Michigan Football: Breaking down commitment of 3-star RB CJ Stokes

Michigan football picked up a commitment on Saturday from three-star running back CJ Stokes and here is some immediate reaction.

There have been a number of recruits visiting the Michigan football program so far this summer, but the first one to pull the trigger on a commitment, in the class of 2022, is three-star running back CJ Stokes who committed to the Wolverines Saturday.

Stokes is from Columbia, South Carolina, and had a total of 16 offers, including from Tennessee, Missouri, Penn State, Florida State, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Louisville. He’s ranked 704th overall in the 2022 class and is listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.

While he received multiple crystal ball projections to South Carolina, he wasn’t offered yet by the new staff. And this weekend, on his official visit to Michigan, running backs coach Mike Hart wrapped it up, landing his first running back commit with U-M.

Obviously, some Michigan football fans will roll their eyes about a three-star running back. But Stokes is a solid prospect and Hart has a great eye for talent. I trust his evaluation, plus when you put on the highlights, there is a lot to like about Stokes.

He’s not incredibly fast, but he’s got good vision, footwork and I like how he catches the football. He’s very natural running routes and catching the ball. And for a guy whose speed doesn’t jump out at you, he had a knack for breaking off long runs.

Stokes is the eighth commitment for Michigan in the 2022 recruiting class and the first since four-star wide receiver Tyler Morris pledged to the Wolverines back in March.

It’s also welcomed after Michigan missed out on one of its top quarterback targets Friday when three-star quarterback Nate Johnson committed to Utah.

What it means going forward?

Michigan took two running backs in last year’s recruiting class and it wouldn’t surprise me if it did that again. Stokes has been a top target but Dillon Bell is right there too.

Bell is interesting because he’s being recruited as a back and a wide receiver. The Wolverines are in a strong position, but Georgia, Texas A&M, and Auburn have all offered recently, which could change his recruitment.

Bell actually just picked up a pair of crystal ball projections to the Wolverines, but his decision date is listed in November, so we’ll see if that sticks. Stokes’ commitment could be a sign that Michigan is going to take him as a wide receiver.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder is ranked 569th overall in the 2022 class according to the 247 sports composite rankings but he’s gaining more attention so he could move up.

At any rate, Stokes was a solid addition to the 2022 class, and adding Bell on top of that would be a real win for the offensive staff.