We’re catching up on the shape of 2022 recruiting, which has morphed some since the staff shakeup this offseason. I covered defense last week but there have been some significant moves on the offense too.

Summary:

QB: New board, best two options are a couple of Midwest 3-stars Cincy and Iowa were after.
RB: Hart is going to gun for some 5-stars.
WR: Bellamy’s added some long and tall prospects (one an ATH from Groves) to the longtime pursuits of Gattis-beloved targets Brown/Morris.
TE: Klein solid, the other GA prospect is now a 4-star with SEC suitors, other-other GA prospect recently decommitted from PSU.
OL: The commit may move up the rankings, one impending commit is gonna hold off to get to know Moore better, one impending commit already does, and a number of Sherrone’s top targets have replaced guys who liked Warinner.

Most Likely Warinner OL to Stick

CO 4* commit Connor Jones hasn’t wavered with Sherrone Moore taking over as position coach, and Brice Marich got us some recent scouting from Jones’s coach:

“…a point of improvement was his footwork in pass-pro. It really got better and moving lateral with quickness. He’s violent with his hands and all those things really improved significantly during last off-season through the end of the 2020 season. He’s always been a very physical run blocker and always been very demanding of himself. He punishes people and finishes blocks, but that’s how he’s always been. I think his lateral speed, quickness and violent hands in pass-pro have really gotten better.”

Colorado doesn’t have any naturally large bodies of water, so that coach can be forgiven for mangling a maritime Keynesian economics metaphor…

“He’s a guy that puts water in the harbor.”

…to say Jones is a great teammate. But he also reports Jones is up to 6-7/290, so it could also mean the kid literally lifts all boats.

We thought we’d have a second guy from the state in the class, as CO 3* Braden Miller, Reece Atteberry’s teammate and SixZero Academy partner($), was really close to committing our people tell us (and EJ’s people tell him($)). Clearly the Warinner divorce held off Miller’s announcement, which is great news for those of us who were procrastinating on that Hello post.

MN 4* Lucas Heyer is a top priority for a lot of Big Ten schools. Warinner was in early($) thanks to his Minnesota connections, but it waits to be seen if Michigan surrendered their slim lead there when they surrendered Ed. We may not have to wait long; 247’s Brice Marich put in a Crystal Ball to Michigan this week($).

[After THE JUMP: lock up yo five-stars]

Moore Unleashed

Everybody else on the list now is the kind of national prospect Warinner might have not thought worth the effort, but ace recruiter Sherrone Moore isn’t giving up on. Rivals has a Blue Chips up on four of these Moore-shots($), and 247 has moved a number of Moore favorites($) into the Top Target designation.

One of the targets from the old board who’s probably more of a priority to Moore (ha!) is KY 4* Grant Bingham, who’s expected to save a visit for Michigan, but will be a tough battle with Notre Dame.

One guy we’re dumping max points into now is IN 4.5* OT Kiyaunta Goodwin, who was supposed to be a Bama-OSU-Clemson battle since he was a kid, and might be again via the 247 crew on their podcast:

Fascinating kid who was like a big-time prospect when he was in eighth grade, and then was in really bad shape, but has worked his way back. Now, (he's) just on the cusp of being a top 100 prospect (…) So, kind of a guy that was not a priority when Ed Warinner was manning the offensive line. I don't feel like there was much contact there. If there was, it was lost on us. Now, the flip side is it looks like Ohio State will probably be the biggest competition there.

There’s been no movement noted about that push, and Michigan actually winning a head-to-head with OSU for Goodwin would be about as surprising as the victory on the field Michigan would have secured last year.

Another Ohioan Moore’s focusing on is top-150 OT Aamil Wagner, who’s had Notre Dame, Stanford, and Kentucky as his top three($) for some time. Holland says Wagner’s a “Tier 1” guy for Moore, and that Michigan will get a visit($).

Via the same link, Moore is also gunning for WI 4* T Joe Brunner, a top-100 OL from Wisconsin who likes Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, so at least we’ve got goals. To that 247 will add WI 4.5* G Carson Hinzman—the Badgers 247 guy hasn’t moved his crystal ball but acknowledges the fight($):

Michigan, Notre Dame, Iowa, and others are making a strong charge for the four-star offensive guard. Hinzman also has a national offer list with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, LSU, Miami (FL), and Penn State all on him as well. In the end, I think Hinzman stays in the Midwest, although I do think he needs to take a handful of visits still, potentially even officials. His heart is with the Badgers. It was his dream school growing up. UW just doesn't miss on those kids when push comes to shove.

