Michigan Football: USC takes driver seat for Josh Conerly Jr.

In the past few days, all signs have been pointed away from Michigan football after months of prolonging commitment dates for Josh Conerly Jr.

For what seemed like an eternity, Michigan football had a fairly large lead and strong grip on the Josh Conerly commitment, however, things have changed lately.

Conerly, who is rated 15th Nationally according to 247 is one of the few remaining uncommitted top players in the 2022 class.

So what went wrong? Well, nothing particularly. We know that education and prestige are important factors to him, and we also know that Oklahoma was in the running most likely because of Lincoln Riley, so Lincoln moving to USC, which has everything Michigan has academically and prestigiously, probably seemed like a no brainer. In addition, it’s closer to his home state Washington.

The following is just speculation, but with reasonable substance behind it. Right after Josh’s 5th visit to USC, the crystal balls started to roll in on his commitment to USC, even from The Michigan Insider’s Steve Lorenz.

Brandon Huffman of 247Sports had this to say about the Josh Conerly Jr. commitment.

"“And what was the significant moving point to make that decision? Well, it was when I talked to Conerly after visiting USC. Instead of showing pictures of himself in a USC uniform and around the campus, he wanted to do the photo shoot with his extended family and a number of USC coaches. There are nearly 30 people in the picture. … We know he has family in Southern California and that they’ve been a big part of this process.”"

For sure a tough loss for the Wolverines if this does pan out the way we think it is. Michigan offered Conerly nearly 2 years ago (April 24, 2020) and has been a serious contender since. I do believe at the end of the day Lincoln’s move to USC is what changed the tide of this recruitment.

Conerly Jr.’s commitment on April 8th will conclude the Wolverine’s official 2022 class. This class is the culmination of a fantastic season and has the potential to be one of the best classes in recent memory.