Jermaine Wiggins Jr. Talks With Michigan Staff About Earning Offer, Visit

Before recruiting events were halted, U-M had its first junior day of the spring last season.

Over the weekend, Michigan held a Junior Day and drew attendance from recruits across the country. After visiting Ann Arbor last year as part of the same event, Legacy Football’s New England and Connecticut 7-on-7 teams returned to Michigan on Friday before playing in a tournament in Brighton on Saturday and Sunday.

“The visit was awesome,” Legacy Connecticut head coach Leon Brown said. “The kids loved every minute of it. We sat down and walked through the same building that the All-Americans we’ve seen on TV (walked through). For 20 to 30 minutes, Jim Harbaugh talked to us and explained stuff that he’s done to get here. He told the kids what they need to do. They enjoyed all that.”

Thank you @CoachJim4UM for the amazing visit this past weekend.@LegacyNE7v7 pic.twitter.com/c0ofHr7Slf

— EJ⁷ (@EssauJackson) March 10, 2020

As part of the large group, Lawrence (Mass.) Central Catholic athlete Jermaine Wiggins Jr. had already been in contact with the Michigan staff. Given his familiarity with the school, Wiggins Jr. was particularly excited to visit U-M’s campus with his 7-on-7 teammates.

“The school was amazing,” Wiggins Jr. told Wolverine Digest. “My favorite part was the weight room and the facilities. I thought the indoor field was amazing too — just seeing the stadium, it is crazy.”

While on campus, Brown mentioned that Wiggins Jr. received a bit of one-on-one time with head coach Jim Harbaugh before defensive coordinator Don Brown added to the mix. Wiggins Jr. shed light on that conversation and recapped his interaction with the Wolverines’ staff.

“It went good,” Wiggins Jr. said. “We talked— it was me, my dad and then Coach Brown came in after. We were talking about a bunch of stuff. We were talking about school, and then about how I could receive an offer from them.”

During that interaction, Harbaugh and Brown outlined what Wiggins Jr. needs to demonstrate in order to land on the receiving end of a Michigan offer.

“They said I just needed to check three boxes,” Wiggins Jr. said. “I have to come down to a camp and ball out, which I know I can do, then they will come to train me at my school. Then my third box I have to check off is staying on top of my schooling and to keep doing what I’m doing and staying on track.”

Should Wiggins Jr. follow those directives, it sounds as if he is a likely offer candidate for Michigan down the line.

Checking in at 6-4, 230 pounds, Wiggins Jr. was an impactful force on each side of the ball for Central Catholic last year. At tight end, the junior standout showed downfield ball skills and hauled in several contested, over-the-shoulder catches. When lined up on defense, Wiggins Jr. exhibited a speedy burst at the line of scrimmage and used this timing to disrupt numerous backfield in 2019.

Wiggins Jr. has received collegiate overtures on both sides of the football, and he deflected on choosing which position to play at the next level until after his senior year concludes.