Michigan Football: Another Donovan Edwards crystal ball and more

Michigan football got a new crystal ball pick for top running back Donovan Edwards. Here’s the latest on that and more when it comes to recruiting.

Michigan football has been working hard to land four-star running back Donovan Edwards and while things are far from finished, it seems to be making some difference.

If you look at the attention that the Wolverines are giving Edwards, with head coach Jim Harbaugh talking to him over FaceTime recently, as well as Jay Harbaugh, Josh Gattis and Sherrone Moore, there’s no doubt that Edwards is the top priority left in the 2021 class.

Rocco Spindler is a big-time player, as is Garrett Dellinger and some of the other top targets like Quentin Somerville, Christian Dixon, George Rooks, Drew Kendall, etc.

But Edwards, along with five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, could change the fortunes of the Michigan football program and the Wolverines seem to sense that. Edwards told coach Harbaugh if he comes to Michigan, he wants to win a national championship.

Well, if the Wolverines earn Edwards’ commitment, it will surely improve their chances and on that front, Tom Loy, a Notre Dame recruiting insider for 247 sports, lodged a crystal ball pick for the Wolverines Tuesday.

If you didn’t know, 247 sports also launched a confidence system, where experts will rank the confidence of their selection on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest. Loy rated his selection as a two, which mean he doesn’t have a ton of confidence, but still, it’s a good sign that Michigan has at least moved ahead of Notre Dame. He also has Spindler going to Notre Dame at a confidence level of eight.

Georgia is still right in the mix, as is Oklahoma and some believe Michigan State, but the Wolverines are right there at the top. Right now, they hold six of his seven crystal ball projections. Yet, some key experts such as Steve Wiltfong, Allen Trieu, Sam Webb and Steve Lorenz haven’t made picks yet. So there is still much uncertainty.

What this crystal ball does confirm, is that Michigan football has momentum. Now, the Wolverines just have to close the deal.

O-Line update

As far as some other 2021 recruiting buzz goes, Drew Kendall, the No. 78 overall player in the 2021 class according the 247 sports rankings, got another crystal ball for the Wolverines as Steve Lorenz made the pick.

All of his crystal ball projections are with the Wolverines as it appears that the Massachusetts prospect will commit to U-M, it’s just a matter or time. And since Spindler could be headed to Notre Dame, getting Kendall would be a really good consolation prize.

In other news along the offensive line, if Michigan needs a tackle besides Dellinger, who is projected to LSU right now, Tristan Bounds is an attractive option and even though the recruiting period is dead, he and his parents paid Michigan a visit this week according to The Michigan Insider ($).

McCarthy heads to Florida

Last but not least, J.J. McCarthy, Michigan’s quarterback of the future, is heading from Illinois to the IMG Academy in Florida to finish up his high school career. Greg Crippen, a current Wolverine commit for 2021 will be there too and Cesar Ruiz is another notable Michigan football player who spent his high school days there.

It shouldn’t impact McCarthy’s recruitment as he appears to be as solidly with Michigan as he could be but it’s still something to watch and playing at a higher level, could help him get even more prepared when he joins the Wolverines.