Michigan Football: Fallout from Jeremy Patton choosing Baylor

Michigan football wound up missing on 2022 linebacker Jeremy Patton and here’s a look at the fallout for the current recruiting class. 

When it comes to recruiting, things can change in an instant and that’s a lesson that Michigan football fans learned once again on Saturday.

On Friday, three-star linebacker Jeremy Patton out of Texas canceled a visit that he was supposed to take to the University of Texas. The Longhorns who were among the three finalists for Patton along with Baylor and Michigan football were viewed as the favorite at that point.

It was then that Michigan football analysts started getting confident. EJ Holland joined Sam Webb is making a prediction for the Wolverines to land Patton’s commitment. Even Texas reporters for 247 sports joined in and the trend was on.

However, it lasted until early this afternoon when Holland and others reported a big change and that suddenly Baylor, not the Wolverines, were gaining traction.

Now as I write this post, Patton has verbally committed to Baylor. It’s a tough blow for the Wolverines who needed some momentum on the recruiting and seemingly had it on Friday — only to see it slip away Saturday as the Bears land the covered recruit from the Lone Star State.

What it means for Michigan football

It’s pretty hard to sugarcoat this one. This would have been a nice get from the state of Texas, but just like Dillon Bell, a three-star wideout from Texas, who was projected to Michigan then started trending to Georgia, these commitments, especially in the South, can shift quickly.

Bell is now expected to commit to the Bulldogs and Patton has committed to the Bears. For the Wolverines, there could still be a chance to stick in this race for Patton (aiming for a flip) but it’s more likely that they shift their focus to three-star linebacker Deuce Spurlock.

Holland and Steve Lorenz have projected Spurlock to the Wolverines, it was always just a matter of how hard Michigan football was going to push. If Patton committed to the 2022 class, the pursuit of Spurlock probably would have ended.

But now seems like a great time to pick it back up or to be happy with the group of linebackers that you have.