Michigan Football: Elite 2022 QB and No. 1 offensive tackle eye visits

A pair of elite 2022 recruits at quarterback and offensive tackle said recently they wanted to visit Michigan football.

As far as the 2021 recruiting class is concerned for Michigan football, the Wolverines have done a spectacular job. Right now, they are sixth in the 247 team rankings and fourth in the Rivals rankings for 2021.

It’s not likely Michigan football will stay that high. It depends on how things go with four-star targets Donovan Edwards, Rocco Spindler, Drew Kendall, George Rooks, Rayshaun Benny and Xavier Worthy.

Regardless of where the final ranking ends up, EJ Holland of Rivals noted the staff feels great about this class. There’s even some talk it could be Jim Harbaugh’s best.

We’ll see if that ends up being true. One reason it’s such a strong group is Michigan got off to a really good start last spring. Five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy and four-star offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi were already committed at this time.

The Wolverines have one player committed now in 2022, defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren. But they are making solid progress with some other elite prospects in 2022, starting with quarterback Maalik Murphy. 

Murphy is a four-star quarterback out of California ranked 44th overall and a number of top schools have been in on him already, including Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Auburn and Alabama. Watching his film, it’s clear to see why.

The 6-foot-4 pro-style passer has a tremendous arm and he can easily make all the throws with a flick of the wrist. He throws extremely well on the move and while he doesn’t seem to run much, he has enough agility to find different throwing avenues in the pocket. His 247 sports comparison is Jameis Winston and that makes a lot of sense.

Much like McCarthy, Murphy is a decent athlete, his best attribute is his ability to throw the football, however, his size is also impressive for a kid getting ready for his junior year of high school.

While the 2021 cycle has been disrupted in a big way due to COVID-19, visits should start happening again this fall and when they do, Murphy told 247 sports ($) he wants to visit Ann Arbor. And he’s not the only elite 2022 recruit who said that recently.

Another is No. 1 ranked offensive tackle Tyler Booker who is going to be a teammate of McCarthy’s at IMG Academy in Florida this upcoming season. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder is ranked 13th overall by 247 sports and first among offensive tackles in the 2022 class and is viewed as a future first-round pick.

“I had planned on visiting before everything got shut down,” Booker told 247 sports ($) “Yes, (I still plan on visiting) when everything clears up.”

Booker will be teammates with not only McCarthy but four-star 2021 offensive guard Greg Crippen, another player committed to the Wolverines.

Booker doesn’t have any crystal ball predictions yet but Florida, Georgia and LSU are listed as warm on his 247 profile. He also holds offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn and a host of others. Murphy has 24 total offers.