[Scheduling Note: No podcast today because we're doing a live NSD one with Lorenz on Wednesday evening.]

This is our sticky recruiting board for 2022. When I finish a major update on this I repost to the front page, hence the weird posted date above and the comments section that goes back a ways. Otherwise you can always find it (and I usually have somewhat updated) under the "Useful Stuff" tab. One of our users has put all of this into a very helpful Google Doc. The last front-page update was on October 29, 2021, which is why so many comments are from then. If you haven't explored the tabs, by the way, there's a lot of good content there that should help you orient yourself if you don't know the ins and outs of the site.

NEW FACE AGAIN!

There's yet another new face this time. As we approach National Signing Day we have a cousin of Sad Josh who's waiting to see how Michigan does with their top prospects to see if he has a committable offer. Usually there are at least one or two in each class as Michigan seldom gets all the guys they have hats in for, but have to leave the possibility open. Thus, Hopeful Hank:

Willie Henry and Dennis Norfleet were both Hanks. Their situations are often fluid, and not necessarily Michigan's choice. Often these guys are late risers or high-ceiling projects who are Hank'ing out with two or three schools alike in dignity to see where the best fit is when things shake out.

The Guys:

Icon	Name	Meaning
	Sad Josh	The genre of player with unrequited interest in Michigan. Unlikely to receive offers; most will eventually fade off the list and go to Duke or Michigan State or something.
	Tommy Torpor	Player Michigan wanted, but who told Michigan he's going elsewhere so they've cut off their pursuit.
	Nefarious Eduardo	Player is a longshot. Either they've declared someone else a leader publicly or popular opinion holds that they're likely to go to another school.
	Hopeful Hank	Cousin of Sad Josh, the category of player Michigan has on the line heading into NSD whose committable offer is contingent on how the top prospects swing.
	Data	Either no opinion or Michigan is one of a fairly even group of chasing schools. Players in this category maintain no leader or change their leader frequently. The default category for players that we don't know much about yet.
	Happy Teeth	Players who have Michigan in a small leading group or have Michigan as a tenuous favorite. Should be regarded as a good shot, not a slam dunk.
	Mr. Blue	Player is either a verbal or is expected to be one sooner or later. Players with this designation are 65%+ to be Michigan commits.

The order is my interpretation of how likely they are to commit and how many recruiting points are being expended. Prep school or IMG players are listed with their home states and then either the state their new school's in or "IMG".

A Note on "Stars": These are a general (not exact) average of a player's status among the recruiting services.

A Note on Premium Info: No illicit sharing of said material will appear on this site. Players are listed with interested schools in their profiles; this information is public. Commitments are by definition public. Any assertions as to schools in the mix, decision dates, or leaders I will back up with links to the source of the information.

Quarterback

Needs: 1-2. Michigan got 5* JJ McCarthy and Texas Tech transfer Alan Bowman, but took just Cade McNamara and Dan Villari in the last two classes after longtime 2020 commit JD Johnson had to give up football for health reasons, and their quarterbacks from the two classes prior have already transferred. Harbaugh would like to get his old Stanford mix of a dual-threat and a gunslinger.

What I wrote in July 2021: Were laser focused on Denard-ian Nate Johnson before they suddenly opened up the board and took a Navarre/Speight-like Californian who's been falling down the rankings.

What I wrote in late October 2021: Johnson fell through after hometown Utah offered his little brother. Michigan still seems comfortable with Denegal, who has been falling down the rankings, as their class slinger, but stayed on Cal decommit Justyn Martin, who committed to UCLA. By the way they had 2023 Louisiana QB Jai Eugene Jr. on campus this weekend. If that name means nothing to you, you do not have to talk to Nick Hopwood about your retirement plans right this second.

Latest: Michigan has Alex Orji, a Virginia Tech commit, and Bryce Archie, who's committed to Coastal Carolina, interested if there's room at the end of the class.

Best Guess: Denegal and they go all in on Detroit King QB Dante Moore for 2023. My read on the class is the first empty spot if Michigan misses on anyone they're finishing with goes to the WR/DB athlete Koen Entringer, who was recently on campus, but a second open slot would go to Orji then Archie if Orji turns them down.

Commit
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Jayden Denegal	CA	***.5	Michigan		Ask again later
Alex Orji	TX	***.5	Michigan		VT flip. Tank, ATH.
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Justyn Martin	CA	****	UCLA		Visit didn't happen
Nate Johnson	CA	***	Utah		Speed demon
Bryce Archie	GA	***	C Carolina		Baseball P, late riser
Conner Harrell	AL	***	UNC		Academic
Ashton Daniels	GA	***	Stanford		Late riser?
Bert Emanuel Jr.	TX	n/a	Army, TSU		Camp invite
Destin Wade	TN	***	Kentucky		ATH, package w LB bro Keaten

[After THE JUMP: Coming in for the landing.]

Running Back

Needs: 1-2. Michigan got a lightning and thunder in the 2021 class but lost Zach Charbonnet and Christian Turner to transfers and Chris Evans to graduation. Another inside/outside duo would be good.

