The latest edition of INSIDE THE FORT, including plenty of football recruiting, football and hoops ...
Starting with football recruiting ...
It’s all eyes on Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy Orange five-star strongside defensive end Zach Harrison for Michigan fans as he gets closer and closer to a decision. All reports are that his in home visits with Michigan coaches went well, but there really isn’t a lot of substance from Harrison, his camp or anyone else for that matter because Harrison is really good at keeping to himself.
The 6-5, 245-pounder was leaning strongly toward Michigan a few weeks ago, but Ohio State’s big win over the Wolverines and Urban Meyer’s impending retirement have stirred the pot quite a bit. Many close to it still think U-M has the edge, but the gap is certainly smaller than it was a short time ago.
In the case of Crystal Lake (Ill.) Crystal Lake South four-star offensive tackle Trevor Keegan, things are trending in Michigan’s favor. There’s always been a natural connection between Keegan and U-M since his mother is originally from The Great Lakes State, but recent developments have given the Wolverines a lot of momentum.
In home visits with offensive line coach Ed Warinner and he coach Jim Harbaugh went perfectly. Keegan’s entirely family was involved with the visit, and that proved to be very valuable. Both Harbaugh and Warinner are great in that setting, and Keegan is starting to feel really comfortable with his potential future coaches.
It also doesn’t hurt that Keegan’s head coach at Crystal Lake South is a big supporter of Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Rob Fantana would never push Keegan into an unwanted decision, but his affinity for the Wolverines is not a secret. The head coach took a visit to Michigan late in the year without Keegan. That’s not typically how coaches visit schools, but that’s exactly what Fantana did. He also kept it short and sweet when asked how the in-home visits with Warinner and Harbaugh went.
“Crazy!” he said.
There was also another tiny development that, in the grand scheme of things, probably doesn’t mean much, but can’t hurt either. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart stopped by Crystal Lake South to check in on Keegan and talk with Fontana, and the group all posed for a picture. Included in the photo was Fontana’s young daughter, sporting a grey, long-sleeved shirt with a giant, maize Block M on it. Obviously, Fantana’s daughter doesn’t have any pull when it comes to Keegan’s decision, but that probably didn’t make Smart feel as welcome as he normally does in his neck of the woods.
Michigan doesn’t have a lot of spots left in the 2019 class, but it sure seems like at least one of them will go to a big wide receiver. The two most likely options are Orange (Calif.) Lutheran four-star Kyle Ford and Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick three-star Cornelius Johnson.
The Michigan coaches stopped by to see Johnson during in-home visits indicating that he’s still very much in play. The 6-3, 195-pounder has a top group consisting of Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Stanford, and Notre Dame with many believing he’ll eventually end up at Stanford. Both of his parents attended the prestigious university, giving them a lot of pull.
The No. 69 wide receiver in the country will be at Penn State this weekend for an official visit and is expected in Ann Arbor next week for another.
With Ford, things might have gotten more difficult for Michigan with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury. That obviously shakes things up in terms of who Ford is close with, but the USC staff can now sell a wide open offense with Kingsbury calling the shots, and having a young gunslinger in JT Daniels at quarterback doesn’t hurt ,either. Throw in the fact that U-M’s former wide receiver coach Jim McElwain was just hired as Central Michigan’s new coach, and that’s probably another
The 6-3, 195-pounder has already taken official visits to Colorado, Oregon and Washington and will be at USC next weekend. That leaves just one official visit that could go to Michigan, but that hasn’t been set up yet.
Unfortunately, we personally don’t think Michigan lands either of these two receivers. The Wolverines are also still in play for Round Rock (Texas) Cedar Ridge three-star Jaylen Ellis, but flipping him from Baylor seems unlikely right now, as well.
Michigan will be adding some players to its roster in the very near future as the next crop of early enrollees is just about a month away from moving onto campus. The following players are set to sign, graduate and enroll early as January is just around the corner:
Fairfield (Ohio) High four-star tight end Erick All
Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star running back Zach Charbonnet
Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch four-star pro-style quarterback Cade McNamara
Clayton (Ohio) Northmont three-star weakside defensive end Gabe Newburg
Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy three-star strongside defensive end David Ojabo
Dacula (Ga.) High four-star cornerback Jalen Perry
Everett (Mass.) High three-star athlete Mike Sainristil
Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood four-star defensive tackle Mazi Smith
All eight prospects are very excited about joining the Michigan football program, but Newburg in particular can’t wait. As an Ohio kid, he’s ready to leave his home state and became a true Michigan Man. His sentiments about getting to work and starting a new trend will have U-M fans ready to run through a wall.
