Michigan Football: Wolverines add edge rusher to 2022 recruiting class
Michigan football picked up another commitment on Friday, the fourth in the past week, and here’s what the addition of Kevonte Henry means for the Wolverines.
The commitments are starting to come fast and furious for the Michigan football program as the Wolverines added their fourth verbal commitment in the 2022 recruiting class in the past week.
This time, it was three-star edge rusher Kevonte Henry, another recruit out of California, deciding in favor of the Wolverines. He announced his decision on Twitter after recently taking an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor.
I’d like to thank all of the schools that took time getting to know me and my family. I was told that I should commit when I felt most comfortable and sure about my decision. So I’d like to announce my commitment to the University of Michigan! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/7XWPlsJrYe
— Kevonte Fatutoa Henry (@FatutoaH) June 25, 2021
Henry is ranked 833rd overall in the 247 sports composite rankings for the 2022 class and is No. 82 among linebackers. However, he’s a pretty strong athlete when you watch his highlights and at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, there’s a lot to like about his pass-rush ability.
Of course, Courtney Morgan has his handprints all over this recruitment but it’s still a solid win for the Wolverines. Here’s what Henry’s head coach Brandon Manumaleuna told 247 sports on why he chose Michigan football.
"“Courtney Morgan is someone who has been on him for a while and we know Court pretty well, he’s an L.A city guy. Kevonte really felt like he could trust those coaches and I think it came down to just feeling at peace with the decision and being in a new environment, getting out of South Central, and being somewhere that he could really focus on school and football.”"
Oregon was a team that offered recently. USC and Utah were others in the mix. In addition to playing linebacker and defensive end in high school, Henry has also played running back. But his best skill is putting pressure on the quarterback, which is why U-M wanted him.
"“The coaches love him as an edge rusher,” Manumaleuna said to 247 sports. “That’s another thing that attracted him to Michigan. They have had a lot success getting edge rushers developed and getting them drafted and obviously that’s his goal."
2022 recruiting is heating up
The addition of Henry might take Michigan out of the running for Micah Pollard, who has started to trend away from the Wolverines anyway. But the 2022 class now has 11 commitments and even though just five are four-star recruits, U-M has some nice momentum.
The Wolverines are also in a really good spot with a number of top targets. Even current five-star commit Will Johnson predicted “big things” in July for the Wolverines on the recruiting trail.
Right now, the Wolverines have moved into 14th overall in the team rankings for 2022 and if this momentum leads to more commitments, which it should, that rank should keep rising.