What I wrote in July 2021: Were the first to offer 5* Gavin Sawchuk but his interest waned, as did that of several other elites they were in for. As soon as they got to the secondary tier they reeled in Stokes, who's been tearing up a low-level South Carolina league and seemed destined for the Gamecocks until their coaching change. They're also expected to pick up a commitment from ATH Dillon Bell, a 6-2 speedster who could play running back or receiver.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: They reclassified Bell as a receiver but didn't get him anyways because Georgia stepped in and yoinked. They've since been poking around on Texas 3-star DeAnthony Gatson, who decommitted from USC when Helton was fired. He's mercurial--hasn't attended camps but is an 11 YPC Hart-like in a tough Texas division. We'll see if it goes anywhere--Texas thought they had Gatson in the bag but miscalculated, then took a different back. The new Gamecocks staff has finally decided to contest Stokes slipping away--remember he's basically family to them--so where he's turned away offers from L'ville and Mississippi State he's hearing South Carolina out. His Michigan official is the Ohio State game. Read here is that South Carolina is getting their shot out of respect but I'm not going to worry unless Stokes doesn't come for The Game. Early indications suggest that Hart's going to get to have his pick from a fancy list in 2023 and they bring back at least Corum and Edwards next year, so one guy this year won't be terrible.

Latest: Stokes looks like it for 2022; Michigan had an in-home to shore up things with him after SC tried again. They kicked the tires on some guys but nothing came of it. The most likely guy they could add is ASU transfer DeaMonte Trayanum, a 2020 recruit who's in the portal and originally from Archbishop Hoban. I'm not adding transfers to the list.

Best Guess: Stokes unless they've kept one quiet this whole time.

Commit
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
CJ Stokes	SC	***	Michigan		Hello.
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
DeAnthony Gatson	TX	***	open		Crazy stats, zero measurables
Demon Claiborne	VA	***	Wake		Track back, recent offer
George Pettaway	VA	****	UNC		Lightning
Quinshon Judkins	AL	***	Ole Miss		Thunder. Impressed at 7v7
Kaleb Johnson	OH	***	Iowa		Camp/visit/offer
Nicholas Singleton	PA	****	PSU		Canceled M visit for OSU :/
Omarion Hampton	NC	****	UNC		Toussaint-like

Wide Receiver

Needs: 2-3. After filling up on slots in 2019 and 2020 and adding three outside prospects in 2021 Gattis should settle into a mix, shooting for the stars and catching as many as can.

What I wrote in July 2021: Gattis got just one of the two Illinois targets who remember many camps with JJ McCarthy, with OSU picking off the other. Detroit star Tay'shawn Trent committed shortly after 7v7 teammate Will Johnson, though Trent may need a prep year. Top target Tyler Morris committed on 4/20, after an injury possibly saved Michigan from stiffer competition than ND, but also might have robbed them of Morris until 2023 as well. They're also out of it for Andrel Anthony's leapy pal Darrius Clemons, and seem to have stopped recruiting the ATH from my high school. Now they're offering slots and speedsters as they see them. Michigan has a much better shot at some 2023s so they may end up picking up a late flier or camp commit and moving on to that, hoping to fill any gaps in the future with the transfer portal.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: After casting about all summer I think they've got a solid idea where they stand on a few real shots. Their commits saw their rankings drop, Morris only because he's injured, while Trent had grade issues; via a reader with inner knowledge of the situation these stemmed from support issues at the school during COVID.

Things seem to be progressing quite well with beanpole Amorian Walker, who runs a sub 4.5 forty, is coached by Ron Bellamy's old HS coach, is "still kind of committed to Notre Dame," according to his dad, visited Michigan twice, then his dad told Sam Webb that a planned October trip to Bama might not happen at all because of how well the Michigan visit went. Meanwhile ND is hoping he won't bail on his visit this weekend. Am I enjoying this? A bit, but ND can afford the hit. They made a play for Dane Key, a Lexington smoothster with deep Kentucky connections who ultimately chose to stay home. They recently offered ECU commit Kaleb Webb.

Last note: Michigan has a preferred walk-on from Connecticut, Logan Forbes, in this class who just dominated against IMG.

Latest: The playoff run opened things back up with their old top prospect Darrius Clemons, childhood friend of Andrel Anthony who moved to Oregon last year and at times seemed to be drifting to Penn State or Auburn. Crystal balls are now flying in for Clemons to Michigan. Walker didn't flip before but Michigan still seems to be very much in it.

Best guess: Down to Clemons and Walker. Probably get at least one, 50/50 to land both. If they strike out, Michigan could see Koen Entringer as a WR, though he projects better to free safety. I have him on the board here for now.

Commits
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Darrius Clemons	OR	****	Michigan		Hello. From EL, friends w Andrel
Tyler Morris	IL	****	Michigan		Hello. Golden Tate smooth.
Amorian Walker	LA	***.5	Michigan		ND flip, UA-AA, 6'4/175 tripl-jumper
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Koen Entringer	MI	***	M/Iowa/UW/BC		Rising WR/DB ATH from Walled Lake
Kaleb Webb	GA	***	Tenn		Visit: IU game, TN visitsx2
Dane Key	KY	****	Kentucky		Can fly, UK legacy
Che Nwabuko	TX	***	Pitt		5-9 and super fast
Tobias Merriweather	WA	***	Notre Dame		Dad from Detroit
Dillon Bell	TX	***	Georgia		RB/WR with speed
DJ Allen	TX	****	TCU		Slot
Isaiah Bond	GA	*****	Bama		Speed, ATH (DB), was a 3*
Barion Brown	TN	****	UK, Bama		Bama's QB's buddy
CJ Smith	FL	***	Florida		6-3/fast
Marquarius White	AL	***	Tenn		Nico's school
Tay'shawn Trent	MI	***	L'ville, MSU?		Decommit. Hello.