“I’m just ready to get up there so everyone’s hype is gone and nobody cares about stars anymore,” Newburg said with a laugh. “There are so many stargazers in this process. I just didn’t go to camps so I get it a lot. There’s a big difference between being in shorts and a t-shirt and being padded up.
“My numbers are all right there, but because I didn’t do them at a Nike camp they aren’t ‘legit’?” There was an article written about me where they said my bench press numbers were fake, so I found the guy on Twitter and sent him the video of me putting up the weight. I’m just ready to get to work.”
Newburg also touched on how badly he wants to change the narrative in the Michigan vs. Ohio State series.
“I tell you what…I am ready to shut these OSU fans up,” he said. “I told Coach Harbaugh during my in-home visit that my mission in life is to beat Ohio State. That’s why he’s getting back into Ohio. Those are the guys that as soon as they walk in the door they already have hatred in their hearts.”
Newburg clearly gets it and you’d expect All, another Ohio kid, to understand the dynamic, as well. The others might not be as familiar being from out of region, but they’ll figure it all out very, very soon.
More football recruiting …
With the 2019 recruiting class almost wrapped up, the U-M coaches will soon be turning their full attention to the 2020 prospects.
One who will occupy plenty of their attention will be Damascus (Md.) High five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee.
He currently sits as the No. 4 player in the country and the top defensive end nationally, and recently released a top six consisting of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Bresee spoke about where the Wolverines stand in that final group, as well as the impact Urban Meyer stepping down has on the Buckeyes’ chances.
“Michigan made my final cut, so they’re definitely high up for me,” he explained. “They were a school I really enjoyed being at when I visited them last December, and my parents really enjoyed it too. I liked seeing their campus most, and hanging out with the coaches. A bunch of kids were taking officials during that time too, so I got to see what they all do for the kids on their officials.
“Coaches are allowed to text me now, and Michigan has been quite a bit. It’s usually Pep Hamilton who texts me. When I was on my visit there, I spent the whole day with him and got to meet his family, so it was a good time.
“Jim Harbaugh is a good guy too, and I also spent a lot of time with him during my trip. I was at a satellite camp in Bowie State in Maryland the first time I met him, and that was actually when I got my offer. We’ve definitely built a relationship since then.”
The million-dollar question surrounding recruits lately has involved Meyer’s retirement and what kind of impact it will have on the kids who had the Buckeyes high on their list. Bresee is one of the many elite prospects who is considering both Michigan and Ohio State, and shared his thoughts on the massive change in Columbus.
“I don’t know enough about it yet, and I want to look deeper into it,” he admitted. “Once everything settles down, I’m sure I’ll start asking some more questions, but I just don’t know enough about it yet.”
So will the Buckeyes remain in Bresee’s top group?
“It depends on whether or not some of the other coaches on the staff stay, so I’ll just leave it at that,” he revealed. “I also don’t really know Coach [Ryan] Day that well, so that’s another thing. My top group is still the same for now, but I’m not sure when I’ll make my final decision. After I take all my officials, I’ll have a better idea.”
While many fans feared what kind of impact OSU’s blowout of Michigan would have on the recruiting trail, Bresee took a very rational approach when explaining his thoughts on the game.
“I actually didn’t see it because I was at a different game,” he recalled. “I wish I could have though, because those types of rivalries are always great, no matter what the outcome is. I was pretty surprised by the way it played out — I’m still two years out though, so it didn’t really impact my view of Michigan or anything like that.”
Another elite prospect — class of 2020 Detroit Martin Luther King four-star wideout Rashawn Williams — also gave his take on the whole Meyer stepping down situation. Williams is rated as the No. 24 player in the country and the fourth best wide receiver nationally, and has visited both schools as of late.
“If we continue to communicate, they’ll remain on my list,” he said bluntly of Ohio State. “They’re still reaching out to me quite a bit — I just talked to [wide receivers] Coach [Brian] Hartline last week.”
****
To football now …
As we’ve said, we now believe junior quarterback Shea Patterson will return for his senior year. He’s gone back and forth, and different people in his camp have different opinions on whether or not he should.
Patterson was clearly devastated after U-M’s loss to Ohio State. He and his teammates strongly believed they were going to win, which would have made some decisions easier.
There’s some unfinished business now, and that could bring some guys back.
