The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, starting with football recruiting …
As we’ve discussed at some length Michigan is still expecting a commitment within the next few days. Some scheduled things got in the way over the last few days and kept a pledge from taking place, but as we’ve been told, it is still coming. The spring evaluation period is now underway and the coaches will be on the road, which was part of the motivation for a delayed pledge.
Munhall (Pa.) Steel Valley safety Paris Ford has been committed to Pittsburgh since last October, but that hasn’t kept schools from recruiting him. Michigan is one of the schools that is still interested and Ford is reciprocating. The four-star safety was very high on the Wolverines early in the process and while the interest has faded since his commitment, he’s still considering a visit to Ann Arbor.
The 6-0, 172-pounder was thinking about a visit during the spring game but it didn’t happen. It’ll be very interesting to see if a visit materializes and if the heat picks up on both ends.
Another offered prospect to keep an eye on is Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline offensive tackle Henry Bainivalu. The four-star prospect is growing more and more interested in the Wolverines and is actively trying to get to Ann Arbor. The 6-4, 277-pounder also tried to get to U-M during the week of the spring game but couldn’t arrange it.
After a 2016 class in which in-state recruits seemed to draw little more than a shrug from Jim Harbaugh’s coaches (in fairness, the indifference was mutual in a whole lot of cases), 2017 should see the Maize and Blue reel in a very, very good group from within its own borders.
There are matters of circumstance playing into that, of course. First off, it’s a better in-state group overall. Secondly, a few of last year’s top recruits didn’t have the choice to consider Michigan due to family factors (Daelin Hayes), or at least gave Michigan a shot, and didn’t see enough to overcome a lead that Michigan State had built during the Hoke era (Donnie Corley, Demetric Vance).
This year’s group is a great one, and Michigan already has four pledges from inside state borders. Before all is said and done, there will be more joining up. U-M has a chance to land the top in-state recruit for the first time since Will Campbell in 2009.
There are a lot of ways the in-state commitment class could go sideways, of course, starting with a miss on that top prospect (Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones). However, his southeastern trip last week didn’t seem to really make an impact in helping the likes of Florida get into the lead, and there are family factors – namely that they’d like to be able to see all of his games – tying him to staying in-state (where Michigan is the far more likely option than Michigan State). He’s a long, long way from a decision, but Michigan won’t go away like they might have under the previous coaching staff.
Michigan is also making a big push to be a national recruiter, though there was a minor blow to that effort when satellite camps were banned last week.
As we’ve said in the past seven days, the direct damage to Michigan won’t be that big. Sure, there are prospects (many from Georgia have already expressed this, for example), who had planned to use the Wolverines’ satellite camps as a chance to get to know the staff, who will now have to make an unofficial visit to campus at all – or not consider Michigan. (Side note: a few have told us – though none want to be named – that they’ve taken note that their home-turf coaches are essentially trying to tax them for considering a school like Michigan. The SEC comes out of this looking horrible, though the negative results in recruiting will actually have to arrive to effect any change in their position).
There’s also a chance that the rule doesn’t even stand up. There are legal challenges the NCAA will have to fight (or back down in fear of), questions to be answered by conference representatives – such as the Pac-12’s Dan Guerrero, athletic director of UCLA, who reportedly voted against the unanimous decision of those he was representing at the vote, or the MWC and Sun Belt representatives, whose position contradicts the best interests of their programs (sources have indicated there was likely financial incentive – or threat – from the conferences who proposed the legislation) – and a huge wave of negative backlash.
The NCAA comes out of this decision looking a little more like FIFA than the non-profit, students-first organization it purports to be. Will that lead to change? There’s no way to know with the random number generator that is the NCAA, but in an ideal world, would it?
Of course.
On a more direct line, Michigan’s summer schedule – which was going to include not only its on-campus camps, but the maximum number of satellites they could fit into the 14-day window that was previously allowable – is obviously impacted. Jim Harbaugh may now play as much golf as Butch Jones or Hugh Freeze… or extend his vacations to Paris, service trips to Peru… all things that the SEC mouthpieces say he shouldn’t have been able to do because of the evil camps last summer (patently false based on, like, he did them).
The recruiting effects will be felt a bit – some the Georgia prospects mentioned above probably won’t be able to afford the trip up North this summer, and therefore won’t consider Michigan as seriously as they wanted – but Harbaugh comes out of this looking like the champion of the student-athlete, largely because that’s reality in this one. (Whether he was the champion of the student athlete for self-serving purposes is irrelevant, since the anti-student position can only be seen as exclusively self-serving).