Tight End

Needs: 2. Michigan's been getting their one guy they scouted better than everybody else and then whiffing on the national recruit they covet each year. Might be time to rebuild the depth.

What I wrote in July 2021: Marlin Klein was one of the top guys on their board, though he'll need a few years in the weight room first, and Michigan has been going hard after fellow Georgian Oscar Delp since he was a who-dat too but has been trending to Georgia since blowing up into a 4-star. They were the first to offer a third Georgian, 4* Holden Staes, who backed out of a PSU commitment and chose Notre Dame. Then Idaho WR-who-grew-a-butt Colston Loveland popped, and Jay Harbaugh closed before Bama could do so. They're going to try to get Delp too but they're otherwise done.

Oddly rich year for two-stars Michigan would otherwise have a good chance of snapping up on the cheap, like legacy Josh Kattus, Fordson's Mo Hazime, and Dewitt's WR-who-grew Tommy McIntosh, who's totally not going to make us regret this at Wisconsin.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: Michigan did all they could but Delp committed to the Bulldogs. Loveland has been moving up the rankings, Klein still seems like a development.

Latest: No change.

Best guess: Stand with the two. Loveland's emergence as a guy who might contribute earlier changes the math.

Commit
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Colston Loveland	ID	***.5	Michigan		Hello
Marlin Klein	GA	***	Michigan		Hello
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Oscar Delp	GA	****	Georgia		"Yeah Michigan!"
Jack Velling	WA	***	OrSt, Utah		Rising prep schooler
Jaren Kanak	KS	***	Clem		ATH: WR/S/LB/TE?
Tommy McIntosh	MI	**	Wisconsin		From Dewitt
Josh Kattus	OH	***	Kentucky		Son of Eric
Mo Hazime	MI	**	MAC		Fordson

Offensive Line

Needs: 4-6. Now that OL are leaving after their RS sophomore years it's important to load up every cycle with a mix of high floors and high ceilings. Yes, there will be a LOT of sophomores and freshmen when the 2022s arrive but there could also be an exodus as the younger guys see oceans of eligibility ahead for the starters and the starters get NFL eyes six months later. Shark teeth.

What I wrote in July 2021: This may end up a small class because the projects Warinner loved (Kiyaunta Goodwin, Fisher Anderson) were tied to Warinner, and the elites Moore would rather go after require more than a late push from a first-time OL coach. Reece Atteberry's buddy Connor Jones is the holdover. Moore refocused on blue chips. WA 5* Josh Conerly is probably a longshot though Courtney Morgan got them a foot in the door. The pursuit of Conerly got them in before the flood of offers for Onwenu-ish WA 3* Mark Nabou. Moore was also in good shape for George Fitzpatrick and Lucas Heyer, until the former turned into a possible #1 OT and committed to Ohio State, and the latter drifted back into a Stanford commitment.

So it looks like they'll have to find gems here as well, or move on to 2023. On that front, however, Michigan lucked into Quebecois Alessandro Lorenzetti, a late-bloomer who wanted to play Big Ten football. The board is expanding again to the camp finds and Frey types, but we haven't seen any of them nibble yet. There are a bunch of guys they're keeping tabs on, including Jones's training mates Kaden Weatherby and Braden Miller. They're probably out now for 6-8 OT Andre Roye since his coach at St. Frances, Biff Poggi, is returning to Michigan in a non-assistant role.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: Michigan had 5* WA Washington commit Josh Conerly up for the Washington game and since then everything thinks he's coming to Michigan. He's also moving up the rankings and might end up the #1 OT in the class. He'll be back in Ann Arbor for The Game. The other Washingtonian they were looking at, Mark Nabou, didn't progress as far as he was projected to, so he's in a holding pattern with all the big schools that jumped in this summer. Michigan's still looking at late risers; they recently offered Virginia Tech commit Xavier Chaplin, who's 6'6"/370, but UGA is looking at that guy too. Best Guess: With Lorenzetti rising and Jones solid, adding Conerly would be a small but strong class. I'm not discounting the possibility of a Frey-type getting an offer late but word from the program is they hit big with the last class, and with so much extra eligibility from Covid they can take a smaller class just this once, and bring in a big class in 2023. Jones has fallen in the rankings but Michigan seems as committed to him as ever.

Latest: Michigan added one of their top 2020 prospects Andrew Gentry, who's still serving on his Mormon mission and will be treated as a 2022 freshman for our purposes. Conerly seems like less of a slam dunk with Courtney Morgan leaving for Washington; Conerly has put off his decision until the later Signing Day. Michigan also seems to be a likely destination for transfer C Olusegun "Victor" Oluwatimi, the #15 center to PFF this year, from Virginia.

Best Guess: Michigan has the three and will hope to seal the deal with Conerly in February.

