Michigan Football Recruiting: It's Detroit Day
Things are starting to feel more and more normal as we all march toward the end of the pandemic and, for high school football prospects, that means taking visits and checking out campuses once again. The dead period officially ended on June 1 and programs across the country aren't wasting any time when it comes to bringing recruiting targets in for visits.
The Michigan staff has lined up "Detroit Day", which will take place today in and around the campus, football building, facilities and stadium.
The Michigan staff is expecting more than 40 players from Detroit and the surrounding areas. Prospects across multiple classes will be on campus to take a detailed tour and participate in a photo shoot in the storied maize and blue uniforms and winged helmet. With several new staffers like director of player personnel Courtney Morgan, director of on campus recruiting and operations Christina DeRuyter and director of strategic communication and branding Sydney Sims, along with a handful of new assistant coaches, today's event is a very big deal for a lot of reasons.
Current Michigan commits from the 2022 class, Grosse Pointe South cornerback Will Johnson, River Rouge defensive tackle Davonte Miles and East Detroit wide receiver Tay'shawn Trent are all expected to attend, which is always good for visiting targets.
Miles' teammate, wide receiver Nick Marsh of the 2024 class, will also be in attendance, after performing well and impressing many at the Eastern Michigan camp on Monday. Marsh did his thing before the Michigan coaches got there, but with an offer from the Wolverines already in hand, they're well aware of his skills.
Arguably the two biggest 2022 targets expected on campus today are Cass Tech defensive tackle Deone Walker and West Bloomfield athlete Dillon Tatum. Both are priorities for the Wolverines and both are very high on the Wolverines. No fireworks are expected today from these two but a solid visit with a bunch of new staffers could go a long way now that visits are being scheduled again. Tatum is probably closer to a decision than Walker is, and with former West Bloomfield head coach Ron Bellamy now on staff and coaching the safeties, Tatum is giving U-M a very hard look.
Tatum's teammates, 2022 athlete Michael Williams, 2023 offensive tackle Amir Herring, 2024 linebacker Kari Jackson and 2024 defensive end Brandon Davis-Swain, will also be in attendance. All four hold a Michigan offer already.
One of Walker's 2023 teammates from Cass Tech is another priority for Michigan — defensive end Jalen Thompson. At 6-3, 245 pounds, Thompson has the look of a freaky pass rusher. He's already getting attention from some of the bigger programs around the country so getting him on campus with some older guys and some committed prospects is definitely a smart move.
Obviously with a guest list of more than 40, many more players will be on campus today. Some don't have an offer, but in-person meetings, first impressions and some eye ball tests could change that. There won't be any competition this time around, but that's not far off either as Michigan gears up for camps on June 6 and June 13. With the dead period lifted, it's about to get really interesting around the country as prospects try to play catch up after a 15-month hiatus.