Michigan focuses on Detroit, which is teeming with talent in 2019, 2020

DETROIT – Sound Mind Sound Body has been providing football and life instruction to high school student-athletes in southeast Michigan for more than a decade. This winter, the organization has been providing everything from academic tutoring and financial planning to elite on-field football instruction. On Sunday Rivals.com checked in to see the group’s workout, which included some of the top underclass prospects in the region. Here are our takeaways.

The 2019 class in the state of Michigan is the deepest in the last decade with nine prospects currently ranked in the Rivals250, and that has thus far overshadowed a very talented group of 2020 prospects that is emerging in the Great Lakes State.

One of the prospects in that class who has seen his star rise just recently is running back Peny Boone, who transferred from Warren Fitzgerald High to Detroit King in the off-season. Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas and Purdue gave Boone his first five offers, all within the last month. Sophomore film certainly justified those offers, but seeing the rising junior in-person furthered our impression of him. He looks every bit of his listed 6-foot, 208 pounds and actually looks to be 6-foot-1 or taller. Boone’s on-field performance was also impressive, and those five early offers are going to have company soon. This is a national-level recruit, and it should also be noted his older brother was former NFL running back Zurlon Tipton.

Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s in-state recruiting efforts had waned severely until immediately after the Wolverines' regular season ended last fall. They made several late offers in the 2018 class, which resulted in commitments from cornerback Vincent Gray and athlete Ben VanSumeren.

For the 2019 cycle, Harbaugh and Co. have flooded in-state prospects with attention and 16 from within their own borders already list offers from the program. That’s the most since the 2011 class, and we’re only in March.

At Sunday’s event several prospects had taken notice of the Wolverines' increased presence in-state, and particularly in the Detroit area. River Rouge cornerback Daruan McKinney does not hold a Michigan offer and grew up a Michigan State fan, but said, “Michigan has a strong (presence) going on with the Detroit kids, King kids, Cass kids and the offers. Michigan is very strong this year.”

Running back Peny Boone said Harbaugh made an impression when he came through King High in January, while Detroit East English Village wide receiver Lemuel Neely-Watley added, “Michigan, they come here first to recruit.” Whatever recruiting cache Michigan had lost in Motown by focusing more on the Southeast and East Coast early in Harbaugh's tenure appears to have been quickly rehabilitated.

The hyphens are stacking up in this segment, and we can add another one: big-timer. As a sophomore Lemuel Neely-Watley was an explosive, though slight-framed, slot receiver for Detroit East English Village, and his performance last fall earned him early offers from Indiana, Kentucky and several Mid-American Conference programs.

On Sunday, though, Neely-Watley showed us another aspect of his game and that was the ability to play cornerback. Interestingly, Neely-Watley said he actually prefers defense to offense because he likes to be a hitter. Schools will certainly like his height and his speed on that side of the football, but it will not be easy to forget his playmaking ability on offense. For now, Indiana and Kentucky are recruiting him as an “athlete,” and which position he projects best at probably will not be determined until at least the end of his junior season.

Speaking of defensive backs, it’s no surprise that was one of the deepest positions on the field Sunday. From NFL Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis to Brandon Graham’s recent Super Bowl success for the Philadelphia Eagles, the city of Detroit has a proud football tradition.

But defensive back is the position the city has been most proficient at producing in the last couple decades. A total of 53 defensive backs have signed with Power Five programs since the start of the Rivals.com era, including 15 who were rated four-stars. Among the standouts on Sunday was Saline, Mich., cornerback MJ Griffin, who has grown into a physically imposing cornerback who is also fluid and explosive. He has 14 offers now, and that list almost certainly grows this spring.

Detroit Cass Tech safety Jalen Graham has 15 offers and was impressive again Sunday, while Elija Griffin, Daraun McKinney and Ahmad Gardner also hold Power Five offers and had strong days as well. Among newcomers to know, class of 2021 cornerback Leroy Brown from Summit Academy in Romulus is ahead of the curve and shows a bright future.