Michigan football has 21 players committed right now in 2021 and here are revised predictions for how the recruiting class finishes out.
As far as commitments go, it’s been quiet the past few weeks for Michigan football and it looks like the month of August will come and go without any pledges to the 2021 class.
At the beginning of the month, there were high hopes that Michigan football would be able to get highly-touted four-star recruit Rocco Spindler or at least another four-star guard in Drew Kendall.
But Spindler committed to the Irish three weeks ago and despite a continued push from U-M, Kendall still hasn’t made a decision, although he said one is coming this week.
Yet, things don’t seem to be moving in a positive direction. Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider ($) commented this after the news about Kendall making a decision came out:
"“The latest vibe I’ve gotten on this has me leaning toward lowering my confidence level. I’ve gone from hearing “Michigan lean” to “50/50.”"
That’s essentially what Dohn and other experts are saying too, it’s a 50/50 battle between Boston College and Michigan, which to me is a giant red flag.
This has Josh Christopher written all over it.
Back in late April, Michigan football started trending with crystal ball projections for Kendall. Between 247 sports and Rivals, there are 19 expert predictions for the Wolverines, so it would be a huge upset in that regard, but that shows, at one time, Michigan was a heavy favorite.
So Boston College has definitely gained ground and probably still is gaining ground. There is very little Michigan interaction on Kendall’s social media (mostly BC) and his father did play there. Plus the Eagles have been negatively recruiting Michigan too, which appears to be working.
Kendall has been worried about numbers and that seemed to be alleviated when Spindler went to Notre Dame.
But, low and behold, Kendall still had questions about holdovers on the roster having extra years of eligibility. He’s also been worried about his fit.
The kid is from Massachusetts, so there is also pressure to stay close to home.
Michigan has also been recruiting another offensive guard when previous reports said they would be finished at O-line with Kendall.
So that makes you wonder if Michigan is already on its fallback plan?
I can honestly say I have the same feeling when it was 50/50 between Michigan and Notre Dame for Rocco. I wouldn’t be shocked if Kendall committed to Michigan football still, but my gut tells me he’s going to Boston College.
Kendall has been reluctant to commit to the Wolverines and the fact that he didn’t soon after Rocco’s decision, showed there were concerns other than a big recruiting class.
So in my revised predictions for Michigan’s recruiting class, Kendall won’t be included. Yet, here are five recruits who will be.
3-star safety Daymon David
While Daymon David is a still a three-star recruit according to the 247 sports composite rankings, he made a huge leap last week after Rivals upgraded him from a two-star to a four-star recruit.
In the composite rankings for 2021, David went from outside the top 1,000, to being ranked No. 347 overall in the class, as well as the No. 23 safety.
That’s probably still a little low for one of the hardest-hitting defensive backs in this cycle, but it was still a much-deserved bump. And in other good news, EJ Holland of Rivals ($) said he was close to projecting David to U-M, meaning the Wolverines are in a good spot.
But Oregon recently jumped in with an offer after Oklahoma dropped out of the mix. That took a Michigan-BC battle and made it a three-way competition which includes the Ducks.
Holland said he felt David wanted to play on a big stage, meaning Michigan or Oregon and not BC. David did say the Ducks were his “dream” school but he hasn’t visited and it was reported that distance (to school) could be a factor.
Michigan isn’t closer to the DMV than Boston College, but it’s a lot closer than Oregon. David is expected to make a decision sometime in September and if that holds true, despite the push from the Ducks, U-M should be able to seal the deal.
Rayshaun Benny and George Rooks
While the Wolverines won’t get the strong finish on the offensive line they were hoping for if Kendall doesn’t commit, there is still a good chance to close in the right way at defensive tackle.
The first priority is in-state recruit Rayshaun Benny. He’s one of the top players in the state of Michigan and even a top-100 recruit according to Rivals.
