Michigan Football trying to catch Notre Dame for elite O-line recruit

Michigan football and Notre Dame are constantly recruiting against each other and another battle is shaping up with four-star OT Charles Jagusah. Plus more on 2023. 

It seems that with every recruiting cycle, Michigan football and Notre Dame are going head-to-head for players. They are power programs in the same region and both have high academic standards, so it makes perfect sense.

And even though the two programs haven’t played since the 2019 season when Michigan football won the game by 31, there’s still a rivalry between the two programs, and in 2023, the Irish and Wolverines are competing for a number of key recruits.

One of them is obviously five-star quarterback Dante Moore. Notre Dame has been viewed as the leader but Michigan is gaining momentum. The Wolverines are also actively trying to flip Notre Dame commitments Keon Keeley and Peyton Bowen.

Yet, another elite recruit that Michigan football and Notre Dame are both after is top-100 offensive lineman Charles Jagusah out of Rock Island, Illinois.

According to the On3.com consensus rankings, Jagusah is ranked 35th overall in the 2023 recruiting class and is the second-best offensive tackle in the nation, as well as the top player in the state of Illinois.

Notre Dame is in Indiana, but there has also been a strong connection between the school and the Chicago area which makes Illinois a fertile recruiting ground for the Irish.

However, Michigan football has done extremely well in the state too in recent cycles landing Trevor Keegan, A.J. Henning, J.J. McCarthy, Tyler Morris, and others.

The Wolverines are in the mix for Jagusah who visited both Notre Dame and Michigan over the weekend. However, it appears that U-M has work to do.

Notre Dame has three crystal ball projections for Jagusah right now from 247 sports and according to the On3.com prediction machine, Notre Dame has a 97 percent chance of getting his commitment.

The 6-foot-6, 308-pound offensive tackle would be a huge get for the 2023 recruiting class and Sherrone Moore is working on him, plus another visit is scheduled for this summer. But that still doesn’t change the fact that Michigan has room to make up, even though it has time to do it.

Michigan makes the top 8 for in-state O-lineman

Speaking of the offensive line, Michigan football also cracked the final eight recently for in-state recruit Amir Herring.

Michigan has five crystal ball projections for the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder, however, the Wolverines appear to have cooled on Herring a bit, which has moved him down the board.

Nebraska has been making a push and might be a program to watch out for. But the reality is that if Michigan wants Herring and makes a push of its own, it’s likely to land him.

But there is hesitation right now and some of that is probably just the board working itself out.