There are still those who believe (strongly) that junior corner Lavert Hill will go pro, and that he’s had his mind on it for a while. We aren’t as certain on junior corner David Long, some believe he’d be a higher draft pick, but that he’d be “all in” if he came back.
We’ve heard great things about some of the underclassmen, but one in particular — linebacker Cam McGrone. Some believe his emergence is the reason Drew Singleton transferred (he’ll be at Rutgers next year, God love him), and that he’s going to be a stud.
On the coaching front, we’ve heard offensive coach Pep Hamilton’s name mentioned for a number of jobs. A second hand source said recently the Detroit Lions were kicking the tires, but one close to the organization said he believed Hamilton would be with the Arizona Cardinals if not a collegiate head coach somewhere.
It’s no secret his name has been out there for a number of positions.
****
Finishing with basketball and recruiting …
Head coach John Beilein said today he was getting a lot of question on depth, and why frosh Brandon Johns wasn’t playing. The bottom line — this truly is a meritocracy, and he’s not going to put guys on the floor who haven’t earned it in practice.
Johns has another gear he needs to find, especially on defense, to earn that spot, but he’s been making progress. We’ll likely see more of him Saturday against South Carolina, and how much he plays in that game and in the future is really up to him.
On the recruiting front, five-star big man Walker Kessler has texted us that his Michigan visit was one that stood out for both him and his family, and that’s exciting. There are Georgia ties, as we’ve said repeatedly … his dad, uncle and others in his family have played there. At the same time they’ve seen what U-M coaches have done with big men, and they absolutely love Beilein.
It was interesting, too, hearing from four-star Ethan Morton yesterday. The guard was thought to be out of the mix after U-M signed Toledo point guard Zeb Jackson, with Pitt and Ohio State in front, but Michigan’s start has his attention.
Many years ago in the 1980s, Bill Frieder spun how four forwards in an elite recruiting class could play different positions on the floor at the same time. He even spelled it out with a diagram on a napkin for one recruit … and it was B.S., of course.
Beilein’s approach on this one is that they see both Jackson and Morton as multi-positional players, but there’s no spin. They want to have as many ball handlers on the floor as possible, and these guys both fit the bill.
Finally, we still expect redshirt junior Charles Matthews to leave next year to make room for signees Jalen Wilson and Cole Bajema. Beyond that no attrition is expected (as of now).
Starting with football recruiting ...
It’s all eyes on Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy Orange five-star strongside defensive end Zach Harrison for Michigan fans as he gets closer and closer to a decision. All reports are that his in home visits with Michigan coaches went well, but there really isn’t a lot of substance from Harrison, his camp or anyone else for that matter because Harrison is really good at keeping to himself.
The 6-5, 245-pounder was leaning strongly toward Michigan a few weeks ago, but Ohio State’s big win over the Wolverines and Urban Meyer’s impending retirement have stirred the pot quite a bit. Many close to it still think U-M has the edge, but the gap is certainly smaller than it was a short time ago.
In the case of Crystal Lake (Ill.) Crystal Lake South four-star offensive tackle Trevor Keegan, things are trending in Michigan’s favor. There’s always been a natural connection between Keegan and U-M since his mother is originally from The Great Lakes State, but recent developments have given the Wolverines a lot of momentum.
In home visits with offensive line coach Ed Warinner and he coach Jim Harbaugh went perfectly. Keegan’s entirely family was involved with the visit, and that proved to be very valuable. Both Harbaugh and Warinner are great in that setting, and Keegan is starting to feel really comfortable with his potential future coaches.
It also doesn’t hurt that Keegan’s head coach at Crystal Lake South is a big supporter of Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Rob Fantana would never push Keegan into an unwanted decision, but his affinity for the Wolverines is not a secret. The head coach took a visit to Michigan late in the year without Keegan. That’s not typically how coaches visit schools, but that’s exactly what Fantana did. He also kept it short and sweet when asked how the in-home visits with Warinner and Harbaugh went.
“Crazy!” he said.
There was also another tiny development that, in the grand scheme of things, probably doesn’t mean much, but can’t hurt either. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart stopped by Crystal Lake South to check in on Keegan and talk with Fontana, and the group all posed for a picture. Included in the photo was Fontana’s young daughter, sporting a grey, long-sleeved shirt with a giant, maize Block M on it. Obviously, Fantana’s daughter doesn’t have any pull when it comes to Keegan’s decision, but that probably didn’t make Smart feel as welcome as he normally does in his neck of the woods.
Michigan doesn’t have a lot of spots left in the 2019 class, but it sure seems like at least one of them will go to a big wide receiver. The two most likely options are Orange (Calif.) Lutheran four-star Kyle Ford and Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick three-star Cornelius Johnson.