More recruiting …
This weekend’s (today’s, in fact) California visitors are a huge boon to Michigan’s off-season excitement around recruiting. Five-star receivers Joseph Lewis (2017) and Jalen Hall (2018) are the headliners, and as shared earlier in the week, we’re expecting 2019 quarterback JT Daniels to pick up a Michigan offer if he passes the look test.
This visit does come as part of a broader trip to the Midwest for the B2G 7-on-7 program, so it’s not like these kids are shelling out just to head across the country to see Michigan for one day. They’ll participate in the IMG 7-on-7 Chicago Regional Saturday and Sunday, and see Notre Dame on a visit Monday, too. However, as noted above, that cross-country trip is something that’s important to reeling in prospects (especially in the post-satellite camp era), and it’s tough for a lot of kids to make it happen by itself. However you get them on campus and build that relationship, you get a boost.
The downside? Much of the Michigan staff has hit the road this morning for the first day of the Spring Evaluation Period, so the full welcome won’t be on-hand for those players. Some (we presume quarterbacks/receivers coach Jedd Fisch, since we haven’t heard of a destination for the first day of his travel, and many of the visitors are in his position group) will still be around to make sure the talented prospects see everything they need to, though.
****
Let’s talk football and we have a range of subjects to cover, starting with more on the satellite camp ban.
Our NCAA source thinks there is a good chance that there is some reversal on this decision before we get to June 1 -- however, he doesn’t expect it to impact Michigan much. Most likely, the conferences will vote to allow the Group of 5 conference coaches to attend Power 5 conference camps so that prospective student-athletes can be seen by more coaching staffs.
While this move will certainly be better for conferences like the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West, etc., it won’t do much for the Big Ten because coaches like Jim Harbaugh would still be restricted from going to other places.
However, as one of our sources shared, “there is no way Jim can raise a stink about this. His message over and over again is that he’s looking out for the recruits and this actually would be very good for them, so he’d have to get behind this rule 100 percent or he starts to look hypocritical.
“In other words, the SEC, ACC staffs essentially want to call his bluff because they think they can get him to take the bait and still claim the rule is unjust. But Jim is a really smart guy, I think he knows how to play this and come out looking like the biggest hero in the bunch.”
If (once) the amendment is made, Harbaugh can champion himself as the guy that made it happen -- that his rhetoric pushed this change through and that will go a long way with high school coaches looking out for their kids.
As for whether current Michigan players could serve as camp coaches at a number of events throughout the south and west … we were told U-M has looked into it but thinks there are too many hurdles to clear when it comes to travel and lodgings, promotion too, and would rather not go down that road.
Within the program, the vibe is positive following the conclusion of spring ball. However, there could still be a few more departures before fall camp as the coaching staff continues to have honest discussions with where players stand in their development and their opportunity to earn playing time.
That said, we don’t expect either redshirt junior QB Shane Morris or redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Malzone to transfer … at least not at this time.
Both Morris and Malzone value the Michigan degree and also believe that this era of U-M football is about to be really special and they want to be a part of it. Sure, they might not play, but by being good teammates, they feel they can contribute positively to the cause and continue to work on their education.
Morris could play this fall, but not at quarterback. A move to receiver (or at least splitting reps between WR and QB) is a very real possibility as the coaches emphasize that his best chance to see the field is as a target, the Wolverines loving the idea of setting up 3-5 plays this season where Morris ultimately throws the ball all thanks to the fact that he has seen enough action at wideout to be a legitimate threat there.
Speaking of quarterbacks, we took some heat for referencing how one young player was struggling with homesickness, but the reason we put something out there is we’ve heard there is more to it than that and this player has has doubts that Michigan is the right place for him going forward.
Like we did with Erik Swenson, when we get good intel from a trusted source, we feel it is important to lay the groundwork for a possible outcome. Not a definite outcome as these things have a way of taking care of themselves, especially with young players away from home for the first time, but if the current concerns were to continue, we wouldn’t want our subscribers blindsided.
Even more quarterback talk but this is about the current competitors, redshirt junior John O’Korn and redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight.
If the season started today, Speight might be Michigan’s starter we’ve been told. However, the season doesn’t start today, and O’Korn still has a very good chance to win this job. What we’ve been told is that Harbaugh sees a lot of himself in O’Korn – a player that never gives up, plays with guts, is willing to put himself on the line physically, rallies his teammates, and can make something out of nothing.
But, O’Korn is still too risky with the football.
