Detroit King’s Ambry Thomas
With football season getting closer and Michigan’s 2017 class more than halfway full, Jim Harbaugh and company are eyeing some of the nation’s top overall prospects to finish out what could be an amazing class in his third full cycle with the program.
The Wolverines have 18 verbal commitments from 10 different states and also have a Canadian prospect in four-star cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. With a class size that will be somewhere around 30, the coaching staff has narrowed their recruiting board in an effort to finish out strong with the country’s elite prospects in mind. With around a dozen spots or so remaining, let’s take a look at five prospects U-M would like most to add to an already impressive class:
Five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones
The Detroit Cass Tech star is one of the top prospects the state has produced in the last 20 years and the top overall wide receiver in the country according to 247Sports, Peoples-Jones is Michigan’s top remaining target on their recruiting board with quarterback Dylan McCaffrey already committed.
U-M, Michigan State, Ohio State, Florida and USC are among the schools connected to Peoples-Jones the most. The 247Sports Crystal Ball for Peoples-Jones currently points towards the Wolverines, and the five-star prospect is expected to make a decision sometime before December as he’d like to enroll early into college. With Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh set to graduate after this season, the Wolverines may offer immediate playing time.
Four-star linebacker Drew Singleton
Michigan’s linebacker haul in the 2016 class is mostly prospects the coaching staff would like to mold into the position going forward. They didn’t get as many natural outside linebackers as they would have liked to. And so, it’s a position of major priority in 2017 and Singleton is U-M’s top target at the spot.
The Paramus (N.J.) Catholic product would be the fourth elite prospect in five cycles to commit to the Wolverines from the Paladin program, joining Jabrill Peppers, Juwann Bushell-Beatty and Rashan Gary. Like Gary, Clemson appears to be the one program with a real shot to contend with the Wolverines for Singleton’s services. He has gone back and forth on when he would like to make a college decision, but many believe he will decide sometime this fall. LSU is another program he’s believed to be considering.
Four-star wide receiver Nico Collins
Michigan would love to potentially compliment Peoples-Jones with Collins, who would give the Wolverines a dynamic duo on the outside. After recruiting mostly slot receivers in 2016, U-M wants to add length to the position in 2017 and the 6-foot-5 Collins would fit the bill.
Collins, out of Pinson, Ala., is the top ranked player in the state according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. He also holds offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Auburn, LSU and pretty much every program the Wolverines have struggled to recruit against down south until Harbaugh came into town. If Michigan can sign Collins, it would be the clearest indicator yet that the Wolverines can become a major player with top recruits down south.
Four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas
Thomas has parlayed a very strong off-season into near five-star status, as 247Sports currently has him ranked as the 32nd overall prospect in the country. A dynamic two-way player at Detroit King, Thomas played in the shadows of U-M signee Lavert Hill and MSU signee Donnie Corley, but will get his chance to shine for the Crusaders this year.
He has a strong list of national offers, but the belief is that he will eventually commit and sign with either the Wolverines or Spartans. Most believe Michigan is in the driver’s seat for his verbal commitment, but Mark Dantonio’s staff has effectively recruited King since his hire and aren’t going to go away easily.
Four-star offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz
Michigan would like to take a pure center prospect in the 2017 cycle, and Ruiz is considered the best in the country according to most outlets.
A former Camden (N.J.) star, Ruiz transferred to the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., last season and will play his second year with the program in 2016. He was a national-level prospect before transferring, but has seen his recruitment take off since then as he holds scholarship offers from almost all of the nation’s elite programs.
A one-time heavy Michigan lean, Alabama has made a major run on Ruiz lately and have possibly taken control of his recruitment. He’s not expected to make a college decision anytime soon, meaning the Wolverines and others have plenty of time to state their case for his eventual signature in February.
Steve Lorenz is the editor and publisher of Wolverine247 of the 247Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @TremendousUM and give Wolverine247 a try with a free trial until Sept. 3.