The Michigan coaches stopped by to see Johnson during in-home visits indicating that he’s still very much in play. The 6-3, 195-pounder has a top group consisting of Michigan, Penn State, Alabama, Stanford, and Notre Dame with many believing he’ll eventually end up at Stanford. Both of his parents attended the prestigious university, giving them a lot of pull.
The No. 69 wide receiver in the country will be at Penn State this weekend for an official visit and is expected in Ann Arbor next week for another.
With Ford, things might have gotten more difficult for Michigan with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury. That obviously shakes things up in terms of who Ford is close with, but the USC staff can now sell a wide open offense with Kingsbury calling the shots, and having a young gunslinger in JT Daniels at quarterback doesn’t hurt ,either. Throw in the fact that U-M’s former wide receiver coach Jim McElwain was just hired as Central Michigan’s new coach, and that’s probably another
The 6-3, 195-pounder has already taken official visits to Colorado, Oregon and Washington and will be at USC next weekend. That leaves just one official visit that could go to Michigan, but that hasn’t been set up yet.
Unfortunately, we personally don’t think Michigan lands either of these two receivers. The Wolverines are also still in play for Round Rock (Texas) Cedar Ridge three-star Jaylen Ellis, but flipping him from Baylor seems unlikely right now, as well.
Michigan will be adding some players to its roster in the very near future as the next crop of early enrollees is just about a month away from moving onto campus. The following players are set to sign, graduate and enroll early as January is just around the corner:
Fairfield (Ohio) High four-star tight end Erick All
Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian four-star running back Zach Charbonnet
Reno (Nev.) Damonte Ranch four-star pro-style quarterback Cade McNamara
Clayton (Ohio) Northmont three-star weakside defensive end Gabe Newburg
Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy three-star strongside defensive end David Ojabo
Dacula (Ga.) High four-star cornerback Jalen Perry
Everett (Mass.) High three-star athlete Mike Sainristil
Kentwood (Mich.) East Kentwood four-star defensive tackle Mazi Smith
All eight prospects are very excited about joining the Michigan football program, but Newburg in particular can’t wait. As an Ohio kid, he’s ready to leave his home state and became a true Michigan Man. His sentiments about getting to work and starting a new trend will have U-M fans ready to run through a wall.
“I’m just ready to get up there so everyone’s hype is gone and nobody cares about stars anymore,” Newburg said with a laugh. “There are so many stargazers in this process. I just didn’t go to camps so I get it a lot. There’s a big difference between being in shorts and a t-shirt and being padded up.
“My numbers are all right there, but because I didn’t do them at a Nike camp they aren’t ‘legit’?” There was an article written about me where they said my bench press numbers were fake, so I found the guy on Twitter and sent him the video of me putting up the weight. I’m just ready to get to work.”
Newburg also touched on how badly he wants to change the narrative in the Michigan vs. Ohio State series.
“I tell you what…I am ready to shut these OSU fans up,” he said. “I told Coach Harbaugh during my in-home visit that my mission in life is to beat Ohio State. That’s why he’s getting back into Ohio. Those are the guys that as soon as they walk in the door they already have hatred in their hearts.”
Newburg clearly gets it and you’d expect All, another Ohio kid, to understand the dynamic, as well. The others might not be as familiar being from out of region, but they’ll figure it all out very, very soon.
More football recruiting …
With the 2019 recruiting class almost wrapped up, the U-M coaches will soon be turning their full attention to the 2020 prospects.
One who will occupy plenty of their attention will be Damascus (Md.) High five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee.
He currently sits as the No. 4 player in the country and the top defensive end nationally, and recently released a top six consisting of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Bresee spoke about where the Wolverines stand in that final group, as well as the impact Urban Meyer stepping down has on the Buckeyes’ chances.
“Michigan made my final cut, so they’re definitely high up for me,” he explained. “They were a school I really enjoyed being at when I visited them last December, and my parents really enjoyed it too. I liked seeing their campus most, and hanging out with the coaches. A bunch of kids were taking officials during that time too, so I got to see what they all do for the kids on their officials.
“Coaches are allowed to text me now, and Michigan has been quite a bit. It’s usually Pep Hamilton who texts me. When I was on my visit there, I spent the whole day with him and got to meet his family, so it was a good time.
“Jim Harbaugh is a good guy too, and I also spent a lot of time with him during my trip. I was at a satellite camp in Bowie State in Maryland the first time I met him, and that was actually when I got my offer. We’ve definitely built a relationship since then.”
