Kendall Fuller and Leon McQuay III Have Michigan in Top 3, Other Updates

The Michigan Wolverines coaching staff turned a lot of heads within their fan base when they offered and received a commitment from two-star defensive back Channing Stribling (Matthews, NC) last week with only a few spots left in their 2013 class. However, this does not mean they are no longer recruiting Rivals100 prospects Kendall Fuller (Olney, MD) or Leon McQuay III (Seffner, FL). 

The Wolverines currently have verbal commitments from 22 prospects, leaving Michigan with just two available scholarships to close out their current class. One of those will likely go to a wide receiver, but head coach Brady Hoke and his staff appear to be willing to use the remaining scholarship on the best available player rather than pursuing a prospect at a selected position. 

Although Michigan still seems like a long-shot for Fuller, who is a five-star prospect, the nation's No. 1 cornerback and No. 3 overall prospect, the Wolverines did make the Our Lady of Good Counsel star's top three. 

"Virginia Tech, Clemson, Michigan," Fuller told TigerIllustrated.com on Saturday afternoon. 

The Maryland native currently plans on committing during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January, but added in an interview with Rivals.com's Mike Farrell that he could decide sooner if everything feels right. 

Fuller intends to visit Michigan during the 2012 season and will make trips to Clemson and Virginia Tech in July.  

It will be extremely difficult for the Wolverines to get Fuller away from Virginia Tech, which is where his three older brothers chose to play their college ball as well. At this point, Michigan likely has about a 10 percent chance of landing Fuller, while Virginia Tech is probably the frontrunner at 60 percent and Clemson remains in the hunt with roughly a 30 percent chance to earn his signature come national signing day. 

Michigan appeared to be falling out of the picture for McQuay as well until the nation's No. 33 overall prospect and No. 3 ranked safety took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor in May. 

Over the weekend, McQuay informed Tim Sullivan of TheWolverine.com that Michigan is one of his top three schools along with USC and Vanderbilt. The Armwood High School standout also said that his visit to the Big House last month played a big role in the Wolverines moving up his list. 

"I wouldn't say it's a final three. That's the top three," McQuay said on Monday. "The visit was good. It was real good. That's what moved them up my list. We saw all the weight room, the locker room, the academic center, and the field, and the practice fields. It was nice." 

The Sunshine state defensive back claims no leaders at this stage of his recruitment and does not have a set timetable for a decision. 

"Those three schools are all even. It's even right now," McQuay said. "I'll pick whichever school feels right for me. Whenever it happen, it happens." 

McQuay has visited Vanderbilt multiple times, Michigan once and plans to take a trip to USC when he participates in The Opening this summer.  

The Michigan coaching staff continues to keep themselves in the running for several top prospects with outstanding reviews from their campus visitors and class of 2014 linebacker prospect Michael Ferns' (Saint Clairsville, OH) recent tour of Ann Arbor went so well that it pushed the Wolverines into his top three. 

"Right now Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State are the three where I can see myself going to school," Ferns informed IrishIllustrated.com on Monday.  

In-state powerhouse and Michigan's arch-rival Ohio State did not make Ferns' list of teams after a lengthy discussion with his father. Both concluded that the Buckeyes are "just not a good fit" for Ferns. 

Ferns has already made visits to all of his top three schools and the Wolverines will get a chance to move ahead of their competition on July 28th for Michigan's annual Barbecue at the Big House. 

More updates on all three of these prospects will be provided as they happen in the coming weeks.

Zach Dirlam is the Lead Editor of the College Basketball section as well as Big Ten columnist for the FOX Sports/MSN/YardBarker affiliate website Sports at Work. Check out his blog, Dirlam’s Dirty Dugout Sports Blog, which features this story, along with other articles and video reports on major sports.

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