Michigan Football: Wolverines trying to build on in-state momentum

Michigan football landed another commitment from an in-state recruit in the class of 2022 Wednesday and the Wolverines aren’t done. 

As far as in-state recruiting is concerned, Michigan football is off to a really good start in the class of 2022.

Last Sunday, Michigan football added the commitment of the top recruit in the state of Michigan for 2022, in Will Johnson, a five-star cornerback from Grosse Pointe.

Johnson is ranked as one of the best cornerbacks in the country and landing him was huge for the Wolverines. And once it was becoming clear that Johnson was going to choose Michigan, the Wolverines started making a strong move by four-star receiver Tay’shawn Trent.

U-M started trending with crystal ball picks and then Wednesday, a few days after Johnson committed, Trent pledged to Michigan, giving U-M two of the top seven recruits from the state of Michigan already in 2022.

The in-state recruiting push has been impressive and Ron Bellamy, who joined the staff after being the head coach at West Bloomfield has made a huge difference.

It made a big difference with Trent and it could have an impact on another four-star athlete Michigan is working on and that’s Jaden Mangham.

Mangham is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound athlete who plays both receiver and defensive back. However, with guys like Dillon Tatum, Benjamin Morrison, and Myles Pollard trending upward, as well as three defensive backs already committed, U-M could run out of room in the secondary.

Therefore, Mangham could be more of a focus at wide receiver. The Wolverines added a big wideout in Trent, but the Wolverines could use more big bodies at wideout, so Mangham seems like a viable target. He does have a crystal ball projection to Michigan State, but so did Trent before Michigan pushed and closed with him.

A decision soon?

Tatum,  a four-star defensive back/running back has been another top target for Michigan even before Bellamy, his former high school coach came on staff.

The West Bloomfield prospect tweeted about releasing another top list, but EJ Holland of Rivals (subscription required) reports that the recent in-state commitments and possible lack of spots in the secondary could lead to an earlier commitment from the four-star recruit.

On the negative side of things, Michigan has lost some ground to Notre Dame in the recruitment of Joshua Burnham, the No. 2 recruit in the state in 2022, but outside of that battle, which is still winnable, the Wolverines are on an in-state roll that should continue.