Recruits Michigan fans should know from Supermax 100 Midwest Invitational
After being in attendance for the Supermax 100 Midwest Invitational last week inside Ford Field, The Wolverine takes a look at the prospects who took part in the event and who Michigan fans should know these next couple of years. The list of players are those who don’t have Michigan offers currently but excelled in the day-long post Christmas camp and are earning early intrigue across the FBS level.
DB Desmond Straughton
Class: 2025
Hometown: Roseville, Michigan
School: Roseville High
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 180lbs
Offers: Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Florida A&M, Bowling Green, Akron, Miami (OH), Western Michigan
Quick Thoughts: Straughton shines at the safety spot for a school that’s becoming one of the marquee Power 5 producing athlete programs in Metro Detroit. The rising sophomore shows on film to be comfortable when playing in space and has a knack for taking the proper angles of pursuit in coverage. As a tackler, Straughton is aggressive, plays to the whistle, hits low, and drives his feet. He also displays explosiveness on kick returns. Some big time offers from the SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten shows that teams are recognizing Straughton as a highly sought after 2025 recruit.
ATH Marcello Vitti
Class: 2026
Hometown: Dearborn, Michigan
School: Divine Child
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 170lbs
Offers: Maryland, Central Michigan
Quick Thoughts: Coming out of the same high school that graduated Aidan Hutchinson, Vitti is a dangerous all-purpose back with 4.55 40 speed, who also has the proper vision and north-south technique to pick up signifiant gains in-between the tackles and getting up to the second and third levels. Defensively, Vitti does a lot of his damage in the flats and impacts the game a ton in contain when stuffing the run. It’s good to see a Big Ten school like Maryland jumping in the mix early for Vitti, who also visited Michigan this past fall for the Illinois game.
CB Chaston Smith
Class: 2026
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
School: Bearden High
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 155lbs
Offers: Michigan State, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Louisville, Vanderbilt
Quick Thoughts: For only playing one year of high school football, Smith has the self-assurance and the athletic ability to pair with it to earn reliance as a coverage corner on the outside. Very fluid when changing direction, capable of adding on more weight, relishing in moments where it’s a one-on-one situation with the ball carrier, plus getting opportunities in both man and zone allow Smith to be an all-around defensive playmaker. Five of Smith’s early offers are all notable, especially Michigan State. It wouldn’t be surprising if Michigan gets the freshman on campus for another visit sometime in the future after he debuted back in April.
WR AJ Wallace
Class: 2025
Hometown: Chattanooga, Tennessee
School: Chattanooga Christian
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 181lbs
Offers: Michigan State, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Toledo, Central Michigan,
Quick Thoughts: A true vertical threat down the seam and sidelines, Wallace is a blazing runner once he gets into his second gear and stride off the line. With a bigger frame that’s used to Wallace’s advantage when fighting for 50-50 balls in the air, the sophomore pulverizes defenses when there isn’t a safety in the deep thirds and the cornerback is left on an island. Wallace, who’s earned a good number of SEC offers early on, also plays in-line, which showcases his offensive versatility.
WR Kamren Flowers
Class: 2025
Hometown: Ann Arbor
School: Huron High
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 160lbs
Offers: Michigan State, Eastern Kentucky
Quick Thoughts: A lightning in a bottle type of athlete at the wide receiver position and as a return specialist. Clocking in a 4.3 40 time and excelling on the track with a 10.6 100m time, Flowers isn’t the biggest player on the field, but his sudden quickness of the line of scrimmage, catch radius, and finding separation on his routes make him a fierce offensive weapon along the outside or in the slot. Michigan State has already found great trajectory in Flowers’ career with Michigan eyeing the local Ann Arbor product too, hosting him for the final regular season game in November.
CB Bryce Rowe
Class: 2024
Hometown: West Bloomfield
School: West Bloomfield High
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 165lbs
Offers: Pitt, Morgan State, Central Michigan, Eastern Kentucky
Quick Thoughts: Rowe is one of the most underrated prospects in the state of Michigan. He has the frame to pack on more healthy weight that won’t interfere with his already sound twitch, hip rotation, and lateral quickness. His dawg mentality on the field is something that can’t be taught either. A superb return specialist, Rowe’s 2023 offseason is going to be really special, and should result in his name being linked to more Power 5 programs outside of just Pitt.
