Breaking down what the ideal finish would look like for Michigan football with its 2021 recruiting class.
If you’re anxious for the next Michigan football commitment in the 2021 recruiting class, you probably aren’t alone.
It’s been over two weeks now since Rocco Spindler spurned Michigan football for Notre Dame and still, there is no word from Drew Kendall on whether he will join the Wolverines 2021 class.
Michigan reporter EJ Holland tweeted out a purple devil emoji, which was a hint at some good news. He even tweeted Saturday, in reference to the emoji, that it wasn’t a joke. He again teased a scoop about recruiting.
https://twitter.com/EJHolland_TW/status/1297014714095095808
Obviously, it can be pretty tough to interpret an emoji, but we got time, so why not try?
Holland is the Michigan recruiting reporter at Rivals and this past week, he seemed to be confident in some top targets to U-M. In terms of Donovan Edwards, he said he “Really, really liked” where Michigan is at with Edwards, the No. 3 running back in the country.
Holland has also mentioned a silent commit. He hasn’t indicated if it’s 2021 or 2022. I had even guessed it was Kamonte Grimes, but then Grimes committed to Nebraska.
So whatever Holland knows, seems to be related to a priority target in this class. He said positive things ($) about Kendall, George Rooks and Rayshaun Benny in his latest confidence board, so something good is coming down the pike.
But there is still a lot of uncertainty too. Kendall is still sort of dragging his feet, Rooks is an unknown, while Benny and Edwards have each waivered on decision timeframes, but both have maintained wanting to take visits if possible.
Then, Steve Lorenz of The Michigan Insider ($), dropped the nugget that Michigan wanted to take Tavierre Dunlap at running back along with Edwards. That, as well as a new cornerback offer this week to Kamari Lassiter and there is lots to be determined.
But Holland’s emoji also got me thinking about the best possible scenarios for Michigan football to close out the 2021 recruiting class and here are my six ideal commitments for this cycle.
In-state sweep
Everybody knows that you need to recruit well close to home and for the most part, Michigan football has done that, even in 2021 getting Giovanni El-Hadi, Raheem Anderson, Andrel Anthony and Tommy Doman to commit as in-state recruits.
But if this recruiting class is really going to be impactful, the Wolverines need to close with the top two recruits left in the state of Michigan and that’s Edwards and Benny.
Michigan has done an exceptional job recruiting both. Edwards has a great relationship with Jim Harbaugh and the two talk on a weekly basis. That’s been a huge key in my opinion.
Harbaugh has made Edwards feel like a priority, as a key piece to the puzzle, which he obviously is, but that relationship has always been important. Edwards has said repeatedly he wants to take visits and one to Oklahoma could change up his recruitment.
But if those aren’t going to happen, he seems more likely to make an early decision.
U-M is in a similar boat with Benny. The coaching staff has built a great relationship there and recruiting him as a defensive tackle was huge. There are some other contenders, especially if visits take place but based on his current top list and the current climate, Michigan is the favorite.
Whatever else happens in the 2021 class, as long as Michigan gets Edwards and Benny, it will be just fine.
Michigan needs to close with Kendall and Rooks
If Michigan is able to get Benny, a defensive tackle into its recruiting class, it will lessen the need for Rooks a little, however, he’s still a defensive lineman U-M wants in the fold.
Rooks is 6-foot-4 now and around 260. He could be a five-technique or he could grow and bump inside. He’s the kind of versatile, tough kid Michigan loves up front and the biggest threat right now seems to be Penn State, so that’s not a recruiting battle the Wolverines want to lose.
Rooks took his own visit to both schools during the dead period. And while Holland said he felt good ($) about this recruitment, it’s unpredictable and compared it to Grimes and we know how that worked out.
As for Kendall, Michigan still owns all of his crystal ball projections and Futurecast picks from Rivals. The staff also was in contact with him this past week, which it has been frequently.
Kendall is a top-100 recruit according to Rivals and the No. 8 guard in the 247 composite rankings, so he’s a critical target, but he’s really dragging out his recruitment. A decision is expected in the next few weeks, but the delay is making me worry more about Stanford and Boston College.
Help in secondary is needed
Michigan football wants to add talent in the secondary in the 2021 recruiting class, but the problem is that three-star safety Daymon David seems to be the only realistic target.
Krimes was the top guy at cornerback, at least Michigan viewed him as a cornerback and after he went to Nebraska, that left the Wolverines sort of scrambling.
It’s hard to tell if the offer to Lassiter will be too late. Yet, the one corner that could be a dark-horse option down the road is Ceyair Wright, a top-100 recruit out of California.
His recruitment is pretty wide open, but Stanford appears to be a leading contender, along with other schools out West. Michigan has offered and has a definite interest, but would likely need a visit to get Wright to commit.
Still, in the ideal world, that’s what would happen. Michigan would pull off a late recruiting win as it did with David Long years ago and Darion Green-Warren in 2020.
Adding a corner and David, who is down to Michigan, Oregon and Boston College, would be the ideal finish for the Wolverines along with Edwards, Benny, Rooks and Kendall.