Michigan Football: Wolverines losing traction with Donovan Edwards

Ohio State keeps trending with top Michigan football target Donovan Edwards, while the Wolverines also made the top 10 for Rocco Spindler.

Michigan football isn’t in desperate need of a running back in 2021, however, one of the top players in the state of Michigan is running back Donovan Edwards and for a long time, the Wolverines seemed to be the team to beat.

And Edwards isn’t just the normal four-star running back. He’s more like another Zach Charbonnet, a top 50 overall recruit and top-five running back. Edwards is ranked 38th overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings. He’s the third-ranked running back and 5-foot-11, 195-pounder is also the No. 2 prospect in the state.

Since Edwards plays at West Bloomfield, under former Wolverine Ron Bellamy, and since two of his former teammates joined Michigan football in the 2020 class, plus other factors, it seemed like the Wolverines had the edge and at one time, they held nearly all of his crystal ball projections.

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But if you check again, the tally is 50/50 between the Wolverines and Buckeyes, which should be worrisome for Michigan football fans.

While the Wolverines still have four crystal balls, the last one came in November and the last three crystal balls have gone to Ohio State. Running backs coach Jay Harbaugh and Josh Gattis are the primary recruiters and their history should give Michigan a shot, but it’s starting to feel like Edwards will be a Buckeye, not a Wolverine.

On another front with a key in-state target for 2021, Rocco Spindler, one of the top offensive lineman in the country, announced his top 10 Monday and Michigan football made it. In fact, the Wolverines were the first team listed and even though that doesn’t mean anything, at this point, they feel like the favorite and hold a majority of crystal ball projections, with six of the eight going their way.

Spindler is the No. 2 guard and he also has the ability to be a defensive lineman too. He’s another top-50 recruit in the 2021 class and a key opportunity for Michigan football to land an elite player in the trenches.

Spindler also named Notre Dame, LSU, Ohio State, Alabama, Arizona State, Tennessee, Penn State, Oklahoma and Florida in his top 10, so landing him won’t be easy. As of now, at least, Michigan appears to be in the driver’s seat.