Michigan football coaches to make stop at Detroit satellite camp: Here are the recruits they'll see

Memorial Day is over, meaning it’s time for football. Fresh off the spring evaluation period, Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore and his staff are set to blitz the country for satellite camp stops, beginning with one close to home in Detroit. Division-II Wayne State University is hosting the National College Showcase, featuring roughly 1,500 recruits and dozens of coaches. The camp begins Wednesday (May 29), before a full day Thursday (May 30), where coaches from across the country will evaluate and meet prospects.

Former Michigan running back Tyrone Wheatley — who stands third in program history with 47 career rushing touchdowns and fifth with 4,178 career rushing yards — is putting on the camp as he enters his second season as Wayne State’s head coach. Wheatley was Michigan’s running backs coach for two seasons from 2015-16 and has also spent five seasons as an NFL assistant.

Moore is scheduled to speak to high school camp participants Thursday. He headlines a notable list of college head coaches who will be in attendance, including Penn State’s James Franklin, Bowling Green’s Scot Loeffler (a former Michigan quarterback and assistant coach), Kansas’ Lance Leipold, Purdue’s Ryan Walters, Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith, Illinois’ Bret Bielema, Central Michigan’s Jim McElwain, Eastern Michigan’s Chris Creighton, Hope College’s Peter Stuursma, Western Michigan’s Lance Taylor, Grand Valley State’s Scott Wooster, Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck and others.

The camp will feature training dills, combine measurables, 40-yard dash, expert guidance, recruiting seminars for athletes and their parents, prestigious college connections and demonstration opportunities. For the first time, the event will hold girls flag football and a college fair.

Following the camp, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson will host his second annual ‘Will 2 Win Foundation Youth Camp’ from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Johnson, an All-American in 2023, is the son of Deon Johnson, a co-founder of youth organization Sound Mind Sound Body, which is sending hundreds of players to the Wayne State camp.

“It’s crazy,” Johnson said of hosting his first camp a year ago. “It means a lot, because I grew up around here, I went to the same camp growing up. Being able to have my own means a lot.”

Michigan staff prioritizing in-state recruiting

Michigan recruits nationally, but it places an extra importance on its backyard. The Wolverines have over 30 players on their roster from the state of Michigan — the most of any state by far — and have long prioritized keeping ‘the best players in Michigan’ close to home.

“We’re at a place where you recruit the best players,” Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito said this spring. “If you have guys that are the same, you take the in-state guys, for sure. Our footprint at Michigan has been, we’re gonna go get the best players. I think that’s important for us. Michigan always comes first — you always recruit your backyard first.”

Two of the Wolverines’ five commitments in the 2025 class — the first cycle under Moore — hail from Michigan in Birmingham (Mich.) Groves four-star offensive lineman Avery Gach and Howell (Mich.) High four-star defensive lineman Bobby Kanka.

The Wolverine’s Zach Libby breaks down Michigan recruits at Wayne State camp

Just how it was in years past at the summer satellite camps put on by Sound Mind Sound Body, a litany of Michigan targets will be onsite to compete in various combine drills and testing to see how they stack up before the fall season.

This year’s edition of the National College Showcase is headlined by the 2026 recruiting class, with local prospects and those out of state expected to attend. Of the priorities Michigan is honing in on next cycle, prominent names scheduled to attend Wayne State University include Top 100 Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban cornerback Elbert Hill, Top 100 Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech athlete CJ Sadler, and On300 Frankfort Heights (Ill.) Lincoln Way East quarterback Jonas Williams.

Hill is the No. 13 overall prospect and the No. 1 cornerback in the country, according to On3, as well as the No. 1 recruit in Ohio. Michigan entered the mix when the sophomore visited Ann Arbor for the first time this past June to camp and left with an offer. He returned for the game against Ohio State in late November with other Archbishop Hoban teammates with offers, such as On300 wide receiver Payton Cook.

Sadler is the No. 1 in-state prospect in the 2026 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four primary recruiting media services. Having been offered by the reigning national champions in middle school, Sadler’s proximity to Ann Arbor and his interest in Michigan has led him to take five unofficial campus visits so far. His most recent trip occurred on April 20 for the spring game.

On3 has Williams ranked as the No. 115 overall prospect, No. 7 quarterback, and the No. 2 recruit in Illinois. He visited Michigan a year ago when he also notched an offer from quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell. Williams was a former teammate of 2024 wide receiver signee I’Marion Stewart, and his cousin, Cameron Williams, was formerly on U-M’s women’s basketball team.

Sound Mind Sound Body has a close working relationship with Nashville-based National Players Academy (NPA), a year-round 7v7 and recruiting exposure organization that’s produced Junior Colton, 2024 linebacker signee Mason Curtis, and 2025 tight end commit Eli Owens. Double-digit NPA members, including a few with Michigan offers, are planning to show up to Wayne State University this week.

On300 Nashville (Tenn.) Donelson Christian Academy tight end Carson Sneed is coming off an early spring visit to Michigan in March. As the No. 156 overall prospect and the No. 7 tight end nationally, Sneed also traveled to Ann Arbor last year but was re-offered by the new tight ends coach Steve Casula on the latest return.

On300 Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic wide receiver Tyreek King, whose offer from the reigning College Football Playoff winners was received in April, is the No. 22 overall wide receiver in the country and No. 4 prospect in Tennessee, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

On300 Knoxville (Tenn.) McCallie School cornerback Chaston Smith picked up an offer from Michigan in February of last year. He’s listed as On3’s No. 142 overall prospect, No. 14 cornerback, and No. 5 player in Tennessee.

There will be a number of 2025 recruits at the showcase, with the group preparing for the summer official visit and their final season campaigns before entering the next level. The following juniors with Michigan offers are on the list — Detroit (Mich.) King EDGE Xavier Newsom, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive back Noah Francis, and Mount Juliet (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy defensive lineman Amir Leonard Jean Charles.

The following 2027 recruits who possess Michigan offers are slated to appear in Midtown Detroit these next two days — Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel Catholic quarterback Trae Taylor, Harper Woods (Mich.) High athlete Dakota Guerrant, Detroit (Mich.) Country Day athlete Anthony Cartwright, Detroit (Mich.) King athlete Darryl Flemister and EDGE Jameer Henry, Nashville (Tenn.) Franklin Road Academy safety Omarii Sanders, and Pittsburgh (Pa.) Aliquippa cornerback Larry Moon, and Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson EDGE Cam Pritchett.

One emerging 2028 prospect out of Harper Woods (Mich.) High will also be at the showcase in athlete Deandre Bidden, who currently holds notable offers from Michigan, Auburn, Michigan State, and Indiana. The Wolverines pulled the trigger earlier this month. The son of former Michigan great Marcus Ray is also on the list — Pickerington (Ohio) North athlete Marquis Ray.