Michigan Football: Players to Watch in High School All-American Games

The future of the Michigan football program will be represented across the three major high school All-American games.

Highlighted by some of the Wolverines' top-rated commits, eight verbal pledges and a truckload of targets will participate in the Under Armour, U.S. Army and Semper Fidelis showcases.

Broken down by commitment status, the following slides list which Michigan prospects are headed to each game and include notes on whether the player will announce his college choice.

Commits at Under Armour All-American Game

Credit: 247Sports

Devin Bush Jr.

Michigan will battle Florida for a victory in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day, and on Jan. 2 a trio of Wolverines commits will participate in the Under Armour All-American Game (noon ET, ESPN2).

Ben Bredeson, the fifth-best offensive tackle and No. 35 overall prospect, is the highest-rated player from Wisconsin. He's a key to Michigan building depth for 2016 and a potential starter on the line.

Kareem Walker is expected to be the workhorse of the backfield at some point during his college career, though the nation's No. 1 running back could earn consistent touches next season.

Rounding out the commitments is one of the most recent pledges, 4-star linebacker Devin Bush Jr. Considering the roster's lack of depth at linebacker, Bush should be a factor immediately—whether he's ready or not.

Targets at Under Armour All-American Game

The biggest prize of the 2016 recruiting cycle will attend the Under Armour game. Defensive tackle Rashan Gary is the country's top prospect, and he fits a position of need for Michigan.

That's also the case for 4-star linebacker Dontavious Jackson and 4-star tight end Jacob Mathis, whose 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions favor Texas and Florida, respectively.

While the Wolverines are chasing 4-star offensive lineman Terrance Davis, they can hope to secure a commitment from another prospect. Jean Delance will reveal his college choice in Orlando, Florida.

Steve Lorenz of 247Sports wrote, "Michigan views Delance as a Rashan Gary-level target for them to finish off their offensive line class."

Commits at Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl

Credit: 247Sports

Ron Johnson

Then on Jan. 3, two Wolverines commits will appear in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Brad Hawkins, a 4-star receiver, is the higher-ranked player of the tandem, but it's not by much. Hawkins is No. 284 overall, while 4-star defensive end Ron Johnson slots in at No. 293.

Hawkins and Johnson are both excellent depth signings. They won't be expected to contribute at least until 2017 because of returning players at their positions.

Commits at U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Michigan has three commits and eight targets playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC, but one prospect in particular grabs the most attention.

Brandon Peters is considered the quarterback of the future. A 4-star from Indiana, Peters plans to enroll early and could compete for the starting job in 2016. Even if he doesn't start right away, his future is promising.

Sometimes lost in the talk about Gary is that the Wolverines already have a top commit at defensive tackle. Jordan Elliott is a top-100 player who should see significant playing time in 2017.

Local product Michael Onwenu caps the verbal pledges. The 6'3", 365-pound offensive lineman's merit will be tested when he takes on elevated competition compared to Michigan high school football.

Targets at U.S. Army All-American Bowl

If Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff sign four of the eight targets in the U.S. Army bowl, consider that an upset. The Wolverines are probably looking at a 25 percent success rate.

Lorenz believes Lavert Hill and Dylan Crawford are strong Wolverines leans. Although Jordan Fuller is a big unknown, he may schedule a visit to Ann Arbor following the dead period.

Isaac Nauta will announce his decision during the fourth quarter of the game. Somewhere other than Georgia would be a surprise, but Michigan is in the running.

Caleb Kelly, Mecole Hardman Jr. and Donnie Corley have expressed interest but seem to be headed elsewhere, while Lars Hanson of 247Sports said Michigan is a long shot for recent Stanford decommit David Long.

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All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.