Michigan football may have missed out on Rocco Spindler, but other priority targets remain and these are the three the Wolverines must land in 2021.
There is no point in acting like the commitment of Rocco Spindler to Notre Dame wasn’t a blow to Michigan football and its 2021 recruiting class.
It was and anyone saying otherwise, just isn’t really being truthful.
It’s still somewhat surprising to me that Spindler spurned the in-state Wolverines for Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish have their own pull and Spindler seemed very comfortable with the coaching staff, especially the offensive line coach.
You never really know all the reasons recruits make the decisions they do. But at the end of the day, Michigan football can’t be faulted for the way it recruited Rocco.
From Matt Dudek wishing him a Happy Birthday, to the entire staff really going all-in, Michigan did a great job, it just came up short.
But when you look at the Wolverines’ 2021 recruiting class, it’s still very good, with 21 total commitments, 11 of which are ranked as four-star prospects or better according to the 247 sports composite rankings.
Michigan ranks ninth in the team rankings right now from 247 sports, with the chance to still put together a strong finish.
Obviously, the hope was that Rocco would be part of that finish and that his potential commitment could add to the momentum, especially in the state, gained from the recent pledge of three-star receiver Andrel Anthony.
Missing out on Spindler is a blow no doubt, but the Wolverines are still in a good position in 2021, especially if they can reel in their top three remaining priorities, starting with Drew Kendall.
4-star OG Drew Kendall
Drew Kendall may not be as highly touted as Rocco Spindler is, but the 6-foot-4 guard from the state of Massachusetts is very good, in fact, he’s ranked as the No. 4 guard in 2021 by Rivals.
In the 247 composite rankings, Kendall is 126th overall and the No. 8 guard. He may need some more time to develop his body compared to Spindler, who is already 315 pounds, but he has a bright future, especially if he was being coached by Ed Warinner at Michigan.
Boston College and Stanford, have been among the other schools mentioned with Kendall, but Michigan has been the leader since late April.
Between eight crystal ball projections and 11 Futurecast picks from Rivals, 19 experts have predicted Kendall to the Wolverines. EJ Holland of Rivals reported the biggest hesitation for Kendall was simply the O-line numbers, particularly if Spindler joined the 2021 class.
That’s no longer an issue and to Michigan’s credit, the staff doesn’t have to play catch up with Kendall. They have recruited him as a priority target all along and have wanted him and Spindler.
That’s going to pay off now for the Wolverines, who had Warinner contact Kendall last week. It wouldn’t be surprising if a Kendall commitment came rather quickly and if it did, it would give the Wolverines a much-needed boost of momentum.
It would also give them their fourth four-star recruit on the offensive line in 2021, joining guard Greg Crippen, center Raheem Anderson and tackle Giovanni El-Hadi.
4-star DT Rayshaun Benny
Another recruit that Michigan football must land in its 2021 recruiting class is four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny out of Oak Park, Michigan.
The Wolverines have a glaring need at defensive tackle and despite it being somewhat late in the cycle, U-M still doesn’t have a single commitment at the position.
That’s where Benny comes in. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder is ranked 189th in the 247 composite rankings, but 86th overall according to Rivals.
Just as with Spindler, Benny is one of the top recruits in the state of Michigan and missing out on him would be an even further blow to in-state recruiting.
But the Wolverines have done a solid job of moving to the top of his list. All six of Benny’s crystal balls have him going to Michigan, while his eight Futurecasts from Rivals do the same.
You wonder if the Spindler decision will have any impact. You wouldn’t think so, but teams love to negatively recruit Michigan and the in-state stuff will be used again.
The key with Benny is going to be how soon he can take visits. He said recently, he could take his recruitment into February and with a number of schools on his top list, that he hasn’t visited, that’s not an empty threat.
But the longer visits are postponed and it could be some time before they are allowed again, the more likely it is that Benny stays home with the Maize and Blue, which is essential, not only to fill a massive need at defensive tackle, but also to score a big win in the state.
4-star RB Donovan Edwards
The one recruit that Michigan football would want over any of its non-committed targets right now is probably Donovan Edwards, the four-star running back who is 34th overall in the 247 sports composite and 24th overall in 247’s own rankings for 2021.
Edwards is a dynamic running back and even though he’s not a five-star officially, he might as well be. On the field, he can do it all and he would be a revelation in Josh Gattis’ offense.
The Wolverines have done a great job of selling him on that role too. He wants to be utilized as a receiver and not just a runner and having a back like that is something U-M really needs.
Chris Evans and Blake Corum can help fill that role this year, but Edwards could be the best Michigan running back since Chris Perry. The dude is just special.
He also had talked about possibly playing with Rocco Spindler. Certainly, you’d expect Spindler to try and recruit Edwards, although that rarely works, but Notre Dame hasn’t really been in the mix.
Oklahoma looks to be the chief contender for Edwards, but Georgia and Alabama are also lurking, as are the Irish and Michigan State.
Missing on Spindler worries me the most when it comes to Edwards, because landing a top-50 offensive lineman for him to run behind couldn’t have hurt.
Much like Benny, Edwards has talked about deciding around the early signing day in December, but if he can’t take visits, he really could decide anytime.
When he does, Michigan really needs to win his commitment, because as bad as it was to lose Rocco, missing on Edwards would be far worse.