Michigan Football: March Recruiting Outlook as Wolverines Pursue Top Class

After winning back-to-back Big Ten titles, the Michigan football team is looking to have elite recruiting success. While NIL has held them back, the tides seem to be turning

It’s no secret that Michigan Football recruiting has been disappointing recently. After defeating Ohio State in 2021 and making the College Football Playoff, fans were excited. Throw in a 5-star quarterback in the Wolverines’ backyard (Dante Moore), and Michigan looks poised for a top 5 class.

That class finished 18th according to 247 Sports. While 18 isn’t necessarily a bad spot, it is for a team that’s looking to compete for National Championships. Quite frankly, you can’t beat SEC powerhouses with the 18th-ranked class in the country.

However, there are reasons to believe that last year’s class was an outlier — factor in a slow response to NIL, the head coach flirting with the NFL, and both coordinators departing — and it’s clear that there were a lot of negative things happening all at once. It’s very reasonable to assume that situations like that will rarely occur. You could even call it a fluke.

Nonetheless, the Wolverines have tons of momentum within the 2024 class, and it appears that the factors that plagued them last year will not do the same this year.

NIL is making steady progress, and it appears that a base salary for all players and an exclusive deal with a large agency will be coming “soon”. I put “soon” in quotations because it’s what we’ve heard since December, but you’ve got to figure that the people in power understand that these deals must be finalized ASAP.

With the dead period over, March is going to be a massive month for recruiting around the nation. Many recruits like to lock in a commitment in the Spring/early Summer months, and it appears that may benefit the Wolverines in a BIG way. Over the next couple of weeks, Michigan football is hosting tons of elite prospects, and it seems almost certain that some will lock in a commitment with Jim Harbaugh and Co.

Without further ado, let’s analyze some of the big names who have locked in visits in March, and/or could very realistically commit/impact the class in a positive way.

5-Star QB Jadyn Davis

Likely the most influential recruit who could commit would be Jadyn Davis. On top of being a 5-star, quarterbacks are notorious for being the building blocks of elite recruiting classes. Everybody knows that the quarterback is the most important player on the field, and recruits want to know that they’re joining a team with a bright future at the position.

I’m sure everyone (myself included) is tired of the Jadyn Davis saga. He was supposed to commit in December, pushed it back, and now has no strict timeline. While that is frustrating, we must remember that this is a kid who’s currently a high school junior, trying to make a decision that will heavily impact the rest of his life.

While it’s not fair to blame Davis for his lack of a decision, it is very fair to worry about it. The Wolverines got burned last year for putting all their eggs into the basket of Dante Moore, and they followed that up by doing the same thing with Davis.

Kirk Campbell has done a good job of reaching back out to other 2024 QBs such as 4-star Michael Van Buren, but it may be too late to rebuild relationships. Remember, quarterbacks, like to wrap up their recruitment earlier than most other players.

Davis is visiting later in March. The Wolverines MUST close on this visit, and I think it’s more likely than not that they do. When you look at Davis, there are really no other great contenders for his services.

Ohio State burned bridges with him when they took Dylan Raiola (who has since decommited). Clemson has been hot and cold with him. North Carolina, the most relevant contender, has received a crystal ball for a different quarterback. Georgia already has a quarterback.

It seems extremely likely that the Wolverines will end up with Davis when it’s all said and done. While it is concerning that it has taken this long to wrap up, I’m optimistically expecting Davis to commit when he visits. If he doesn’t commit in March, it’s time to aggressively expand the QB board.

Davis’ commitment should and likely will have some very positive implications, including…