Michigan Football: Trending up with 5-star; trending down with top target

The latest on two key targets for Michigan football recruiting in the class of 2022. 

When Michigan football hired Courtney Morgan as its Director of Player Personnel, it was clear that recruiting the West Coast would remain a priority.

One player that Morgan has gotten Michigan in the game with is five-star OT Josh Conerly Jr. out of Seattle. It was previously reported that Conerly Jr. is planning on using one of his five official visits.

However, according to Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider (subscription required), Conerly Jr. confirmed that he will be attending the BBQ at the Big House later this month as well.

It is always a huge deal to get five-star recruits on campus. Yet, it shows strong interest when they take unofficial visits on their dime, especially for someone coming from Seattle to Ann Arbor.

Conerly Jr. is a very important target for Michigan football because it needs tackles and Conerly Jr. has the frame and athleticism to stick at left tackle.

Conerly Jr.’s recruitment will be a contentious one until the end as he has Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, Texas, and Washington among his top suitors.

Trending Down with Dillon Tatum 

Four-star ATH Dillon Tatum has long been a Michigan lean, with the Wolverines having his former high school Ronald Bellamy on staff and former teammates Donovan Edwards and Makari Paige on the roster. Tatum was originally set to announce his commitment in April but postponed.

Now according to 247 sports, Tatum is planning on announcing his pledge “before the start of his senior season”. The longer Tatum drags his recruitment out, it does not bode well for Michigan. Sam Webb moved his crystal ball confidence from an 8 to 6, though he did note that he still believes Michigan leads.

The issue with Tatum could be space as Michigan is in a good position with safeties Austin Brown and D’Arco Perkins-McAllister (leads his crystal ball).

If Michigan lands both before Tatum is ready to commit, he may not have a spot.

Missing on Tatum would be a miss from an optics standpoint as well as likely losing him to Michigan State. However, if Michigan football is able to land both Brown and Perkins-McAllister, I think most fans would be perfectly fine with that.