“He makes a lot more big plays than Speight, but he throws a lot more turnovers too,” a source inside the program shared. “He could throw for 350 yards and three touchdowns, run for 60 yards and a score, but have two picks and a fumble all in the same game, and maybe complete only 55 percent of his passes because he’s just throwing the ball places he shouldn’t.”
Speight is steady and reliable.
“I think a big part of this decision is going to come down to how good is the defense – is it really good or crazy good – and what type of running game they have because if you have a lights-out defense and a really good running game, Speight is your guy,” our source said.
“But right now, the running game is a little suspect, and I think they’re going to want to be able to use O’Korn as a runner and as a deception in the running game.
“Here’s the one thing I’ll say too, at some point this year, whether it’s the first game or in October or November, Speight is going to play significant snaps because O’Korn’s style is similar to Denard’s a bit, where he’s going to take some hits.
“So there is a very pragmatic approach for pumping Speight up too. Michigan needs this kid to have great confidence because there will probably be a moment, maybe a few, where he’ll have to come in like he did against Minnesota a year ago and take over while O’Korn is nursing an injury.”
Michigan actually feels great about its running back options, but the offensive line remains an impediment to making this ground game a huge success.
We continue to beat this drum and will say it again -- a freshman has a chance to start on the right side of the line.
“They need balance. They have to be able to run right but what you saw in the spring game was very consistent with the entire spring – they just don’t get a great push on that side,” one of our insiders noted. “They’re two offensive linemen away from a dominant unit but they’re only one away from being a very capable starting five.”
We’ll talk more defense in the next Inside The Fort, but we wanted to pass this dandy along about redshirt sophomore linebacker Jabrill Peppers.
“Was told that in one of the scrimmages, he had two sacks, four tackles for loss, and three QB pressures, and that isolating him on running backs and tight ends in coverage is putting him in a really good position to make plays on the ball,” one of our sources said.
“He’ll still cover receivers time to time, but on some of those underneath routes, he’s the guy in coverage, and he’s just licking his lips because he has such a break on the ball closer to the line of scrimmage … I tell you this, I think he could have two or three pick-sixes this season.”
Finishing with basketball …
Head coach John Beilein is on the recruiting trail for both players and at least one coach, possibly two amid reports that it’s Michigan’s Bacari Alexander or MSU’s Dwayne Stephens for the head coach job at the University of Detroit. Beilein told us he won’t be in a hurry to replace LaVall Jordan, now the head coach at Wisconsin – Milwaukee, noting it will probably go into May.
There have been plenty of opinions on the recruiting trail. One close to 2017 recruit Jamal Cain of Pontiac, Mich., Cornerstone said hiring former Iowa State assistant Cornell Mann (he has ties to the state) would be a huge plus for the Wolverines. He talked about how Mann was a mentor to many kids over the years and would be a huge asset on the recruiting trail.
Jermaine Jackson, reported to be the guy, is not a likely frontrunner. The U-D assistant with a son of the same name (a 2017 three-star guard out of Mt. Clemens being recruited by U-M) would be a long shot. We also think his Jackson Jr. is a long shot to receive an offer.
If Alexander were to leave, meanwhile, it wouldn’t stun to see staffer and former Wolverine Chris Hunter take his spot. Beilein has been very impressed with him.
U-M is in great shape with the 2017 class, though, starting with shooting guard pledge Jordan Poole. Jordan called Poole after he accepted the Milwaukee job, and Beilein has talked to him plenty since. Poole is still completely solid with Michigan and not wavering, which is a good thing … he’s had a great start to the AAU season and recently latched on with Mac Irvin Fire out of Chicago.
U-M is also in great standing with Cain, who is also off to a great start after his MVP weekend at the G.R. Storm Classic. Michigan State is set to ramp up the interest, according to MSU insiders - we asked those close to it if that would be a game changer and got an emphatic ‘no.’
“He likes Michigan a lot and has a great relationship with Coach Beilein,” the source said.
As we reported last week, Cain has a bit visit coming up April 27. We expect him to get his offer and for Michigan to remain his leader.
We also continue to keep an eye on Columbia transfer Grant Mullins. Again, he and former Wolverines Nik Stauskas are friends and talk, and Mullins might be the best bet at this point to end up in Ann Arbor in the fall to take the remaining scholarship. Senior Spike Albrecht is also in play, but Beilein said he’ll do what he thinks is best for the program, and it’s clear things have heated up with Mullins.
Mullins is visiting Syracuse today and will visit Cal Monday. We expect him in Ann Arbor soon.
