Michigan Football misses on top target, expert projection for 2022

Top target in the 2021 recruiting class, Ryan Barnes chose somewhere other than Michigan football, plus an expert projects a 2022 recruit to Wolverines.

Not all news in recruiting is good news and for Michigan football, one of the top targets remaining for the Wolverines in 2021, Ryan Barnes, a three-star defensive back, committed to Notre Dame Saturday in a bit of bad news.

Things were already trending in that direction, so it wasn’t a shock. But Barnes just released a top-15 list not long ago and there was some hope if he waited to decide, Michigan football could make up ground for the 6-foot-2 defensive back U-M viewed as a safety or corner.

It’s one of many recruiting battles between Michigan and Notre Dame this cycle. The most high-profile is Rocco Spindler, but the Wolverines are pushing hard for Notre Dame commit Lorenzo Styles Jr. There was also a key battle in the 2020 class for Braiden McGregor, a four-star defensive end and one of the top players in the state of Michigan. The Wolverines won that just as they are hopeful they will be able to win over Spindler in the same fashion.

We shall see.

Michigan football turns attention to 2022

The Wolverines are still paying attention to wrapping up the current recruiting class obviously, but some of that focus has shifted to 2022 and that’s a good thing. Michigan is investing more time early with top recruits and it’s paying off already.

Of course, Michigan football has just one commitment for 2022 and that’s Alex Van Sumeren but he’s a big pledge to have, as we are learning by the day. It surely helped that his brother Ben is currently on the team, but the 193rd prospect overall in 2022 according to 247 sports was just offered by Alabama in addition to Penn State.

But the defensive tackle seems strongly committed to the Wolverines, so I wouldn’t be worried. It just shows what kind of player he has the potential to be.

In other news pertaining to the 2022 recruiting class, Rivals’ recruiting expert EJ Holland put in a FutureCast pick for 2022 offensive tackle Drew Shelton. Shelton is a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle who has gotten offers from Michigan and Notre Dame this week. He’s not ranked by Rivals or 247 sports yet, but there’s a good chance he will end up with a four-star ranking.

For his part, Shelton told 247 sports ($) he grew up a Michigan football fan among other things, and here’s some of what he said after getting offered by U-M.

"“Growing up, it was the school I always followed and watch. Both my Aunt and Uncle went there and it’s the only place I’ve been to see a game before. Also when I talked to Coach (Ed) Warinner he kept it real with me and I can see us growing to have a good relationship in the future.”"

Warinner has certainly turned into an asset on the sidelines and the recruiting trail. He helped Michigan send four offensive linemen to the NFL draft in April and he’s already helped get three four-star commitments in 2021, with U-M in solid position for two others in Rocco Spindler and Drew Kendall. Also, don’t forget about promising three-star recruit Tristan Bounds, who committed earlier this week.

In the glory days of Michigan football, the offensive line was always one of the strongest parts of the team and it appears as though the Wolverines are getting back to that in a big way.