Michigan Football: Multiple 5-stars headline ‘Detroit Day’ visitors

Recruiting is back and it so feels good. On Wednesday, that meant Michigan football hosting Detroit Day, a new event hosted for in-state recruits and the prospects showed out.

It wasn’t just limited to in-state prospects, as some other key guys took visits too, but some of the biggest and most important names in attendance were from Michigan — guys like Will Johnson, Dillon Tatum, Deone Walker, and 2023 five-star quarterback Dante Moore.

Moore actually pushed back a stop at Ohio State to attend Detroit day and Will Johnson, the Wolverines five-star commit in 2022 is trying to get the elite QB prospect to join him.

Of all the guys Michigan football was able to get on campus, I’d say Moore is the most important. He’s vital to the Wolverines 2023 class and as a five-star QB out of the state of Michigan, he’s a must-land recruit.

Moore is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds out of Martin Luther King high school and is ranked 14th overall in the 2023 class according to the 247 sports composite rankings.

There’s a long way to go in his recruitment, but Michigan has been pushing for him hard and it’s a good sign that the Wolverines were able to get him to Ann Arbor. He’s the top target on the board in 2023, no question about it.

Another 5-star visitor

Another big name visitor on Wednesday for Michigan football was five-star linebacker Drayk Bowen, who is out of Indiana and is projected to commit to Notre Dame according to his crystal ball predictions.

Bowen is ranked in the top 25 and is the No. 1 linebacker in the 2023 class. He seems like a strong bet for Notre Dame, but you never know.

Bowen labeled his visit to Ann Arbor as “really cool” and it’s always hard to guess what sort of impact a positive visit can make. Will it be enough to make this a true two-team race?

It’s hard to say but recruits don’t take visits for no reason and it will be interesting to follow this recruitment to see if the Wolverines can start to gain more traction.

Top in-state recruits attend Detroit Day

Michigan wants to do a better job of recruiting its home state. The Wolverines have done a solid job but could improve and hopefully, that will start with the 2022 cycle.

Some key top targets were on hand Wednesday such as Dillon Tatum and Deone Walker. Amir Herring was also there, as was Johnson and another in-state commit in 2022, Tay’Shawn Trent.

But Walker and Tatum were probably the most important in terms of immediate recruits. Obviously, the staff has to be a little concerned about Johnson taking a visit to USC. But he still seems solid and as long as U-M can put together a solid recruiting class, and a decent season, I don’t see him really wavering.

Getting Tatum in the fold would be huge. Michigan State is pushing hard for him and the Spartans have a good shot, especially with his recent delays. They are making him the focal point of their class.

Michigan has the West Bloomfield connections in Donovan Edwards and safeties coach Ron Bellamy, so you have to like the Wolverines chances, but Tatum isn’t a sure thing.

Walker is another priority in 2022. He’s ranked 361 overall in the 2022 class and is 11th in the state of Michigan according to the 247 sports composite rankings, but he’s moving up fast. He’s also now 6-foot-6, 341 pounds. That size is hard to find and Walker isn’t just a big body.

That’s why he’s got a bunch of SEC offers. He also stopped at Michigan State for a visit on June 1. Walker will be a top priority for the Spartans too and in terms of holding Johnson’s commitment, landing guys like Walker and Tatum would certainly help.