Recruiting Roundup: Elite LB eyeing Michigan Football game day visit

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Welcome to the Recruiting Roundup, our three-times-per-week series breaking down the latest developments on the recruiting trail for the Michigan Wolverines. We’ll keep you up to date on the top targets, the visits they take, the predictions that analysts make, and everything in between. Here’s what you need to know today…

Elite LB eyeing game day visit to Michigan

Michigan linebackers coach Alex Whittingham has been busy recruiting the 2028 class lately. One of the top early targets for the Wolverines at the position is four-star Jay Schnell, who is a borderline Top 100 overall player in the class at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds.

The Rabun Gap, Georgia native doesn’t have a game day visit scheduled for this fall yet, but he is looking to get to Ann Arbor to see the Wolverines play. There is one game in particular that he has his eyes on.

“I talk regularly with Coach Whitt and we text a lot as well,” Schell told TMI’s Marich ($). “I haven’t scheduled any game day visits yet. I plan to sit down with my coach after we report back to school for camp on August 3 and work on a fall visit schedule. Hopefully will have a schedule set for September and October visits by mid August. The Michigan vs. Oklahoma game stands out to me as a great game and weekend to visit if I can get there in time for the noon kickoff. We have a game the night before.”

It will be tough to pull Schnell from the south, as he has already taken multiple trips to schools like Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. However, the Wolverines are going to give it their all with one of the top players at the position in his class.

Four-star CB high on Michigan after visit

The Michigan football coaching staff has shifted a lot of focus over to the 2028 recruiting class recently, as the big push for guys in the 2027 class ended a couple weeks ago. One player to watch is four-star cornerback Zayden Williams. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Tennessee native earned an offer from Michigan in June when he was in town for a visit.

“I went on a visit to Michigan and they toured me around the facilities and I talked to the corners coach and Tyler Markray and a few more coaches,” Williams told The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich ($). “The corners coach offered me after a conversation with him. I was very excited because Michigan is a huge school.

Recruiting is all about forming strong relationships, and cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford seems to be on the right track there with Williams.

“He’s a great person,” Williams said. “Sounds like he knows what he’s talking about and very confident.”

So far, it sounds like the staff is doing a good job with consistent contact with Williams, which is crucial. It’s not just Gilford, as defensive coordinator Jay Hill is also making sure that he is a priority.

“Yes, every now and then multiple of the coaches contacted to check on me,” Williams said. “I just talked to the defensive coordinator the other day. Me and him were just discussing football and just seeing if their defense is right for me.”

Michigan is in good standing with Williams right now, as he said the Wolverines are in his early top-10 list.

Michigan battling Big Ten foe for 2028 RB

One position Michigan has consistently excelled at throughout the last decade is running back. Because of that success on the field, Michigan typically does well recruiting the position. However, there is certainly work to do with 2028 three-star running back Malaki Davis.

Davis admits that USC is his top option, but running backs coach Tony Alford is doing all he can to keep Michigan in the running.

“They’re trying to get me up there for a game,” Davis told Rivals’ Adam Gorney ($). “Getting a one-on-one with him (Alford) would be big because I’ve never been up there so I want to see what it’s like up there. We’ll see how that goes.”

The door isn’t closed on Davis by any means, but it sounds like Michigan has a lot of work to do to beat USC here.

“I’m still open-minded but because SC has been showing so much love, I’m not going to forget about them,” Davis said. “They’re still my top priority. With everything going on, I’m not going to leave them behind. They’re still my top school.”

If things don’t work out with Davis, the Wolverines are in on a lot of other quality options at the position in the class, including four-star Cartae Ligon, who we highlighted in our Wednesday roundup.

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