'22 Recruiting Reset
So the Michigan coaches are playing catch up with the teams that did not participate in Championship Week, as the recruiting Contact Period started on November 28th. While our coaches were putting together the plans to destroy Iowa, other programs were making their in-home meetings with the recruits. The recruiting Dead Period starts on December 13th and Early Signing Date is December 15th so this leaves little time for our coaches to do their magic.
I have pulled together a summary (stolen from the MGoBlog 2022 Recruiting Board - thanks Seth) of where we stand with our targets and what possibilities are still in play. So here is what I know:
Jayden Denegal has been a commit for some time. Michigan flipped a D1 scholarshiped QB from Kent St, to become a Preferred Walk-On at UofM. The question is, are we still flirting with trying to flip Costal Carolina commit Bryce Archie, or are they happy with what they have?
CJ Stokes has been solid for a while. Hart would like to add one more and is working on some players that have been committed elsewhere or recently decommited. Right now it looks like a long shot to add anyone new.
Only one currently in the class, looking for another or two. Working hard to flip Walker, looked like there was a chance with all the ND turmoil, but they may have now upgraded in the recruiting world’s eyes. Still a shot with Webb, but Tennessee has been working hard.
Tight End looks set for 2022.
Jones and Lorenzetti are set. Working hard to get others to join them. Conerly was once thought to be a slam dunk, but not so much now, with USC, Bama and Washington getting back into the mix. It is always a red flag when a player has Michigan as the leader for so long without pulling the trigger. We seem to lose more of those then we win. Goodwin would be a massive win (both literally and figuratively – he is a large human being), but UK has him as a commit and NIL will play a big part of his recruitment. He came in for The Game, and said all the right things, but…. Nabou has fallen off of the radar, I don’t see much chatter with him any longer.
Graham and Grant are two big gets this cycle and will play above their rankings. Kinder is a PWO from Grosse Point South. Walker has been on again off again with Michigan the whole cycle and has yet to pull the trigger. There is something holding him back, so who knows where that ends up. Law and Schwartz were on the radar in the past, but not sure if the staff is still working on them. Washington picked UGA and M’Ba dropped us due to transfer credits. Not sure there are other options this late in the game.
We added Burke to the class this past week. Henry and Pollard have been in the class for a while. Josephs was snake oiled by Tennessee. No other options are pubic at this time.
With the addition of late riser Rolder, we look to be done with the LB position.
Sabb was in for The Game and had a great time. Currently committed to DC-less Clemson, so we might have the right momentum to flip him to the good guys, would be a huge get for the class.
Lots of twist and turns with this group, but with the addition of Berry and future captain-type player Johnson, this is a strong haul. Jones is still one to watch as other programs keep trying to pry him away. Ausberry will announce soon, but not sure how much of a chance we have here. Entringer is a late riser from Walled Lake Western that Michigan recently offered. He could be a DB or WR.
Those who come, will have opportunities.
Go Blue!
December 6th, 2021 at 1:13 PM ^
This is a pretty nice 'crootin update - thanks for the effort! Hopefully, the B1G Championship and Harbaugh in-home's can sway some of these kids that Michigan is legit, and is where they need to be.
But I'm not sure I want more pubic updates about edges...
December 6th, 2021 at 1:23 PM ^
Ouch, that is a bad typo.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
Last thing we need is for some manscaping implement company to start spamming this blog with a million ads
December 6th, 2021 at 2:28 PM ^
NIL opportunity?
December 6th, 2021 at 6:16 PM ^
I hate seeing Morgan leave, especially to Washington! That will pretty much close the door for Michigan with Josh Conerly Jr.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:14 PM ^
How about a pubic update that involves crystal ballz on where Penix fits in?
December 6th, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
Have we heard any rumors about Sabb now that Venables is HC in OK?
That indeed would be huge for us to grab him
December 6th, 2021 at 1:15 PM ^
He is liking Mike Mcdonald tweets on twitter now. After deleting some Clemson stuff. Lorenz put in a CB for him yesterday.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
Definitely seems to have all the right vibes. Adding Keon Sabb to this class would make this secondary cycle absolutely bonkers. 3 Top 100 players, 4 if in the Top 250.. an under ranked guy like Pollard (in my opinion), and Damani Dent who the coaches love and looks like a major sleeper prospect??
That's insane. You marry up that secondary with some of the added beef we have coming along the defensive line and inject that talent into MacDonald's scheme (if we can somehow hold onto him). I don't think any offense is going to want that smoke in a few years.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
Saw that. It appears he's a big fan of Mike MacDonald's wife, so we have that going for us.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:27 PM ^
He has a medium public ballz from Lorenz.