Commits
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Connor Jones	CO	***	Michigan		Hello. Puts water in the harbor.
Alessandro Lorenzetti	CT	***	Michigan		Quebecois steal. Hello.
Andrew Gentry	CO	****	Michigan		2020 Mormon mission transfer from UVa
Olu Oluwatimi	UVA	n/a	Michigan		Rimington candidate in '21. UVa transfer.
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Josh Conerly	WA	*****	Oregon		Courtney connection, Feb decision
Mark Nabou	WA	***	A&M		Onwenu-like. Star rose, has fallen.
Xavier Chaplin	SC	***	VT		Mammoth
Luke Dalton	IL	***	Cincy		Camp, immediate unofficial
Lucas Heyer	MN	****	Stanford		M lost interest
Jackson Pruitt	MI	***	Temple		Cass Tech
George Fitzpatrick	CO	****	Ohio State		Super athlete, should be a 5-star.
Tyler Booker	IMG	****	Bama		Originally from CT. Old staff had shot.
Joe Brunner	WI	****.5	Wisconsin		Assume Wisconsin
Aamil Wagner	OH	****	ND		OSU cooled, came down to UK/ND
Carson Hinzman	WI	****	UW or OSU		Assume Wisconsin
Billy Schrauth	WI	****	ND		ND led whole way
Malik Agbo	WA	****	LSU, Bama, Ore, WA		M at bottom of a top 8
Riley Quick	AL	*****	Bama, Aub		Baseball star, locals stopped slow-playing
Kiyaunta Goodwin	IN	****.5	Kentucky, MSU, A&M		Not sure if M is pushing. MSU is hard.
Fisher Anderson	TN	****	Stanford		Warinner
Ryan Brubaker	PA	***	South Carolina		PSU legacy
Kaden Weatherby	OL	***	TTU		Near M commit pre-Warinner, injury
Laakea Kapol	HI	***	SDSU, Cuse		Warinner
Andre Roye	MD	***	Penn State		St. Frances, 6'8" OT
Braden Miller	CO	***	MSU		OT, M more interested?
Grayson Morgan	TN	***	Vandy		Rising Stars top performer
James Livingston	MI	***	Kansas		Growing tackle, M watching
Bryce Keller	OH	***	No profile		Toledo Whitmer. Good camp at EMU.

Defensive Tackle

Needs: 3-4. We shall see how the youngsters pan out but instant help is highly desirable since Hinton will probably be off to the NFL soon and the rest of the guys playing don't have much eligibility yet. Michigan is going to play with three in their standard sets.

What I wrote in July 2021: Another spot where there's a whole new board since the staff changes. Alex VanSumeren decommitted when his brother left and the Alabama interest got serious. Since Don Brown left Nua's been offering a slate of much, much larger individuals, and put Michigan in a position to be a finalist for an elite-elite.

River Rouge's Davonte Miles is one and committed on the offer. Cass Tech's Deone Walker reshaped himself and seems likely to join the class eventually. Michigan whiffed on a few of the guys they thought they could get. That includes Jordan Phillips from Ocoee, who was near a Michigan commit at one point and is horribly underrated, but committed to Tennessee. It also includes IN 3* Kenneth Grant, whom Michigan found on the way up but who way upped past them into Ohio State realm. The staff cooled on Don Brown holdover Hayden Schwartz, an NFL legacy who'll end up at Nebraska. Nua has remained quietly in contact with 6-5/350 Peter Taoipu.

In course they've re-expanded the board and reconnected with former target Derrick Shepard, who committed to Marcus Freeman at Cincy before Freeman went to Notre Dame. They also offered a couple of recent camp risers, Canadian Isaiah Hastings, and South Carolingian Robby Harrison, who showed up to this year's circuit 20 pound heavier than he was last listed. They could also turn to Mario Eugenio's teammate and friend Tawfiq Thomas. Meanwhile they're staying in it for super five-star Walter Nolen.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: Miles decommitted and Walter Nolen seems to have every big baggin school in America (latest: Texas A&M) convinced they're the leader. Michigan is still recruiting him but this program isn't ready to play the bidding war game. They've done fine anyways, reeling in the "Mammoth" Kenneth Grant to play nose, and a rough and ready wrestler from SoCal in Mason Graham that Courtney Morgan deserves a lot of credit for. They're going to keep making up for lost time with Deone Walker, but Kentucky has come on super strong lately, and at least one of their 247 Kentucky guys is sure UK leads.

Michigan is also very serious about JuCo Jeffrey M'ba, the first JuCo they've looked at since Austin Panter, because Michigan admissions is notoriously tough about that. But M'ba is going to have his degree and via Sam Webb, is going to take a few extra classes this winter to get to a point where Michigan can take him, which shows he's serious about coming.

Latest: Michigan recruiting people seem baffled regarding Deone Walker, but Cass Tech isn't the slam dunk it used to be; Michigan has had him on campus a zillion times, the latest as an official visit, but have to sweat out an official to Kentucky. Michigan also looks good to flip Oklahoma decommit Derrick Moore, a top-100 tweener they're looking at for the role Michael Morris is playing this year, as long as they can get around the fact that he played for Biff Poggi at St. Francis. I'm filing that with the DTs.

Best Guess: Things were looking more positive for Walker until Kentucky made their final pitch on Signing Day morning; that seems to be trending away now. Moore appears to be solid unless the NCAA turns down a waiver from the Partridge Rule they've been granting to everyone else in far less extraordinary cases. If that happens, we're sending in Thomas Mars--that's not insider recruiting info just me saying it.

