Michigan football has been fighting an uphill battle in the recruitment of five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant, but if one insider is correct, the fight could be over soon.
Greg Smith, a recruiting insider for Rivals, recently speculated that a commitment could be coming as soon as this weekend for the Oregon Ducks in the recruitment of Guerrant.
"It’s no secret that the Ducks are firmly in the driver’s seat here. Michigan has closed the gap and worked very hard to make a good impression with the new staff. But could this be the weekend that Guerrant pulls the trigger and publicly commits to Oregon? There’s always a chance that coach Dan Lanning can pull that off," Smith wrote.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound receiver from Harper Woods is on his official visit to Oregon this weekend. He has been expected to commit sometime in early July, but timelines can always change.
Of course, that would be a blow to the Wolverines, who have been putting on the full-court press with Guerrant, one of the two five-star targets, who could be game-changers in 2027 for Kyle Whittingham's Michigan football program.
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Michigan has a ton of momentum. They have made a move with Guerrant, too, putting themselves clearly in the top two with only the Ducks and Wolverines scheduled to get official visits.
Guerrant is supposed to be on campus for his official visit on June 19th, which is Victors Weekend. It's not a guarantee that he will make it. Oregon will surely be pushing for a pledge this weekend. The Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Ducks an 89-percent chance to win out. Michigan has a five-percent chance.
One reason is that Guerrant wants to see more out of the Michigan pass offense (MLive). He said he would need to see proof on the field that the Wolverines are going to throw the ball. Obviously, that proof can't come until the fall, at the earliest, so a commitment seems really unlikely.
Maybe Michigan will have a chance to flip Guerrant late, like it did with Bryce Underwood. That seems more likely than the Wolverines getting a commitment this summer. Jason Beck has talked about a more open offense, but Utah was still one of the most run-heavy teams in college football.
No coach should apologize for wanting to win, however that looks, but it might not be the best fit for a player like Guerrant. It has hurt U-M with other receiver targets in the past.
We'll see what happens, but it feels like Guerrant ending up as part of Michigan's 2027 class would be a surprise at this point.
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