Michigan Football: What to make of Rayshaun Benny’s top list

A priority target for Michigan football in 2021, Rayshaun Benny released his top eight last night and here’s what to make of it plus more on 2021.

For those that were hoping Michigan football target Rayshaun Benny was going to be making a decision soon, the top list he released on Saturday may not have been good news.

Benny, an offensive/defensive lineman from Oak Park, Michigan, has long been a priority for the Wolverines in the 2021 and just recently, Michigan has started to be viewed as the favorite.

Benny has four crystal ball projections from 247 sports sending him to the Wolverines with an average confidence rating of six. Michigan recruiting expert EJ Holland of Rivals also has a Futurecast pick projecting Benny to U-M, so there’s lots to feel good about.

However, I didn’t exactly expect Benny to release a top eight this late in the process. It could be meaningless, many top lists are. Rocco Spindler released a top five this summer, but I think we all know there are just two real contenders: Michigan and Notre Dame.

With Benny though, it’s never been that clear cut.

Michigan football has always been in the mix and the Wolverines want him at defensive tackle, which is what he prefers. But Kentucky has had success at Oak Park, Arkansas is in the mix and Michigan State is coming on strong.

One interesting absence was Ohio State, which had sort of backed off from Benny, but now we know the Buckeyes aren’t a contender. The SEC schools certainly give you some pause. LSU are defending national champs and Tennessee has been lights out this cycle recruiting.

But still, Michigan just seems to make the most sense. My biggest takeaway from this list though is that Benny is still going to take his time. If the dead period is lifted, my bet is he takes all his visits and decides near December.

Certainly, a earlier decision is probably better for the Wolverines, so the timeline will be interesting to watch.

Thoughts on Rooks and Kendall

Speaking of timelines, it’s also very important for four-star offensive guard Drew Kendall. Spindler is set to decide Aug. 8 and the clock is ticking for Drew to finally make a decision.

It’s not that he has to decide by the time Rocco does, however, you get the sense if Kendall keeps delaying this decision, it won’t bode well for the Wolverines. Boston College has been recruiting hard against Michigan and Stanford seems to have piqued his interest.

Kendall has talked about committing by the end of July, if he does, my guess is it’s to Michigan. If not, he goes from a likely commit in my eyes, to 50/50.

Another recruit who could commit at any time is George Rooks. Holland expressed that opinion Saturday night ($) but said a push from Penn State could make things interesting.

Yet, he was still sticking with his projections of Benny and Rooks to Michigan.