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USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Q&A: Jonathan Brown discusses his path to 2026 Michigan football commitment
Fans tend to have a pretty good beat on recruiting, knowing who the top targets are and who might end up joining the class before it even happens. But a few weeks ago, fans and the media alike were taken by surprise with a new commitment to Michigan football. He was on running backs coach Tony Alford's radar, but not even the recruiting sites. Yet, 2026 Columbus (Ohio) St. Francis de Sales three-star tailback Jonathan Brown went from being a virtual unknown to a Wolverines commit just about overnight. It started at the SoundMind SoundBody college showcase camp on June 1, when Brown got to show off his skills in front of Alford. Later that week, he camped in Ann Arbor. He left with an offer, and it didn't take too long for him to commit to the maize and blue. Now he's been rated by the recruiting services and is the No. 561 player in the country, regardless of position, according to the 247Sports Composite. On Tuesday, Brown spoke with WolverinesWire about his recruitment, how he'll fit into Michigan football, his own expectations within the program, as well as the reaction from his high school teammate RJ Day, and his father, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Here is everything he had to say. First off, just tell me kind of how things went, right, because like it's kind of started at SMSB and then went into camp, if I'm not mistaken. So what was that process like for you? I feel like everything went pretty quick because, yeah, of course, I went to the SoundMind SoundBody camp and Coach Alford saw me and prior to that. I met Coach Alford when I was a freshman and I went up to OSU to do a little workout with RJ Day, Ryan Day's kid, and he remembered me. And he said, I got bigger, stronger, and I look better. So we exchanged numbers and he invited me back to the camp, about, I'll say, two or three weeks later. So me and my dad made the decision to go to that camp. It was, I think it was on a Wednesday and he called me and was like, do you want to come to the camp? And I was like, yes, sir. And so the next day grabbed my dad, and we went up to Michigan, and that's how it all started. Were you kind of surprised? I know you had the prior relationships there, but was it surprising to you that things happened kind of as fast as they did? Yes, sir. Everything went really quick, but I got the ability to showcase what I could do because I feel like taking the opportunity to show kids that you can get offers from camps. It doesn't matter, it's never too late. I feel like my story is kind of similar to Justin Jefferson's where he went to an LSU camp. No one really knew who he was, and he showed out and showed what he could do and got the offer. And I feel like that's the same route that I took because my film didn't really show the type of player that I am now. So I feel like I've put on 30 pounds since the season. So when coaches see that, they're like, oh, wow, this kid is different than what we saw on film. So I feel like that is a good representation of hard work and dedication. Now, why Michigan? Is it just because they showed essentially being able to recognize that in you, or was there something else about it? Was it the relationship with Alford? What made you decide to pull the trigger for Michigan at the time that you did? I just feel like Coach Moore had his plan and his goal for his team, and his message is something that I really like. He really has something going at Michigan. And then Coach Alford, he's straight to the point, no bluff, and he's a good coach. He's produced many great backs in the league -- J.K. Dobbins, soon-to-be TreVeyon Henderson, Ezekiel Elliott. So he's produced a bunch of great backs. So I feel like my development can really do something under him. How did Sherrone Moore and Tony Alford, how do they see you fitting into the team? How are they talking to you about how they see you, your role as a running back in this offense? They see me as a guy that could come in and by my sophomore year under the program, really bursting onto the scene -- because there's some things that I still have to work on and I'm getting better at right now. But I feel like they said, because I feel like I'm a work in progress, so I'm not perfect by any means. So I feel like a year in the program, learning everything -- and I'm going to graduate early so I can get in early with the guys, lift, and get to know the program a little bit better. So I feel like, yeah, by my sophomore year, really burst onto the scene. They see you more as like kind of a speed back? Looking to piggyback off of that, what kind of back do you want to be down the line? All-purpose back. I feel like I could, with the weight that I put on, I'm definitely going to be more aggressive. If I'm more aggressive, you'll see me running over guys, and I can catch outof the backfield, which is a really good trait that I have. Not a lot of people knew because it wasn't on film, but you can see that I can catch out of the backfield, which is a good trait to have as a back, and working on pass blocking. Did you get a lot of flak when you committed to Michigan, considering you're not just