Michigan Football: Breaking down some key visitors for BBQ

A pair of top targets in the 2023 recruiting class for Michigan football will reportedly visit for the BBQ and we analyze what it means. 

There have been a lot of moving parts when it comes to Michigan football’s 2023 recruiting class, especially when it comes to the secondary.

But according to some new reports from The Michigan Insider, a pair of top 2023 recruiting targets will be visiting for the BBQ at the end of this month, which could provide some clarity.

One of them, according to Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider is Aaron Gates, a four-star cornerback that took an official visit to Ann Arbor despite being committed to Florida.

Gates is ranked 318th overall in the 2023 class according to the 247 sports composite rankings and is the No. 21 athlete. The Wolverines have been recruiting him as a cornerback and while it seemed like things cooled off a bit, this unofficial visit would be huge.

EJ Holland of The Wolverine put a pick for Gates to flip his commitment months ago and this is probably one of the most promising signs since then that it would actually happen.

Webb also had some reporting about four-star cornerback Jyaire Hill who is also expected to be in town for the BBQ too.

Hill is out of Kankakee, Illinois and the Fighting Illini have been viewed as the biggest threat. Illinois is obviously closer to home but getting Hil on campus after his official visit last month would be huge.

Things are actually starting to trend in the direction of Illinois according to the On3 prediction machine and this could be a final chance for Michigan football to sway Hil before he makes a decision.

Hill has been moving up in the rankings and went from outside the top 400 in the composite rankings to No. 271 overall. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound DB is ranked as the No. 30 in the 2023 class and the fourth-best player in Illinois.

There was also hope that four-star cornerback Chris Peal would visit this week but he’s going to North Carolina State, yet is still expected to take an official visit this fall.

Hill and Gates might not commit this weekend or flip in the case of Gates, but if Michigan football wants to win these recruitments, this is their time.