As we’ve discussed at some length Michigan is still expecting a commitment within the next few days. Some scheduled things got in the way over the last few days and kept a pledge from taking place, but as we’ve been told, it is still coming. The spring evaluation period is now underway and the coaches will be on the road, which was part of the motivation for a delayed pledge.
Munhall (Pa.) Steel Valley safety Paris Ford has been committed to Pittsburgh since last October, but that hasn’t kept schools from recruiting him. Michigan is one of the schools that is still interested and Ford is reciprocating. The four-star safety was very high on the Wolverines early in the process and while the interest has faded since his commitment, he’s still considering a visit to Ann Arbor.
The 6-0, 172-pounder was thinking about a visit during the spring game but it didn’t happen. It’ll be very interesting to see if a visit materializes and if the heat picks up on both ends.
Another offered prospect to keep an eye on is Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline offensive tackle Henry Bainivalu. The four-star prospect is growing more and more interested in the Wolverines and is actively trying to get to Ann Arbor. The 6-4, 277-pounder also tried to get to U-M during the week of the spring game but couldn’t arrange it.
After a 2016 class in which in-state recruits seemed to draw little more than a shrug from Jim Harbaugh’s coaches (in fairness, the indifference was mutual in a whole lot of cases), 2017 should see the Maize and Blue reel in a very, very good group from within its own borders.
There are matters of circumstance playing into that, of course. First off, it’s a better in-state group overall. Secondly, a few of last year’s top recruits didn’t have the choice to consider Michigan due to family factors (Daelin Hayes), or at least gave Michigan a shot, and didn’t see enough to overcome a lead that Michigan State had built during the Hoke era (Donnie Corley, Demetric Vance).
This year’s group is a great one, and Michigan already has four pledges from inside state borders. Before all is said and done, there will be more joining up. U-M has a chance to land the top in-state recruit for the first time since Will Campbell in 2009.
There are a lot of ways the in-state commitment class could go sideways, of course, starting with a miss on that top prospect (Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones). However, his southeastern trip last week didn’t seem to really make an impact in helping the likes of Florida get into the lead, and there are family factors – namely that they’d like to be able to see all of his games – tying him to staying in-state (where Michigan is the far more likely option than Michigan State). He’s a long, long way from a decision, but Michigan won’t go away like they might have under the previous coaching staff.
Michigan is also making a big push to be a national recruiter, though there was a minor blow to that effort when satellite camps were banned last week.
As we’ve said in the past seven days, the direct damage to Michigan won’t be that big. Sure, there are prospects (many from Georgia have already expressed this, for example), who had planned to use the Wolverines’ satellite camps as a chance to get to know the staff, who will now have to make an unofficial visit to campus at all – or not consider Michigan. (Side note: a few have told us – though none want to be named – that they’ve taken note that their home-turf coaches are essentially trying to tax them for considering a school like Michigan. The SEC comes out of this looking horrible, though the negative results in recruiting will actually have to arrive to effect any change in their position).
There’s also a chance that the rule doesn’t even stand up. There are legal challenges the NCAA will have to fight (or back down in fear of), questions to be answered by conference representatives – such as the Pac-12’s Dan Guerrero, athletic director of UCLA, who reportedly voted against the unanimous decision of those he was representing at the vote, or the MWC and Sun Belt representatives, whose position contradicts the best interests of their programs (sources have indicated there was likely financial incentive – or threat – from the conferences who proposed the legislation) – and a huge wave of negative backlash.
The NCAA comes out of this decision looking a little more like FIFA than the non-profit, students-first organization it purports to be. Will that lead to change? There’s no way to know with the random number generator that is the NCAA, but in an ideal world, would it?
Of course.
On a more direct line, Michigan’s summer schedule – which was going to include not only its on-campus camps, but the maximum number of satellites they could fit into the 14-day window that was previously allowable – is obviously impacted. Jim Harbaugh may now play as much golf as Butch Jones or Hugh Freeze… or extend his vacations to Paris, service trips to Peru… all things that the SEC mouthpieces say he shouldn’t have been able to do because of the evil camps last summer (patently false based on, like, he did them).
The recruiting effects will be felt a bit – some the Georgia prospects mentioned above probably won’t be able to afford the trip up North this summer, and therefore won’t consider Michigan as seriously as they wanted – but Harbaugh comes out of this looking like the champion of the student-athlete, largely because that’s reality in this one. (Whether he was the champion of the student athlete for self-serving purposes is irrelevant, since the anti-student position can only be seen as exclusively self-serving).