The author hasn’t put in a ball for Brunner, FWIW, but he’s got a point that the Badgers were in on these guys way earlier even if the industry has finally learned to rank them correctly.

Moore also wants to get back into the recruitment of CA 4.5* T Earnest Greene, who visited Michigan awhile ago but has since become a national prospect looking at Alabama.

Ditto the very large WA 4* G/T Malik Agbo, whom Lorenz says has “legitimate interest”($) in Michigan. And we’re not done, since Moore is back after GA 4.5* Addison Nichols. It seems Nichols is a Plan B for Ohio State and was a Plan A for Tennessee until the Vols put themselves out of everyone’s plans. Clemson’s jumping in now too($) but Moore’s early connections could pay off.

Receiver Board Gets Bellamy’d

Gattis has been laser focused on top-100 IL WRs Tyler Morris and Kaleb Brown since Josh got here, but since we’re apparently the new player in the Volunteer State, we might as well go for TN 4* WR Barion Brown out of Nashville. Alabama and everybody is after the extremely athletic speedster, who’s #7 in the state, but hey, when you’ve already got #6 and #9 and are coming hard for #1, #4, #5, and #16, might as well take your shot.

While Gattis is after his 40 times (which I love, make no mistake), Ron Bellamy has turned around the Wolverines’ chances with a few targets who’ll remind you more of the guys from his era. The very big (and I mean BIG) guy on their board is OR 4* Darrius Clemons, a former Michigander who’s all of 6-4/210 and besties with Andrel Anthony:

"Probably about once every week or once every other week he'll text me and say that I'm gonna be a Wolverine. (laughter)."

Nobody’s coming for the outside prospect harder than Michigan, says Sam, and Rivals agrees Bellamy changes the equation($). PSU seems to have fallen by the wayside with Tim Banks’s departure to Tennessee.

4* Tay’shawn Trent, the top receiver in-state, picked up some MSU crystal balls, but also said he doesn’t plan to commit until Signing Day($) next December. State is making Trent their #1 priority, but EJ Holland says Ron Bellamy loves Trent, and has picked up communication again considerably($), meaning there’s a good shot Mel is left empty-handed yet again. Lorenz said on their podcast that Trent is underrated.

Michigan’s also still talking to WYLIE E GROVES….

… 3* ATH Jaden Mangham about receiver, or more specifically, Ron Bellamy is($). I’m sure I don’t have to stress the importance of taking a guy from my alma mater, not just because a Falcon is infinitely more likely to be recruited to write for the Daily than for something the Daily writes about, but because Michigan State can’t have nice things. Mel Tucker failed to re-recruit Mangham’s older brother($), who played for Tucker in Colorado but chose USF instead.

Michigan also offered a few sleepers from Mo Linguist country. AR 3* Isaiah Sategna, who’s in nobody territory now but has been gathering 4-star interest. It sounds like he’ll be a tough pull from Arkansas, where his dad’s the track coach($). Also at that link, TX 3* DJ Allen is picking up offers from the Big XII newbloods, is a track star who plays baseball.

As for their A and A targets, Michigan still looks good for Morris, but Ohio State really wants Kaleb Brown($) and Lorenz has moved his Crystal Ball confidence level from a 6 to a 2($). Gattis seems to have a very good shot to land all of these guys so it might be a which one scenario.

Tight Ends We Saw First

Michigan has their annual underrated guy they scouted first committed in GA 3* Marlin Klein but really wants to land the big fish that’s eluded them the last few years, and bring in two guys at least regardless. The other GA 3* they saw first, Oscar Delp, has now blown up the rankings—he’s top-250 now on the composite—and that’s changed the shape of his recruitment from Guy Michigan Found to a head-to-head battle with Georgia. Even with Jay Harbaugh joining Moore, Lorenz put in a Georgia crystal ball($) of medium confidence that’s echoed by follows-the-money national recruiter Steve Wiltfong. On the other hand Holland says it means a lot to Delp that Michigan was his first offer($), so we’re not out of this.

