JD Humburg / Oregon Live
Wide Receiver Recruiting Update: New 2022 Offer Out To Darrius Clemons
Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis wasted no time in kick starting the week with an early Monday offer to 2022 Portland (Ore.) Westview four-star wide receiver Darius Clemons.
Standing at 6-3 and 195 pounds, Clemons has a big frame and is sporting a growing offer list to match. Ranked as the No. 14 wide receiver in the country by 247Sports.com, Clemons uses his size to outmaneuver defensive backs and can climb the ladder to highpoint the football.
These traits have caught the interest of the U-M staff, and Michigan joins an offer list that includes Michigan State, Oregon, Oregon State and Cal among 11 total teams.
At the moment, Michigan has only offered 12 sophomore wide receivers, so the Wolverines have identified Clemons as one of the top-flight wideouts in the 2022 cycle.
While Michigan cannot make a physical presence in Oregon due to the recruiting dead period, the Wolverines are making inroads at Westview, and Clemons’ teammate, junior three-star athlete Patrick Hisatake picked up an offer on Sunday. Michigan joined a list of 10 schools to offer Hisatake during his recruitment including Utah, Arizona State and Maryland.
Elsewhere in the country, Michigan dropped out of the top group for Alexandria (Va.) St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes four-star wide receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. recently. The highly touted receiver released a top group of 12 schools a little over a week ago, and Michigan failed to make the cut.
While Johnson says he is still hearing from the Wolverines, Michigan will have to up its effort in order to show the four-star product that he is a priority in the 2021 class.
“The contact kind of fell off a little bit,” Johnson told Wolverine Digest. “That was the major thing. It just felt like I wasn’t in the eyes of [Michigan] towards the end.”
At the moment, Johnson is working on making trips out to South Carolina, Alabama and Auburn as he narrows down his list from 12 schools to five before making his official visits.
“I was planning on visiting South Carolina, Alabama and Auburn, and that cannot happen right now,” Johnson said. “Those are definitely important visits for me to take, but I could not take them yet.”
Johnson says that he has been hearing from Gattis throughout his recruitment but just not often enough. Still, Gattis has informed the 6-1, 185-pounder of his speed-in-space strategy, and this scheme is one that would appeal to Johnson at the next level.
“I definitely would like to be in a system where they utilize speed and for me to move around, playing in the slot or playing outside with jets or screens— a versatile offense,” Johnson said.
Last year, Johnson says he caught over 50 passes for roughly 850 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, a mark he is looking to improve on later in the year.
Josh Gattis has been active on the recruiting trail as of late. Which areas / schools would you like to see him target the most? Where should his attention be focused? Let us know!