More recruiting …
This weekend’s (today’s, in fact) California visitors are a huge boon to Michigan’s off-season excitement around recruiting. Five-star receivers Joseph Lewis (2017) and Jalen Hall (2018) are the headliners, and as shared earlier in the week, we’re expecting 2019 quarterback JT Daniels to pick up a Michigan offer if he passes the look test.
This visit does come as part of a broader trip to the Midwest for the B2G 7-on-7 program, so it’s not like these kids are shelling out just to head across the country to see Michigan for one day. They’ll participate in the IMG 7-on-7 Chicago Regional Saturday and Sunday, and see Notre Dame on a visit Monday, too. However, as noted above, that cross-country trip is something that’s important to reeling in prospects (especially in the post-satellite camp era), and it’s tough for a lot of kids to make it happen by itself. However you get them on campus and build that relationship, you get a boost.
The downside? Much of the Michigan staff has hit the road this morning for the first day of the Spring Evaluation Period, so the full welcome won’t be on-hand for those players. Some (we presume quarterbacks/receivers coach Jedd Fisch, since we haven’t heard of a destination for the first day of his travel, and many of the visitors are in his position group) will still be around to make sure the talented prospects see everything they need to, though.
****
Let’s talk football and we have a range of subjects to cover, starting with more on the satellite camp ban.
Our NCAA source thinks there is a good chance that there is some reversal on this decision before we get to June 1 -- however, he doesn’t expect it to impact Michigan much. Most likely, the conferences will vote to allow the Group of 5 conference coaches to attend Power 5 conference camps so that prospective student-athletes can be seen by more coaching staffs.
While this move will certainly be better for conferences like the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West, etc., it won’t do much for the Big Ten because coaches like Jim Harbaugh would still be restricted from going to other places.
However, as one of our sources shared, “there is no way Jim can raise a stink about this. His message over and over again is that he’s looking out for the recruits and this actually would be very good for them, so he’d have to get behind this rule 100 percent or he starts to look hypocritical.
“In other words, the SEC, ACC staffs essentially want to call his bluff because they think they can get him to take the bait and still claim the rule is unjust. But Jim is a really smart guy, I think he knows how to play this and come out looking like the biggest hero in the bunch.”
If (once) the amendment is made, Harbaugh can champion himself as the guy that made it happen -- that his rhetoric pushed this change through and that will go a long way with high school coaches looking out for their kids.
As for whether current Michigan players could serve as camp coaches at a number of events throughout the south and west … we were told U-M has looked into it but thinks there are too many hurdles to clear when it comes to travel and lodgings, promotion too, and would rather not go down that road.
Within the program, the vibe is positive following the conclusion of spring ball. However, there could still be a few more departures before fall camp as the coaching staff continues to have honest discussions with where players stand in their development and their opportunity to earn playing time.
That said, we don’t expect either redshirt junior QB Shane Morris or redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Malzone to transfer … at least not at this time.
Both Morris and Malzone value the Michigan degree and also believe that this era of U-M football is about to be really special and they want to be a part of it. Sure, they might not play, but by being good teammates, they feel they can contribute positively to the cause and continue to work on their education.
Morris could play this fall, but not at quarterback. A move to receiver (or at least splitting reps between WR and QB) is a very real possibility as the coaches emphasize that his best chance to see the field is as a target, the Wolverines loving the idea of setting up 3-5 plays this season where Morris ultimately throws the ball all thanks to the fact that he has seen enough action at wideout to be a legitimate threat there.
Speaking of quarterbacks, we took some heat for referencing how one young player was struggling with homesickness, but the reason we put something out there is we’ve heard there is more to it than that and this player has has doubts that Michigan is the right place for him going forward.
Like we did with Erik Swenson, when we get good intel from a trusted source, we feel it is important to lay the groundwork for a possible outcome. Not a definite outcome as these things have a way of taking care of themselves, especially with young players away from home for the first time, but if the current concerns were to continue, we wouldn’t want our subscribers blindsided.
Even more quarterback talk but this is about the current competitors, redshirt junior John O’Korn and redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight.
If the season started today, Speight might be Michigan’s starter we’ve been told. However, the season doesn’t start today, and O’Korn still has a very good chance to win this job. What we’ve been told is that Harbaugh sees a lot of himself in O’Korn – a player that never gives up, plays with guts, is willing to put himself on the line physically, rallies his teammates, and can make something out of nothing.
But, O’Korn is still too risky with the football.
