Which 2021 recruit will be the next to pledge a verbal commitment to Michigan football? We explore the top three candidates.
It’s been a week since Michigan football missed out on one of its top targets in the 2021 recruiting class, Rocco Spindler and since then, the Wolverines haven’t added any commitments.
I think there was some hope that Drew Kendall would make a decision and lift the spirits of Michigan football fans, which really took a hit this past week when the Big Ten conference announced it was postponing the fall season until the spring.
So instead of being excited about fall camp starting and looking forward to games in September, it’s back to the drawing board and the recruiting trail.
Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines are still going to practice during this time and they should. They should treat it just like spring football since they didn’t actually get a spring.
Who knows if guys will be able to hit and do all those kinds of things, but there have already been promising rumblings about recruits from the 2020 class standing out.
As far as the 2021 class is concerned, Michigan is still in really strong shape. The Wolverines have 21 recruits committed and about 5-6 spots left in the class.
Donovan Edwards and Rayshaun Benny are the top targets left on the board but both have talked about making their decisions around signing day or beyond if end up waiting to take visits.
It’s always possible they surprise people and decide sooner. With the NCAA extending the dead period until Sept. 30, it’s likely you will see more and more early decisions being made.
Couple that with the fact that the season is starting, for states still playing high school football, so for many, the time to make a decision is fast approaching.
Among Michigan football targets specifically, here are three best candidates to be the Wolverines next 2021 commitment.
3-star CB/ATH Kamonte Grimes
One of the top targets remaining for Michigan football this recruiting cycle is Kamonte Grimes, who has become essentially the top guy at cornerback.
Certainly, the Wolverines have interest in top-100 corner Ceyair Wright, but that’s more of a longshot. Grimes, a three-star athlete from Florida, is being recruited as a receiver by most schools, however, U-M wants the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder as a defensive back/viper.
Grimes is ranked 515th overall in the 247 composite and is a three-star prospect via Rivals, which has him Futurecasted to Michigan with one of the picks from EJ Holland, the U-M expert.
Speaking of Holland, he dropped some more interesting news ($) on Grimes Friday night, saying that Grimes could actually make a decision this weekend.
Here’s part of what Holland wrote:
"“Palmetto Ridge athlete Kamonte Grimes is gearing up to make a decision. In fact, the three-star prospect could commit to the school of his choice as soon as this weekend. He for sure wants to announce before the end of August. The three schools still in the running for Grimes are Michigan, Nebraska and Kentucky.”"
Holland said Nebraska is making a push and the Huskers have wanted Grimes as a receiver. Michigan has sold Grimes on a Jabrill Peppers sort of role, and it’s possible that whoever sells their vision best will win this recruitment.
There hasn’t been much reporting on Grimes in the past few weeks, but it’s not a shock that it’s come down to Michigan and Nebraska. I’d trust Holland if he says Michigan is the pick, but keep an eye on the crystal balls this weekend to see if something starts trending.
4-star guard Drew Kendall
To be honest, Michigan football has a pretty solid offensive line class already in 2021. Giovanni El-Hadi is a top-100 recruit at tackle; Tristan Bounds has tons of upside and both Raheem Anderson and Greg Crippen are solid four-star recruits.
But adding Drew Kendall, who ranks 126th overall in the 247 composite rankings, as well as the No. 8 guard, would be a nice cherry on top.
Of course, we can’t pretend like we didn’t want Michigan football to land Rocco Spindler. However, Kendall, who is 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, also offers plenty of upside.
And if he pledges to the Wolverines, it will be fun to see what Ed Warinner is able to do with him, once his body gets college-ready. But there is still the issue of Drew’s commitment.
He has long talked about making a decision by July or August. Spindler is out of the way and Kendall has spoken with Michigan coaches multiple times in the past week.
August is halfway over and if Kendall keeps dragging his feet, that would be a real cause for concern. Stanford and Boston College are probably the biggest threats right now and according to a report from Brian Dohn of 247 sports ($), Kendall isn’t feeling rushed to make a choice.
4-star DE/DT George Rooks
Of the three guys on this list, in terms of fits, George Rooks might be the best fit with Michigan football, simply because he’s an ideal guy for the Wolverines defensive line.
Michigan loves versatile defensive lineman and a guy like Rooks, who has the appearance of a three-technique/five-technique hybrid is just perfect for that sort of role.
Michigan needs more bodies on the defensive line in this class and even though Rooks may not be a pure defensive tackle like Benny, it mostly depends on how big he gets. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 260 but if he adds 30 pounds, he could easily play inside.
Regardless, Rooks is one of the top recruits in the state of New Jersey, a state Michigan has done well in, and he ranks 196th overall in the 247 composite.
Rooks hasn’t done many interviews and his recruitment has been tough to read. But EJ Holland caught up with his high school coach Rich Hansen ($) and here’s what he said about Rooks:
"“As of right now, he wants to make a decision in August. I think Pitt, Boston College, Penn State and Michigan are four of the five. I think he feels good about those places and has great relationships with them. Those are the schools we talk about the most. Obviously, Syracuse with the lineage. That has created a natural affinity. I would not be surprised if he walked in and committed to any of those five schools.”"
Michigan has been viewed as the favorite and is the only school with crystal ball and Futurecast projections for Rooks, who also took a dead-period visit to Ann Arbor, as well as to Penn State.
For that reason, the Nittany Lions feel like the biggest threat. They are also the other big-time program in the mix.
While the Wolverines feel like the solid leader with Kendall and it’s more just a matter of time, as with Grimes, there is more uncertainty about where they stand with Rooks.
Yet, like Kendall, Grimes and Rooks seem poised to make a decision soon and I’m confident that in the next two weeks, more than one of these targets will be committed to Michigan football.