in Ohio, you're in Columbus? Yes, sir. I feel like I got more good than bad because a lot of people supported the decision, because I still am a kid at the end of the day, so there's not much they can really do about it. And I feel like I've seen a little bit of hate, but it's been more love than hate. You are teammates with RJ Day. He's your quarterback. What was his reaction? Yes, sir. Me and RJ, we have a good connection, so it was nothing personal at all because he knows that football is a business at the end of the day. So it was nothing personal. We still love each other as teammates. And with Coach Day -- me and Coach Day, our relationship is still the same. I saw him, I think, last week, and he congratulated me and everything and said how proud of me he was and that I'm going to do great things. And we've had talks in the past about my future, and that I could really be a great, great player in the future. Was being someone from Columbus, was Ohio State the dream school, or did you have a dream school? No, sir. No, I wouldn't say -- my dream school would be the school that I feel would fulfill all my needs. Obviously, Michigan is really big on the academic side. Do you have an idea of what you want to study? Has that been a part of the process as well? Yes, sir. I want to study business. I want to get into business analytics and stocks, and breaking down how much money a business is bringing in, the revenue, and all that. Revenue shares and the numbers of how business is working.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Midwest Rumor Mill: Latest buzz from elite event in Detroit
DETROIT – Many top prospects from around the country made their way to Michigan over the weekend for one of the best camps of the summer. The National College Showcase presented by Sound Mind Sound Body was back at Wayne State. National recruiting analyst Greg Smith was in attendance and caught up with a slew of prospects in attendance. Advertisement MORE RUMOR MILL: Latest buzz as busy June kicks off CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info The Rivals250 four-star tight end out of Illinois has had a big summer racking up offers from around the country. His latest offers are from Florida State, Arkansas, Maryland and Minnesota. He's getting back to 100 percent from an ankle injury but it's easy to see why programs like him when you see his frame. Advertisement Keep an eye on a pair of Big Ten rivals in his recruitment, too. Michigan and Ohio State are two offers he covets and each program has been in touch. Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State are recruiting Demoss the hardest. He's visited all those programs this spring and the energy at practices plus the size of the players really stood out. The early program to watch here is Michigan. The relationship with coach Sherrone Moore is one of his best with any coach and the Wolverines have done a great job recruiting Chicago recently. Guerrant was the best offensive player at the showcase portion of the camp on Sunday. He's a smooth route runner and I didn't see him drop a single pass. He'll be busy this summer with visits to Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee. Advertisement But the program to watch out for is no real surprise. Ohio State is going to be a strong contender for him even as he remains open to getting to know other programs. He wants a school that produces NFL players at his position with a winning tradition. Injaychock was just offered by NC State and Northwestern so those programs are standing out most to him. He's visited Northwestern twice this spring and has built a great relationship with the team's offensive line coach. After this weekend's camp he's going to camp at Michigan and Ohio State to get a gauge on how some of the top programs in the country feel about him. Advertisement He had a cool moment on Sunday when he was offered by Temple, which is where his grandfather played college football. Petzold was a nice surprise of camp. He caught the eye of some coaches on Saturday during testing because of his well-built frame. He came into the weekend with offers from Southern Miss and Kent State but Western Kentucky offered him on the spot after testing. He was looking to make a name for himself at the camp and accomplished that mission. He's looking for a strong culture in his future program that has a good fan base to bring energy to each game he plays in. The 2028 Michigan quarterback has all the makings of being the next big thing to come out of the state at the position. It's tough to overlook the strong ties to Michigan since it's the in-state program and he's close with Bryce Underwood. Advertisement But Tabron is going to camp with Notre Dame and Ohio State this summer to see where those schools stand with him. He also picked up an offer from Indiana during camp this weekend. We'll know a lot more about his recruitment following this summer. Willis is taking his recruitment slowly right now. He's going to hit a handful of megacamps in the South to increase his exposure. He is closing in on 20 offers right now and picked up an offer from Illinois after the camp. He also is feeling the love from in-state Michigan State right now. Willis plans to narrow down his recruitment soon, maybe heading into his junior season.
