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2022 Fort Pierce (FL) Westwood three-star cornerback James Monds III grew up a Michigan fan.
While he also had an affinity for Florida State and Miami (FL), it seemed that no matter when he turned on the TV to watch college football, the maize and blue were there, wearing their winged helmets in all their glory.
Not to mention, Monds frequently would find himself on YouTube, watching highlights of the only Heisman Trophy-winning defensive player in cornerback Charles Woodson. As he got older, Jabrill Peppers was someone he also took a keen interest in.
Once Sept. 1 came around and coaches could initiate with players, he started getting text messages from Michigan safeties coach Bob Shoop. He asked Shoop if he could call — which he obliged — not knowing that it was going to lead to an offer from one of his three dream schools.
“What happened was Coach Shoop, he had been texting me, sending me little edits and stuff,” Monds told WolverinesWire. “And then I asked if we could get on a call, and we got on a call. It kinda caught me by surprise, because usually, the first call, they try to make a relationship and just tell you about the school. But our conversation was going so well, I guess it urged him to do it. He just said, ‘Man, we really love your film, me and Coach Harbaugh really looked at it and you’re a good fit for us. We want to offer you a scholarship.’”
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Given the gravity of the situation, Monds was naturally elated — and led to something of a physical manifestation once he and Shoop’s call had been completed.
“I was hyped up!” Monds said. “Michigan was one of my dream schools as a kid. I just got juiced up! I was jumping around and stuff. I was super happy!”
Rated No. 506 in the country overall according to the 247Sports Composite, Monds has 33 reported offers, including opportunities from Clemson, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Penn State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
At the moment, he’s just waiting for the moratorium on visits to be lifted, so he can get a better idea of where he’d like his future home to be.
“I really want to start cutting my list once they take the ban off visiting. I’m gonna take a lot of unofficials and visit all around and see what I like. I’m gonna try to narrow down my decision around senior year, probably around August or September and commit.”
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