Commit
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Kenneth Grant	IN	***.5	Michigan		Hello. Mammoth.
Mason Graham	CA	****	Michigan		Hello. Wrestler, blowing up.
Cam Goode	UCF	n/a	Michigan		UCF transfer (Jr/5th)
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Deone Walker	MI	***	M, UK		Cass Tech, OL/DL ATH
Walter Nolen	TN	*****	A&M		Grparents from Mich, tease, $NIL.
Derrick Shepard	OH	****	Cincy		Sticking with Cincy.
Isaiah Hastings	Ont	***	Bama		Rising all the way after Big Man camp at FSU
Shone Washington	LA	****	UGA		LSU decommit, trains w Eugenio
Robby Harrison	SC	***	ASU		Build a bear, up to 285, setting up visit
Justice Finkley	AL	****	Texas		Kemp, M led until reevaluating him as a DT
Jordan Phillips	FL	***	Tennessee		Michigan found first, TN found better
Hayden Schwartz	FL	***	Nebraska		Carlo Kemp-like
Davonte Miles	MI	***	IU. M decommit		Dropped. Hello
Tawfiq Thomas	FL	***	Lville		Teammate of Eugenio.
Anthony Lucas	AZ	****	Bama/A&M		previously visited
Peter Taoipu	WA	***	M, ASU, Colo, Neb		Nua connect
Lavon Johnson	PA	**	IU leads		Big guy
Jadon Scarlett	TX	***	A&M		Stock up, explosive first step
Hero Kanu	CA	***	OSU/UGA/Okla/ND		German, #1 on OSU/Bama's boards now
Damonic Williams	CA	***	Cal		Big guy
Jeffrey M'ba	FR	****	Aub/Mizzou		#1 JuCo, admissions blocked.

Edge

Needs: 2-3. Michigan would love to get an instant-impact guy but they've loaded up in recent classes with various shots at those. Added need here because Macdonald's defense uses a lot of them but scaled that back after the season started because so many of their young guys look to be hits.

What I wrote in July 2021: The board was almost totally blown up by the staff switch. It took awhile however for all the Don Brown anchor targets to fall away, but fall away Caden Curry, Joe Strickland, Anthony Lucas, and Joseph Adedire did. The final holdout was Justice Finkley, whom the staff reevaluated as an interior prospect when they finally saw him in person, though the door may not be completely closed on the Carlo Kemp-alike.

In their stead are the OLBs that Helow and Macdonald covet. They pulled in two of their faves in Mario Eugenio and Micah Pollard, and caught a third Uche-like in Kevonte Henry on the rise. All they need now is Joshua Josephs for the full set, though they missed out on Beau Atkinson along the way. This means there isn't room anymore for sparkplug Anto Saka, who'll probably be great at Northwestern, or former Ypsilantean Torren Wright.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: Eugenio fell out of the class in a way that we're saying had a lot to do with "Oh, I'm not displacing Ojabo" but also makes me think Michigan cooled on him, at least insofar as they weren't going to keep him if it meant missing out on Joshua Josephs, who's a new-made 4-star and 247 and a 5-star to Michigan's staff. They've trusted their own evaluations on these guys and with the exception of Pollard (who's got LB versatility and is a program take considering his NFL dad and connections) and have been right all along--the guys they were targeting all have risen up the rankings, including commit Kevonte Henry. If they can finish the job with Josephs, this is a really good class. Wiltfong and Lorenz have crystal balls to Michigan from September, but Tennessee just had him on an official after he postponed the trip twice. Things have been quiet since--if it wasn't Brian Jean-Mary and Tim Banks we were up against I'd feel confident. Also don't take my take on Michigan's take on Eugenio be confused for my take on Eugenio--I think his strength translates well to a Tite system and if that's where he plays we'll be hearing his name a lot. Best guess: I think they get Josephs, but it's probably not as much of a slam dunk as we were feeling before. The other guys they scouted have fallen by the wayside by now, so it's Pollard and Henry, plus Josephs or nobody at this point.

Latest: Tennessee won Josephs. Michigan swept in for a grow-a-Hutchinson riser in Ethan Burke but hometown Texas swooped in over them on Signing Day. Kevonte Henry is shaking since Courtney Morgan left, which terrifies me because he's incredibly underrated and they struck out on so many other instant impact edge types. Henry recently took an official visit to Washington and was close to signing but has put off his decision until February.

