Michigan Football: Breaking down a new O-line offer in 2023
Michigan football officially struck out on three-star offensive lineman Paul Mubenga on Thursday but there’s a new offensive line target to keep an eye on.
On Thursday, the Wolverines missed out on one offensive line target in the 2023 recruiting class as three-star recruit Paul Mubenga committed to LSU but have already turned their attention to some new names along the offensive line.
Still, missing out on Mubenga is a tough blow for Michigan football on the recruiting trail. We have recently talked about it a few times, but Mubega was a talented three-star with significant upside and an impressive offer list.
https://twitter.com/On3Recruits/status/1547688128864956416
Yet, the Wolverines have another big, talented offensive tackle in their sights in three-star Jatavius Shivers, who is 6-foot-6, 280 pounds, and recently committed to Vanderbilt.
Shivers’ only official visit was to Vanderbilt and the Commodores were able to get his commitment. But he didn’t stick with it long.
The offers have been pouring in and some that have offered in addition to Michigan recently include Cincinnati, Indiana, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Iowa State.
That’s all been in the last couple of months. Shivers might be ranked No. 908 overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings in the 2023 class out of Villa Rica, Georgia, but he’s another recruit with a big upside.
After an amazing talk with @Coach_SMoore I am blessed to receive an offer from the University of Michigan @TimBarron9 @cesykes @Rivals @247Sports @RecruitGeorgia @Mansell247 @ChadSimmons_ @NeishaShivers16 @OctaviusShivers @Coachkdantzler @Velocity_FB
— Jatavius Shivers (@ShiversJatavius) July 14, 2022
Even if he doesn’t move up in the rankings at some point, which he very well could based on the interest in his recruitment lately, the key for Michigan is landing some depth at offensive tackle and this class doesn’t have any commitments at that position.
Since he de-committed from Vanderbilt, this recruitment is essentially wide open at this point, and getting him on campus for an official visit is going to be key.
That wouldn’t be until the fall but getting him to the recruiting BBQ this month would be huge and if the Wolverines think highly enough to make him a top target on their board, then it should be a priority.
Nailing it on evaluations and winning the recruitments for these diamond-in-the-rough types is going to be essential for the Wolverines going forward.
Next. 5 bold predictions for Michigan football in 2022. dark
It was a key part of the strategy to close strong in the 2022 class and you can see that sort of surge starting to take shape once again in 2023.