Michigan Football: Another top target off the board for Wolverines

It’s another disappointment for Michigan football on the recruiting trail as one of its top safety targets is now committed elsewhere. 

After Michigan football had Ja’Kobi Albert on campus, the Wolverines really wanted to win his commitment, whether that was at wide receiver or defensive back.

But after picking up one crystal ball projection following his visit, the Wolverines couldn’t continue to build on that momentum and when Auburn, an in-state school for the Alabama prospect, started pushing, it put the Tigers over the top.

Auburn had been trending with crystal ball projections and on Wednesday, Albert made it official as he announced his commitment to the Tigers over Michigan football.

Albert is 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, and is ranked as the No. 356 prospect overall in the 247 sports composite rankings as well as 14th in Alabama and as the 23rd-best athlete.

Michigan became enamored with his athleticism and he would have been a really solid addition, especially now that U-M is also expanding the board at receiver following the miss on Dillon Bell.

Yet, it was going to be tough to beat Auburn once the Tigers decided to make the push and the allure of playing in the SEC, as we saw with Bell, is very real.

What’s next for Michigan football?

It feels like a broken record at this point, but Michigan needs to land Dillon Tatum. The four-star safety from West Bloomfield is expected to announce his decision this month before the start of his high school season.

Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider recently talked about how it was “crunch time” with Tatum who was expected to visit Michigan and Michigan State one last time before deciding.

There is no doubt that Mel Tucker has made inroads with in-state recruiting this cycle for Michigan State, recently landing Alex VanSumeren and losing Tatum to the Spartans would be a killer.

Tatum is a consensus four-star recruit and is ranked 266th overall in the 247 sports composite rankings. His former head coach is on staff for the Wolverines and they just have to get him.

The Spartans have made him the focal point of their class, but as the only real safety target on the board right now, outside of Andre Stewart, a Kentucky commitment who visited over the weekend, Tatum is the best option.

And if the Wolverines miss on him, they will be scrambling.