Trieu: William Mohan could be 'next big thing' at viper for Michigan
With each recruiting cycle, one interesting position to follow at Michigan is always who the staff targets for the "viper" position.
That spot has been manned by Jabrill Peppers and Khaleke Hudson since Don Brown took over the defense, and the importance of the role and the unique set of skills required to play the spot makes finding these athletes in recruiting a priority for the staff.
The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb recently made a prediction on the 247Sports Crystal Ball for the Wolverines to receive a commitment from William Mohan, a viper prospect from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall.
That is not a prediction he thought he would be making at this point.
“The unique thing at Erasmus Hall is that Ohio State has gotten several guys from there, so I was skeptical of the notion that Michigan could get in,” Webb said. “He’s been to Ohio State several times and that is a guy Ohio State wants, so I was skeptical before I talked to the coach there and saw why there is confidence in Michigan and that is because he loves Anthony Campanile.”
Campanile, who coaches vipers and SAM linebackers at Michigan, recruited the school previously when he was at Boston College. Mohan visited in the spring and had a chance to see how he would fit in.
“Michigan is a great place (with) great facilities,” he said. “The coaches showed that they really want to make me into the next Jabrill Peppers … like the next big thing. They showed me on tape their play style, and that’s (exactly like) mine.”
Mohan will take an official visit to Michigan the weekend of June 21, which is setting up to be an important recruiting weekend for the Wolverines.
Described as “relentless” by his high school coaches, the hard-hitting 6-foot-1, 195-pound Mohan is a top target of the Wolverines.
“He is very, very high on the board,” Webb said. “He is a top guy for them and Campanile has been on him hard.”
Mohan has 15 scholarship offers, but this could come down to Michigan and Ohio State.
“I just want to feel comfortable,” Mohan said. “I want to be comfortable. I want to feel like I’m at home.”
On June 21, Michigan will have the opportunity to show him that is in Ann Arbor.
247Sports ranks Mohan as the No. 5 class of 2020 prospect in the state of New York.
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4-star OT looking to visit
Mars (Pa.) Area offensive tackle Michael Carmody reported to 247Sports’ Brian Dohn that he hopes to visit Michigan by the end of June. The Wolverines are battling Texas A&M, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and more for the 6-foot-6, 285-pound prospect.
Carmody already has visited Michigan in the past. He attended last July’s BBQ at the Big House and then returned for Michigan’s home win over Nebraska in September.
He hopes to make a commitment before his senior season.
UM offers talented freshman
Michigan is back at Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington after signing highly regarded safety Daxton Hill out of that school in the 2019 class.
The Wolverines now have offered class of 2022 standout Gentry Williams, who has played quarterback and defensive back and was a varsity starter as a freshman.
Nebraska, Iowa State, Baylor, Memphis, Oklahoma and others already have offered the 5-foot-10, 160-pound Williams.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.