Michigan Thursday: Wolverine Recruiting Blitz

As you know, Michigan hosted three four-star offensive line prospects this week. Here is a quick update on their visit and what's next for these young men. 

Jordan Walsh  

On his trip to Ann Arbor this week:   "It went well," said Walsh of his one-on-one time with Michigan's head coach. "We talked a lot about (different) stuff, and not always about football. He told me about the new additions to the Big House, the town, and everything. I like him. I guess you could say he's different from how he is portrayed. He's a really cool, laid-back person. He's always smiling, and the way he talks about things, you kind of just feel good talking to him."

"I like Coach (Greg) Frey," Walsh said of Michigan's offensive line coach. "He's a funny guy. He's real cool, but he'll get on you if you mess up and he'll also teach you how to get better. We both think alike."

Don't forget about Jordan's mom, who loves Michigan and cried when Jordan got the Michigan offer:  "To be totally honest, I love Michigan," said the youngster's mother, Natalie. "I think their academic services and everything that they have to offer there academically has been the best we've seen yet."

"My husband and I are both kind of sports fanatics, and I think we kind of fell in love with Michigan when the Fab Five started," Mrs. Walsh admitted. "He'll probably kill me for telling you this, but ever since he could talk, I'd always say, 'Jordan where are you going to school?' And he would say, 'I'm going to the University of Michigan.' I always knew that Michigan was known for their academics, and their sports teams were always fantastic when I was growing up. That is how I became a fan of Michigan."

I like Michigan's chances with Jordan.  He currently doesn't have a timeline for a decision, or even a top five, but having Mom on your side is a big plus for the Wolverines!


Jake Fisher

As we know he visited Ann Arbor and East Lansing this week.  He is now prepared to announce his decision in the next few days.  Many insiders expect this to be good news for the Wolverines. 

Cyrus Hobbi  

We know Cyrus had a nice visit to Ann Arbor this week, but his timeline is much longer, and I expect he wants to take some official visits and make a decision later this fall or winter. 

Two side notes about this class.  Some people who follow Big Ten recruiting might wonder why Michigan has only seven verbals so far Indiana has 20?  Michigan has fewer then 20 scholarships available this year (probably around 18) and needs to be pretty selective on who it offers them to.  Ohio State, for example, will have a big class this year (already 17 commits) and a very small one next year (fewer then 15 we are hearing).  If you're wondering, Penn State only has three commits so far for 2011.

Mickey Johnson, one of the best defensive tackles in the country, has Michigan in his top five along with UCLA, Nebraska, LSU, and Tennessee. Right now he has UCLA as his leader.  Mickey plans to take four official visits, which hopefully means he will visit Ann Arbor sometime late this summer or for a game this fall.

DB Wayne Lyons (6'1", 195) of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. has a shortened list of 14 schools that include Michigan, USC Gamecocks, Auburn, Florida, FSU, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Mississippi, Stanford, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and USF.

Sammy Watkins, a WR out of Florida , now has Miami and Clemson as his top two schools.  It's been a while since he visited for the Spring Game, and the Michigan coaches need to get him back on campus for an official visit this fall.  

DL Deion Barnes (6'4", 230) of Philadelphia has a Michigan offer but right now does not have a list of favorites.