*** I made a day trip out to Detroit on Thursday and saw a handful of Michigan's most important in-state targets. My trip started at 3 a.m. central time as I embarked on my journey to West Bloomfield (Mich.) High safety Dillon Tatum. As you guys know, Tatum has been looking to decide between Michigan and Michigan State since April. I know some have labeled Dillon a 'drama queen,' but I can assure you that this process has caused immense stress in his life. The usual joy and jokes weren't there. Just the night before, Dillon expressed his frustrations over text. I can tell you that Dillon isn't trying to drum up hype for his decision. He is genuinely torn. Tatum grew up in an MSU household but absolutely loves Michigan and the connections he has to the program. On top of qualifying for the junior olympics, Tatum is going through a lot right now.
*** Tatum has continuously pushed back his decision date since April, but I really do think it will come before the end of summer. With no Donovan Edwards or Ron Bellamy, West Bloomfield is leaning on Tatum for leadership and his playmaking ability on the field. His focus wants to be on winning another state title. Tatum will not be at The Big House BBQ next week due to junior olympic obligations. However, he is set to make an unofficial visit to Michigan on Tuesday. In some ways, this is good news as Tatum will get a more personalized visit. He has no set date for Michigan State, but he also wants to see the Spartans before he leaves for Houston (site of the junior olympics). These two visits will be pivotal in Tatum's final decision. Right now, I don't think anybody knows where Dillon is leaning, including Dillon himself.
*** My stop at West Bloomfield was a quick one because I had to race over to King, so I didn't get to talk to any of the underclassmen. But as I previously reported, four-star 2023 offensive lineman Amir Herring, rising 2023 wide receiver Semaj Morgan and rising 2024 athlete Brandon Davis-Swain are all scheduled to be at The Big House BBQ. Elite 2023 Detroit (Mich.) King quarterback Dante Moore is also expected to be at The Big House BBQ. This will be his second visit to Michigan of the summer as he also attended 'Detroit Day.' Moore told me he is also looking to get to Michigan State and potentially Penn State during the brief lift in the dead period. Right now, he is comfortable taking a laid-back approach to the recruiting process and has no set decision timeline.
*** Moore has been in constant contact with Michigan assistant Ron Bellamy, who has known Moore for several years. The two have a really strong relationship. New quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss is becoming increasingly involved as well. Moore said one of the biggest highlights of the summer was getting to meet and interact with Weiss. Honestly, I'm not sure why it took so long for Moore and Weiss to link up, but Moore is happy it finally happened. Moore plans to get to a game or two at Michigan this fall and added that he wants to see the Wolverines do on the field. This season will have a tremendous impact on where the Wolverines stand in the Moore sweepstakes.
*** While I really like where Michigan stands, I am always going to be fearful of Ohio State in this race. The Buckeyes offered Moore this summer, and he grew up an OSU fan (Moore is originally from Ohio). Moore knows OSU is bringing in five-star Quinn Ewers this cycle, while Michigan is bringing in a project. Still, the OSU offer is extremely enticing for obvious reasons. Notre Dame has been talked a lot about with Moore, but I just don't see him being an ND kid. Michigan State is pressing hard, and it is interesting that he's visiting there often. Moore enjoyed his trip down south this summer and really liked Florida State. I have a good plug at Florida State that believes the Seminoles impressed him the most on his southern swing.
*** Shortly after Moore's throwing session, I had a chance to spend some time with five-star cornerback Will Johnson, who had a private workout with his father at King. From talking to both Deon and Will, I believe they feel more solid than ever with their commitment to the Wolverines. Will visited Michigan three times in June with Deon attending two of those visits. Both will be back on campus for The Big House BBQ. I do believe the threat from USC has gone down significantly. The most important thing Michigan needs to do is just win. If the Wolverines tank, it could open the door for others to get involved, but as it stands now, Will is happy with his decision and is continuing to recruit others to Ann Arbor.
*** Will was elated that Michigan got four-star cornerback Myles Pollard on the boat. Of course, Will knew that was going to happen for several months. He and his father did their best with Keon Sabb, but that obviously fell short. Now, Will is focused on a handful of guys, namely the aforementioned Tatum, Walter Nolen, Deone Walker, who we'll get to in a second, Sebastian Cheeks and Ja'Kobi Albert. I do think it's a little frustrating for Will that more top guys haven't joined him at Michigan. But again, he's happy with his decision and is still doing his best to recruit for the Wolverines. He also likes some of the more under-the-radar lands this cycle like Colston Loveland.
*** After seeing Will, I made my way over to Cass Tech to see four-star defensive tackle Deone Walker. Everybody from Will to Tay'Shawn Trent to Mario Eugenio has been recruiting Walker to Michigan, and it's clear the Wolverines are trending in the right direction. Walker also has a great relationship with Bellamy and the rest of the staff. They are making it a priority to close with him sooner rather than later. Walker will be back on campus for The Big House BBQ next weekend, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Wolverines get him to shut it down soon after. Walker hasn't made any official visits yet, so I think he would like to check out other schools. But at the end of the day, Michigan is where he wants to be, in my opinion.
