Michigan football: Kentucky projected to flip two 4-star commitments
![Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Dec 31, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second half of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/c8005b3cd8d48bde821b601f99192ad2d8d7b7234b8acefb7b2ce406321a7946.jpg)
It’s been a run of bad news for Michigan football recruiting and a leading expert is now projecting Jacob and Jarod Smith to flip to Kentucky.
Over the weekend, Michigan football lost one of its blue-chip commitments in the 2024 recruiting class. Now, it seems like two more are in jeopardy.
This news shouldn’t come as a surprise to Michigan football fans who have been following along. Jacob and Jerod Smith, a pair of four-star twins that committed to the Wolverines this summer, have each been projected to flip by Chad Simmons of On3.com and others.
The flip would be to Kentucky. There were rumblings recently that the Wildcats were making a strong push. The Smith brothers also just moved to Kentucky, which could make things even more difficult for Michigan football.
Brutal. https://t.co/jcSrLwJbNU
— GBM Wolverine (@GBM_Wolverine) August 16, 2023
Jacob Smith was projected to Kentucky by some crystal balls as early as Tuesday. The four-star EDGE was the second brother to commit to the Wolverines. He now has four crystal ball projections to flip to Kentucky and is ranked 238th overall. He committed on July 13th.
His brother, Jerod Smith, is ranked No. 222 overall in the 2024 class and has also been projected to flip to Kentucky with crystal balls in addition to Simmons. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive lineman committed to Michigan football back in April.
Wolverines take another recruiting hit
After Miami flipped Elias Rudolph over the weekend, this is the last thing the Wolverines needed and if it comes to fruition, they will be down to 25 commitments with 16 blue chips.
Devon Baxter and Dominic Nichols are also committed at EDGE, but Michigan football would definitely be looking to add a pass rusher, and probably a defensive lineman.
It’s never a good thing to lose multiple four-star commitments in the last week, but the Smith recruitment had other factors that Michigan can’t control, such as the twins moving back to Kentucky.
Next. Every former Michigan football player in the hall of fame. dark
Yet, the Wolverines need to up their NIL game. That much is clear and this recruiting class, while solid, still isn’t where it should be based on what happened the past two seasons.