USA Today
01-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Watch Ron Bellamy discuss Michigan football's revamped offense in new video
Watch Ron Bellamy discuss Michigan football's revamped offense in new video DETROIT -- The Wolverines are hoping that the offensive changes they made this offseason will be enough, combined with a dominant defense, to get Michigan football back into the College Football Playoff. From bringing in former No. 1 overall 2025 recruit in former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, to getting a couple of transfer receivers in Donaven McCulley and Anthony Simpson, to getting running back Justice Haynes to transfer from Alabama, the new-look maize and blue should be better offensively than last year. On Sunday at the SoundMind SoundBody football showcase camp, Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy met with the media to discuss the state of the offense. WolverinesWire was on-hand for the final seven (of 11) minutes of his impromptu availability, where he delved into multiple topics. From Underwood's leadership as a true freshman to recruiting the state of Michigan, Bellamy covered a number of topics. Ron Bellamy meets with the media Key quotes On how Bryce Underwood compares to other former Michigan QBs "I don't know. He's unique. He's unique You know, big kid, strong arm, accurate, super cerebral, super smart kid. "I don't know. We've had a lot of great quarterbacks at Michigan. I don't think it's fair to Bryce to say who's comparable to him now because he hasn't taken a snap yet, you know, but obviously there's a lot of great things that he's done thus far, in the short term. You can see it. You can definitely see it. But like I say, I'm most impressed with his leadership and the way he comes out there ready to go every day. For a young kid, that's pretty impressive. I "He doesn't get rattled. He's always working. And you love that as a coach because the quarterback usually leads the team and guys follow. You can see that following now with some of the guys, not just guys in his class, but some of the older guys too, that Bryce has done a good job with." On Semaj Morgan in Chip Lindsey's offense and his work to become more explosive "Yeah, you guys have seen Semaj. He's an explosive athlete. Older, understanding the game, and slowing down for him. And he's just doing a lot of great things. Semaj had a really good spring and just keep chasing that greatness. "He had a really good spring. He had a really good spring, and I'm excited to kind of see where summer goes for him. And then obviously, camp, we'll go to camp in August. But yeah, Semaj, he's stronger, more explosive. I'm excited for him." Michigan will partake in summer conditioning in June and July with fall camp set to take place in August.
USA Today
01-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bryce Underwood shows strong leadership at Michigan as a top quarterback
AI-assisted summary Wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy praised Underwood's intelligence and leadership qualities. Underwood's commitment to Michigan is expected to positively impact local recruiting efforts. DETROIT -- As the first official visit weekend comes to a close, there were some Michigan football coaches who made the short road trip 45 minutes east to the SoundMind SoundBody camp at Wayne State University to check out local prospects. But it wasn't that long ago that the 2025 No. 1 overall recruit, five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood was participating in the very same camp. Just a few years removed from events such as these, Underwood has the eyes of all of college football watching him as he's set to make his college debut in a few short months. Now that spring ball has come and gone, and Underwood has completed all 15 of those practices, where is he in his development? Wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy weighs in Though he doesn't coach the quarterbacks, as a former wideout himself, Michigan offensive pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy knows the importance of having a good quarterback leading the charge. And he played with some good ones in Ann Arbor, from Tom Brady and Drew Henson to John Navarre. But the thing that impresses Bellamy the most about Underwood isn't just his cannon for an arm -- it's his brain and leadership capability. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle "He's smart, man. The way Bryce attacks football, man -- he's the first one, last one," Bellamy said. "He's a sponge. He always want to learn. Hanging around the receivers. Great leader. For a 17-year-old kid, an unbelievable leader. We all know about the physical attributes, but I think he's on the right track. Definitely on the right track." Underwood very well could end up being the starting quarterback for the Wolverines this season, but he won't be able to rest on his laurels. Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene, who wasn't available during spring ball, is expected to be back healthy to compete with him in fall camp. The importance of landing Underwood from a recruiting perspective Though many may look at Underwood as something of an NIL play by the maize and blue, there are ripple effects --especially at the local level. It's too early to tell if his signing with Michigan will end up helping the Wolverines land top-flight receivers across the country, but being from Belleville, Michigan, Underwood joining the hometown team is something that in-state recruits can't help but notice. Michigan is after a couple of local receivers, from 2026 Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech athlete C.J. Sadler to 2027 Harper Woods (Mich.) five-star wideout Dakota Guerrant. Bellamy believes that not only suiting up for the hometown team will light a fire behind Underwood, he also believes that in-state players will take that much more notice. "You take more pride in it," Bellamy said. "Local guys see that. You want a guy that's his caliber. You want to follow him. He has a huge following here in the state. I'm sure it's going to help in the recruiting trail for us." Michigan will continue to recruit between official visit weekends between now and June 22, as well as through a slew of local camps held in Ann Arbor. As for Underwood, summer conditioning is ongoing while fall camp is set to take place throughout the month of August.