ATH Daune Morris
Class: 2025
Hometown: Chattanooga
School: Red Bank
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 180lbs
Offers: Texas A&M, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky
Quick Thoughts: Morris is a prospect who has to be accounted for at all times, whether he’s lined up on the far-end for a deep throw, at the slot on a designed screen play, or as the lone tailback in a pro-style formation. On defense, Morris has good bend and hand fighting along the trenches to create distance from a blocking tackle or tight end, awareness to have outside control, and strength to bring down the opposing player in traffic. Texas A&M is the latest Power 5 team to offer Morris back in December. With SEC programs now extending formal interest, the sophomore should become a national commodity this offseason.
QB Trae Taylor
Class: 2027
Hometown: Lake in the Hills, Illinois
School: Carmel Catholic
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 140lbs
Offers: Maryland
Quick Thoughts: Taylor hails from surburban Chicago but makes the drive every weekend to the Detroit area in order to further his training with SoundMind SoundBody. An early offer from Maryland indicates that more Big Ten interest will arrive in due time for the rising eighth grader, who’s set to be the starting quarterback for the SoundMind SoundBody 15u team. Taylor has a close relationship to Semaj Morgan and his family and will continue to schedule more unofficial visits in Ann Arbor this offseason.
ATH Antwon Thomas
Class: 2025
Hometown: Pontiac, Michigan
School: Orchard Lake St Mary’s Prep
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 160lbs
Offers: Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky
Quick Thoughts: Thomas would finish as the go-to receiving option for the private prep powerhouse who went on a deep run in the playoffs this past season with multiple starting underclassmen. Holding a 4.54 40 time, Thomas is a threat in the deep thirds once he makes the first cut either inside or out. Yards after the catch is where Thomas really shines because of how rare it is for a single tackler to bring him down in space. As the sophomore continues growing these next two years, more schools outside of the MAC will begin to reach out.
QB Nick Kinsey
Class: 2026
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
School: Benilde-St. Margarets
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185lbs
Offers: Ole Miss, UConn
Quick Thoughts: Kinsey, despite growing up so far away from Nashville, Tennessee, the home base for National Players Academy, has opened up a lot of attention to interested FBS programs to the well-built field general out of Minnesota due to his involvement with the renowned training organization. As a freshman, Kinsey totaled 23 touchdowns in 2022, including six rushing scores. With a good, solid frame for his age, Kinsey also has very light footwork and is able to make plays out of the pocket while scrambling. Patient in the pocket and scanning every read, Kinsey’s Ole Miss offer could swing the gates open more once he gets more varsity experience.
WR Elisha Durham
Class: 2025
Hometown: West Bloomfield
School: West Bloomfield High
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 150lbs
Offers: Central Michigan
Quick Thoughts: Durahm was WR2 this past season for the Metro Detroit juggernaut alongside Semaj Morgan. Now, with Morgan enrolled in Ann Arbor, it’s the rising sophomore’s turn to be the top receiving option in 2023. Durham made multiple unofficial visits to Michigan back in the fall and has the West Bloomfield connection to Ron Bellamy, Morgan, and fellow Wolverine signee Amir Herring.
RB Da’Jon McCallum
Class: 2025
Hometown: Detroit
School: Cass Tech
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 195lbs
Offers: N/A
Quick Thoughts: Michigan is known for offering Cass Tech recruits early on in their high school careers. With the Technicians possessing arguably the most talented crop of underclassmen in the entire state of Michigan, McCallum is a part of that movement. At running back, McCallum can catch passes behind the line of scrimmage for touchdowns, and has a bruising frame to where bouncing off smaller tacklers is done with ease. Cass Tech capitalized on its power rushing attack this past season on its way to a state semifinals appearance with McCallum being a major part of that style.