Commit
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Derrick Moore	MD	****.5	Michigan		Hello. Win B10, win fabulous prizes
Micah Pollard	FL	***	Michigan		Hello. DE/LB tweener
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Kevonte Henry	CA	****	Oklahoma		Hello. Courtney Morgan dude.
Ethan Burke	TX	***	Texas		Hello. Grow-a-Hutch
Joshua Josephs	GA	***	Tenn		M thinks he's a 5-star, BJM did too.
Mario Eugenio	FL	***.5	M decommit		Hello. Wasn't Judon-esque enough.
Joseph Adedire	TX	***	TCU		Don Brownian anchor
Anto Saka	MD	***	Northwestern		Winovichian
Torren Wright	NC	****	NC State		Originally from Ypsi
Beau Atkinson	NC	***	UNC		Aidan-like.
Brian Allen	IL	***	Iowa		Academic.
Zach Rowell	CA	***	Stan		SDE, moving up
DJ Wesolak	MO	****	ND, Clem, UF		OLB/DE
Keon Wylie	PA	***	PSU		OLB/DE
DeSean Brown	OK	***	OkSt lock		WDE
Samuel Okunlola	MA	***	open		Brother of 5* 2023 OT
Vincent Paige	TX	***	North Texas		M "closely monitoring"
Tomiwa Durojaiye	DE	***	GT		SDE type

Linebacker

Needs: 3-4. There's been a ton of turnover at LB and the new staff wants to have more of them out there for their multiple defenses, so we're looking into all kinds of Wisconsin-esque dudes who never would have gotten a look from Don Brown.

What I wrote in July 2021: Unfortunately the transition blew up a solid start. MA 4* Tyler Martin followed Don Brown to Arizona, and former shoe-in Joshua Burnham committed to Notre Dame after the transition opened the door. Here's Steve Lorenz on the 24/7 podcast last spring:

Michigan has reignited their pursuit of four-star Sebastian Cheeks in a big way in the last three weeks or so after minimal contact immediately after the Macdonald hiring. A great source told me the staff's linebacker board is relatively wide open and while there are the guys we've talked a lot about (Micah Pollard, Josephs, Patton, Wade, Barton), some of their most recent offers (DeMario Tolan, Omar Graham, Torren Wright, Robby Snelling, Kyle Efford) appear to be legitimate targets at this point as well. A clear mix of the top guys the last staff preferred and a whole new set of prospects the new staff has evaluated.

Michigan took recent RB convert Aaron Alexander as a program guy because when Jermain Crowell of Belleville says jump we say "how high can he?" and Crowell says "very very high."

They'll pursue UT 4* Lander Barton to the end because Helow/Macdonald think that's what a linebacker should look like. That might be a pipedream though. As for the targets reciprocating interest they'll soon find out if they're set or need to open the board back up when Sebastian Cheeks and Jeremy Patton make their decisions in the coming weeks. Cheeks seems to like Texas more but might want to stay closer to home, while Patton might like Michigan more but might want to stay closer to home at Texas. Unless both go Blue, they'll probably snatch up recent camp offer Deuce Spurlock. A couple of homegrown former four-stars are still waiting around, though even MSU doesn't seem that interested in them.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: Barton remains their #1 with a bullet. Texas has jumped in since, but that might be good news since at this point the question is whether Barton would consider leaving Utah, not whom he would leave for. They whiffed on Patton and Cheeks, so it's fliers and late adds or bust. Michigan took a commitment from Spurlock, seems to be sticking by Aaron Alexander as a true blue guy even though he's not having a good season--maybe turn him into a fullback (my idea, not theirs). The most likely late add would be Chicago Marist's recent riser Jimmy Rolder, who's now a four-star with offers from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Best Guess: Barton would be Macdonald's version of taking Devin Bush from FSU--25% it actually happens. Raise that to 75% if he makes it back here for the OSU game on an unofficial.

Latest: Utah got Lander Barton, Michigan got Jimmy Rolder. They're done.

Commits
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Jimmy Rolder	IL	****	Michigan		Hello. Rose fast, beat OSU.
Deuce Spurlock	AL	***	Michigan		Hello. Grow-a-backer.
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Lander Barton	UT	****	Utah		Macdonald type specimen
Sebastian Cheeks	IL	****	UNC		Tar Heels came outta nowhere.
Jeremy Patton	TX	****	Baylor		M kicked off offer blitz, Baylor big surprise.
Mani Powell	OH	***	Arkansas		offered a day before commit
Joshua Burnham	MI	****	ND		M fan once close to committing to Jean-Marie
DeMario Tolan	FL	****	LSU		recent offer
Keaten Wade	TN	****	Kentucky		Package with QB bro. Clink?
Ish Harris	TX	****	A&M		A&M offered as RB
Aaron Alexander	MI	**	UMass		Hello. Belleville.
Tyler Banks	VA	***	Ole Miss, Cal		"ATH" Don Brown liked more.
Robby Snelling	NV	****	Stanford		Stanford Baseball commit
Kyle Efford	GA	***	GT		Helow UMD target
Michael Williams	MI	***	CMU, Cuse, ASU		WB Interest diminished after injured 2020
Jordan Cannon	MI	***	M, MSU, Cincy		OLSM

Safety

Needs: 2-3. Michigan wanted to get 2 or 3 in the 2021 class and came away with one. It's time to get the next generation since Dax Hill and Brad Hawkins aren't long for college and the 2020 class could scoot through quickly. Some of the cornerbacks might fit here too.

What I wrote in July 2021: Andre Seldon's brother Myles Rowser committed ages ago then decommitted, fell down the rankings, and committed to Arkansas. Taylor Groves committed to Mo Linguist but decommitted. Michigan has spent way too long in great shape with West Bloomfield's Dillon Tatum, who can play S or CB, and was about to commit before they replaced Linguist with Clinkscale, who didn't recruit Tatum to Kentucky. MSU, the school Tatum grew up rooting for, used the opportunity to move in and make this a true 55/45 between playing with the best players in Michigan for his old West Bloomfield coach Ron Bellamy, or finally cracking Mel Tucker's four-star cherry at State.

