Recruiting Notebook: Offered Prospects Talk U-M Amid Canceled Trips

While the sporting world is entrenched in a series of coronavirus cancellations, Michigan football continues to recruit the 2021 class in a continual effort to bring top-flight talent to Ann Arbor. Wolverine Digest caught up with a series of Michigan targets to get the latest amid a turbulent time.

Hailing from the talent-rich state of Georgia, Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County three-star inside linebacker Baron Hopson has racked up eight offers up to this point. Michigan stands out as the highest-profile scholarship from an offer sheet that includes Nebraska, Indiana and Georgia Tech.

Standing at 5-11, 221 pounds, Hopson exhibits a sudden burst towards the football after the snap and quickly gains a head of steam from the linebacker position. This trait allowed Hopson to carve out a familiar target in opponent’s backfields throughout the 2019 season.

In lieu of his early offer from U-M, Hopson discussed where the Wolverines sit in his recruitment heading forward.

“Michigan is one of my top choices,” Hopson said. “Being the first school to offer me, it holds a special place but communication has been lacking since (Chris) Partridge left.”

After Partridge departed for Ole Miss, Hopson mentioned that Michigan hasn’t shown as much interest lately. Still, the three-star prospect holds U-M in high esteem.

At the moment, Georgia Tech, Nebraska and Louisville comprise Hopson’s top three.

Elsewhere in the country, Washington (DC) St. John’s three-star running back Colby McDonald shared his insight on what landing a Michigan offer meant to the speedy 2021 prospect.

“It felt great, and I was really excited about it,” McDonald said.

Taking into consideration Josh Gattis’ speed-in-space model, McDonald could be a quality fit for this style of offense. Based on his junior highlight tape, McDonald has the speed portion in spades and used his burst to outrun countless teams last year.

Checking in at 6-1, 205 pounds, McDonald plants his foot, makes a cut and races downfield toward the end zone. McDonald, who holds offers from 12 programs at this point, shows that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and uses his shifty lateral agility to shake away defenders.

McDonald says that Michigan extended an offer in person and that this gesture went a long way in boosting U-M’s stock with the DMV-area recruit.

“I am very interested in Michigan, and I like what the football program brings and their fan base is crazy,” McDonald said.

With those factors working in the Wolverines’ favor, McDonald is beginning to plot out which schools he will take a visit to moving forward. However, many in the sports world are taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the coronavirus, but McDonald is angling to take a trip to Ann Arbor soon. It is one of the visits he would most like to take.

“I am definitely going to try to visit,” McDonald said.

So far, Michigan has offered 14 running backs in the 2021 cycle, and only one of those recruits has already committed to a school. This leaves a fairly wide open field of players that could don the Maize and Blue in the future.

Most recently, McDonald picked up an offer from Louisville, so the Cardinals have also identified McDonald as a potential speedy prize to its recruiting class.

Though Michigan is focusing a wealth of effort on building its 2021 class, the Wolverines are continuing to scout younger prospects and have established relationships with some of the nation’s premiere sophomore recruits by this stage as well.

One of those blue-chip athletes is Tyler Martin, a linebacker from the Acton (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. Already tipping the scales at 6-3 and 230 pounds, Martin has the frame to play Power 5 football, and many schools have taken notice.

As of now, Martin holds offers from eight schools, a list that includes Michigan, Vanderbilt and Virginia. U-M offered early in the process for Martin, and the talented sophomore has taken visits to Michigan in the past.

Fortunately for the Wolverines, Martin will be on campus once again in the coming weeks, and the staff will have another opportunity to sell him on the opportunity to play football in Ann Arbor. It's also worth noting that 2020 offensive line signee Zak Zinter hails from the same high school as Martin, so there's familiarity there between the Wolverines and the coaches up there.

Martin recently took a visit to Virginia, so and both Penn State and Notre Dame have entered the 2022 linebacker’s recruitment, but Martin’s longstanding relationship with the Michigan staff should be a feather in the team’s cap.

Watch as the physical defender continues to draw interest from across the country.

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