Trieu: Michigan gains ground with nation’s No. 1 RB TreVeyon Henderson
When 247Sports updated its class of 2021 player rankings Wednesday, there was a new top running back in the country, Hopewell (Va.) High’s TreVeyon Henderson.
Michigan has long had Henderson high on its board, though.
Now, Henderson is beginning to return the favor. The Wolverines have made up ground recently. In January, at the Under Armour Future 50, Michigan was not a school he mentioned and he was talking more about Penn State and Alabama, as well as an official visit to Oklahoma.
However, Michigan, and in particular, running backs coach Jay Harbaugh, has recruited him hard, including multiple visits to the school during the evaluation period. That has paid off as Henderson has now set an official visit with Michigan for June 19, according to The Michigan Insider’s Steve Lorenz.
Henderson visited Michigan already last summer for the BBQ at the Big House.
Once just an event to get together, eat, and occasionally do a scavenger hunt or other activity, Michigan added a camp and skills component to the BBQ recently and that has already paid off with Henderson.
"Most people don’t know that Michigan's running backs coach (Harbaugh) is a big reason that my season went so good,” Henderson told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong. “I went down there for the BBQ and we did some of their drills and it helped me out a lot."
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Saying his season was “good” is an understatement. Henderson rushed for 2,424 yards and 45 touchdowns for a team that went 15-0 and won a state title.
“He has great vision, he hits the hole, his acceleration is unique to anyone I’ve seen,” Hopewell head coach Ricky Irby told Wiltfong. “Once he gets to the second or third level there is barely anyone that touches him.”
“He has elite athleticism,” 247Sports’ Brian Dohn said. “He combines vision and patience, gets through the hole quickly and is elusive in pace. He will contribute immediately at a top 10 program.”
In addition to his football prowess, Henderson ran 10.94 in the 100-meter dash last track season. He also carries a 4.0 grade point average in the classroom.
March 1 visits starting to get set
Michigan is working to get junior recruits on campus on March 1.
Two recruits who have already confirmed their attendance are Washington (Mo.) tight end Ryan Hoerstkamp and Wauwatosa (Wis.) East offensive tackle Marcus Mbow.
Neither have offers from Michigan at this time, but the Wolverines have picked up the recruitment with both.
Hoerstkamp is an athletic 6-foot-4, 225-pound target who also excels on the basketball court. He had no offers going into January but quickly received opportunities from Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State and more.
Mbow, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound recruit, has offers from Iowa, Nebraska and Purdue inside the Big Ten.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.