The guys Linguist was after came and went. They had Austin Brown on the hook but he went to Wisconsin, and then they got another blow when TCU managed to convince D'Arco Perkins-McAllister, an athlete they love, to reclassify to 2021 and join the frogs right away. Jake Pope waved at Michigan on his way up from 3-star to a Bama-UGA battle. Other options are AL 3* Ja'Kobi Albert, whom everyone thinks is going to stay in the South but who got weak-kneed at meeting Juwan Howard on his official, Clinkscale's Kentucky commit Jeremiah Caldwell from Belleville, and they could always--hint hint nudge nudge--go back to Wylie E. Groves' own Jaden Mangham, who could fit at receiver, which is another position of need. Just saying.

Also Michigan will stay on 5-star IMG safety/hybrid Keon Sabb, but would need to have a really good season for him to consider it.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: Tatum committed to MSU, who clearly made him a priority, as did Mangham, after Michigan cut off pursuit. However Michigan got in and won for the latest crazy unscouted athlete to get on their board in Damani Dent, whom they have as a borderline 5-star. There are two more big names that have come to the fore in LSU legacy Austin Ausberry, who visited and seemed to put Michigan in the lead afterwards, though Michigan now low-key has to survive an entire SEC power gauntlet. His visits to Auburn and Alabama happened in October, Florida is in December, and LSU is doubtless going to reignite once Mel Tucker or someone is hired. Zeke Berry, a Courtney Morgan connection, decommitted from Arizona after his star rose. Michigan is jostling with USC, Oregon, and Washington; Sam Webb recently went out to see him, which tells you Michigan thinks they can win.

Latest: Michigan did get Zeke Berry despite losing Courtney Morgan, and their great season also satisfied the unlikely conditions set on entertaining the thought of an elite like Keon Sabb. That condition was "Beat Ohio State." Michigan did that: beat Ohio State. 42-27 even. We should say it again just to make sure that's clear: Michigan beat Ohio State 42-27, are the Big Ten Champions, and are going to the playoffs as the #2 seed. They're also in line to bring in an incredible DB class. Sabb decommitted from Clemson and nobody else seems to be close to Michigan's position, so this could be wrapped up by Wednesday. If it goes beyond ESD things could get shaky. Dent's rankings are finally catching up with the camp takes.

Best guess: They sign Berry, Dent, and Sabb on Wednesday.

Commit
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Keon Sabb	IMG(NJ)	****	Michigan		Hello. HSP. M beat OSU, let's talk.
Zeke Berry	CA	****	Michigan		Hello. Rising CB/S
Damani Dent	FL	***	Michigan		Hello. Underrated, moving up.
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Dillon Tatum	MI	****	MSU		WB. Nickel. Clink hire a setback
Austin Ausberry	LA	****	Aub		Dax 2.0. LSU legacy.
Jacoby Matthews	LA	****.5	LSU		Go Ron Bellamy
D'Arco Perkins-McAllister	TN	***	TCU		Reclassified to 2021 for TCU
Austin Brown	IL	***	Wisconsin		Late riser, Hybrid
Jake Pope	GA	***.5	Bama		Shooting up rankings
Mumu Bin-Wahad	GA	***	WVU		S/CB, canceled visit
Jeremiah Caldwell	MI	***	Kentucky		Belleville
Ja'Kobi Albert	AL	***	Auburn		Visited, Juwan fan, not leaving South.
Jaden Mangham	MI	****	MSU		Groves!
Kaleb Purdy	MO	***	Mizzou		Nickel

Cornerback

Needs: 7-985. There is no such thing as an excessive number of cornerbacks. If you have too many great ones you put one at nickel and play a Cover 1 all day like Ohio State, which is far too good at plucking five-stars they don't bother coaching and then taking credit for their high draft pick numbers. Michigan lost its last Detroit Cat when Ambry Thomas opted out and 2021 had one guy in it who's barely a top-500 recruit right now, so load up.

What I wrote in July 2021: This cycle started with a flashing "DON'T FUCK THIS UP" sign and Michigan's staff changes were largely geared towards that end. They nearly fucked it up when Linguist took the Buffalo job, but they hired Steve Clinkscale, one of the few names who could keep Will Johnson in the fold and improve their chances of getting the Stribling-like teammate of Junior Colson, Myles Pollard. They also managed to solidify Linguist pickup Kody Jones, their nickel target, and a key ingredient in their pursuit of DT Walter Nolen.

Some of the other early names have gone. They're going to continue working on Domani Jackson, who's still committed to USC, but plans to visit Michigan for a game this year. The staff cooled on NJ 4* Jaeden Gould, who ended up taking a late-breaking offer from USC right before Penn State thought they had him. Arizonan super-athlete Benjamin Morrison has a sister at Michigan but seems like a Washington-Notre Dame battle now. James Monds grew up close to the Zinters in Massachusetts and was probably going to be a Don Brown target; he committed to Indiana. There was even a moment when Georgia commit Marquis Groves-Killebrew was going to visit, but that was a week before Linguist left and MGK canceled his Michigan official.

