Michigan Football: Latest on 2021 recruiting at running back, corner

Michigan football is still pushing with four-star running back Tavierre Dunlap, plus a 2021 cornerback committed to Florida State.

Much of the attention at running back for Michigan football in the 2021 recruiting class has been reserved for in-state recruit Donovan Edwards, the No. 3 back in the country.

And while the Wolverines appear to be the leader with Edwards, since they own a vast majority of his crystal ball projections and Futurecast picks, he might not be the only running back in the 2021 class for U-M.

Another could be Tavierre Dunlap out of Texas. Dunlap is 6-foot, 196 pounds and last season, he averaged nearly 10 yards per carry in high school. He’s a power runner with straight-line speed and I’ve long thought he would be great to pair with Edwards.

Michigan football has remained in the mix for Dunlap, despite its pursuit of Edwards and sent him an official scholarship offer earlier this month. The four-star recruit in the 247 sports rankings, who is a three-star in the composite for 2021, also included U-M on his top list.

With 21 players already committed to the 2021 class, it’s been hard to gather if Dunlap would wind up being a take or not. But if Wednesday was any clue, he might just be as the Wolverines hosted him for a virtual visit according to Steve Lorenz of The Michigan Insider ($).

Lorenz also noted that a source indicated to him that Michigan football might be the leader for Dunlap, who is also considering USC, Arizona State and Oklahoma State, among others.

Since Texas and Oklahoma aren’t involved, it has always felt like Michigan could win this if the Wolverines just made him a priority. I still believe that’s true and even if Edwards commits, Dunlap would be an ideal north-south runner to pair with him.

Michigan football still recruiting 4-star CB Omarion Cooper

The Wolverines recruiting board took a hit last weekend at cornerback when Kamonte Grimes, one of the top targets at the position committed to Nebraska as a receiver.

That has left Michigan with few targets left at the position in the 2021 class. The top corner on the board right now has to be Ceyair Wright, a top-100 kid with a pretty open recruitment. The Wolverines also just offered three-star corner Kamari Lassiter in 2021.

Yet, according to Brice Marich of the Michigan Insider ($), another name to watch is that of Omarion Cooper, a four-star corner committed to Florida State.

The Wolverines seemed to be firmly in the mix for Cooper earlier this summer, before he pulled the trigger on a commitment to the Noles.

There hasn’t necessarily been anything to change that, but the Michigan football staff is still trying and Cooper said they continue to be in contact with him.

Now, there wasn’t anything in the report to suggest Cooper was open to flipping, it’s just another sign of where things stands at corner in the 2021 class right now.