Michigan Football looking to expand recruiting footprint down south

Michigan football has always recruited the states of Michigan and Ohio well. The 2019 and 2020 classes have seen a dedicated effort to pull more talent from the nation’s southern states.

Michigan football has been able to compose back-to-back top-20 classes in 2019 and 2020. A large reason for this is the program’s commitment to making their presence felt down south.

With six of the top seven talent producing states residing in this region, it is paramount for the Wolverines to recruit well here to be able to compete at a national level.

Look no further no than Michigan football’s incoming freshmen. Of the 26 commits in the 2019 class, nine hail from Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Headlined by 5-star safety Daxton Hill, the majority of this class’ impact will be felt on the defensive side of the ball. The Wolverines signed a Florida product at every level of Don Brown’s defense in this class. 4-star linebacker Anthony Solomon is the highest rated of the bunch.

At only 190 pounds, the Michigan staff is in the process of bulking Solomon up. Once he adds some size, he has the speed to be a sideline-to-sideline menace. Joining Solomon from the Sunshine State are 3-stars Mike Morris and DJ Turner II.

A graduate of the IMG Academy, Turner posted a 4.12 shuttle at The Opening Finals nearly a year ago. Possessing great ball skills, he can be an impact defensive back in the future.

Joining Turner in Michigan football’s defensive backfield will be 4-star Jalen Perry. An early enrollee, Perry was the No. 200 player nationally and the No. 22 player in the state of Georgia, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Michigan football’s biggest get from Georgia is 5-star defensive tackle Chris Hinton. Already 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, Hinton has the No. 31 player in the class and committed to the Wolverines over the in-state Georgia Bulldogs. With the ability to play both inside and out, the comparisons to Rashan Gary are natural.

The offensive line has long been a question mark for Michigan. Fortunately, the Wolverines addressed this by pulling the No. 11 offensive tackle in the country out of the Peach State. It is still up in the air whether Trente Jones will play guard or tackle for the Wolverines, but he has all the makings of a multi-year starter.

The 2020 class is still in its formation stage. Currently, Michigan has 10 verbal pledges with Michigan and Maryland leading the way with three commits apiece. One member of the class does call Texas home, 3-star tight end Nick Patterson. The younger brother of Shea Patterson, Nick joins Matthew Hibner to give the Wolverines two strong options in this class.

This number of southern commits will certainly change in the coming months. Like most power five programs, Michigan football has extended a whopping 325 offers in the upcoming class. Of these 325 offers, 112 of them are to recruits playing their high school ball in Florida, Georgia or Texas.

There are two 4-stars from Florida to keep your eye on. First is running back Lawrance Toafili. He is considered a Florida State lean, but Jay Harbaugh has been hard at work. At 6’0″, 180 pounds, Toafili has ideal size for the position and impressed with a 4.57 forty at The Opening Regional in February.

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Next up is defensive back Henry Gray. A Miami product, he looks destined to attend a Big Ten school. Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan are three of his final four choices. A tall, physical player, Gray seems capable of playing either cornerback or safety at the next level.

Among the 36 offers Michigan football has extended in Georgia, there is one that really jumps out. If the Wolverines miss out on Toafili, 3-star Mecose Todd would be an excellent consolation prize. The No. 40 running back in the class, it appears that Todd’s recruitment is down to Florida, Michigan and Ole Miss. The Rebels have eight running backs currently on their roster, whereas Michigan and Florida each only have four. This could play an important role in his decision.

4-star Xavion Alford appears to be the most likely Texan to join Patterson in this class. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball gives LSU the edge to land Alford, but only slightly. It currently sits at 57% in favor of the Tigers, 43% cloudy. This would be quite the get for Michigan football as several SEC powers are all over the Pearland native. Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia have all extended offers. Chris Partridge and Sherrone Moore have done an excellent job of keeping the Wolverines in the race.

It has become apparent over the last couple of seasons that Michigan needs to get faster on both sides of the football to compete with Ohio State and the other national powers. By making their presence felt in the nation’s most talent-rich areas, they are getting closer to doing that.

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For the latest on Michigan football recruiting, follow Teddy Rydquist on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.

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