Michigan Football: Where things stand in recruitment of Daymon David

Updating where Michigan football stands with one of its top targets in three-star safety Daymon David, plus more on 2021 recruits.

Three-star safety recruit Daymon David may not be a high-ranking prospect right now, but he’s a top priority for Michigan football in the 2021 class.

David is ranked outside the top 1,000 in the 247 sports composite rankings and is actually listed as just a two-star recruit on Rivals.

However, David is a recruit on the rise. He’s from the Baltimore area and caught the eye of Ed Reed, who told Miami to offer David a scholarship, which the Hurricanes did.

Miami was in the mix, along with Oklahoma, Michigan football, Boston College and others. But in a recent interview with Brian Dohn of 247 sports ($), David said he’s narrowed things down to Boston College and Michigan.

"“I am really thinking about with Boston College, do I really want to go to Boston, which is closer to home, and then Michigan is a little bit farther. Do I want to take it to Michigan?”"

The location seems to be a factor and that’s why Dohn, on the message boards ($), said he believed that Boston College was a slight leader right now.

But others have noted his attraction to playing for a big program. David also has mentioned guys like Charles Woodson and Michigan has a good reputation for turning out NFL defenders.

Nothing is a given in recruiting, but the fact that this is now a Michigan-Boston College recruiting battle feels more promising for U-M.

The other important thing that David talked about was his timeline. Here’s what he said to Dohn ($) about a decision:

"“I am thinking next month (for a decision), maybe early next month or the middle of next month,” he said. “I think next month is a good time. I am really going back and forth on things. That is why I didn’t pick a school yet.”"

It will be interesting to see if David takes a dead-period visit as some others have. That could make the difference because it definitely sounds like a visit could help win him over.

Yet, Michigan football is in contact with David nearly every day. He said he communicates frequently with Don Brown and Jim Harbaugh.

As far as David’s recruitment, it really took off following an offer by Oklahoma in early April. Michigan offered in May but the Power-5 offers have been pouring in.

David is listed at 6-foot-1, 178 pounds and he’s a hard-hitting defensive back. And since he’s the only realistic addition in the defensive backfield right now in 2021, he’s sort of a must-get.

Checking in with 2021 Michigan football commits

EJ Holland of Rivals gets all over the place and earlier this week, he was in Ohio, checking up on Michigan commits, Markus Allen and Rod Moore.

Both players play at Northmont in Clayton, Ohio. Each is a three-star recruit and both are viewed as having a solid upside.

Allen is just 16 years old and is a three-star receiver. But according to Holland ($), Allen suffered a labrum tear. Holland also noted Allen and Moore would be enrolling at the regular time. Here’s what Holland noted in practice about Allen, who still participated despite being hurt:

"“No. 9 immediately caught my attention with his size. I thought I found the next big thing at Northmont. After a couple of plays, I realized it was Allen. Less than 24 hours after telling me he would be sitting out, there he was practicing. Allen is a warrior, man. Shoulder injuries suck, but Allen wants one final year with his team. It’s definitely admirable, and I would probably do the same if I were a kid. Long term, I would advise Allen to get the surgery now.”"

That doesn’t sound great for his future and it will be interesting to see if he actually plays this season. He is a younger kid though, so having him develop at a little slower pace wouldn’t be bad.

You have to love the heart and the toughness. The first time I saw highlights of Allen, the comparison of James Jones, former Green Bay Packers receiver, stuck out in my head.

Allen has great body control, is improving as a route runner and has tremendous ball skills. As long as his recovery from the labrum goes fine, he’s going to make an impact.

Holland was also there to check out Moore, a three-star safety in the 247 sports composite rankings.

Moore is one of my favorite commitments in the 2021 class. Michigan offered him when he wasn’t ranked in the top 1,000 and now, he’s ranked No. 417 in the 247 composite rankings.

I’ve been calling for Moore to be ranked as a four-star recruit for months and after seeing him in person again this week, Holland agreed ($), saying this:

"“I saw enough from Moore to also have him graded as a 5.8 four-star. Moore is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. The big focus for him should be adding weight. He should easily be able to carry another 20 pounds. If he can maintain his speed, the sky is the limit for Moore. I could see him as a two-year starter at Michigan and exceeding expectations.”"

Circling back, if Michigan football could add David, another hard-hitting safety, to its 2021 secondary group with Moore, that would be intriguing.

I fully expect David to get a rankings boost at some point and it’s deserved. Moore should get one too, but regardless of the ranking, if U-M can close, it will be getting another good DB.