B Button Right, B Button Left, R2
The roundup took a hiatus during previewpalooza. I'd be remiss if I didn't post this run by commit Christian Turner from last week.
This @UMichFootball commit is gamin' on them this season.
(@_ChrisTurner28) pic.twitter.com/V1FaBXAJLs
— Hudl (@Hudl) August 30, 2017
Balance: Hart-like.
All The Hintons, Please
This is one of the Hintons.
Ha, ha! @gacsREDZONE @myles_hint75 is only a sophomore...said no opposing team ever!
Dude looks NFL ready now!
More: https://t.co/3E1aFD7yge pic.twitter.com/2F9Gt4P9mR— WSB-TV Sports Zone (@WSBTVsports) August 23, 2017
It's not five-star 2019 Michigan commit Chris Hinton, however. It's his younger brother, 2020 OT Myles Hinton, who wouldn't look out of place lining up at tackle for Michigan right now. While we'll have to wait a few years to see that, it seems close to an inevitability we will; here's Myles talking with TMI's Josh Newkirk about joining his brother in Ann Arbor:
“Yes we are,” Hinton said on playing with his brother in college. “Before he committed I still liked Michigan, they were high on my list. So it kind of reassured that I love the School. I feel like I’m really close with my brother, so if we were separated it wouldn’t be as fun in college I don’t think.”
The Hintons attended Saturday's game, which couldn't hurt matters, either. They'll be back on campus for the Rutgers game. Michigan is already off to a great start in the 2019 class; a commitment from Myles Hinton would be the perfect way to begin the 2020 haul.
[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]
2018 Updates: Hufanga, Addison Set Officials
It's usually tough to tell how an out-of-region team stands with West Coast prospects, whose recruitments often have surprising late developments once they're able to take official visits. (Devin Asiasi comes to mind before I heave a deep sigh.)
Michigan has at least taken a big step in the right direction with a couple high-profile left-coasters. Top-100 OR ATH Tulanoa Hufanga set his official visit for the Ohio State game, per TMI's Brice Marich. Oregon is the current favorite as the in-state power, but we'll see if visits change that outlook.
It's a similar situation for top-100 CA S Bryan Addison, who recently set up three officials, including one to Michigan for the Michgian State game, per Scout's Gerard Martinez. His Crystal Ball is currently split between USC, Washington, and UCLA; there could be room for Michigan to sneak in there.
Staying out west, five-star CA WR Amon-Ra St. Brown mentioned Michigan as one of the most prominent schools in his recruitment to Scout's Greg Biggins:
"The schools recruiting me the hardest right now are UCLA, Stanford, USC, Michigan and Notre Dame. I'm going to the USC-Stanford game this weekend and I'm going to try and check out a UCLA game sometime as well. The plan is to make my decision at the Army All-American Game."
St. Brown has a brother (Equanimeous) at Notre Dame, where he's set his first official visit, and USC is coming on strong. Landing him would be a coup for Michigan.
There's good and bad in tight end recruiting news. Let's get the bad out of the way: top-100 IL TE Luke Ford told Rivals's Josh Helmholdt that Alabama is out in front, and given the only visits he has planned are to Crimson Tide games, that gap is going to be tough to close.
Here's the good: four-star TX TE Mustapha Muhammed made his way to Dallas for Saturday's game, and while he couldn't talk to the coaches because it wasn't a home game, he came away impressed with the program nonetheless, per Marich:
“I think (the tight ends) were mainly used to help out the offensive line with the really stout Florida defensive line,” Muhammad said. “Although it seems as if they all made plays in the passing game too. (Wilton) Speight did a great job of distributing the rock.”
While the coaches weren't able to recruit for the Wolverines, the Maize and Blue faithful certainly did.
"The fans are awesome as always," Muhammad said. "They traveled really well as I think 60% of the people there were Michigan fans. Some also tried to recruit me again (laughter)."
He plans to return to Ann Arbor sometime this fall. Michigan is in a great position here.
2019 Updates: Looking Good For East Kentwood Duo
Michigan appears to be in great shape for two of the state's best 2019 prospects, both hailing from East Kentwood. Four-star OT Logan Brown talked up Michigan's coaching staff and his friendship with Heisman candidate Quinn Nordin (the two were training partners in high school) to Brice Marich, then said what he's looking for in a school:
“I’m just worried about my high school career and really focusing on my education,” Brown said. “I’m mostly looking for a great coaching staff and city. Location is a big thing for me.”
That's promising criteria for the in-state power with a Harbaugh coaching staff and a campus you can actually walk from end to end without needing a sherpa. Marich spotted Brown sporting Michigan gloves during his game on Friday, too.
Brown's teammate, four-star DT Mazi Smith, was quite effusive in his praise of Greg Mattison, per The Wolverine's Brandon Brown:
“I love Coach Mattison — LOVE him,” Smith said. “I really can’t explain it; I really can’t put it into words. Every time I get around him I just feel like he really tells me the truth and just makes me feel good. He has a great energy. He may be older but you can’t tell when he’s just talking to you. He brings so much energy and passion and you can’t help but feed off it.”
Smith told Marich that he still has a top five of Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, and the Wolverines seem to be out in front. Oddly enough, that information was omitted from a lengthy Spartan Nation post on MSU's pursuit of Smith. I'm sure it was an oversight.
The Spartans are faring well with one 2019 in-stater, at least. Top-100 Belleville WR/CB Julian Barnett visited East Lansing over the weekend and now has MSU out in front, per Spartan Nation's Justin Wieber:
To wrap up our discussion, Julian gave Spartan Nation some interesting news, possibly hinting at an MSU commitment in the future. When asked if committing to MSU may be a possibility, Barnett responded: "I don't know when I'll commit yet, but it may just be to MSU soon."
To go over this for the umpteenth time, Michigan wanted Barnett to camp before getting an offer, especially since he could be a wideout or a corner. He didn't camp and the Wolverines haven't been a prominent part of his recruitment since.
