Michigan football is in the running for many top prospects due to make their decisions on Wednesday during Early National Signing Day.
National signing day is upon us yet again. In this article, I’m going to give my thoughts on some of the prospects who have Michigan football as a top choice heading into the day. I’d like to note that this article is purely speculation and that I do not have concrete evidence that any of these predictions will be correct.
It’s no secret that the 2023 class has been somewhat disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great group of kids and I think a lot of the members of the class are severely underrated, but a lot of us were expecting a top 5-10 class after beating Ohio State and making the playoffs.
Although the class has been less than we hoped, the Wolverines have a chance to make some big splashes on Wednesday that could improve how the class is viewed. I’m going to look at four recruits that realistically could choose Michigan football on Wednesday.
Jyaire Hill
There has been a lot of panic surrounding Hill after he seemingly left Michigan football out of his top 5, as shown on his Instagram.
While this is alarming, Hill is known as a jokester. I have a sneaky suspicion that this is another joke because it seems absolutely absurd to me that Michigan would not be in the top 5. If Hill does in fact choose a different school, especially after Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters left for the Purdue head coaching job, it will be a massive fumble by Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines.
By all reports, the Wolverines still feel optimistic about Hill. I’m not sensing any sort of major panic, and because of that, my gut says Michigan football is the choice.
While I very easily could be wrong, I think the Wolverines have done too much in this recruitment to lose it. I’d also like to note that none of the 24/7 crystal ball predictions for Hill have changed since his top 5 post was made. Michigan still holds every crystal ball, including two that came today (the 20th), and one that came on the 18th.
The prediction? Michigan football. The Wolverines get an elite defensive back on board.
Karmello English
As I am writing this and doing research for this, I see that today, just one hour ago, two crystal ball predictions came in favor of Michigan for English. Both are from reputable sources. English would be a massive get for the Wolverines. The four-star wideout from Alabama has the tools to be an elite receiver, and the kid loves competition.
Jim Harbaugh and Ron Bellamy have been putting in work on English. He knows that he is the priority at wide receiver. This recruitment has been thought to be a race between Michigan and Kentucky. English seems to know that Michigan is the better school, and he seems to have a greater love for it, but distance and climate have been keeping Kentucky in the race.
The Wildcats picked up former NC State star quarterback Devin Leary in the portal recently, and while that could help a last-minute push from Kentucky, it seems like the winning culture in Ann. Arbor is enough for English.
The prediction? Michigan. If Michigan wins this recruitment, it will have gone into SEC territory and stolen a great player.
This also could (key word, could) be a hint that NIL is improving. Kentucky, along with just about every other SEC school, has been dishing out big NIL deals. University officials, led by president Santa Ono have been progressing towards better NIL opportunities, and there’s a chance that recruits are picking up on this.
Aaron Gates
The four-star cornerback committed to Florida has been on the minds of Michigan fans for the entire season. He has made countless visits to Ann Arbor, and there have been multiple times where it seemed like he was on the verge of flipping, only to cool on the Wolverines.
To me, it seems like Florida has engraved itself on Gates. Gates tore his ACL during his senior season, and Florida was with him throughout his recovery. Along with that, Florida obviously offers better NIL than the Wolverines right now.
While I do believe Gates loves the Wolverines, the relationships he has with the Florida staff seems to be too much. I have lots of respect for Gates and hope for the best throughout his career. The gators have been there for Gates throughout the entire process, so it’s impossible to say that Gates is making a mistake.
The prediction? Florida. Gates would be a great get, but all signs point to Florida.
Jeremiyah Love
This is the wildcard for signing day. Love is ranked as the 5th best running back in the nation, coming in at #68 overall. Love has been committed to Notre Dame since mid-October, but Michigan was the runner-up in his recruitment.
Recently, the staff regained contact with Love. While there haven’t been any reports signaling one way or another, it is very interesting.
If I were an elite running back, I don’t know how I’d turn down Michigan, especially with the offensive line transfers. It’s clear that Michigan is going to have lots of success running the ball over the foreseeable future, and any running back would love to run behind that line.
Love has been very quiet. He hasn’t reaffirmed his commitment to Notre Dame and recently made an Instagram post showcasing his visit photos from the schools he visited. A Michigan photo was the first photo. It’s very possible, and admittedly likely, that this is all a bunch of nothing. But what fun would it be if there wasn’t a big signing day flip? Especially from a rival!
Call me crazy, but I’m predicting a flip to the Wolverines. Crazier things have happened. Aubrey Soloman and Dax Hill both decommitted from Michigan only to sign with the Wolverines on signing day.
The Wolverines signed two top 100 players out of nowhere on signing day last year. The Irish are not going to be able to compete with the Wolverines over the next couple of years. Love has a clear path to being the starter as a sophomore on the best running team in the country.
This is an extremely optimistic pick, one that I don’t have much confidence in, but man oh man it would be a splash.
Conclusion
I’m an optimist when it comes to Michigan football. While that has hurt me countless times, it’s also benefitted me. If these predictions are correct, it’s fair to say that this class is no longer a disappointment, but rather solid. Combined with the #1 transfer class, it would be an excellent group.
A complete signing day failure would be the Wolverines landing zero of these prospects. A success would be two or more. The Wolverines have a need for four-star + prospects, and they’re squarely in the mix for at least four come tomorrow.
I expect the Wolverines to land at least 2. Stay tuned, we’re in for a big signing day.