This post exists because Michigan’s coaching staff has been pounding the proverbial pavement in an unprecedented (since I took over writing these, at least) way. So many 2020 offers have gone out recently, and so many have generated quote-filled articles on the sites of the usual suspects, that it necessitated spinning off another post to cover everything; I realized this when I hit 1800 words and still had over 20 tabs open.

With the spate of offers, I feel going over a recent post from 247’s Steve Lorenz is a good way to start before diving into the minutiae of who got offered when and who’s got what other offers and when is such and such visiting. I wasn’t sure how to go about chronicling all the 2020 offers that went out because it just seemed like there so many that some must not mean that much, but Lorenz cautions against that. In his words:

Junior film is probably the most important opportunity for a prospect to establish themselves at the top of a school's recruiting board; offers made right now are usually notable and worth following.

He does, however, caution against putting too much stock in late-cycle in-state offers. Lorenz looked back at the last four classes and posited that Michigan’s in-state take rate might be around 50%. He says that we’re in the heart of the 2020 process right now, so reserve your skepticism for later in the season.

On that note, might want to hold back on casting judgement based on where a recruit is currently ranked. Lorenz:

There are numerous examples of prospects Michigan has gotten in on early who have risen continuously throughout the process. The flip side of this is true as well; many players who are ranked highly at this point will not be recruited heavily by the staff and you will see their ranking fall as the cycle continues. Overall, their evaluation abilities tend to be among the best I've seen.

Keep in mind that the final rankings for 2019 just came out and some 2019s are already enrolled and on campus. To Steve’s point, Trente Jones, Zach Charbonnet, Cornelius Johnson, Karsen Barnhart, and Giles Jackson are solid examples of guys who shot up the rankings from when Michigan first expressed interest to the end of the cycle.

[After THE JUMP: pretty sure Chris Hinton and DJ Turner have one degree of separation from everyone in the 2020 class below the Mason-Dixon line]

2020

For example, Michigan offered three-star, #601 overall VA DE Antwaun Powell this week. Powell told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich that the Michigan offer surprised him and that he knows almost nothing about the school. People at the school know quite a bit about him, though, as Lorenz writes that Powell is one of five prospects he believes are trending upward in the eyes of the staff. His offer list corroborates this, as Michigan is his first big non-ACC offer. He’s scheduled to visit campus in February, so there seems to be real interest from Powell.

Another prospect on Lorenz’s list of those trending upward is GA LB Phillip Webb. He told TMI’s Brice Marich that though he wasn’t sure whether it would be unofficial or official, a visit is possible and something he would like to do to get a feel for campus and the facilities. The four-star, ranked #205 overall and #11 OLB, has one tie to Michigan already in 2019 GA DT Chris Hinton. Webb trains with Hinton and said he would love to play in college with him.

Of course, that last paragraph and Steve’s article were written before Michigan landed a verbal commitment from MA LB Osman Savage, who’s similarly rated at #250 overall and the composite #15 OLB. While how far he might rise in the rankings remains to be seen, Savage is another case of Michigan’s staff being able to spot what they’re looking for in a prospect early. Lorenz on St. Frances’ 2016 trip to the Big House to play Drew Singleton’s Paramus Catholic squad:

It was so early that eventual 2018 five-star Eyabi Anoma hadn't even really established himself as a big-time recruit. Funny enough, the buzz on the sidelines was mostly regarding a freshman linebacker named Osman Savage. Defensive coordinator Don Brown worked with him personally at the team's satellite camp held at St. Frances Academy earlier that summer and raved about his abilities and potential as a future recruit.

Over two years later and Savage is a Michigan verbal, the second LB in their 2020 class along with in-state prospect Cornell Wheeler. Wheeler recently visited and got a chance to spend time with recently hired assistant Anthony Campanile, whom Wheeler believes might be coaching both linebackers and safeties. It sounds like Wheeler visit just to visit and spend some time around the staff from the way he recounted things to The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown, and he’s not alone in wanting to spend time in Ann Arbor.

FL WR Michael Redding III doesn’t have a rating from 247 yet but the other services think highly enough of him that he’s ranked #114 overall despite being the #21 WR, and he has a Michigan visit on his to-do list. Redding told TMI’s Sam Webb that Michigan’s offer caught him off guard, but he has some familiarity with the staff because he was being recruited by Josh Gattis when he was at Alabama. Redding also has been in frequent contact with GA Roy Roundtree, and he’s able to get the players’ perspective from teammate and 2019 signee DJ Turner. Redding says told Webb that receiver development, the fan base, and coaching will be most important in choosing where he goes. With Gattis and Roundtree in the fold, Michigan seems to at least have a fighting chance here (and it helps that neither Florida nor Florida State have offered yet).

Others planning visits: four-star, nearly top-50 (#52) NC DE Jacolbe Cowan, who told TMI’s Sam Webb that he has high interest in Michigan in part because he used to play basketball with 2019 five-star GA DE Chris Hinton; gargantuan 6’8, 290-pound four-star CO OT Andrew Gentry, who told Steve Lorenz he plans to visit in July (and whose film is embedded at the top of that linked article and gets my highest recommendation if you’re a fan of pancakes); three-star CO OL Roger Rosengarten, who played with Dylan McCaffrey and told TMI’s Brice Marich he wants to get to campus to see what life is like away from school and football; four-star TX WR Davon Graham, who told WolverinesWire’s Evan Petzold he plans to visit Michigan and a bunch of other bluebloods while noting he’ll be at Oklahoma and LSU multiple times this spring so yeahhhhh; three-star FL DE Warren Brinson, currently a Georgia verbal with no specific visit date set but a guy so interested in Michigan he told Sam Webb at the Under Armour Future 50 combine that he was trying to get DJ Turner to help him get connected with Michigan’s staff; and four-star FL CB Lejond Cavazos, who told 247’s John Garcia his post-Meyer decommitment from Ohio State was predicted by future Wolverine and teammate DJ Turner, likes the idea of having a friend already at the school paired with a roster thin on defensive backs.

A number of players have also recently completed visits. Three-star KY OT John Young spent time with Ed Warinner and Jim Harbaugh and dropped this interesting quote to TMI’s Brice Marich:

“Coach Harbaugh is one of the few coaches I’ve met who has true pride in coaching for his team. He is one of my favorite coaches. He’s a very genuine coach and has lots of pride in the program. He also has done a great job showing me how I fit in the program.”

He also raved about Warinner, whose praises have been sung by every lineman I’ve read about who has come into contact with him this cycle. He told The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown that Warinner has told him that he fits what Michigan is looking for at tackle. Young plans to take an official visit to Michigan in June before committing at some point this summer, and he might come up to watch a practice this spring as well. It’s worth noting that he’s not included in the recent wave of OL offers, as he was tendered back in November. Seems the strongest competition at this point is Louisville and Kentucky, as he has set up visits to both.

MI S Makari Paige visited and, like current West Bloomfield teammate Cornell Wheeler, got to spend time with coaches Partridge and Campanile. Paige told The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown that the staff made it known how much of a priority Paige is to them; he told WolverinesWire’s Evan Petzold that Campanile reached out after watching his film to let Paige know he’s the coach’s top priority.

2021

One of Paige and Wheeler’s younger teammates also made last weekend’s trip to Ann Arbor. MI RB Donovan Edwards, ranked #69 overall by 247, told The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown that he spent time with coaches Jim and Jay Harbaugh and that the pair said Edwards would almost definitely see the field often as a true freshman.

Another in-state player with a more recent offer is Cass Tech CB Kalen King. He too visited last weekend and seemed to really like the coaching staff. Like really, really like the coaching staff. He’s 5’10” and probably still growing (he told The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown that Mike Zordich mentioned that he liked how tall King is considering his age) so he doesn’t quite fit the undersized-Cass-CB mold, but Cass corners are Cass corners.

GA ATH Kamar Wilcoxson also added a Michigan offer in the past couple weeks, and his seems to have something to do with Michigan hiring Josh Gattis. Wilcoxson told TMI’s Brice Marich that his interest in Michigan spiked when they hired Gattis, as that had been his primary recruiter at Alabama. Wilcoxson said that he wants to make Michigan one of his many visits over the next few months; he’s currently committed to Florida but it seems like actually not really. It’ll be important for the staff to build a relationship with him quickly, as he said he’ll respond to coaches through the first week of September before shutting communication down to focus on winning a state title. He also dropped a playbook for his recruitment:

“Probably summer time. I want to see how the academics are! Check out the coaches and see how they are and how the vibe is up there. If they want to get at shot at me, they got to recruit my mom too!”

That last bit seems like one of those lines the importance of which smacks you over head so hard that, had it shown up in a book assigned in high school, even my lazy self would have begrudgingly grabbed a highlighter and drowned in fluorescent yellow.

Etc.

Don Brown offered 2022 CT DE Wilfredo Aybar, who currently attends the high school from which Tarik Black graduated. 2022 MI CB Myles Rowser, brother of current 2020 commit Andre Seldon, visited last weekend and is working toward an offer; he’s going to camp at Michigan this summer. Rivals analyst Adam Gorney likes what he sees in 2020 AZ QB commit JD Johnson’s game. Michigan makes the top 10 for 2020 four-star WR AJ Henning. Michigan makes the top 12 for 2020 DE Kevon Billingsley.