Michigan Football: Wolverines offer intriguing athlete from Kansas

Michigan football doesn’t extend many scholarship offers in the state of Kansas, but there’s one 2022 athlete that got one Monday from the Wolverines. 

Jaren Kanak is the top recruit in the state of Kansas for the 2022 recruiting class and after following his progress closely, Michigan football finally extended an offer Monday night.

Kanak is currently listed as a three-star prospect by the 247 sports composite rankings and is No. 487 overall, but he’s picking up offers left and right. He’s also got a crystal ball projection to Clemson, which also isn’t something you see often for a recruit from Kansas.

His speed is something special though.

Kanak recently ran a 10.3 in the 100-meter dash, which makes him one of the fastest prospects in the country. It’s also why some teams view the 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete as a potential linebacker, safety, or wide receiver.

Michigan football fans will remember Xavier Worthy, who was recently left out of his letter of intent, clocked a 10.5 in the 100-meter dash and probably could get in that 10.3 range. So Kanak has elite speed and it would be shocking if he didn’t climb the rankings at some point.

The offer by Michigan was also the sixth in the past five days as Virginia, Penn State, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Kentucky also entered the mix recently.

What are Michigan football’s chances?

The top-ranked player in Kansas is still getting plenty of interest as his offer list shows. Nebraska is right in the mix, along with Iowa, Kansas State, Kansas, and Washington State. Those five programs are scheduled to get official visits right now.

However, with the way things are progressing, you wonder if that might change. Kanak is also taking unofficial visits and will head to Clemson in June, so that could be the route for U-M.

Kanak told Steve Wiltfong of 247 sports that the offer by the Wolverines was a “Big deal.” It is a little late in the process but if the kid from Kansas wants to stay in the Midwest, Michigan football could be one of his best options.

The Wolverines could certainly use his speed on offense or defense and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kanak become a top target.

Now, it’s just a matter of getting him on campus. If Michigan football can do that, then it will be considered a serious contender in this recruitment.

The Wolverines currently have seven players committed in their 2022 class, but none at linebacker or safety.