malcolm greene

The weekend ahead is Michigan’s biggest visit weekend in a long time for 2020 prospects, but it seems that last weekend holds that title for a slew of other schools. They certainly picked up commitments like it was, at least. A number of Michigan targets verbally pledged elsewhere in the last few days, and The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown wrote about who those targets were and where they seemed to be on Michigan’s big board. PA OT Michael Carmody and IN OT Blake FIsher both committed to Notre Dame and both were top targets for Ed Warinner. It’s not difficult to see why; Carmody is ranked #134 and #16 at tackle in the composite and Fisher is #53 overall and the #10 tackle. Warinner put in a lot of work with both prospects, but Brown writes that both seemed like Notre Dame leans from the start. Other notable commitments include three-star OH DE Ty Hamilton, who was going to visit Michigan this weekend but has essentially been out of the fold since Ohio State offered at the end of May; OH (woulda been) viper Bangally Kamara, who Brown notes was on the staff’s board but not their top choice at viper; and three-star OH RB Jutahn McClain, a former teammate of Erick All’s who scored seven touchdowns in a game David filmed for FBO last season and picked up a Michigan offer a day later.

Ed Warinner hasn’t exactly struck out on 2020 prospects, though. Michigan already has a commitment from MA OT Zak Zinter and MD OT Micah Mazzccua, both of whom will be on campus this weekend. Top target and composite top 100 four-star OK OG Andrew Raym will be taking an official this weekend, as will CA OT Jeffrey Persi. Raym and Persi both have Michigan as a top contender for their pledge alongside in-state schools; Oklahoma for Raym, UCLA and USC in Persi’s case. Raym visited unofficially earlier this month, and that alone is significant. With Brice Marich writing in the above linked article that Georgia is basically out of the race for Raym, it’s even more significant that Raym is going to be on campus twice in the same month. Persi spoke with The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown and said he doesn’t see leaving his home state as an issue and never has, and that he will go wherever it’s the best fit. He says he’ll announce his decision in July, so Michigan gets last crack at making an impression before he decides.

[After THE JUMP: decisions, decisions]

2020

Michigan fans are familiar with MI WR Maliq Carr, and Carr’s very familiar with Michigan. So much so, in fact, that he isn’t planning an official because the school is so close to home and, as he told The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown, he “…can just show up.” It seems that Michigan has moved back up his list with the hiring of Josh Gattis, as Gattis is recruiting him at his preferred position of receiver where they had been recruiting him as a tight end before. He told Brown how Michigan sees him at the moment.

They told me that if I gain over 20 pounds from right now then I’d be an H, but that’s not about to happen. I’m not going to let myself do that," Carr said. "I want to be an X; basically where Donovan [Peoples-Jones] is. I’m at about 225 pounds right now after being around 230 last week.

Even though Michigan is recruiting him as a receiver for now, both Brown and Sam Webb write that Purdue appears to be his leader. Brown says Purdue is telling him “everything he wants to hear,” including playing exclusively receiver. Webb writes that Purdue told him he can also give basketball a shot, something he said Michigan was discussing with him before John Beilein’s exit. Whichever school lands Carr is going to be the one that he thinks will get him the ball most often. He spoke with both Brown and Webb about how he likes how much Purdue passes, then broke that down a little further with Webb:

“Honestly, it does (give Purdue an advantage),” Carr admitted. “I mean, the more that I get the ball, the more I can show what I can do… which raises my draft stock (and) the more money I can make.”

I mean, he’s not wrong. Can still make a career out of being a tight end, but he’s not wrong.

Carr said he thinks he will visit Michigan in June because other recruits have told him everyone will be there, and that’s the truth. Steve Lorenz reports that four-star TX CB and current Oklahoma commit Ryan Watts will be on campus this weekend. Watts picked up his Michigan offer in April and committed to the Sooners later that month, but a quick glance at his recruiting profile—particularly the number of other schools’ recruiting sites writing about him as a target—makes it appear as though his recruitment is fairly open. This is one more piece of evidence toward establishing a rule that if Oklahoma is in on a corner Michigan would take them too, as is the case with Oklahoma decommit CA CB Darion Green-Warren (who’s officially taking a Michigan official at some point). Joining him this weekend will be NJ S RJ Moten, who is visiting unofficially. 247’s Steve Wiltfong says Michigan would like to get him to set an official visit soon after, and he wouldn’t be surprised if it’s June 21. Moten’s crystal ball is 100% Michigan, and Wiltfong says Michigan is still the strong favorite. Moten is a composite four-star and ranked #328 overall, though to 247 he’s the 174th-best player in the country.

[After THE JUMP: many, many more visits]

We start with relatively positive news about Michigan’s top 2020 target, MI DE Braiden McGregor. Sam Webb put it best when he discussed the “afterglowy” comments that were published post-Notre Dame visit, which was McGregor’s first official visit and one where he was close to committing; he told Irish Illustrated he also got that I-might-just-commit feeling at Alabama and Michigan as well. It’s been almost a month now and not only has he not pledged to Notre Dame, but there are once again positive rumblings on the Michigan side of things.

The Webb article linked above praises Jim Harbaugh for the length of time and connection that he’s made with McGregor and his family. There’s another coach mentioned near the end of that article who is the subject of much of the rest of the reporting after McGregor’s most recent unofficial to Michigan: Shaun Nua. Though Nua’s pretty much been recruiting McGregor from the minute he got the Michigan job, he’s found a way to recruit McGregor with persistence but without annoyance. McGregor mentioned in a video interview with The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown that Nua told him that he was trying not to text him so much that he overwhelmed McGregor, who then said it was big for him that Michigan recruits him hard but also gives him space to think.

McGregor’s involved his family heavily in his recruitment, and it seems they have the same appreciation for Nua’s personality and recruiting tactics as McGregor. McGregor’s father, from an interview with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich:

Adding on Coach Nua: “I can’t say a bad thing about the guy. He’s very personable and very easy to talk to. He’s very genuine and very caring. Obviously, he wants Braiden to come there, but he’s said it many times if Michigan isn’t the fit for you, then I respect that and you got to do what’s best for you. He does a good job recruiting him, but at the same time, he’s telling Braiden to do what’s best for you and if it’s not here, we understand.

It also says something about McGregor’s interest level that he made sure to get his recent visit in before the team left for South Africa so he could spend time with players, who will be off until June. That piece of the trip also went well, as did the scheme-fit portion of McGregor’s chat with the coaching staff. His father told Marich that they see him fitting into the Josh Uche mold and playing a little bit of linebacker and weak-side end and, if his frame dictates it, strong-side end.

Marich says he thinks this comes down to Michigan and Notre Dame, and at this point all Michigan can do is keep utilizing the tactics they have been and wait for a decision that could come…sometime. McGregor has only used one official visit and, though he said he doesn’t need to take an official to Michigan or Ohio State, might take another unofficial to Michigan before making his final choice.

[After THE JUMP: all the safeties, all the 2021s]