Michigan football has around eight spots left for its 2021 recruiting class with 18 pledges already and here are predictions for who those will be.
Over the past few months, not only has the Michigan football program been very busy on the recruiting trail, adding 16 new commitments since March, the Wolverines board has also shrunk dramatically.
Now, at every position, Michigan football is targeting a 2-3 key guys looking to lock up those final key commitments of the 2021 class, which currently has nine four-star recruits and nine three-star recruits according to the 247 sports composite rankings.
Between now and the early signing period, Michigan still has work to do. The Wolverines need to add a running back or two, as well as a wideout or two. Offensive line still has some key targets outstanding and the final number there appears to be six.
Outside of O-line, receiver and running back, the Wolverines are essentially set on offense thanks to the commitment of five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy. On defense, four-star outside linebacker Junior Colson is the top guy, but U-M also has four stars in defensive end Quintin Somerville, linebacker Jaydon Hood and defensive end Kechaun Bennett.
Safety Rod Moore is a three-star prospect but is a commit out of Ohio the staff loves and with good reason. He’s a legit four star and will play as such at Michigan.
But some key needs still must be met. The Wolverines need an electrifying skill guy like Donovan Edwards and more help on the defensive line.
With that in mind, here are my predictions for the last eight spots in the Wolverines 2021 recruiting class.
4-star WR Christian Dixon
At this point, it’d be a surprise if Christian Dixon wasn’t part of Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class. He’s been trending to the Wolverines for the past two months all 10 of his crystal ball predictions from 247 sports have him going to U-M.
As he Tweeted out this weekend, LSU appears to be his dream school, but the Tigers aren’t really pushing for him. The main contender looks like Cal and at some point soon, either this month or next, I expect Dixon, who teased a commitment video already, to pledge to Michigan.
4-star OG Drew Kendall
The offensive line recruiting of Michigan has been interesting to watch in 2021. Warinner told Thomas Cole that the Wolverines were taking six and had five they were still interested in. That was last week and Cole, who was among those five, chose UCLA Sunday.
The other targets for Warinner are Drew Kendall, Rocco Spindler, Nolan Rucci and Garrett Dellinger, who will likely commit to LSU Wednesday, although the Wolverines haven’t given up.
At any rate, with four offensive lineman committed, people wondered if there was room for Kendall. Now, with Cole out of the picture and Dellinger likely to follow, Kendall, who said he would be committing in the next month or so ($), will wind up in Ann Arbor.
4-star DE/DT George Rooks
There’s no doubt that Michigan needs to add a defensive tackle or two to the 2021 class and one of the favorites to join is four-star defensive tackle George Rooks out of New Jersey.
Rooks makes a lot of sense for U-M for a couple of reasons. For starters, the Wolverines love bigger defensive ends and at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Rooks could wind up as a big defensive end.
Yet, he could grow into a 290-pound three technique too, so that’s one thing that intrigues me. He’s out of Jersey City, New Jersey and Michigan has done well in the state.
The Wolverines own all of his crystal ball projections and since his sister played basketball at Michigan, he’s been on campus before. Syracuse, where his dad played is the biggest contender, but all signs point to him being a Wolverine.
4-star DT Rayshaun Benny
In terms of the run-stuffing defensive tackle, the best shot Michigan football has at landing that comes in the way of four-star DT Rayshaun Benny.
Benny is out of Oak Park, Michigan, a school that hasn’t been great to the Wolverines recently. However, Michigan has a solid relationship with Benny and is one of his top schools along with Kentucky, Arkansas, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
At 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Benny has the ability to grow into a true plug in the middle of the defense and would also fill one of the program’s biggest needs in this recruiting cycle. There are no expert predictions right now, but it feels like Michigan will win out in the end.
3-star DB Kamonte Grimes
Some fans don’t get too excited about the addition of three-star prospects, even though the majority of recruits end up in that category. Yet, one three-star defensive back, Kamonte Grimes, is one that makes a lot of sense at Michigan, especially in the role U-M envisions him playing.
Last week, Grimes, who has been told by Michigan football he could play a role similar to Jabrill Peppers, just without the offense, picked up a projection from EJ Holland of Rivals to Michigan.
He’s ranked 516th in the 247 sports composite rankings but at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, he has a ton of upside and could be a corner, safety or viper. While no other experts besides Holland have projected him to the Wolverines, they seem to be comfortably in the lead.
3-star RB Tavierre Dunlap
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but I absolutely love the game of three-star running back Tavierre Dunlap. The 6-foot, 196-pound running back from Texas is a fast, physical runner who would be ideal in Josh Gattis’ system.
He doesn’t catch the ball all that much, but he averaged over 10 yards per rushing attempt last season in high school and would be a great fit along with Donovan Edwards, who is much more of a multi-purpose guy.
Out of all the guys on the list, Dunlap is the probably the one I am most unsure about. It’s hard to know if Michigan will use that final spot for a corner, a receiver, another defensive tackle or linebacker or a second running back. To me, Dunlap makes the most sense and if the Wolverines really make a strong push for him, I think they get him.
4-star OL Rocco Spindler
When it comes down to it, Rocco Spindler might be the toughest recruiting battle for Michigan football to win this cycle, with Notre Dame looking like a very real threat.
If you look at the predictions for Spindler on 247 sports, it’s essentially 50/50 between the Wolverines and the Irish. At Rivals, there are four picks for ND and two for Michigan football, but one is from EJ Holland and that carries weight for U-M fans. At least it should.
At one time or another, both have felt like the leader. Rocco also says he is taking all five of his visits before he decides, so keep an eye on others like LSU. Ultimately though, I have a gut feeling it plays out the way Braiden McGregor’s recruitment did. It was close, but he chose Michigan in the end. Rocco will too.
4-star RB Donovan Edwards
Last but certainly not least is Donovan Edwards, the running back who is likely the top player on Michigan’s board right now. Of the eight guys on this list, he’s far and away the most important.
If Michigan misses on Spindler, it will hurt, but it will likely have four other four-star commitments along the offensive line, so it won’t be a terrible blow. But after Edwards, Dunlap could be the next best option at running back and after adding just one a year ago, it’s not ideal.
Edwards is also a player with true game-changing ability. Alongside McCarthy, Edwards would give the Wolverines the kind of firepower they simply haven’t had under Jim Harbaugh. He’s that first-round caliber running back the program hasn’t had since Chris Perry.
Holland wrote this week ($) that Edwards seems weary of the process, hinting that the running back could commit sooner rather than later.
More importantly, Holland reiterated that Michigan is in the lead and when it’s all said and done, in my opinion, the Wolverines will win this recruitment, one way or another.