Where Michigan Football stands among top 6 for 2023 5-star

Michigan football recruiting has started to pick up again with more wins on the field and just made the top six for five-star DL Daevin Hoobs. 

The Wolverines have been picking up momentum slowly but surely on the recruiting trail. Michigan football added to its class earlier this week with the commitment of Kendrick Bell.

Bell is a three-star prospect and if you didn’t know, he’s the younger brother of wide receiver Ronnie Bell. Kendrick Bell is actually a quarterback. At least that’s where he played and he was stellar last year. He’s also ranked 53rd among QBs in the On3 consensus ranking.

It’s not clear if Bell will stay at quarterback and be that guy at the position in the 2023 class or if he’ll move to wide receiver like his brother or maybe even defensive back because he’s a stellar athlete. He runs the 40 in 4.6 and that’s his own reported time.

Michigan football got more good news on the recruiting trail over the weekend as it was reported that five-star QB Jadyn Davis will be visiting for the Michigan State game.

However, there was potentially more good news on Wednesday as five-star defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs included Michigan football among his top six with Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Georgia.

Where Michigan football ranks among the contenders

The Wolverines are viewed as a top contender for Hobbs right now but he did take an unofficial visit not long ago and came away impressed. Hell, any defensive lineman has to be impressed with what the Wolverines have done with defensive linemen.

I know Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo got a lot of attention last year and rightfully so. But look at Mike Morris, Mazi Smith, and Kris Jenkins. They are all going to get drafted into the NFL in 2023 and that development should continue to be a selling point.

Tennessee is the favorite right now according to the On3 prediction machine at 29 percent, while North Carolina is at 22 percent. Alabama is at 14 and Georgia is at 12 percent. Ohio State and Michigan are late entrants but are both top-six teams.

Hobbs has taken official visits to Tennessee, Auburn, and North Carolina. He also has upcoming visits to Georgia and Alabama. Therefore, if the Wolverines want to have a shot, they need to get him on campus once or twice more before that Nov. 26 commitment date.

At least once. Otherwise, it’s hard to consider Michigan football a real contender. I’d still give one of the SEC schools the edge. Yet, you never know in recruiting and maybe Hobbs will be like one of the late additions in 2022 — some of which wound up ranked in the top 100.

It’s too optimistic to think Michigan could win this recruitment yet. But getting players to the NFL and getting to the playoff is what matters and U-M has a solid chance to do it two years in a row, which should at least give the Wolverines a fighting chance. Frankly, it already has.