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…
4-star I’Marion Stewart
The Illinois receiver has long been a Michigan lean. While it’s unclear at this time if Stewart is going to visit Michigan in the month of March, he has been quoted saying something along the lines of waiting to see what happens with QB recruiting at Michigan.
With that in mind, it’s been clear up until this point that Michigan football is #1 for Stewart. I’m relatively confident that a Jadyn Davis commitment could just about seal the deal with Stewart. Honestly, he could commit just about immediately after Davis.
While Stewart is ranked right around #300, he’s an intriguing athlete, allegedly running a 4.4 40-yard dash at 6’1. He could be a great player at Michigan.
Wide receivers are players who are especially affected by the commitment of a quarterback. If Davis commits, look for Stewart to follow soon after.
EDGE Brian Robinson
The #3 player in the state of Ohio is considered a heavy Michigan lean. He’s visited Michigan multiple times in the past 6 months, and the staff is going to try to earn his commitment on his March visit.
Ohio State will say “We haven’t offered those guys” or similar garbage, but the truth is, Michigan football is making real inroads and has a chance to completely flip the state of Ohio during this cycle. Robinson is an elite prospect and will be a leader in this class if he does commit.
I really don’t see any other real contenders at the moment for Robinson. It’s disrespectful that the hometown Buckeyes haven’t offered him, and Robinson realizes that. He loves Michigan, and there’s definitely a chance that he commits to the Wolverines, furthering their momentum.
Robinson’s commitment could have a huge impact on fellow big-time Ohio targets, such as Bryce West, Jordan Montgomery, Aaron Scott, and more.
Top players know each other. Top players talk to each other. If Robinson pulls the trigger in March, the Michigan football chatter in Ohio is going to get much louder.
4-star LB Aaron Chiles
Aaron Chiles left his January visit to Ann Arbor in very high spirits. He explicitly named Michigan football his leader, and although he originally said he plans on making a decision in the Summer, if the staff knocks it out of the park with Chiles, he could hop on board.
Chiles has drawn comparisons to Junior Colson. The 6’3 220lb star linebacker would be an instant contender for a starting spot. He’s the kind of guy the Wolverines want on their squad. Chiles recently released a top 10 that included other powerhouses such as Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio State.
There is no shortage of teams interested in Chiles. This is a national recruitment, but it’s one the Wolverines are able to win. While he may not commit on the spot, at this moment I expect him to end up with the Wolverines.
5-star EDGE Dylan Stewart
The #1 player in the nation (according to On3) is slated to visit Ann Arbor the weekend of March 18th. Stewart, a DC native, is thought to be an Alabama lean right now, but Michigan has been recruiting him hard.
The Wolverines have lots of EDGE success to talk to Stewart about, and Stewart has stated that academics are important to him. Granted, everybody says that. NIL is likely to play a factor in Stewart’s recruitment, so it is imperative that the Wolverines figure out their NIL.
If they do, I could see Michigan becoming a legitimate contender for Stewart’s services. He seems to love Ann Arbor, and the staff clearly loves him.
I don’t envision Stewart ending up at Michigan, but anytime an elite player like Stewart is visiting, it’s worth a mention.
4-star WR Channing Goodwin
Goodwin, who is a legacy recruit, has been to Michigan countless times. If you’ve followed Davis’ recruitment, you know who Channing Goodwin is.
North Carolina is the other contender here, but this is a recruitment Michigan football should win, and it’s one that they could win in March. Slated to visit this weekend (the 11th), I’m expecting the staff to push for a commitment, and quite frankly, I’d be somewhat surprised if he didn’t commit.
It’s worth noting that Goodwin is visiting without his Providence Day teammates. Goodwin is going to get lots of individual attention and won’t be overshadowed by Jadyn Davis. The Wolverines are not recruiting Goodwin as a way to get to Davis, they really love this kid as a prospect.
He has the ability to be a very good receiver for the Wolverines, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can close on him.
4-star OT Blake Flazier
It’s rare that you hear this, but Frazier is a legacy recruit out of Texas. The son of former Michigan offensive lineman and national champion Steve Frazier, Blake is considered a Michigan football lean.
The 6’5 260 lb offensive lineman out of Texas loves what Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines have accomplished over the past two seasons, and he looks poised to join the squad eventually.
While Frazier is going to look at other programs like Texas and Texas A&M, Michigan football has done a great job in this recruitment. Obviously being a legacy recruit is very helpful, but the Wolverines have built great relationships with Frazier.
I think Frazier will end up a Wolverine sooner or later, so March could be the month that he ends up sealing the deal with the Wolverines. If the Wolverines can string together a couple of commitments, I have confidence that Frazier would follow.
Conclusion
The Wolverines are hosting A LOT of prospects over the coming weeks. While I’ve only mentioned a handful that I think are noteworthy, I think it’s reasonable to expect a commitment from a player not on this list.
We’ve seen the Wolverines steal commitments seemingly out of nowhere, and it’s very possible that we see that sometime in March.
The Wolverines are building lots of momentum, and I’d expect that to continue, if not accelerate. For the sake of this team, let’s hope that actually happens.
Go Blue!