Michigan Football: Rankings updates and more on 2023 recruiting class

Breaking down where Michigan football stands in the 2023 recruiting class after some recent ranking updates, as well as more on the 2023 cycle. 

When Michigan football first landed the commitment of Cole Cabana in the 2023 recruiting class, some Wolverines fans complained because he was just another “three-star.”

It’s not like Cabana was ranked outside the 1,000 prospects or anything. He’s ranked as one of the best recruits in the state of Michigan and was a top-400 prospect nationally.

However, he was rated as a three-star in the 247 sports composite rankings at 364. But since then, he’s continued to move up and following a recent update to the 247 sports composite rankings, Cabana is now ranked 176th overall in 2023, a solid four-star.

And talking about the best players in Michigan playing for Michigan, Cabana is ranked the No. 2 player in the state for 2023, making him an essential part of the 2023 class.

The Wolverines recently took the commitment of Benjamin Hall, who is also a three-star running back but that shouldn’t impact Cabana, who is one reason that Michigan still ranks as the No. 7 team in the 2023 team rankings according to On3.com.

It’s true that Michigan football needs to build more momentum in 2023. It also needs to land Dante Moore and is making headway, but the narrative that this class isn’t a good one is off, especially if Michigan can keep all of its current pledges.

A top target might not be any more

Recruiting is always fluid. The process usually begins with high school players when they are freshmen or sophomores.

One player that Michigan football has been recruiting for a couple of years now is Amir Herring an offensive lineman from West Bloomfield. He was offered when Ron Bellamy was the head coach and the Wolverines actually have a slew of crystal balls projecting him to U-M.

However, there hasn’t been much reported about Michigan’s recruitment of Herring lately, and according to Von Lozon of Maize and Brew, that’s because the Wolverines are cooling on him.

"“I’ve been told by a source close to this recruitment that the Wolverines have not been recruiting Herring as hard as they previously were. In fact, of the schools recruiting Herring that he is still strongly considering, Michigan is “definitely at the bottom” as far as communication goes. Herring is also interested in Michigan State and has been chatting it up more lately with Mel Tucker and his staff. He went to East Lansing last weekend, skipping the U-M spring game after not receiving a direct invitation from the staff.”"

Herring is 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, and is ranked 219th overall, as well as fourth in the state for the 2023 recruiting class. The Wolverines are interested in a number of other offensive line targets and it seemed like when Herring was first offered, he was projected more as a tackle.

Still, ceding one of the best players in the state to Michigan State (which seems like a potential ending here) may not be wise. But the Wolverines have to trust their evaluations and their board.

It’s an interesting development though and one to watch going forward.