Michigan Football: More on commitment of 4-star QB Jayden Denegal

Michigan football started the day on Wednesday needing a quarterback for its 2022 recruiting class and in a flash, it happened. Here’s more on Jayden Denegal’s commitment. 

Quarterback recruiting was an adventure for Michigan football in the class of 2022. There was a lot of disappointment, a rapidly shifting board, and some definite frustration.

But after missing out on five-star quarterbacks, as well as three-star recruits, Michigan football finally found its match in 2022 with four-star signal-caller Jayden Denegal out of California.

Denegal didn’t even have a Michigan offer until Wednesday morning. But he threw for the staff and head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was impressed enough to offer him on the spot. He’s ranked 19th among quarterbacks in 2022 according to the 247 sports composite rankings and is 266th overall at 6-foot-4.

Soon after his offer, Denegal began trending with expert picks to the Wolverines and he then pulled the trigger on a commitment.

And for all that has gone on at the position during this recruiting cycle, landing a top-300 prospect at the position out of nowhere is a boon for Michigan football. Denegal had even received a crystal ball projection to Michigan State, which makes this recruiting win taste even sweeter.

 A different kind of quarterback

Denegal is different than Nate Johnson, a guy who runs a 10.5 in the 100-meter dash and wound up committing to Utah. Johnson is a true dual-threat option and while I would like to see more of that in Michigan’s offense, Denegal is a better thrower and more of a pocket passer.

While Denegal was under the radar a little bit, part of that might be due to the fact that he played in just four games during his junior season. He completed 62 percent of his passes for 803 yards and 11 touchdowns. So he averaged about 200 yards per game and added five rushing touchdowns.

His game is more about throwing the football and he gives Michigan football a solid arm to develop behind J.J. McCarthy. It’s not like Denegal needs to come in ready to compete for the starting job in 2022.

Michigan can bring him along slowly, develop his arm, and who knows, the staff might have something down the road, especially if Dante Moore winds up elsewhere in the 2023 class.

It also builds on the momentum Michigan football has in 2022. The Wolverines have now added three commitments in the past week and are at 10 total.

Five of those 10 prospects are rated as four or five-star recruits by the 247 sports composite rankings, giving Michigan a 50 percent on the blue-chip ratio right now. U-M is also ranked 13th in the national team rankings, but has jumped 11 spots in the last week.