Michigan Football: Staying the course at CB in 2021, new RB interest

Michigan football is expected to keep pushing with some corner targets, even if they are committed, plus a new interest at running back.

As the 2021 recruiting cycle starts to wind down, Michigan football is starting to see the board shrink down as some positions start to fill up.

Already, Michigan football has 17 commitments for the 2021 class and while there may be room for 9-10 more, the standard class is around 25, so there isn’t an unlimited amount of scholarship space.

Of those final 9-10 spots, it seems like the Wolverines would like to add another cornerback, they have one committed for 2021, and one or two running backs. The top priority is obviously four-star Donovan Edwards. If Michigan gets him, one running back might be enough.

Yet, U-M has been making a push with Tavierre Dunlap, a four-star running back according to the 247 sports rankings and a three-star in the 247 composite rankings. He’s all about speed and power. Michigan has also been after Prophet Brown, but was losing some ground.

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So another possible target has emerged in a three-star back from Florida, Brendon Barrow. At 5-foot-8, Barrow is listed as an all-purpose back and he’s quick. He would be great dual-threat option as someone who could make an impact as a runner and receiver.

Barrow was recently offered by Stanford, which has his only crystal ball projection, however, Rutgers has also been a player in his recruitment, along with Indiana, Iowa State, Minnesota, South Carolina and Wake Forrest according to 247 sports. Barrows also told 247 in a recent interview that “Rutgers is actually my top school right now but Stanford is definitely up there with it.”

While the offer from Stanford seemed to change things, Michigan football has also been communicating with Barrows ($) in the last few weeks. An offer hasn’t been extended yet, but as the Wolverines look for a second back to possibly pair with Edwards, Barrows could be a candidate. He could also be a fallback to Edwards and someone who could be paired with Dunlap.

The latest on Michigan 2021 cornerback recruiting

The Wolverines do have one commitment on the board at corner, but they are looking for others. One possible target, Omarion Cooper committed to Florida State over the weekend and another, Tyreek Chappell, is trending strongly to Texas A&M. Dyson McCutcheon, another recent offer, also seems to be a Washington lean. However, the Wolverines will keep pushing for each.

In a recent edition of the Michigan Insider Podcast, Sam Webb of 247 sports discussed cornerback recruiting, they talked about how even though Chappell was likely going to commit to Texas A&M, which has all six of his crystal ball picks, Webb said Chappell would still be taking visits and he expected Michigan to get one.

"I know they probably feel really good about him, but even if they lose out… he’s going to be announcing his decision on July 4th… even if they lose out, I think it’s like halftime. There’s still a second half to this recruiting. They’re still going to be all over Tyreek Chappell. So, (that’s) one to keep an eye on for sure. Especially because of his relationship… he loves Zordich, loves the style of play, loves the facilities…. Michigan is going to have a shot there.”"

Some new targets could also emerge. McCutcheon was offered just recently and another prospect who could get an offer in the future is West Bloomfield, Michigan, cornerback Maxwell Hairston.

Hairston attends the same school as Edwards and while he’s a lower-ranked three-star kid, his high school coach Ron Bellamy, a former Wolverine, had this to say to Webb about him:

"“He’s still a little on the thinner side, but he is going to run a 4.4 all day. The kid can fly. They (Michigan) were intrigued with him. Obviously, we run a similar defense, he has the ability to cover man to man, and he is a longer kid that can run.”"

Hairston has offers from Ole Miss, Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, Kansas, West Virginia and is hearing from some Pac-12 schools too. He was set to decide in June but pushed his decision date back according to Webb ($) and that could allow Michigan to pursue him if it misses on some other targets. At least, it will give U-M a chance to give him a longer look.

When it comes to scouting some of these three-star prospects, some are definitely underrated and fall throught the cracks. The key is getting guys that have speed or size, something that will help them stick and that’s what intrigues me about Hairston and Barrows. Their speed.

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We will see if Michigan ends up offering either, but they are two names to monitor going forward.

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