As early national signing approaches in late December, Michigan football is still on the hunt for a handful of talented prospects they need to land.
Michigan football’s 2023 recruiting class has been a bit of a roller coaster, with a lot of hype and promise early on.
That faded quickly, however, as Jim Harbaugh’s NFL flirtations, the loss of several assistant coaches, and a lackluster showing in the NIL game hampered Michigan’s ability to turn on-field success into recruiting success.
However, they have battled back to bring together a still respectable class, ranked 23rd nationally in the On3 Consensus Rankings even after losing one of their top commitments in Collins Acheampong.
As the Wolverines turn their attention to the Big Ten Championship Game this week, they do have a looming deadline coming up, the early Signing Day window, scheduled for December 21st thru December 23rd.
In light of that, and continued on-field success, here are five recruits that the Wolverines could still land on the trail and boost their 2023 recruiting class even further.
4* OT Spencer Fano (UT)
Much of the Wolverines’ success has come from a terrific offensive line, and it has turned heads for some recruits on the trail. The four-star right tackle out of Utah, Spencer Fano, is certainly one of them and Michigan football’s co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach is giving the Wolverines a long look. He even has a commitment date set for December 6th, the Tuesday after the Big Ten Championship Game.
Michigan football certainly has competition for Fano, however, as he recently visited Clemson, another top program, and also has been on visits to BYU (where his brother plays) and Utah as well. Those three schools, along with Michigan football, currently make up Fano’s top four.
The 247Sports Crystal Ball currently shows one prediction for Fano to BYU, however that prediction was made more than a full year ago, and does not seem to be anything noteworthy at this point.
The Wolverines could certainly try and conduct an in-home visit with Fano after the Big Ten title game. And who knows, maybe another strong rushing performance could once again show Fano that he would be making the right call signing up to play for Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines.
4* CB Jyaire Hill (IL)
Arguably the biggest recruit left on the board for Michigan football, given his long-standing relationship with Jim Harbaugh and this coaching staff, who offered him all the way back in October of 2021, is Kankakee defensive back Jyaire Hill.
Capable of playing either cornerback or safety, Hill would be a big-time add for the Wolverines, as they have just a single defensive back committed to them at the moment.
The Wolverines have been battling Illinois in this battle, which most recruiting insiders have pegged as a sort of back-and-forth contest between the Big Ten schools. However, some schools like Kentucky have also begun to push here, offering Hill recently.
Ultimately, the Wolverines’ win over the Illini last month was a huge notch in the belt for Michigan, a demonstrated reminder that while Bret Bielema has a nice little breakthrough season going on in Champaign, they still are not even close to the same caliber of program as the Wolverines. Hill is a huge priority for Jesse Minter, Steve Clinkscale, and Harbaugh here.
3* S D’Juan Waller Jr. (OH)
Michigan football has been on a roll with under-the-radar Ohio prospects as of late, landing commitments from cornerback Cameron Calhoun, linebacker Breeon Ishmail, and outside linebacker Jason Hewlett.
Going into Columbus and routing the in-state power, Ohio State has really opened up the Michigan brand in their neighboring state and D’Juan Waller could be another beneficial addition for the Wolverines. Waller right now profiles as a generic defensive back, capable of playing either safety or corner, or potentially bulking up and playing weakside linebacker down the road.
And Michigan has several other good things going for it in this recruitment, such as defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale’s strong ties to the Youngstown area, which has allowed him to form a strong connection thus far with Waller. Additionally, the aforementioned Hewlett is a teammate of Waller’s, both playing at Chaney High School in Youngstown.
Waller recently released a top two of Michigan and Kentucky, and though he visited Kentucky most recently, the Wolverines appear to trending, with a significant handful of Crystal Ball predictions coming in on 247Sports, including from Steve Wiltfong.
3* DT Roderick “Trey” Pierce (IL)
A recent Wisconsin Badgers decommitment, the 6’3, 290 lbs. interior lineman has become a big priority for defensive line coach Mike Elston as of late.
This recruitment has blown up very quickly, as the previous under-the-radar Pierce was offered by Michigan near the end of October, and has since also landed offers from Auburn and Texas.
The Wolverines appear to have the early lead here, especially with the Wisconsin Badgers opting not to keep interim head coach Jim Leonhard on as their full-time head coach. However, they will have to fend off interest from Illinois and Texas, with Pierce expected to visit both programs prior to making a decision.
Right now, this one feels like one Michigan football can and probably will win, which is good news given Pierce’s explosiveness off the snap, and disruptive ability as a nose tackle or three-technique for the Wolverines.
3* NT Jamel Howard (IL)
Much like Michigan has already been making a strong push for some hidden gems in Ohio, they have also been mining the Chicagoland area as well. Similar to Pierce, Howard was previously committed to Wisconsin, but has since opened his recruitment back up, and Michigan appears to be the driving force behind that decision.
While Pierce has a bit of versatility inside, Howard is almost certainly set to play nose tackle for whichever program he signs with, given his thick 6’3, 320 lbs. build and strength.
After the Wolverines missed on a few nose tackle types earlier in the cycle, such as FL prospect John Walker, and GA prospect Kayden McDonald, the Wolverines identified Howard as a late riser, and pivoted quickly to prioritizing him.
Howard attends Marist High School in Chicago, the prior home to current Wolverines linebacker Jimmy Rolder, which the Wolverines have already been playing as a pitch in Howard’s recruitment and appear to be in firm control here. Each of the five 247Sports predictions cast in Howard’s recruitment since his decommitment from Wisconsin have all gone to the Wolverines.
A few other names
While these five are key for Michigan to bring into the fold, there are still other recruits to watch. The Wolverines appear to want another wide receiver in their class and have prioritized four-star AL wide receiver Karmello English and three-star TN wide receiver Chase Fitzgerald.
Additionally, Michigan has hosted three-star UT offensive lineman Taliafi Taala, and could certainly bring him into the class, perhaps even along with fellow UT recruit Spencer Fano.
The Wolverines have also not backed down in their attempts to flip four-star FL cornerback Aaron Gates, currently committed to the Florida Gators, and also have expressed interest in flipping three-star MI running back Darius Taylor from the Minnesota Gophers.
And then, of course, the biggest fish left in the pond is five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor out of D.C., though he is not included here as Harbor has indicated a desire to wait and sign on the traditional February Signing Day, meaning there is still a couple of months to go in that recruitment.