Michigan football is now up to 20 commitments in the 2021 recruiting class and here are five bold predictions for how things will finish up.
As a Michigan football fan, it’s hard not to be bullish on the recruiting class the Wolverines are putting together in 2021.
Right now, the Wolverines rank sixth in the 2021 team rankings according to Rivals, which by the way, has both Jaydon Hood and Xavier Worthy inexplicably ranked as a three-star recruits. Worthy is a top-100 prospect according to 247 sports internal rankings.
In the 247 team rankings for 2021, Michigan football is a little further down at No. 8 thanks to its 11 four-star commitments out of the 20 total thus far.
Believe it or not, the early signing period is still about five months away, so these recruits are still a while from being able to officially sign. It’s also starting to look like recruiting may not be opened up for visits as early as we thought.
Right now, the dead period is going through August, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised if that continued to be pushed back. What does that mean for recruiting? Well, it likely means kids waiting on visits to make decisions, will have adjust their thinking.
Michigan has smartly encouraged prospects to visit campus on their own and four-star target Rayshaun Benny is one will take the Wolverines up on that and will visit with his mother.
Benny is one of the top priorities left in the 2021 class. But truth be told, Michigan is in good shape with a number of four-star targets. The problem is that space is running out. It’s been speculated that Michigan football would take around 26 players this class.
Maybe that number is able to go up to 27. The Wolverines certainly don’t seem worried about numbers the way they are recruiting but it’s clear there are about 10-12 targets with legit interest in at this point.
Some of them are Rocco Spindler, Drew Kendall, Donovan Edwards, George Rooks, Benny, Kamonte Grimes, Jayden Thomas, Tavierre Dunlap, Thomas Fidone, Ceyair Wright and Maxwell Hairston.
It’s hard for me to see anyone from outside this group joining the 2021 class, so for a breakdown on what the final version could look like, here are five predictions for the closing stretch of 2021 recruiting.
Michigan lands key in-state targets
While there are a number of talented players left on the board for Michigan’s 2021 recruiting class, there are three that really matter and they are Rocco Spindler, Donovan Edwards and Benny.
Edwards is the No. 2 recruit in the state and a top-50 player in the 247 sports composite rankings. Spindler is 50th overall and Benny, ranked 189th in the composite rankings, would fill a key need at defensive tackle.
Benny has been trending to the Wolverines and picked up some expert picks the last few days. He will also be visiting the campus soon. Spindler is deciding Aug. 8 between Michigan and Notre Dame. The expert picks are split, but Spindler to U-M makes sense and that’s how it plays out.
As far as Edwards, the top priority in the 2021 class, EJ Holland listed him among five recruits who could be the next to commit. Like Spindler, he was expected to decide closer to signing day, but if he can’t take visits soon, I don’t see Oklahoma or Georgia beating the Wolverines
In short, I think all three commit sooner rather than later.
Drew Kendall won’t be a Michigan football commitment
One of the most bold predictions here is that Drew Kendall, a player who has 100 percent of the experts at Rivals and 247 projecting him to Michigan, won’t end up with the Wolverines.
If Kendall doesn’t decide before Spindler, than I don’t think that bodes well for Michigan’s chances of landing both prospects. Kendall is a four-star guard ranked 128th in the 247 composite and eighth among guards.
Yet, Michigan already has Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson committed. If Spindler and Kendall join that would be four interior players in one class. Kendall has said he’s not worried about numbers but after saying he didn’t want to push his decision past July, he recently told 247 sports ($) he would decide in July or maybe August.
Kendall is also still working on his application to Stanford, one of the top teams in the mix outside of Michigan. Boston College and Duke are the others.
If Spindler chooses Notre Dame, I think Kendall comes, otherwise, I think he goes elsewhere. He’s been trending with crystal ball picks since May, he could have committed anytime and hasn’t. What does that tell you?
Michigan will add 4-star CB Ceyair Wright
During the 2020 recruiting cycle, Michigan football did an exceptional job closing with California cornerback Darion Green-Warren and made him a late addition to the class.
When the 2021 class is all said and done, the Wolverines will do the same thing with 2021 corner Ceyair Wright. Wright is ranked 72nd overall in the 247 composite rankings and the 6-foot-1 defensive back from Los Angeles is the No. 8 player at his position.
As late as it is in the process, Wright still doesn’t have any crystal ball projections and while hometown USC would seem to be the favorite, in a recent interview with Brian Dohn of 247 sports ($), Wright listed Michigan, Arizona State, Utah and Nebraska as the four schools recruiting him hardest. He also mentioned Notre Dame and Baylor. Tennessee also made a recent offer.
But Wright didn’t mention USC and that’s significant. Last cycle, Michigan was able to make the push for Green-Warren in a similar situation and if ASU, Nebraska and Utah are the top competition for Wright, who speaks with Michigan on a regular basis, the Wolverines will prevail and get their elite corner in the end.
A second RB or fourth WR
Taking Kendall off the board could open a spot for an extra running back or a fourth wide receiver such as Jayden Thomas or back Tavierre Dunlap.
Thomas is a four-star receiver and Michigan is in the mix along with Notre Dame and Georgia. Georgia hasn’t made a huge push at this point and despite three commitments already, the Wolverines don’t seem to be backing off.
Dunlap, a four-star running back from Texas, also put Michigan in his top 8. Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Arizona State, Washington, USC, Utah and Virginia Tech are the other contenders.
With both Dunlap and Thomas, the Wolverines seem to be in good shape if they decide to push for a commitment. I think they would win if they prioritize either recruit.
However, doing so could mean either pushing the total number of commitments to 27. Putting Edwards, Spindler, Benny, George Rooks and Wright in the class pushes it to 25. Kamonte Grimes, a three-star athlete Michigan likes at corner, safety and possibly viper is another name to watch.
It’s very possible Wright could push Grimes down the board and Michigan could use the last spot on Dunlap or Thomas. But, again, the Wolverines don’t seem too worried about numbers, so my prediction is for Grimes to be part of the group, along with either Dunlap as a second running back or Thomas a fourth wide receiver.
Michigan’s blue-chip ratio will clear 60 percent
It feels like Michigan football’s final number of takes in 2021 could get pushed to 27 or the Wolverines could not take someone who was previously committed, which is was what happened with Nick Patterson in the 2020 cycle.
Regardless of whether Michigan finishes with 26 or 27 recruits in this class, it’s going to have a blue-chip ratio above 60 percent. If you aren’t familiar with the blue-chip ratio, it’s explained here. Basically, it’s the percentage of your recruits that end up as four or five-star recruits (blue chips).
If you have 20 commits and 10 are rated as four-stars or better, your ratio is 50 percent, which is the minimum amount required to contend for a national title accordng to Bud Elliot.
Over the last four classes, Michigan’s blue-chip ratio is at 59 percent, which is ninth-best in college football during that time. Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State are above 80 percent, but no one other program is about 65.
So the Wolverines really are right there and the 2021 class is going to be another very good group. According to the 247 composite, the Wolverines have 11 four and five-star commitments out of 20 total.
My final predictions as of now are seven more commits and here they are along with their ratings: Spindler (4-star), Edwards (4-star), Benny (4-star), Rooks (4-star), Wright (4-star), Grimes (3-star), Dunlap (composite 3-star).
Three-star recruit Rod Moore, in my opinion, will also get bumped up to a four-star prospect before he signs, which, if the other rankings hold, would give Michigan 17 blue-chip prospects out of either 26 or 27 total, which would be a ratio of 62 or 65 percent.