Michigan football has narrowed its recruiting board of top targets and here’s look at each top target and how likely they are to join the 2021 class.
There’s no doubt that that recruiting process has drastically changed in the past few months for Michigan football and programs around the country.
The extended dead period has impacted numerous recruitments in the 2021 cycle. Players haven’t been allowed to take visits since March and who knows when they will be able to again.
In some instances, this probably helped Michigan football. But in others, it likely hurt too because getting a player in for a visit can help sway him and with some, that just never happened.
It certainly still could and if visits are allowed during the fall, it could cause some craziness in recruiting because for a while now, some recruiting experts have been talking about their being a larger number of flips or de-commitments than in the past.
For Michigan and everyone, that’s a concern, but really, the Wolverines seem very solid with their recruits and with 20 commitments, the Wolverines are in a really solid place. Now, it’s about closing and with anywhere from 5-7 spots available and around 11 or so serious contenders.
The focus here is on guys who aren’t committed yet or aren’t heavily favored to commit somewhere soon such as Prophet Brown, who looks like a lock to USC, with a crystal ball run in recent days.
In terms of the top targets that seem to have at least some realistic possibility, I’ve narrowed the list down to Donovan Edwards, Rocco Spindler, Ceyair Wright, Rayshaun Benny, George Rooks, Thomas Fidone, Drew Kendall, Jayden Thomas, Kamonte Grimes, Daymon David and Tavierre Dunlap.
Michigan is obviously recruiting others such as Anthony Hundley, an LSU commit, Brown and Tyreek Chappell; Lorenzo Styles Jr. too. But these 11 haven’t committed yet and I’ll be listing them as not likely to commit, 50/50, likely and very likely.
So, here we go, starting with the least likely.
Not likely to commit
For the most part, Michigan is really in good shape with a number of top targets, but with some of the more elite guys, there is still a lot of work to do and without visits, it will be nearly impossible for the Wolverines to make up ground with some of these guys.
4-star TE, Thomas Fidone:
Michigan is still a top contender for Fidone who is ranked 91st in the 247 sports composite rankings but Nebraska seems to have emerged as the clear leader, with 93 percent of his crystal ball projections. If he’s allowed to visit, maybe Michigan could sway him but Louis Hansen is a top-100 caliber player, so missing on Fidone won’t hurt too badly.
4-star CB, Ceyair Wright:
I do believe that Wright is a solid sleeper to join Michigan’s 2021 class, but a lot of it depends on what other schools do. He’s from LA and it just feels like he will wind up with the Trojans if they push to make it happen. USC is expected to get Prophet Brown, a kid who can play corner, but if visits don’t happen, this will be a tough recruitment to win.
3-star S, Daymond David:
David fits the definition of the fast-rising prospect. He’s ranked 1,136th in the 247 sports composite rankings, but with Michigan, Oklahoma and Miami all pushing hard for him, his recruitment doesn’t feel like that of a low-ranking three star. The Wolverines have been in frequent contact with David, but the Sooners and Miami feel in better position.
50/50
With some targets, it’s really a matter of how much Michigan is willing to push with them and here are a couple that could go either way.
4-star WR, Jayden Thomas:
Michigan football already has three wide receivers committed in 2021 but a fourth is certainly possible and it could be Thomas, a four-star wideout from Georgia. The Wolverines were in his top five recently and they are a contender along with Georgia and Notre Dame. U-M has offered Thomas the chance to play football and baseball too. He has no crystal ball picks.
3-star RB, Tavierre Dunlap:
Dunlap recently put out a top eight and the Wolverines made the cut. He’s turned into a legit target for Michigan and if they Wolverines miss on Donovan Edwards, he’d probably be the top guy. He’s a three-star in the 247 composite and Utah, Arizona State, USC and Oklahoma State are among the other contenders. If he’s a priority in the end, Michigan can win this.
Likely
These are players who are likely to commit to Michigan football but it wouldn’t be a huge shock if they didn’t for one reason or another.
4-star OG, Rocco Spindler:
Some may have expected to see Spindler, a top in-state target and 50th-ranked player overall in the 2021 class, in the 50/50 zone since his recruitments seems to be a Michigan-Notre Dame battle. I do think it’s close and don’t think he’s made a decision. However, this has a Braiden McGregor feel to it and in the end, that’s how I see this one playing out.
4-star OG, Drew Kendall:
While things have been more up in the air with Kendall recently, Michigan still owns all of his crystal ball projections. The confidence level has dropped with some, yet following a conversation with Jim Harbaugh and Ed Warinner this week, U-M seems more likely than not to add Kendall to its 2021 class. If he waits until Rocco decides though, his status would change to not likely.
3-star ATH, Kamonte Grimes:
Michigan has struggled to add corners to the 2021 class and have just one so far. But three-star athlete Kamonte Grimes, someone the Wolverines see as a defensive back, could fill the void. Most teams are recruiting him as a wide receiver, but Michigan wants him as a corner, safety or viper and they appear to be in the lead right now. We’ll see if it stays that way.
4-star DL, George Rooks
Rooks is a guy who has gone under the radar just a bit because he’s quiet. At least off the field. On the field, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive lineman has a ton of potential. The Wolverines own all of his crystal ball picks and a projection from Michigan recruiting expert EJ Holland. Yet, Syracuse, Penn State and Pitt are in the mix via the Michigan Insider, so it’s not a done deal.
Very likely
These are recruits I would expect to join Michigan’s class at this point and it would be a surprise if they didn’t, although there are no sure things in recruiting.
4-star DT, Rayshaun Benny:
Benny is one of the Wolverines priority targets right now and he should be. He’s a top-100 recruit according to Rivals and he’s a solid top-200 kid in the 247 composite rankings. He’s also 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds. Michigan controls all of his crystal ball picks and U-M has been trending. Unless things change, this should be a win.
4-star RB, Donovan Edwards:
I’ve predicted Edwards to Michigan before, however, as we get closer and closer to the early signing period, it seems like the Wolverines are in a stronger position.
Georgia and Oklahoma are the threats, but the Bulldogs sort of took their shot already and Edwards hasn’t been able to visit Oklahoma. I think Edwards will buy the appeal of being a hometown star and EJ Holland of Rivals said Sunday, he felt more confident than ever ($) about projecting Edwards to U-M.
Michigan also holds all eight of Edwards’ crystal ball predictions from 247 sports and even though the confidence level is just four out of 10, it’d be an upset if he didn’t end up in Ann Arbor.