Michigan Football: Wolverines in good shape with 3-star Brenden Rice

A recruiting expert for 247 sports predicted Brenden Rice would commit to Michigan football but the timing of his decision remains uncertain.

Wide receiver has been a priority for Michigan football during this recruiting cycle and it looks like another key commitment at the position could be coming. The exact timing is simply unknown.

The prospect in question is three-star wideout Brenden Rice, who is ranked 393rd overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings, as well as 67th among wide receivers and 12th in the state of Arizona.

Rice visited Michigan football last month and according to a new post by Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider, he nearly committed then ($). Yet, Rice didn’t make the leap and even though he teased good news for the Wolverines, it wound up being about the commitment of Roman Wilson.

Wilson is a dynamic wideout that runs a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash. He joins A.J. Henning and Eamonn Dennis as wide receivers committed to Michigan so far in 2020. Henning, the top player in Illinois, is 5-foot-10, as is Dennis. Wilson is bigger at 6-foot, however, none have the size of Rice, who stands 6-foot-2 and projects as a perimeter receiver.

The son of former Hall-of-Fame wideout Jerry Rice has received interest from a number of Pac-12 programs such as Colorado, Arizona State and Oregon. Yet, the Wolverines have pulled ahead in recent months and following Webb’s crystal ball prediction Monday ($), all seven are now with UM.

While there is certainly time for Rice to change his mind, he is supposed to be in Ann Arbor for Michigan’s recruiting BBQ this weekend but it doesn’t sound like he will commit. At least, it’s hard to say for sure according to 247 sports west coast expert Blair Angulo via Webb ($):

"“Like I said, he told me right after the Michigan official that he actually thought he was probably going to commit that weekend, so nothing would surprise me with him,” Angulo said. “In an ideal world I think he wants to wait and see how teams look on the field maybe through the first couple weeks, then be able to make a decision off of that.”"

It will be interesting to see if Rice pushes his recruitment into the season because few other Michigan football targets seem to be doing so. In fact, most players seem to be making decisions before the season, thanks in part to being able to visit earlier than in the past.

For the most part, Michigan has achieved most of what it wants in 2020 and is now just locking down the final pieces. The Wolverines need more depth at corner, running back, tight end and wide receiver. Rice would satisfy that need and after Webb joined a chorus of experts predicting the receiver to Ann Arbor, it is starting to feel like a sure thing — more a matter of when not if.

At least that’s what we think right now. Hopefully, that thinking proves correct because with the other receivers joining the Wolverines, Rice would make a lot of sense.