Michigan Recruiting - September Visitors

Michigan has a big game against Air Force, but there will be a lot of action in the stands and elsewhere in terms of Michigan athletics.  Not only will the football program be bringing in a multitude of visitors, but several sites including UMHoops and Tremendous have highlighted long lists of visitors for the Air Force game on the basketball front.  There are always a lot of visitors for football games and especially the home opener, but I feel the need to comment today because there will be so many in the stands this weekend that can make such a difference long-term for the school.

2013
There isn't too much to report here.  Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin will be on campus, but both are solid Michigan commitments and are likely on campus just to enjoy the game, get more familiar with the surroundings, and do a little recruiting on some other recruits prospects.  They might help make the visit better for the 2014 and 2015 recruits, but beyond that not a lot to note here.  The one thing that is worth noting is that 2013 prospect Reggie Cameron will be visiting campus for the UMass game on September 15th.  He has already been offered by Michigan and could very well be Michigan's last addition in the 2013 class, taking the former spot of Austin Hatch, who reclassified to the 2014 class.



2014
For this weekend, there is definitely more going on in terms of the 2014 class than the 2013 class.  Jae'Sean Tate will be making an appearance.  He has already been offered by Michigan and will likely be involved in an intense recruiting battle between Michigan and Ohio State.  I think Michigan is in pretty good shape here, but it's definitely something that won't wrap up anytime soon.  These types of visits are key in the recruitment process and could very well be the factor that sways Tate one way or another.  He's already rated as a 4* recruit by ESPN and as #46 in the class of 2014.  He's a big time player that could make a big difference for Michigan's 2014 recruiting class.  The question will be whether Michigan can beat out OSU for him.

2015
This is where all the action will be happening this weekend.  Originally, the #1 prospect in the class of 2015 Karl Towns was supposed to be making a visit this weekend, but there were some conflicts and he won't be visiting for the Air Force game.  He should be on campus later this season, but not this weekend.  He is the obvious recruit that people will be watching throughout the year, but there are a lot of quality players that will also be making visits.

Point guard Hyron Edwards will be back on campus, which is good news.  His visit seemed to go well last time and another great visit should only work to help Michigan.  He's a recruit that I feel very good about.  He has said positive things about Indiana in the past and they are certainly in the race, but Michigan definitely has a solid chance at landing his services.  Another visitor will be Nate Fowler out of Cincinnati.  He's a big man and has been getting a lot of attention from schools like Ohio State, Arizona, and Notre Dame.  He's a great rebounder and is very fundamentally sound.

A few other visitors will be Prentiss Nixon, Michael Benkert, and Justin Greason.  Nixon is from Illinois and has been receiving heavy Michigan interest for quite some time.  He's also teammates with another Michigan target, Jordan Ash, and any reaction from Nixon becomes more important because it will likely influence his teammate as well.  Benkert describes himself as a "versatile" player that could make a big difference at Michigan.  He has also been receiving heavy attention from schools like Indiana and Purdue.  Greason is from Utica, MI.  He has the potential to become one of the better recruits in the 2015 class.

The final things worth noting on the 2015 class are that Lamonta Stone III and Chandler White are currently planning on visiting Michigan for the September 15th game against UMass as well.  Stone is a point guard that has received interest from schools including MSU, Purdue, and Wisconsin as well as Michigan.  White is from Indiana and has been getting a lot of attention from the schools in Indiana along with schools like Wisconsin, Illinois, Wake Forest, and Boston College.  He has a very good opinion about Michigan and if/when Michigan offers him, there could be an early commitment.  Trevon Manuel, who is from Lansing, is also planning to visit in September, but there's nothing officially set at this point.  I think Manuel will end up at MSU, but Michigan is definitely looking at him.

Overall, this is shaping up to be a key weekend for Michigan and its basketball team.  It's unlikely that any of these prospects will make a decision or solely base their decision off this weekend, but it certainly can play an impact.  With so many high profile players, it's going to be crucial for Michigan to make a big impact.  Many have pointed to Mitch McGary's visit for last year's season opener as the one that really tilted his recruitment in favor of Michigan.  Let's hope similar things happen this weekend.