Michigan Ends Recruiting Pause With Aggressive Moves Amid Sherrone Moore Uncertainty

Michigan football has been moving like a mystery thriller lately—full of plot twists, off-screen drama. And right in the dead center of it all? Sherrone Moore, suit pressed, clipboard in hand, stress levels on red alert. The NCAA is sniffing around, players are looking over their shoulders, and now Michigan is suspending their own coach like it’s a PR scrimmage—all over some deleted texts in the Stalions sign-stealing mess. Week 1 AND Week 3? Nah. But Week 2 against Oklahoma? Suspension off. If that’s not a chess move wrapped in a smirk, we don’t know what is.

No way the NCAA is going to let that Mickey Mouse suspension ride clean, according to analysts. And word on the street? Moore’s punishment would involve a big financial settlement. His contract? Loaded with escape hatches if the NCAA lands a real punch. Show-cause penalties and all that legal lingo creeping in. But while Moore’s future reads like a pending court date, Michigan’s recruiting just hit DEFCON 1.

The Wolverines are lacing up their boots and hopping back on the recruiting trail like nothing ever happened. After a brutal slide in the rankings, dropping from No. 6 to No. 22 within a matter of weeks, the word is that the Wolverines are shifting into overdrive, trying to claw their way back into the top ten conversation before OVs (official visits) kick off.

And the comeback tour? It’s already underway. On May 17th, insider Ethan McDowell posted, “Michigan will return to the recruiting trail tomorrow for a critical in-home visit with a top offensive playmaker!” That so-called “playmaker” is On300 running back Amari Latimer, a Georgia native with legit juice and one of only two running backs still left on Michigan’s board. Running backs coach Tony Alford’s got the plane ticket, the pitch deck, and probably a prayer or two packed for his Sunday trip to Latimer’s doorstep.

Scoop: Michigan will return to the recruiting trail tomorrow for a critical in-home visit with a top offensive playmaker!

Here’s what we’re hearing about a key target’s decision timeline, which could accelerate to before OVs.

INTEL: https://t.co/4lZhnPzX0F pic.twitter.com/dzqvvFdlk5

— Ethan McDowell (@ethanmmcdowell) May 17, 2025

Now, Amari is no casual visitor. He’s the nation’s No. 177 overall player, No. 19 back, and he already got his OV to Michigan booked for June 6. But here’s the kicker—RB might commit before he even steps foot in Ann Arbor again. That means Sunday’s face-to-face meeting with Alford? Might be the last dance. Last chance to lock him down before Wisconsin or Georgia swoops in like a five-star thief in the night. “I just want to make sure everything we talked about before stayed the same,” Latimer said. “The trust is still there, the OV is still a thing.”

The crazy part? Michigan hasn’t even hit him up lately—not like that. NCAA-imposed recruiting restrictions had things quiet on their end for a minute. But back before that silence, they were hitting Latimer up “pretty much every day.” So now it’s catch-up time, and Amari is looking at everything with a magnifying glass on. “I’m just trying to make sure we’re still on the same page with everything,” he said. The other back Michigan’s trying to land? Savion Hiter, a five-star rusher with breakaway speed and grown-man vision. The Wolverines want to grab two backs this cycle, and Latimer-Hiter would be the dream.

His pops, Geimere Latimer, is locked in too. He’s riding shotgun on this recruitment, and he’s not here for the fluff. “Honesty, really,” Geimere said when asked what he wanted out of Sunday’s meeting. “Not only where we are in the recruitment process, but also where they are in the recruiting process.” Translation? Who else y’all bringing in, and how does my son stack up? Because this isn’t charity—this is business. “He’s a talented kid, and I just want him to go somewhere where it’s going to be fair,” Geimere added.

And let’s not ignore the subplot here—Wisconsin creeping. Hard. They already got two staffers, including RBs coach Devon Spalding, on the sideline for Latimer’s spring game. Plus, Amari’s big bro, Geimere II, is watching from the stands like this is a family legacy in the making. When Amari was asked about suiting up with his brother in Madison? Man’s face lit up like Christmas Eve. So yeah—Michigan better bring their A-game. This is a straight-up dogfight.

Other Michigan Wolverines recruiting trips to take place

While Alford’s handling business in Georgia, Michigan’s staff is about to be coast-to-coast like a touring rap label.

First stop? Montana. Yeah, Montana. They’re heading to Billings early next week to sit down with Top 100 tight end Matt Ludwig. He is ranked No. 92 nationally, and Michigan’s been leading that race since the jump. If all goes well, this could be the most drama-free recruiting win on their board.

Next up, Lou Esposito—Michigan’s defensive line coach—is flying out to see edge rusher Julian Walker on Tuesday. This is round two with the Columbia (S.C.) Dutch Fork monster. South Carolina’s currently ahead in this one, but Michigan’s still poking at the door, hoping to make something shake before official visits roll in. Esposito’s also setting up shop with Top 100 defensive lineman Deuce Geralds. This one’s trickier. Geralds’ OV calendar is already full, so Michigan might have to slide into a mid-week window just to stay alive. You don’t make these kinds of late pushes unless you’re serious.

Meanwhile, Grant Newsome is handling the trenches. He’s got a Monday appointment with On300 offensive lineman Leo Delaney out in Charlotte. Clemson and Tennessee are lurking hard, but Michigan’s sitting pretty—at least for now.

The next two weeks? Flat-out sprint. Michigan’s official visits start rolling in fast, and they’ve got to rebuild trust, lock down top names, and quiet down the noise surrounding Moore’s uncertain status—all at once. Sherrone Moore might be the face of the program for now, but the assistants—Alford, Esposito, Newsome—they’re the real MVPs of this window. They’ve got to sell the brand while the head coach is somewhere in purgatory waiting for a final verdict.

Michigan’s recruiting is not folding. They’re wounded, yeah—but they are not dead. They’re hopping back into the recruiting streets with urgency and edge. And if they can snag a win with Amari Latimer and Savion Hiter, they can reset the tone; they just might reclaim that Top 10 class they were flirting with not long ago.

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