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Michigan Football: Latest on 2023 DB targets, most recent expert projections

By Chris Peterson

Nov 13, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh walks on the field during a warm up prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh walks on the field during a warm up prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan football is still working on landing its first commitment in the secondary. Here’s the latest on that plus some expert projections in 2025. 

At some point in the 2023 recruiting class, Michigan football is going to need to land some commitments in the secondary.

Right now, the Wolverines have zero safety commitments and zero at cornerback. When it comes to safety, it’s not going to be as big of a concern since the Wolverines signed Zeke Berry, Keon Sabb, and Damani Dent in the 2022 class.

All three players are expected to play early in their careers or at least have the potential too and Dent is quite possibly the most underrated player in the class or one of them.

One top target at cornerback is four-star Jordan Matthews who took an official visit over the summer. Ranked 126th overall in the On3 consensus rankings, he’s released a top three that included Texas, Michigan football, and Tennessee this week.

However, the Louisana prospect has a 95-percent chance of committing to Texas via the On3 prediction machine and it doesn’t seem like anyone but the Horns has momentum.

Another top target in the 2023 class is top-100 athlete Jacobe Johnson. Johnson is out of Mustang, Oklahoma and despite that, Michigan has made a solid run at the 6-foot-3, 183-pounder.

But the Sooners have all the crystal ball projections and after a top-five release that included Michigan, Johnson seems headed to OU. It wouldn’t shock me if the Wolverines were the runner-up in each of these recruitments but close only counts in horseshoes.

Makari Vickers has also been projected to Oklahoma and Alabama is right there if it’s not the Sooners. One bit of good news is that four-star cornerback Chris Peal, another prospect from Providence Day, is expected to visit officially this fall.

Peal only took one official visit this summer, to Georgia, but the Bulldogs might not have room for him and following his trip to the recruiting BBQ, Michigan seems to be trending up.

That’s a key recruitment to watch. The Wolverines are also still pushing for four-star cornerback Aaron Gates, who has been committed to Florida but has visited U-M twice this summer.

A new expert projection

Michigan football has been gaining momentum on the recruiting trail in 2023 and the most recent addition was four-star offensive tackle Evan Link.

Link visited at the BBQ and Michigan football had a commitment one day later and while that hasn’t happened with any other recruits, the Wolverines made a notable difference in some recruitments.

One of those is in the 2025 class and that’s in-state defensive lineman Bobby Kanka.

Kanka is 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, and out of Howell, Michigan. He’s a 2025 recruit and isn’t ranked yet. Michigan State hasn’t offered but has hosted him for a visit, so the Wolverines are out in front of this one and since offering in March, Kanka has visited the campus three times.

Next. Ranking Michigan's opponents by difficulty. dark

The 2025 class is a long way away but if the Wolverines feel good about Kanka to take a commitment soon, that seems like a positive sign for the start of the 2025 class.

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