ga'quincy mckinstry

A number of prospects from Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy, current home of LB commit Osman Savage and former Michigan staffer Biff Poggi, visited Michigan recently. One of those players is four-star Luke Hill, the #5 CB in the 2020 class. He told 247’s Brian Dohn that he spent most of his time on campus talking to cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich, whom he called “real” and said he related to.

Four-star MD RB Blake Corum, also of St. Frances and #194 in composite (but #355 to 247), told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich that he’s very interested in Michigan and spoke about the quality of his relationship with running backs coach Jay Harbaugh. Jim and Jay Harbaugh told Corum about their plans for how they could use him, and it included running the ball, catching passes, and returning punts. In other words, he’s as quick and athletic as you’d expect for a 5’9, 180-pounder with offers from the SEC’s power players (minus Alabama), USC, and half the Big Ten. He’s also Steve Lorenz’s most recent Michigan crystal ball, which comes on the heels of 247 moving Corum up to Michigan’s top target list just before his visit.

And yet Corum isn’t the most recent player from St. Frances to commit to Michigan. That honor goes to OL Micah Mazzccua, who announced his commitment Monday night, spurring offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Syracuse. Mazzcua is listed as 6’5” and 289 pounds in 247’s database, but recent scouting reports have him listed at 305. He’s currently #771 and the #76 OT in the 2020 composite, but 247’s Brian Dohn saw him play last fall and it seems Mazzccua is another guy Michigan is in on early that they could ride up the rankings.

Mazzccua could see his ranking increase as long as he continues to develop throughout the offseason. He is raw but came a long way from the start of his junior season to now. His athleticism and frame make him a very intriguing prospect, and someone who could turn out to be a steal on signing day.

Dohn also mentioned that Mazzccua has good enough footwork to eventually play right tackle and also does well on pulls, but he has issues with pad level. RIvals analyst Adam Friedman’s take is similar to what Dohn saw.

"He’s 6-6 and right around 300 pounds but he can really bend well and he fires off the line really well. He plays with a great aggressiveness too.

Friedman added that Mazzccua has four-star potential as long as he continues on his current trajectory. The Wolverine’s Brandon Brown thinks that Mazzccua could be this year’s Trente Jones in that he’s a guy who’s far more athletic than a human his size should be and thus could be poised to make a big rankings jump by the end of the season. I took a cursory glance at his junior highlights and yeah, I could see it. Mazzccua transferred to St. Frances from Philadelphia’s Simon Gratz High School last year, so he’s only had one season of spotlight scouting. He told 247’s Maryland site that he felt like he learned to finish blocks consistently once he got to St. Frances, and that he’s still working on leg strength and getting more explosive, and I don’t doubt that he has rare enough athleticism for his size to make a splash once he cleans up his technique a bit.

[After THE JUMP: updates on the state's most highly touted prospects]