Michigan football: 3 Huge in-state recruiting battles for Wolverines
Giant shoes to fill
Marc Spindler spent eight years in the NFL, with a majority of that time a Detroit Lion. He’s from Pennsylvania, but he’s lived most of his adult life near Ann Arbor once he settled in Clarkston.
And his son is well on his way to take the same path, except, hopefully, starting with college at Michigan.
Rocco Spindler is the 49th overall best high school football player for the 2021 class. He has four-stars, is the second-best guard, and third in-state according to 247 sports.
247 sports also provided an evaluation and a future first-round draft projection.
"Does not carry a lot of bad weight. Naturally stocky. Has room to add weight, but frame and style of play suggest he will not need to add a lot more mass. Could play offensive or defensive line in college. Has played varsity against strong competition since his freshman season. Will come into college ready to work and compete at that level. Plays tough and aggressive. Has a wrestling background, and that shows in his strength and ability to use leverage. A good athlete who can pull and make blocks in space on offense and track plays down on defense. Adding more weight to his frame will be the key for him in playing early, but he has all the other needed qualities to be an impact player in college and a potentially early impact player. Guard, center or defensive tackle are all possibilities in college. He has the potential to hear his name called in the first round of the NFL draft."
Rivals has the same state and position rankings, but they have his overall ranking a little higher at 55, and ESPN dropped Rocco to 76th overall, eighth at guard, and third in Michigan.
The Wolverines are in a heated battle with Notre Dame for the 6-foot-4.5 295-pound Clarkston lineman. 75 percent of Rocco’s crystal balls have him leaning in UM’s direction while the other 25% have him heading to the Fighting Irish.
What makes getting Spindler so important is that he’s said, in the past, it’s possible wherever he goes, his childhood friend and fellow teammate, Garrett Dellinger, might come along as a package deal.
In some cases, package deals aren’t ideal for high profile universities, but in this case, getting both would be a dream for the Michigan staff. Garrett is two spots behind Rocco for in-state rankings, and he’s within the top 100 nationally no matter where you look.
Garrett and Rocco have been friends since meeting at 4-years-old, and while it’s not a guarantee that if you get one, you get the other, it’s a possibility.
“But we’ve got the same interest and likes,” Spindler said. “At the end of the day, we love each other, so we probably will be playing at the same school.”