Michigan Football: Is Penn State a real threat for A.J. Henning?

Michigan football recruiting target A.J. Henning visited Penn State over the weekend and with his decision coming soon, are the Nittany Lions a threat?

When it comes to recruiting, it’s hard to know what to think. And when it comes to Michigan football and the recruitment of 2020 wide receiver A.J. Henning, it’s really hard to know.

Of course, as the top player in the state of Illinois in 2020, as well as a top-100 player, Henning has been pursued for a long time by a bunch of top programs. It appears that the favorites for the wideout are Michigan football, Notre Dame, Georgia and possibly Penn State.

I say possibly because Penn State didn’t seem like a huge threat, until this past weekend when Henning took a visit to Happy Valley. He walked away saying his decision got harder, which begs the question, is Penn State now a serious threat?

It’s not that Penn State wasn’t a serious threat before. The Nittany Lions have been talked about throughout this process and with a visit looming, you knew there was some interest. After that tweet, you have to wonder if that interest is serious.

Not to mention, James Franklin does a good job recruiting. Say what you will about the way he coaches, he led Penn State to a Big Ten title for a reason and it’s because he can recruit. So it’s not shocking that Henning came away impressed.

Yet, you still have to wonder if Penn State is being viewed as the other three contenders, Michigan, Georgia and Notre Dame. Henning has visited both Notre Dame and Georgia recently and will visit the Wolverines, presumably before making his final decision.

Last week, Henning announced that he would make his decision before his senior season. That seemed to line up well for Michigan football, with the Wolverines set to get the final visit. However, it’s hard to know how much that matters, especially with each particular recruit.

There has been a strong relationship between Henning and Michigan. He has visited a couple of times since April and most recently, he visited the same weekend as 2021 quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who also happens to be friends with Henning.

McCarthy, the top-rated player from Illinois in the 2021 class, committed to Michigan football that weekend. That weekend seemed to give UM some positive momentum with Henning. However, his visits with Georgia and Notre Dame also went well, even leading some to believe Georgia might have passed the Wolverines as the favorite.

But that was before Henning announced the timing of his decision. Many interpret that as a good thing for Michigan. That remains to be seen and the Penn State visit could only cloud things more.

Yet, the Wolverines should still feel good about where they are with Henning. They get the last visit and most recruits come away with that post-visit glow. It should wear off and if Jim Harbaugh and company can make a strong closing argument, it might be enough to land the wide receiver.

Josh Gattis has also helped in this process and his offensive system would be a dream come true for Henning, who would be an absolutely perfect fit. Penn State offers that kind of system too, which could help put them in play, but still, I’d be surprised if Henning wound up in Happy Valley.