*** Four-star 2023 Cass Tech defensive end Jalen Thompson is also slated to be at The Big House BBQ next weekend. There have been some early picks for Michigan State for Thompson due to the fact that the Spartans hired his former head coach, Thomas Wilcher. However, Thompson is far from a lock to land at MSU. It's still very early in his process, and he's excited to get a look at several schools. Michigan has done a great job with him early on, and his upcoming visit will only help. With Raheem Anderson on the roster and Deone Walker trending to U-M, the Wolverines will use their ties to Thompson to their advantage.
*** Tatum has continuously pushed back his decision date since April, but I really do think it will come before the end of summer. With no Donovan Edwards or Ron Bellamy, West Bloomfield is leaning on Tatum for leadership and his playmaking ability on the field. His focus wants to be on winning another state title. Tatum will not be at The Big House BBQ next week due to junior olympic obligations. However, he is set to make an unofficial visit to Michigan on Tuesday. In some ways, this is good news as Tatum will get a more personalized visit. He has no set date for Michigan State, but he also wants to see the Spartans before he leaves for Houston (site of the junior olympics). These two visits will be pivotal in Tatum's final decision. Right now, I don't think anybody knows where Dillon is leaning, including Dillon himself.
*** My stop at West Bloomfield was a quick one because I had to race over to King, so I didn't get to talk to any of the underclassmen. But as I previously reported, four-star 2023 offensive lineman Amir Herring, rising 2023 wide receiver Semaj Morgan and rising 2024 athlete Brandon Davis-Swain are all scheduled to be at The Big House BBQ. Elite 2023 Detroit (Mich.) King quarterback Dante Moore is also expected to be at The Big House BBQ. This will be his second visit to Michigan of the summer as he also attended 'Detroit Day.' Moore told me he is also looking to get to Michigan State and potentially Penn State during the brief lift in the dead period. Right now, he is comfortable taking a laid-back approach to the recruiting process and has no set decision timeline.
*** Moore has been in constant contact with Michigan assistant Ron Bellamy, who has known Moore for several years. The two have a really strong relationship. New quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss is becoming increasingly involved as well. Moore said one of the biggest highlights of the summer was getting to meet and interact with Weiss. Honestly, I'm not sure why it took so long for Moore and Weiss to link up, but Moore is happy it finally happened. Moore plans to get to a game or two at Michigan this fall and added that he wants to see the Wolverines do on the field. This season will have a tremendous impact on where the Wolverines stand in the Moore sweepstakes.
*** While I really like where Michigan stands, I am always going to be fearful of Ohio State in this race. The Buckeyes offered Moore this summer, and he grew up an OSU fan (Moore is originally from Ohio). Moore knows OSU is bringing in five-star Quinn Ewers this cycle, while Michigan is bringing in a project. Still, the OSU offer is extremely enticing for obvious reasons. Notre Dame has been talked a lot about with Moore, but I just don't see him being an ND kid. Michigan State is pressing hard, and it is interesting that he's visiting there often. Moore enjoyed his trip down south this summer and really liked Florida State. I have a good plug at Florida State that believes the Seminoles impressed him the most on his southern swing.
*** Shortly after Moore's throwing session, I had a chance to spend some time with five-star cornerback Will Johnson, who had a private workout with his father at King. From talking to both Deon and Will, I believe they feel more solid than ever with their commitment to the Wolverines. Will visited Michigan three times in June with Deon attending two of those visits. Both will be back on campus for The Big House BBQ. I do believe the threat from USC has gone down significantly. The most important thing Michigan needs to do is just win. If the Wolverines tank, it could open the door for others to get involved, but as it stands now, Will is happy with his decision and is continuing to recruit others to Ann Arbor.
*** Will was elated that Michigan got four-star cornerback Myles Pollard on the boat. Of course, Will knew that was going to happen for several months. He and his father did their best with Keon Sabb, but that obviously fell short. Now, Will is focused on a handful of guys, namely the aforementioned Tatum, Walter Nolen, Deone Walker, who we'll get to in a second, Sebastian Cheeks and Ja'Kobi Albert. I do think it's a little frustrating for Will that more top guys haven't joined him at Michigan. But again, he's happy with his decision and is still doing his best to recruit for the Wolverines. He also likes some of the more under-the-radar lands this cycle like Colston Loveland.
*** After seeing Will, I made my way over to Cass Tech to see four-star defensive tackle Deone Walker. Everybody from Will to Tay'Shawn Trent to Mario Eugenio has been recruiting Walker to Michigan, and it's clear the Wolverines are trending in the right direction. Walker also has a great relationship with Bellamy and the rest of the staff. They are making it a priority to close with him sooner rather than later. Walker will be back on campus for The Big House BBQ next weekend, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Wolverines get him to shut it down soon after. Walker hasn't made any official visits yet, so I think he would like to check out other schools. But at the end of the day, Michigan is where he wants to be, in my opinion.
*** Four-star 2023 Cass Tech defensive end Jalen Thompson is also slated to be at The Big House BBQ next weekend. There have been some early picks for Michigan State for Thompson due to the fact that the Spartans hired his former head coach, Thomas Wilcher. However, Thompson is far from a lock to land at MSU. It's still very early in his process, and he's excited to get a look at several schools. Michigan has done a great job with him early on, and his upcoming visit will only help. With Raheem Anderson on the roster and Deone Walker trending to U-M, the Wolverines will use their ties to Thompson to their advantage.
