The past few weeks have been a roller coaster for Michigan football recruiting. From the pursuit of Bryce Underwood to Ivan Taylor flipping to Alabama, it's been very eventful. And it appears that's not going to slow down until early signing day at the latest.
A report came out from ON3's EJ Holland that Michigan is making an NIL push for five-star Alabama offensive line commit Ty Haywood. Haywood has been committed to the Crimson Tide since July. A Texas native, this seemingly came out of nowhere. Haywood had some interest in Michigan when he was offered by the Wolverines, but that interest never truly materialized.
But with Michigan football now opting to take the NIL route in recruiting, the Wolverines are suddenly a real contender for Haywood. In fact, it's speculated that the staff is trying to get Haywood on campus ASAP. Unfortunately for Michigan fans, Haywood's high school team has a playoff game on Saturday, so getting him to the Northwestern game won't be possible, making the situation slightly more complicated.
That's not to say that he can't still visit - weekday visits are very much a thing - it just rules out the simplest option. With Michigan's on the field struggles in 2024, it appears that Sherrone Moore is looking to make a huge splash with his first recruiting class.
What do Michigan's chances look like?
In the world of NIL, it's hard to tell. If there's a large enough offer on the table, some recruits don't feel the need to take a visit. So a visit isn't necessarily needed. However, I'm not expecting Michigan to blow Alabama's offer out of the water. The Crimson Tide have a well oiled NIL machine, and while Michigan can 3x, 4x, 5x, his NIL offer, I don't think that's what they want to do.
With that being said, I think it all depends on whether or not the staff can bring him in for a visit. If they're able to get Haywood on campus, I'd give the Wolverines the edge in his recruitment. But with this news breaking, you can bet that Kalen Deboer and Alabama are going to do everything in their power to make sure Haywood doesn't head to Ann Arbor.
This is definitely one to watch over the next few weeks. Especially if Michigan football is able to pull off some magic and flip Bryce Underwood (which, again, is far from guaranteed). Keep an eye out for any updates, but this is definitely a positive development. Go blue.