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BRIGHTON, Mich. — With Michigan hosting its junior day on Saturday, there weren’t a lot of top targets for the Wolverines on hand at the R1SE Midwest Camp and Midnight Madness Tournament at Legacy Sports Center. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t big names.
Yes, there were several former — including one current — Michigan players coaching in the event. In the R1SE Midwest Camp, former QB Devin Gardner was working with quarterbacks and coaching in the Midnight Madness Tournament was current RB Chris Evans with former CB Raymon Taylor working as his defensive coordinator.
But there were also some big time players making the rounds in either the skill circuit during R1SE or in the 7-on-7 action during Midnight Madness.
The two standouts during drills included the one player in attendance who has a Michigan offer in 2023 Detroit (MI) King QB Dante Moore and newcomer to the football scene, 2021 Ottawa (CAN) SDE René Konga.
Dante Moore
Moore showed accuracy and precision in his throws and highlighted exactly why he was able to help lead the new Crusaders offense to a state championship runner-up season in 2019.
“I just had to build confidence, because (incoming as a) freshman to take over a state championship team, I just had to put my confidence to trust the coaches and just believe that I could be myself out there with Devin Gardner’s help,” Moore told WolverinesWire. “(Devin Gardner) has helped me a lot. He made sure I built my confidence between people hating on me and made sure I could have footwork and helped me out in game situations. All my great highlights came from all the great training we do at six in the morning and three in the morning.”
Given that Moore got his offer all the way back in the summer of 2018, he already has established some relationships with the coaching staff, especially the headman himself.
With that in mind, he has a lot of faith that should he choose Michigan when the time comes, he’ll be put in a position to succeed.
“Jim Harbaugh is a great coach,” Moore said. “He’s made sure his athletes go somewhere in life. He’s made sure they have confidence, he’s made sure they have great talent. He’s taken great care of his athletes on the football field. He’s just a great coach, he’s coached in the NFL, so he knows the deep things, what’s happening. I believe he could help build my confidence.”
That said, what are his impressions of Michigan?
Moore’s views here are a little different than what we customarily hear.
“It’s a humungous campus,” Moore said. “I like how the stadium looks and you can look and see that it’s not trash. It’s not a trash university, it’s actually a neat university. I believe it’s great because athletes can walk around and have fun because there’s all the fun happening at Michigan. Michigan’s a prestigious school, so the campus (being fun is also a good thing).”
René Konga
At 6-foot-4, 240-pounds, the Ottawa (CAN) native has the look of a big-time pass rusher, even before he’s set foot on a college campus. Not only has he not done so, the R1SE Midwest Camp was his first-ever camp — period.
You would never know it by seeing him perform (highlights in the supercut video above), as he dominated nearly every one-on-one matchup WolverinesWire saw him in.
He hasn’t gotten any offers from any school at any level, but given his inexperience and lack of evaluation, that’s not surprising.
“No, no offers yet,” Konga told WolverinesWire. “A couple of universities (have been in contact). I’ve talked to Baylor, a couple prep schools here, there’s this head scout from Syracuse I think that sent me an e-mail, but nothing too big.”
Despite a lack of exposure and playing time, a player of Konga’s caliber can rise quite quickly. Even Michigan has a player on the roster, in former four-star David Ojabo, who found himself in a similar situation coming from Scotland to New Jersey just a few short years ago.
Konga is aware that he’s in desperate need to get out there if he wants to attain his goal of getting a scholarship offer from the bigger Division I schools, but he isn’t shying away from having lofty goals — in quick order.
“Trying to get maybe 15-20 offers by June,” Konga said. “This is my first year (competing in American football). This is my first (camp) actually.”
Kevin Coleman Jr.
Fresh off a visit to Ann Arbor, perhaps the most impressive was 2022 St. Louis (MO) St. Mary’s four-star wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.
Already boasting offers from the likes of Georgia, LSU, Oregon and Miami (FL), the No. 34 player in the country, according to 247Sports, has an impressive laser-timed 4.5 40 speed, according to his coach, who was in attendance at the Midnight Madness 7-on-7 tournament.
The quick drop-in to Schembechler Hall as Coleman’s first experience with Michigan, where he and his teammates visited with Devin Bush Sr. and Chris Bryant.
“They showed us a lot of love,” Coleman said. “Showed us around. Kept it real with us. That’s what it’s all about.
“They were telling us the truth about the process, the recruitment process. They wasn’t lying. Telling us how it works. The grades — they go for the kids with the grades. They don’t care about your skills.”
As far as the academic component is concerned, that’s something that resonates strongly with the 5-foot-10, 157-pound receiver.
“I’m a student-athlete,” Coleman said. “I care about my education first.”
Though, Coleman isn’t married to the idea of playing wideout at the college level. Though he showcased good hands and quick burst at the camp, he also performed well at corner on the defensive side of the ball, being primarily in press-man coverage, which took away his matched receiver, once even allowing his teammate to make an interception because he took his side of the field away.
Coleman does not have a Michigan offer at this juncture, and as far as which teams will resonate in his recruitment, he notes that it’ll be a lot about who prioritizes him most of anyone.
“Who shows the most love, the most interest,” Coleman said. “Who visits me the most. That’s all what it’s about right now. Who visits me the most.”
Given that schools of the caliber of LSU, Georgia and Oregon have already been working on him, Coleman is elated that his process is off to a strong start, noting how much he’s worked towards his ultimate goal of playing high-level college football.
“I’ve been loving the interest, because I’ve been working so hard,” Coleman said. “It just shows hard work pays off.”
