Michigan Football: Updating the Wolverines 2021 RB pursuits

Michigan football may not be able to visit recruits or host visits, but there are still things happening and here’s an update on the Wolverines and 2021.

While Michigan football canceled all recruiting trips and visits through April, that doesn’t mean things are dead on the recruiting trail.

Coaches can still have contact with players electronically and teams are still reaching out and making those contacts as recruits try to figure out when they will be able to take visits and go through that part of the process.

When it comes to 2021, one position Michigan football has been focused on has been running back. The Wolverines obviously have a good group of backs right now with Zach Charbonnet, Hassan Haskins, Chris Evans and newcomer Blake Corum.

But depth is critical and as we have seen, you can never have enough impact players at skill positions, not with the transfer portal and everything else.

While the names of Donovan Edwards, Treveyon Henderson and Corey Kiner should be familiar to Wolverine fans who follow recruiting, another really talented running back Michigan is after is four-star AJ Green.

Green is out of Tulsa and Oklahoma has three crystal ball selections already for the top-200 prospect in the 247 composite rankings. He is also ranked No. 111 according to 247 sports. He has the ability to play corner, but Michigan wants him as a back and Jay Harbaugh, the running backs coach has been pushing hard according to The Michigan Insider ($). Green also said he wanted to visit soon, although the timing would be different due to coronavirus.

"“We’re just going to have to work out a different time,” Green said. “Maybe for an official but hopefully sooner.”"

Also on the running back front, Ohio State’s pursuit of another running back could help out the Wolverines. Evan Pryor just got a crystal ball for the Buckeyes which puts them in the lead. This is key info for Michigan because U-M and OSU are after many of the same backs, Donovan Edwards being one of the main guys.

Pryor is a top-five back nationally and ranked 84th overall. If he wound up in Columbus, another back would still be likely to follow. However, if Pryor and say Edwards go to Ohio State, that should open up Michigan to be able to land possibly Kiner or Henderson. A point made by Steve Lorenz of the Michigan Insider is that Michigan would be content with all three. Edwards is still the biggest prize for Michigan football and while Pryor to Ohio State could possibly give the Wolverines another way back in with Edwards, he feels like an Ohio State lean right now.

But not long ago, he was considered a Michigan lean. So things can change in a heartbeat and with the unpredictability of all this, it’s hard to say how recruiting will be impacted.