Michigan football has a lot of work to do in the 2022 recruiting class and with signing day about six months away, here are five questions facing the Wolverines.
There is a long way to go in the 2022 recruiting class. But right now, Michigan football has some serious questions regarding its class with just seven commitments and a group that ranks 21st overall.
It’s way too early to worry too much about the team rankings. But when you look at Michigan’s prospects as a whole in the 2022 class, it’s not a super rosy picture at times.
Its top two commitments on defense are taking visits with other schools as Kody Jones is going to Illinois and Will Johnson is going to USC. And if you lose the commitment of Johnson, this class could be a complete disaster.
Michigan football has three four-star prospects committed and a five-star in Johnson. It’s in the mix with a ton of kids including the No. 2 prospect in the country in Walter Nolen, who will be taking a visit to Ann Arbor later this month.
But can the Wolverines close and build a top-10 recruiting class? That’s our first topic.
Can Michigan build a top-10 class?
Last year, Michigan football signed 12 recruits rated as four stars or better in a class of 22 prospects total. That was good enough for 13th in the country and second in the Big Ten according to the 247 sports team rankings.
There has been talk of schools signing smaller classes this year due to extra scholarships leftover from COVID-19, but it’s really hard to say. Either way, Michigan is going to need double-digit four-star commitments and that might not be easy to do.
Looking at four-star targets, Michigan is probably in the best position with Dillon Tatum and Justice Finkley. Deone Walker should become a four-star defensive tackle too and the Wolverines are probably in the pole position there, but all three of those recruitments are far from finished.
Mario Eugenio, a defensive end close to Walker is another one Michigan football fans can feel good about, as well as Beau Atkinson. But as far as this group being a top-10 class, it’s really hard to see unless the Wolverines have an impressive run of four-star commitments.
U-M should definitely get into double-digits, which would require six four-star commitments, but having a plus-50 in the blue-chip ratio might be a stretch.
Who will be the quarterback?
Finding a quarterback is a key part of any solid recruiting class and so far, quarterback recruiting has been a struggle for the Wolverines in 2022.
At this point, Michigan football is really down to three guys on the board: Nate Johnson, Justyn Martin, and Conner Harrell.
Martin is the highest-ranked prospect and recently visited Ann Arbor, but he is committed to Cal. Harrell is from Alabama and is holding out hope for an offer from Auburn, which might leave Johnson a three-star recruit ranked in the 900s as the best option.
I’ve been saying for years that Michigan needs a dual-threat quarterback and Johnson is that. He runs the 100 meters in 10.5 and is an incredible athlete. He’s also improving as a thrower as his showing at the Elite 11 regional in California recently showed.
Johnson has a good relationship with Matt Weiss who has compared him to Lamar Jackson. Utah is a threat as we talked about but the Wolverines should be able to win this recruitment.
They need some momentum in this 2022 class and locking up an intriguing quarterback would certainly help.
Can U-M hold Will Johnson’s commitment?
While it’s the third question on our list, there’s no doubt it’s probably the most important one for Michigan football in 2022. And with Will Johnson taking a visit to USC, it’s worth asking.
Johnson has said that he’s really solid to Michigan and I believe him. But he also needs a reason to stick with his commitment. He’s not going to do that if Michigan puts out another losing season or doesn’t put together a very good recruiting class.
That’s not speculation either. Johnson has said as much in different interviews. I don’t think he’s expecting a stellar season but there needs to be an improvement and I’d say at least a winning record. The recruiting class also needs some talented dudes too.
Having Johnson’s leadership has really helped and hopefully, it can help Michigan add Dillon Tatum and some others in the 2022 class. But in terms of “elite” top-100 recruits, the Wolverines can’t be called the favorite with a single one that’s not committed.
Michigan does have verbals from Johnson and Tyler Morris, as well as a shot at Nolen, the No. 2 player in the country. Rankings change — remember that. At one time in 2021, Xavier Worthy was a three-star receiver before moving into the top 75 overall.
You can tell that Johnson wants to sign with the Wolverines, but also that he probably won’t if it’s not the best opportunity in the end. So Michigan needs to keep progressing and adding a rash of four-star prospects to the class would surely help.
Is there a shot at Walter Nolen?
Michigan didn’t get great news this week when Walter Nolen, the five-star defensive tackle from Tennessee said he was “shutting down” his recruitment and making a decision.
Nolen tweeted that on Sunday which caused a stir among many fans, not just Michigan fans. Some thought a decision could be coming but that’s not necessarily the case.
Apparently, according to what his father told 247 sports, Nolen just meant he would be focusing more on his current finalists. All indications are that he will still take some visits including his visit to Ann Arbor later this month.
Nolen is growing tired of the recruiting process according to the interview and was just re-offered by Texas A&M when he sent out the tweet.
Now, just because Nolen is visiting doesn’t mean you should expect him to be a Wolverine. He loved his visit to Florida and is also going to Georgia, LSU, and maybe Alabama. His grandparents do live in the Detroit area, so he’s got some ties to Michigan football.
The visit will be absolutely huge. The Wolverines will need a ton of momentum to come out of that, but Florida appears to be the leader right now.
Michigan does have a real chance here, but in the end, coming close only matters in horseshoes.
Will in-state focus pay off?
Michigan has made a commitment to improving its in-state recruiting operation. The hiring of Ron Bellamy was genius and Steve Clinkscale will prove to be an excellent hire as well.
Mike Hart was another big addition and Courtney Morgan, another former U-M player, who is from Ohio, is already proving to be a key asset and is bringing the recruiting operation up to date.
But will all these changes lead to positive results in 2022, especially in the state of Michigan?
It’s an important question. Dillon Tatum will be a test as he is strongly considering Michigan State as well as the Wolverines. Alex VanSumeren, one of the top players in the state already de-committed and he’s not coming back.
So Tatum is incredibly important as is Deone Walker. If Michigan can land those two and flip Jeremiah Caldwell from Kentucky, which Clink is working to do, then the class could have a strong in-state feel.
Yet, the way it’s looking right now, Michigan football could add just 2-3 of the top-10 recruits in the state, which is still going to be an issue that needs fixing going forward.
The staff can change that especially if Jaden Mangham comes on board, but three of the top five in the state are committed elsewhere. Two of the top five actually de-committed from the Wolverines.
Losing Johnson and Tatum would be disastrous. But if Michigan football lands Tatum, suddenly, the Wolverines would have three of the top seven commitments and some actual momentum.
Tatum might be the next big decision in this class and for a lot of reasons, winning his recruitment is absolutely vital for the Wolverines in 2022, at least if Michigan fans want some positive answers to the questions raised in this post.