Even if that door’s closing, Michigan’s tight end scouting in the Peach State also got them in first for Holden Staes, who’s ranked higher than Delp now and recently decommitted from Penn State. Michigan will check in($) but this was a move initiated by Penn State dropping his position coach, not an imminent flip. Texas and Notre Dame are trying to move in.

Meanwhile Jay Harbaugh’s been talking to as-yet unranked Jason Llewellyn of Texas. Lorenz thinks Llewellyn’s going to be a national recruit($) but is also responsible for Llewellyn’s lone crystal ball, which is pointed at the local Longhorns.

Running Back

Michigan seems to be approaching this year like a luxury class since they got their top two targets in the last one. Rivals interviewed David Underwood about Mike Hart, in which we learn Hart has been coaching RBs at Michigan before:

He's a person that asks a lot of questions. He's a sponge. He's cerebral. He's an intellectual. He studied a lot of film. Mike and I had the opportunity to do a football camp together out in Winchester, Virginia. It was in the hometown of Tennessee all-time great Kelly Washington. Mike and I did the running backs together along with a few other guys like Quincy Wilson. Us three had a really good time with those kids. I think Mike was a junior. The way he was teaching those guys and having fun stood out. I took a couple of steps back and watched him coach for about five minutes. I said 'this man is going to be an excellent coach once he gets done playing football if he wants to get in the coaching ranks

The three moonshots are, in order, CO 5* Gavin Sawchuk, an Oklahoma lean Michigan’s been after from the start, VA 4.5* George Pettaway, whom Wiltfong balled to North Carolina last Christmas, and NC 4.5* Omarion Hampton, who would be one of those Penn State battles. My guess is barring a 2021 implosion from the afore mentioned favorites Michigan is likely to place no higher than second for all three. I also think they’ll turn up a guy or two later in the cycle, since Hart is one of the few coaches in the country you could claim is better at RB evaluations than Jay Harbaugh, who’s been masterful.

Quarterback

You like to start a cycle with a QB, but the JJ McCarthy shadow effect has suppressed their chances to top the next class with a similar kind of guy, and dropping QB coach Ben McDaniels has shifted priorities. They may finally be honing in on the possibilities. 247 just moved IN pro-style 3* Tayven Jackson to “top target” status, noting Jackson was their first offer post-McDaniels. Iowa was feeling good before but it seems Jackson, as well as recent Michigan offer OH pro-style 3* Drew Allar, are being priced out of their range according to 247’s Iowa outlet’s latest “Things I Think” piece:

Iowa has offered three quarterbacks in this class: Tayven Jackson, Drew Allar, and Steve Angeli. As of today, I don't think Iowa has offered the quarterback that it will end up with in the 2022 class.

Angeli is expected to commit to Notre Dame soon but Medina’s Allar is picking up interest from South Carolina, Washington, Penn State, and Texas A&M in addition to Michigan—previously he was looking at Cincy and MAC schools. TX 4* Cade Klubnik got an offer too, though I haven’t been able to suss out his reciprocal interest. FWIW his name means “Little Clubber” (like a golf club) in Yiddish. The last of the recent offerees is dual-threat CA 3* Nate Johnson who fits the profile of the kids Harbaugh used to go after for his second QB at Stanford.

Quickly, 2023s

FL WR Jalen Brown is really really fast so he’s got a Gattis offer. TX CB Jamel Johnson is a big fast cornerback so he’s got a Linguist offer. TX CB Deldrick Madison is an athletic fast cornerback so he’s got a Linguist offer. FL OT Payton Kirkland received an offer, has already been talking to Ohio State, is not a ready-to-play OT product from Costco($) but could be. Michigan makes a top-14 for PA S Rahmir Stewart. Holland caught a private workout for TX CB target Braxton Myers, who’s a guy mentioned often in the context of guys Linguist puts us in the running for. We offered Lloyd Carr’s grandson C.J. at quarterback for 2024, yes, but also Detroit MLK’s 4* Dante Moore for 2023, and West Bloomfield OL Amir Herring, and Cass Tech DL Jalen Thompson, and Clarkston OL Cole Dellinger (Garret’s little brother), and a couple of West Bloomfield 2024s but you can’t make me write about 2024s. NOPE CAN’T MAKE ME($).