And according to his crystal ball projections and Futurecast picks, the Wolverines are solidly in the lead. Plus here’s more from Steve Lorenz of the Michigan Insider:
"“Michigan has taken off as far as a leader goes on the Crystal Ball for Benny, who is one of their top targets in the 2021 class regardless of commitment status or position. The Oak Park (MI) four-star recently released a top eight that included the Wolverines along with Penn State, Michigan State, Arkansas, LSU, Arizona State, Kentucky and Tennessee.”"
As Lorenz indicated, he’s a top priority, right there with Donovan Edwards. Michigan can recover from losing out on Kendall, but missing on Benny, would hurt much, much worse.
That being said, Benny hasn’t visited many schools on his list and if visits aren’t taking place, I think he’ll end up committing to the Wolverines. It’s probably just a matter of time.
As far as George Rooks, his recruitment has been harder to read. He’s ranked in the top 200 of the 247 composite rankings just like Benny. He may end up as a defensive end or a defensive tackle, but U-M loves those kinds of players, so he would be a perfect fit.
A few weeks ago, Holland reported ($) that Rooks went silent. He’s been a pretty quiet dude throughout his process, not doing many interviews. That’s made it harder to get a guess on him.
He did visit both Michigan and Penn State without the coaching staff present over the summer, so those are the places I see him ending up and for my money, I still think he chooses Michigan.
Edwards and Dunlap
For a long time, it looked like Michigan would take just one running back in the 2021 recruiting class, but recently, it was reported that U-M is still hoping for two.
Donovan Edwards, one of the top running backs in the class and top players in the state of Michigan, is an obvious hope for the Wolverines.
He’s an essential target and like Benny, Michigan holds a big lead in terms of crystal ball projections. Oklahoma, the top threat, is also trending with another elite back, Camar Wheaton, which should take the Sooners out of the mix.
Georgia and Alabama could still be a threat and Edwards has said he wants to take visits if allowed. If that doesn’t happen soon, Edwards might just commit. He seems to be growing impatient and Michigan has just done the best job recruiting him throughout.
With the way numbers are falling at other positions, such as offensive line or cornerback, the Wolverines could easily take a second running back and that guy would be Tavierre Dunlap.
Dunlap is a three-star recruit in the 247 composite rankings and No. 375 overall. But 247 has him ranked 14th among running backs in its own rankings and in Michigan’s scheme, Dunlap would be an absolute beast.
He also would be a nice fit alongside Edwards. He’s a different back so I don’t think his presence would hinder Michigan’s recruitment of Edwards at all.
And at 6-foot, 196 pounds, Dunlap is a more physical runner but he’s explosive too.
His recruitment is pretty open, but if the Wolverines really push, they will win it. Nebraska, USC, Utah and Arizona State are the other contenders for the Texas prospect.
Other possibilities
Michigan will likely take either five or six more recruits in its 2021 class. With Benny, Rooks, Edwards, David and Dunlap, the Wolverines would be at 26.
However, if Michigan misses out on Kendall, I believe they would still try to pursue another offensive lineman or another corner.
Noah Josey, a three-star guard from Brentwood, Tennessee has been in contact with Ed Warinner recently and he still has a pretty open recruitment for this late in the process.
Josey has two crystal ball projections to Georgia, but there have been staff changes there and it sounds like there is an opening.
At corner, there are a few names to watch. The big one is top-100 recruit Ceyair Wright. Jim Harbaugh recently spoke to him over the phone and he has zero crystal ball projections.
The prevailing thought has been that Wright, who is from L.A., would stay out West at USC or Stanford. But if Michigan is able to get him on campus for a visit, this is a possibility.
Kamari Lassiter is another cornerback Michigan offered recently but he’s being recruited by Auburn, Georgia and Clemson and is from Alabama, so I don’t think that’s happening.
Another defensive back Michigan has been in communication with is John Howse IV. He’s ranked No. 726 overall but still seemed interested in U-M. He is visiting Nebraska and Kansas before making a decision. It seems like a long shot that the Wolverines really push here.
But if they did, they might be able to snag him away from the others. Yet, that interest would probably include him taking a visit, although he was at the recruiting BBQ last summer.