“He makes a lot more big plays than Speight, but he throws a lot more turnovers too,” a source inside the program shared. “He could throw for 350 yards and three touchdowns, run for 60 yards and a score, but have two picks and a fumble all in the same game, and maybe complete only 55 percent of his passes because he’s just throwing the ball places he shouldn’t.”
Speight is steady and reliable.
“I think a big part of this decision is going to come down to how good is the defense – is it really good or crazy good – and what type of running game they have because if you have a lights-out defense and a really good running game, Speight is your guy,” our source said.
“But right now, the running game is a little suspect, and I think they’re going to want to be able to use O’Korn as a runner and as a deception in the running game.
“Here’s the one thing I’ll say too, at some point this year, whether it’s the first game or in October or November, Speight is going to play significant snaps because O’Korn’s style is similar to Denard’s a bit, where he’s going to take some hits.
“So there is a very pragmatic approach for pumping Speight up too. Michigan needs this kid to have great confidence because there will probably be a moment, maybe a few, where he’ll have to come in like he did against Minnesota a year ago and take over while O’Korn is nursing an injury.”
Michigan actually feels great about its running back options, but the offensive line remains an impediment to making this ground game a huge success.
We continue to beat this drum and will say it again -- a freshman has a chance to start on the right side of the line.
“They need balance. They have to be able to run right but what you saw in the spring game was very consistent with the entire spring – they just don’t get a great push on that side,” one of our insiders noted. “They’re two offensive linemen away from a dominant unit but they’re only one away from being a very capable starting five.”
We’ll talk more defense in the next Inside The Fort, but we wanted to pass this dandy along about redshirt sophomore linebacker Jabrill Peppers.
“Was told that in one of the scrimmages, he had two sacks, four tackles for loss, and three QB pressures, and that isolating him on running backs and tight ends in coverage is putting him in a really good position to make plays on the ball,” one of our sources said.
“He’ll still cover receivers time to time, but on some of those underneath routes, he’s the guy in coverage, and he’s just licking his lips because he has such a break on the ball closer to the line of scrimmage … I tell you this, I think he could have two or three pick-sixes this season.”
Finishing with basketball …
Head coach John Beilein is on the recruiting trail for both players and at least one coach, possibly two amid reports that it’s Michigan’s Bacari Alexander or MSU’s Dwayne Stephens for the head coach job at the University of Detroit. Beilein told us he won’t be in a hurry to replace LaVall Jordan, now the head coach at Wisconsin – Milwaukee, noting it will probably go into May.
There have been plenty of opinions on the recruiting trail. One close to 2017 recruit Jamal Cain of Pontiac, Mich., Cornerstone said hiring former Iowa State assistant Cornell Mann (he has ties to the state) would be a huge plus for the Wolverines. He talked about how Mann was a mentor to many kids over the years and would be a huge asset on the recruiting trail.
Jermaine Jackson, reported to be the guy, is not a likely frontrunner. The U-D assistant with a son of the same name (a 2017 three-star guard out of Mt. Clemens being recruited by U-M) would be a long shot. We also think his Jackson Jr. is a long shot to receive an offer.
If Alexander were to leave, meanwhile, it wouldn’t stun to see staffer and former Wolverine Chris Hunter take his spot. Beilein has been very impressed with him.
U-M is in great shape with the 2017 class, though, starting with shooting guard pledge Jordan Poole. Jordan called Poole after he accepted the Milwaukee job, and Beilein has talked to him plenty since. Poole is still completely solid with Michigan and not wavering, which is a good thing … he’s had a great start to the AAU season and recently latched on with Mac Irvin Fire out of Chicago.
U-M is also in great standing with Cain, who is also off to a great start after his MVP weekend at the G.R. Storm Classic. Michigan State is set to ramp up the interest, according to MSU insiders - we asked those close to it if that would be a game changer and got an emphatic ‘no.’
“He likes Michigan a lot and has a great relationship with Coach Beilein,” the source said.
As we reported last week, Cain has a bit visit coming up April 27. We expect him to get his offer and for Michigan to remain his leader.
We also continue to keep an eye on Columbia transfer Grant Mullins. Again, he and former Wolverines Nik Stauskas are friends and talk, and Mullins might be the best bet at this point to end up in Ann Arbor in the fall to take the remaining scholarship. Senior Spike Albrecht is also in play, but Beilein said he’ll do what he thinks is best for the program, and it’s clear things have heated up with Mullins.
Mullins is visiting Syracuse today and will visit Cal Monday. We expect him in Ann Arbor soon.