The million-dollar question surrounding recruits lately has involved Meyer’s retirement and what kind of impact it will have on the kids who had the Buckeyes high on their list. Bresee is one of the many elite prospects who is considering both Michigan and Ohio State, and shared his thoughts on the massive change in Columbus.
“I don’t know enough about it yet, and I want to look deeper into it,” he admitted. “Once everything settles down, I’m sure I’ll start asking some more questions, but I just don’t know enough about it yet.”
So will the Buckeyes remain in Bresee’s top group?
“It depends on whether or not some of the other coaches on the staff stay, so I’ll just leave it at that,” he revealed. “I also don’t really know Coach [Ryan] Day that well, so that’s another thing. My top group is still the same for now, but I’m not sure when I’ll make my final decision. After I take all my officials, I’ll have a better idea.”
While many fans feared what kind of impact OSU’s blowout of Michigan would have on the recruiting trail, Bresee took a very rational approach when explaining his thoughts on the game.
“I actually didn’t see it because I was at a different game,” he recalled. “I wish I could have though, because those types of rivalries are always great, no matter what the outcome is. I was pretty surprised by the way it played out — I’m still two years out though, so it didn’t really impact my view of Michigan or anything like that.”
Another elite prospect — class of 2020 Detroit Martin Luther King four-star wideout Rashawn Williams — also gave his take on the whole Meyer stepping down situation. Williams is rated as the No. 24 player in the country and the fourth best wide receiver nationally, and has visited both schools as of late.
“If we continue to communicate, they’ll remain on my list,” he said bluntly of Ohio State. “They’re still reaching out to me quite a bit — I just talked to [wide receivers] Coach [Brian] Hartline last week.”
****
To football now …
As we’ve said, we now believe junior quarterback Shea Patterson will return for his senior year. He’s gone back and forth, and different people in his camp have different opinions on whether or not he should.
Patterson was clearly devastated after U-M’s loss to Ohio State. He and his teammates strongly believed they were going to win, which would have made some decisions easier.
There’s some unfinished business now, and that could bring some guys back.
There are still those who believe (strongly) that junior corner Lavert Hill will go pro, and that he’s had his mind on it for a while. We aren’t as certain on junior corner David Long, some believe he’d be a higher draft pick, but that he’d be “all in” if he came back.
We’ve heard great things about some of the underclassmen, but one in particular — linebacker Cam McGrone. Some believe his emergence is the reason Drew Singleton transferred (he’ll be at Rutgers next year, God love him), and that he’s going to be a stud.
On the coaching front, we’ve heard offensive coach Pep Hamilton’s name mentioned for a number of jobs. A second hand source said recently the Detroit Lions were kicking the tires, but one close to the organization said he believed Hamilton would be with the Arizona Cardinals if not a collegiate head coach somewhere.
It’s no secret his name has been out there for a number of positions.
****
Finishing with basketball and recruiting …
Head coach John Beilein said today he was getting a lot of question on depth, and why frosh Brandon Johns wasn’t playing. The bottom line — this truly is a meritocracy, and he’s not going to put guys on the floor who haven’t earned it in practice.
Johns has another gear he needs to find, especially on defense, to earn that spot, but he’s been making progress. We’ll likely see more of him Saturday against South Carolina, and how much he plays in that game and in the future is really up to him.
On the recruiting front, five-star big man Walker Kessler has texted us that his Michigan visit was one that stood out for both him and his family, and that’s exciting. There are Georgia ties, as we’ve said repeatedly … his dad, uncle and others in his family have played there. At the same time they’ve seen what U-M coaches have done with big men, and they absolutely love Beilein.
It was interesting, too, hearing from four-star Ethan Morton yesterday. The guard was thought to be out of the mix after U-M signed Toledo point guard Zeb Jackson, with Pitt and Ohio State in front, but Michigan’s start has his attention.
Many years ago in the 1980s, Bill Frieder spun how four forwards in an elite recruiting class could play different positions on the floor at the same time. He even spelled it out with a diagram on a napkin for one recruit … and it was B.S., of course.
Beilein’s approach on this one is that they see both Jackson and Morton as multi-positional players, but there’s no spin. They want to have as many ball handlers on the floor as possible, and these guys both fit the bill.
Finally, we still expect redshirt junior Charles Matthews to leave next year to make room for signees Jalen Wilson and Cole Bajema. Beyond that no attrition is expected (as of now).