Clink added Kentucky commit Andre Stewart to the board but that recruitment might have stalled as they zeroed in on Pollard and a pair of teammates Courtney Morgan knows, both of whom answer to "Jaleel." They are 3* Jahlil Florence, a lengthy athlete who seems to love Michigan but won't get to visit until the fall, and 4* speedster Jalil Tucker, who seems like a tougher pull. Oregon lurks for both, and probably leads for Tucker.

What I wrote in Oct 2021: With three high-profile commits who've been three of the vocal leaders of the class, Michigan can afford to shoot for the moon on a 4th spot (four seems to be the target number here via everybody). The moon is elite top-5 overall prospect Domani Jackson, of course, and so long as they're winning and USC doesn't have a coach that is looking more likely (Jackson might also be a safety). The Jahlil/Jalil teammates chose Oregon, so the most likely alternative for a fourth if they scuttle at the end of the season are UK commit Andre Stewart, the longtime Clinkscale connection, or one of the cornerback-like safeties. Ask me right now it's 50/50 that Michigan has the type of finish that convinces Jackson the program can win in the future, and if he doesn't come to Michigan one of the regular playoff contenders (Bama?) is more likely than USC. Beating MSU would clear a major hurdle.

Latest: For awhile there Kody Jones looked like he might be entertaining the idea of staying home to play for Tennessee, but that threat has passed and he's expected to sign with Michigan as the class nickel, along with outside dudes Pollard and Johnson, who quickly stifled talk of Alabama when Domani Jackson got Tide eyes. Speaking of Jackson, Michigan did have the kind of season that put them back in play for the WJ buddy who grew up a Michigan fan, but didn't make the kind of NIL offer that Bama and a new coach USC were willing to put down, so that ship sailed. The Jones wobble was never connected to Domani Jackson's visit for the OSU game, but the timing of that was correlated. Correlation doesn't imply causation; it just winks suggestively.

Jahlil Florence decommitted from Oregon but that was a Courtney Morgan connection so doubtful Michigan gets back involved.

Best guess: Michigan has three commits who sign on ESD and are done.

Commits
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Will Johnson	MI	*****	Michigan		Hello. Deon's son.
Kody Jones	TN	****	Michigan		Hello. Nickel.
Myles Pollard	TN	***.5	Michigan		Hello. Loved you on Colson's film.
Targets
Player	State	Stars	Schools	Y/N	Summary
Domani Jackson	CA	*****	Bama, USC lead M		Grew up M, strong season matters.
Jahlil Florence	CA	***	USC (Ore decommit)		ATH, same HS as Jahlil Tucker
Jalil Tucker	CA	****	Oregon		Super speedy
Andre Stewart	GA	***	Kentucky, Vols, M		Clink. Auburn decommit.
Marquis Groves-Killebrew	GA	****	Georgia		WJ talked into a visit, UGA talked him out
Benjamin Morrison	AZ	****	ND		Sister M gymnast
Jaylen Lewis	TN	***	Arkansas		Stribling
James Monds III	FL	***	Indiana		grew up w Zinter

REVISIONS LIST:

• 10/21/2020: I wrote it.
• Update 4/2/2021: Rewrote the whole thing.
• Update 4/6/2021: Still working on linking, added more LBs, removed Keaton Wade.
• Update 4/23/2021: Added some cornerbacks, moved LBs around to something more approximating the board, think I've got everyone linked we have a link for.
• Update 4/30/2021: Changed Bryce Anderson from Happy Teeth to Eduardo. Removed Quency Wiggins.
• Update 5/3/2021: Added Justyn Martin, Che Nwabuko, Colston Loveland, Josh Conerly, Jacob Hood, Braden Miller, Ish Harris, Mumu Bin-Wahad, D'Arco Perkins-McAllister, Jahlil Florence and Marquis Groves-Killebrew. Removed Jaylen Sneed. Moved Torren Wright from LB to DE (OLB)
• Update 5/17/2021: Some shifts with Clinkscale hire (Tatum downgraded to green, Groves-Killebrew upgraded to green). Added QB Destin Wade, RB Kaleb Johnson, Slot Marquarius White, ATH Jaren Kanak, OL Kaden Weatherby.
• Update 6/3/2021: Removed some longshots, added quarterback and cornerback offers.
• Update 6/6/2021: Removed Sir Mells, who flipped from Washington to Oregon, is still not a cat.
• Update 6/11/2021: Added Jack Velling, removed Kaleb Brown (frowny face).
• Update 6/17/2021: Added Allesandro Lorenzetti, Jahlil Tucker, Aaron Alexander, Andre Stewart, and Barion Brown. Readded Keon Sabb.
• Update 6/21/2021: Moved CJ Stokes and Aaron Alexander to committed. Removed Joe Strickland, Shakaun Bowser (dropped M), Omar Graham (FSU), and Jaeden Gould (USC) and Jayden Bellamy, his teammate.
• Update 7/2/2021: Lots of changes to go with post.
• Update 7/4/2021: Moved Colston Loveland to committed. Changed status of Justice Finkley (dropped M) and Austin Brown (Wisconsin)
• Update 7/12/2021: Rewrote the whole thing.
• Update 10/29/2021: Rewrote the whole thing again.
• Update 11/1/2021: Posted rewrite on the main page.
• Update 12/13/2021: Updated.
• Update 5/18/2022: Completed.