Can Michigan Football Close on Top 100 Offensive Lineman?
The past few seasons have been relatively disappointing from a recruiting perspective. Coming off of three consecutive Big Ten Championships and a National Championship, you'd expect the Wolverines to be raking in top five classes with ease. That hasn't been the case.
With the development of NIL, Michigan football has fallen behind significantly and has struggled to land top-tier recruits.
Following some positive movement in the NIL direction, however, Michigan football appears to be in a better position to recruit top players. Now, they're still behind other NIL schools, but they're at least making things somewhat competitive, and that's evident in the recruits who are interested in the Wolverines.
Michigan football is bringing in a star-studded list of visitors this weekend, including top-100 offensive lineman Douglas Utu. Despite being a Las Vegas native, Michigan has quietly built up a lead with Utu and will have him on campus this weekend.
Can Michigan football capitalize with Douglas Utu?
Alabama and Washington are viewed as the biggest competitors for Utu. He has already visited Washington, and is set to visit Alabama next weekend. Honestly, Michigan's best chance with Utu may be this weekend. Coach Sherrone Moore is going to pull out all the stops in an attempt to close with Utu, and it wouldn't be shocking if he succeeded.
Something that's been very evident this offseason is that Michigan is doing a phenomenal job with visiting recruits. They've been able to make huge impacts on visitors, including Utu. With another fantastic visit, Michigan could earn Utu's commitment.
Michigan's chances will go down significantly if Utu leaves Ann Arbor uncommitted. While the Wolverines will still be in play, it'll be an uphill battle since Utu currently has a July timeline for committing. Considering that Utu will be visiting other schools up until July, it seems unlikely the Wolverines would be the pick at that point.
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This weekend will be huge for Michigan. It can create tons of momentum if things go well, and it wouldn't be shocking to see Utu, or even another visitor, commit. The Wolverines have been knocking these visits out of the park, and that'll need to continue for Michigan to get to where it wants to be.