendance: • Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonne four-star safety Te'Cory Couch, the na- tion's No. 20 safety according to Rivals.com (official visit) • Greenwood (S.C.) Emerald three-star Luke Deal, the country's No. 24 tight end (official visit) • West Bloomfield (Mich.) High three-star outside linebacker Lance Dixon, the nation's No. 23 outside linebacker • Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna four-star and former Florida pledge John Dunmore, the No. 7 wide receiver and No. 41 overall prospect nationally • Flint (Mich.) Carman Ainsworth three-star strongside defensive end Michael Fletcher, the No. 11 player in the state of Michigan • Atlanta Marist School three-star athlete Kyle Hamilton • Louisville (Ky.) Trinity four-star defensive end and Michigan commit Stephen Herron, the No. 4 weakside defensive end in the country • Walled Lake (Mich.) Western three-star Sam Johnson III, the nation's No. 15 pro- style quarterback • Clinton Township (Mich.) Chippewa Valley three-star outside linebacker Marcel Lewis, the No. 24 player in the state of Michigan • Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County three-star cornerback Tavian Mayo, who hails from the same high school as U-M defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon • Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch four-star and Michigan commit Cade McNamara, the nation's No. 9 pro-style quarterback • Akron (Ohio) Hoban four-star Nolan Rumler, the No. 6 offensive guard and No. 110 overall prospect in the country • Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star Anthony Solomon, the na- tion's No. 6 inside linebacker and No. 155 overall prospect nationally (official visit)