The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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58 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING Arbor for U-M's junior day March 17 and was recruiting other prospects to join him at Michigan. Also High On The Board: Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy Orange five-star Zach Harrison, Zeeland (Mich.) East three-star Adam Berg- horst and Flint (Mich.) Carman Ain- sworth three-star Michael Fletcher. Weakside Defensive End Four-star commit Stephen Herron Louisville (Ky.) Trinity Just about a week before Hinton pulled the trigger for Michigan in early August, the Wolverines landed their top target at the other defensive end spot in the 6-4, 225-pound Her- ron. Stanford is still pursuing Herron aggressively, but he plans to be in Ann Arbor for the spring game and calls himself a solid commit. The No. 4 weakside defensive end and No. 51 overall prospect nation- ally is talented, but the staff is still targeting more edge rushers as well. Also High On The Board: Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic three-star Ae- neas DiCosmo, Mineral (Va.) Louisa County four-star Brandon Smith and Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Chris- tian five-star Kayvon Thibodeaux. Defensive Tackle Four-star Mazi Smith Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood T h e s i t u a t i o n h a s b e e n u p and down a bit between the 6-3, 302-pounder and the Wolverines, but he's back atop the recruiting board at his position. The No. 10 defensive tackle and No. 150 overall prospect nationally is coveted, and the staff should be able to pitch attractive angles like distance from home and the coaching he'd receive from Greg Mattison and Don Brown successfully. Also High On The Board: Suffield (Conn.) Academy's Jesse Polansky (unrated). Outside Linebacker Three-star Lance Dixon West Bloomfield (Mich.) High At 6-2, 193 pounds and with line- backer and safety skills, he is the per- fect athlete for Don Brown's Viper position, which is where he's being recruited. The in-state product seemed like a Michigan lean as of mid-March, but other big-time programs like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin have gotten in- volved with him. Also High On The Board: Horn Lake (Miss.) High four-star Nakobe Dean and Savannah (Ga.) Islands three-star Kalen DeLoach. Inside Linebacker Four-star Shane Lee Baltimore St. Frances The No. 1 inside linebacker and No. 36 prospect overall nationally, Lee is built like a brick house at 6-0, 235 pounds and is an absolute wall as a run stuffer around the line of scrim- mage. With former U-M staffer Biff Poggi running the show at St. Fran- ces, Michigan is always going to have an in with the Panthers, and that seems to be the case with Lee as the spring rolls on. Also High On The Board: Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aqui- nas four-star Anthony Solomon. Cornerback Four-star Andrew Booth, Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer The Wolverines have offered more than 30 cornerbacks, and Booth is certainly one of their top targets. At 6-1, 180 pounds and hailing from the Peach State, Booth is wanted by all of college football's big boys — but U-M's success in Georgia has his attention. He'll be tough to pull as the No. 5 cornerback and No. 30 overall pros- pect nationally, but safeties coach Chris Partridge and cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich are going to put in the time to try and make it happen. Also High On The Board: Alex- andria (Va.) Episcopal four-star Sa- lim Turner-Muhammad and Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham five-star Derek Stingley Jr. Safety Four-star Daxton Hill Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington Hailing from a region of the coun- try where Michigan generally doesn't have a lot of recruiting success, Hill is an absolute stud and reportedly likes U-M a lot. The 6-0, 182-pounder looks like a future NFL player and is considered the No. 2 safety and No. 44 overall prospect nationally. Programs like Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan and Ohio State have also impressed Hill early, but his unof- ficial visit to Ann Arbor for the Elite Junior Day speaks to that interest in the Wolverines. Also High On The Board: Alex- andria (Va.) Episcopal four-star Li- tchfield Ajavon, Cedar Hill (Texas) Trinity Christian four-star Lewis Cine and Detroit Martin Luther King four-star Marvin Grant. Athlete Five-star Quavaris Crouch, Charlotte (N.C.) Harding University High The No. 1 overall player in the country, Crouch is atop many recruit- ing boards, but Michigan is one of a handful of schools that seems to have a legitimate chance with him. At 6-3 and 222 pounds, Crouch is a problem for opponents at both running back and linebacker. Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee are some of the schools being mentioned as his favorites as of mid-March. Also High On The Board: Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei five-star Bru McCoy and St. Louis Trinity Catholic four-star Isaiah Williams. ❏ The nation's No. 1 overall recruit, Quavaris Crouch, could play on either side of the ball at the next level. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM