I May Have ~60 Tabs Open For, Oh, No Reason

Chris Evans is elusive!! Best rep in this drill so far: pic.twitter.com/2XJao1xvGc

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) May 31, 2015

Michigan's big recruiting weekend hasn't produced a commitment yet, but given the very positive reactions from several visitors, it appears to only be a matter of time.

In the case of four-star IN APB Chris Evans, who added an offer shortly after departing Ann Arbor, that time is coming soon. Evans will announce his decision on Saturday, and these tea leaves aren't hard to read—he told 247's Steve Wiltfong that Michigan leads following his weekend visit ($). Evans has been offered as an athlete; the shifty running back could also play in the slot or end up at defensive back. Harbaugh loves recruiting athletes who can play multiple positions, and Evans fits that mold.

Three-star Indiana speedster Kiante Enis is in a very similar situation. Like Evans, he could wind up at running back, slot, or defensive back. Also like Evans, he's a solid bet to wind up in Ann Arbor after a great visit experience, per Wiltfong ($):

Michigan may be hard to beat as the process continues.

“They pretty much shot to the top,” Enis said.

That Michigan offered Evans despite Enis (who already held an offer) giving off potential commitment vibes indicates the coaches would take both; Steve Lorenz has said as much in comments at 247. That makes the backfield class look awfully crowded, but positional flexibility is key. As was his style at Stanford, Harbaugh seems more intent on landing the type of athletes he wants, then sorting out the specifics once they get on campus.

The other prospect who some thought could drop in the near future is three-star Paramus Catholic WR Donald Stewart, who visited campus for the first time and got plenty of attention from the coaching staff, per The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan ($):

"The best part of the visit was being able to interact with the players, and also to interact with all the coaches. Every single coach from the staff talked to my parents and me, that was a great experience. I think that was the best part. Another part was how Coach Harbaugh told my parents how it's OK for parents to come to all the practices, come to all the home games: they're welcome on the field up until the game starts."

Sullivan mentions a decision won't come until later in the summer, but Michigan entered the weekend as Stewart's leader and it doesn't look like that will change unless another school blows him away—he plans to visit Northwestern and Vanderbilt this month before cutting his list.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

More Visit Reactions

While four-star Farmington Hills Harrison DE Khalid Kareem isn't the most effusive when talking to reporters, his father had a lot of great things to say about their most recent visit, the connections with the coaching staff—specifically Harbaugh, Wheatley, and Durkin—and the feel that M is making his son a top priority when talking to Sam Webb after the visit ($). The visit put Michigan in a good position to contend for Kareem's signature:

“They’re probably going to make (the cut),” [Khalid] Kareem said.  “Right now I’m just weighing my options.” 

Dad was a little more forthright.

“(Michigan is) definitely in the top three right now,” he said.

Michigan State is almost certainly in that top three as well; Notre Dame and Alabama are also contenders, and the Irish are slated to get a visit from Kareem before he makes a preseason decision, per Lorenz ($).

Four-star IN WR Austin Mack made it to campus after all, and he told TMI's Josh Newkirk both he and his mother had very positive experiences ($). That said, Mack and his family were at the Columbus Nike camp yesterday reportedly decked out in Ohio State gear, and it'd be a huge surprise if Mack chose anyone but the Buckeyes when he announces his decision on Sunday.

Four-star IN DE Auston Robertson hasn't had an interview published on the recruiting sites yet, but Sam Webb mentioned on WTKA this morning that Robertson and his mother were both on campus, and it sounds like Robertson's mother was impressed with what Michigan had to offer. We'll see if that's enough to get Michigan past Michigan State and Notre Dame when Robertson chooses on Sunday, but at the very least they've got a better shot here than they do with Mack.

Minnesota athlete JD Spielman told Sullivan his visit "was really good," and Michigan being the first school to offer him for football will factor into his recruitment ($). Spielman had initially committed to Ohio State to play lacrosse, but now plans on playing football in college.

Michigan also made a strong move for 2017 in-state DE Corey Malone-Hatcher, who told Webb that Harbaugh personally leading the campus tour really stood out to him:

Sam Webb:  You are one of the most heavily recruited guys in the state… in the Midwest even.  You’ve experienced college campuses before and college coaches. Was that unique to see Harbaugh the head coach leading the tour? 

Corey Malone-Hatcher:  “Yeah definitely.  I think that’s definitely one of the things that stands out.  He seemed like he really wanted to be a part of anything.  He wanted to showcase the fact that he will be in involved in not only with the guys that he has to talk to on a daily basis as far as practice, the people that he works with on offense, but he wants to be involved with the whole team.  He’s a fatherly figure to all the guys.  Knowing my parents are not going to be on campus with me. You’re not going to avoid being homesick – that’s impossible.  You can kind of try and nullify it a little bit with the homegrown type feeling, and I definitely think they have that type of environment and atmosphere at Michigan.  I think that’s really cool that they would take the time and opportunity to be able to make that stand out as one of the points that they have at Michigan.” 

That's not something you see everywhere, to say the least.

Five-star 2016 WI OT Ben Bredeson is apparently keeping the media at bay, but Lorenz mentioned in his insider notes that Michigan "threw the kitchen sink" at him over the weekend ($). Lorenz also said 2017 four-star CO QB Dylan McCaffrey's visit "went very well," and he believes McCaffrey is the top quarterback target in the class for Michigan.

New Offers: TE A Priority

Michigan offered three-star MA TE Sean McKeon this morning, reports Steve Lorenz, who added the offer could have a significant effect on McKeon's decision, which is expected to happen sooner rather than later. Boston College and Syracuse are also in the mix.

The Wolverines also extended a recent offer to three-star OR TE Cam McCormick, per Brandon Brown, but it looks unlikely Michigan will get the Oregon commit on campus, let alone convince him to flip.

In related news, Josh Newkirk reports four-star OH TE Luke Farrell has dropped Michigan from his recruitment. Happy trails to Farrell, who is now considering Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Boston College.

Meanwhile, Michigan's 2017 tight end commit, Brother Rice prospect Carter Dunaway, participated in the Columbus Nike camp over the weekend and impressed Newkirk with his size ($):

Michigan 2017 tight end Carter Dunaway is a big target at 6-foot-6, 230-pounds, which created some match up issues in 1-on-1s. He had a couple nice catches in coverage. He won't blow by you with his speed, but his size is clearly his best asset.

With Dunaway hitting the camp circuit, expect the recruiting services to start throwing stars his way—Scout, for instance, still hasn't ranked him at all.

Etc.

A reminder: Michigan will host eight of the top 2017 in-state prospects tomorrow afternoon. The expected attendees are Josh Ross, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Ambry Thomas, Allen Stritzinger, KJ Hamler, JaRaymond Hall, Jaylen Kelly-Powell, and Carter Dunaway, all of whom hold offers. Corey Malone-Hatcher visited over the weekend because of a scheduling conflict.

Four-star CA OLB Camilo Eifler included Michigan in his top six.

Three-star FL OLB Jonathan Jones, who has Michigan on top of his list, will swing by campus as part of a multi-school tour with some teammates later this month.

This coaching staff is insane in the best possible way.