This weekend was a pivotal one for the Michigan football program, as head coach Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the coaching staff had the opportunity to personally meet with several key prospects taking official visit to Ann Arbor.
Who's moved Michigan up on their wishlist? What effect will this weekend have on February 4th's National Signing Day? Find out as we recap Michigan Football's HUGE Recruiting Weekend.
Wolverines moves up, have chance to flip South Carolina commit
After his official visit to the campus this weekend, three-star South Carolina cornerback commit Damon Arnette says Michigan has moved up to his "number two" school.
"Man I loved it a lot there," Arnette said, via 247Sports. "Their coaching staff has so much NFL experience. Them wanting me so much means a lot. Plus the education part. They've got it."
The impression that Jim Harbaugh and his staff left on Arnette could pay dividends, but the Fort Lauderdale (FL) project remains committed to South Carolina (for now) with two official visits left to go (South Car., Ohio State).
"I'm still committed to South Carolina," Arnette said. "That may or may not change after my last visit."
Tyree Kinnel, Andrew Davis remain firm to Michigan
Four-star safety Tyree Kinnel and kicker Andrew Davis both reportedly had great official visits to the campus this weekend, and both are virtual locks to officially sign on the dotted line with the Wolverines in February.
#1 TE target Chris Clark bonds with Jay Harbaugh
Michigan could be back in the mix for four-star Rivals100 tight end Chris Clark after an official visit that left the coveted Connecticut product very impressed.
“It was awesome,” the 6-foot-5, 253-pound Clark said, via Rivals.com. “I had a ton of fun. The new coaching staff, they have a lot of good dudes there. It’s something that I’m pretty excited about. They do such a good job with the tight end position and they were just preaching that.”
Although his first recruiter, former tight ends coach Dan Ferrigno, is no longer with the staff, Clark bonded with Jay Harbaugh - the team's new tight ends coach and son of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
“I was with coach Harbaugh a bunch,” Clark said. “It was pretty cool meeting him and he picked me up from the airport. I was with coach Drevno, coach Jay Harbaugh and coach Fisch. I think he’s the passing game coordinator from the Jaguars and coach Drevno handles the run game. Hanging out with them was cool.
“I’ve never really met any of these guys so it was a great first weekend,” he added. “Obviously our relationship isn’t very strong yet but this weekend made it a lot better. Coach Jay Harbaugh is a really young guy and we kind of relate really well, we connected right off the bat. I like him a lot. I think our relationship is as strong as it could be after only spending three days together.”
Wolverines on the move for four-star linebacker Roquan Smith
From all accounts, four-star Montezuma (GA) Macon County linebacker Roquan Smith had a stellar visit to campus this weekend, and Wolverine247's Steve Lorenz reports that UM is "reportedly surging for him."
The Wolverines will have to outlast UCLA and in-state Georgia to win Smith's signature on National Signing Day, but things are at least looking up.
Shelton Johnson might be a no-go
The same source Lorenz cited above in regards to Smith was not nearly as optimistic about Michigan's chances to land four-star Delray Beach (FL) Atlantic defensive end Shelton Johnson.
The current word is that Johnson will likely remain in-state to play at Florida State, but the Wolverines will assuredly continue to do their due diligence until they're officially out of the mix.
Follow our Michigan Wolverines team page for the latest Michigan football recruiting news!
Back to the Michigan Wolverines Newsfeed