[GoRU]

U-M hopes to land fast, aggressive LB Jenkins | The Detroit News | detnews.com

Throughout this recruitment, Maurice Jenkins has stressed the need for his son to keep an open mind and give all of his suitors equal looks. The process of paring things down has been long, but a support group of dad, mom and stepdad have helped him come up with a formula to establish a pecking order.

"Basically we have a matrix that we did on each school," Maurice Jenkins explained. "Part of that matrix is the strength of academics and academic facilities. In Michigan's case, they have an awesome facility there, so you can see they take the academics very seriously.

"One other criterion was that we wanted a team with national exposure that potentially plays in the (BCS) bowl games. Diversity is very important, as is a city that we feel is safe. We want an environment that is diverse where they have respect for different people.

The Wolverines, along with the rest of Jenkins' suitors, are awaiting news of his next cut. The new list of finalists could be determined at any time in the coming weeks, after which another series of visits will take place. From there, the waiting game for a final decision will begin. That too could come at any time.

"It not as if he is being driven by a specific timetable," Mr. Jenkins said of his son. "We figure when it is right, he will know it is right. He won't hesitate or come in with some preconceived idea to wait until signing day or anything like that. We will kind of work our way through official visits and look at schools more closely then."