My understanding of the recruiting lingo suggests this is better than a pubic ballz but weaker than strong ballz and not worth banking unless we see a Clemson Decommit and a buckle up...
December 6th, 2021 at 1:14 PM ^
Good breakdown. This could go on the front page. Thanks for doing it.
Also the USC board reported that Mason Graham visited yesterday. Hopefully it's nothing.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
Unless the staff already has something in the works, this would be great front page material. With the early signing day next week, very timely.. Also very well done. Thanks.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:23 PM ^
ugh.
Our OL/DL recruiting hasn't been awesome this cycle. Would hurt to lose this guy to USC.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:40 PM ^
We run three DL on got Grant and Graham. Walker would make this a superb haul. Edge players like Henry, Pollard, and Burke are also very good.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:57 PM ^
One thing to remember is the 2021 DL signees were pretty good with Benny and Rooks.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
With a ass kicking of OSU, B1G title, CFP appearance, terrific staff, and strong perceived job security for Harbaugh, the 2023 class will definitely be very pubic.
Lorenz CB’d Sabb to U-M this morning
December 6th, 2021 at 1:20 PM ^
Very pubic?
December 6th, 2021 at 1:22 PM ^
Just making a play about OP’s misspelling on his comment on the EDGE position: “No other options are pubic at this time".
December 6th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
December 6th, 2021 at 1:24 PM ^
Fur real?
December 6th, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
Like a werewolf wearing a Thong real!
December 6th, 2021 at 1:20 PM ^
It will turn out to be a very good class. My only “concern” is that it’s a little lopsided towards the defense in terms of numbers. Since we will only have 3 scholarship RBs next year I would have liked to get 2, and have one of them be potentially ready to play early if injuries happened. We really need to get either Connerly or Goodwin at OL but I don’t know how hopeful I am.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:24 PM ^
Somebody posted earlier we were looking at a transfer from ASU at RB?
December 6th, 2021 at 1:31 PM ^
We have Corum, Edwards, Dunlap, and Stokes for next season. The ASU RB in the portal is DeaMonte Trayanum.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
I will say this is the one area I don’t understand more momentum and that is the o line. You can look at depth chart and there is a golden opportunity for five star kids to come in and play at least rotational minutes next year but a starting role the following year. If I’m Conerly and Goodwin I’m all over this line. Freaking Madden loves our line!
December 6th, 2021 at 1:57 PM ^
Not sure I see it the same way. We only have 4 upperclassman OL, with 3 most likely departing after this year. In '22 we have 13 OL, and the starting group seems fairly defined: Hayes-Keegan-Crippen-Zinter-Jones/Barnhart.
From that group we very well could lose only Hayes. I think they specifically targeted developmental OL and elite ones knowing it was gonna be tough to crack the starting lineup the next couple years. I think the 2023 class will be heavy on OL. Michigan already has crystal balls for three prospects there (4* Amir Herring, 3* Dylan Senda, NR Sam Pendleton). I'd say we end up with 5-6 to replenish numbers.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:02 PM ^
I guess what I’m getting at is that is we use 6-7 linemen regularly. You are a surefire talent you are most likely getting at least situational snaps all year. I don’t think we need a 6 person class this time but Conerly and Goodwin would have a real opportunity to play and play decent minutes. Definitely by next year they would.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:20 PM ^
lorenz put in a crystal ball for sabb this morning
December 6th, 2021 at 1:43 PM ^
Oh wow, I missed Lorenz's new updates. This is interesting. I saw Wiltfong's crystal ball for M after The Game, but since none of the local boys followed suite, I assumed it wasn't going to happen. I'm really interested to see how Sabb turns out. He was the #5 player in the class less than a year ago and has nearly dropped out of the top 100. That's still plenty talented, but drops like that are always weird to me.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:01 PM ^
Yea I think Sabb never proved his athleticism by running verified times. I don't know if he has that ball-hawking ability, as he looks like a more physical safety, and the recruiting sites have soured on his ability there as well. I'd liken him to a Brad Hawkins type, though more polished as Sabb has focused more on defense and played at IMG. Might be lazy since they're friends but they're similarly sized.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:25 PM ^
Thank you for all this information. Upvoted and will upvote any additional comments by you
Was really hoping for Conerly and/or Domani to bolster the high-end talent of the class. Sabb would be nice, Sabb + Conerly would be a triumph.
At this point though, it's amazing how quickly things turn. Some of the best recruiting classes under Hoke and Harbaugh turned out to have rapid attrition, where the less heralded '18 class gave us the frame for a championship team. It's kind of like that saying that the modest diet you stick to is always better than the (allegedly superior) one you don't -- if 5-stars go elsewhere after a year or don't develop, it's an illusion. I know this point has been made ad infinitum, but it's clearer than ever now.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
Curious for one of you 'croot guys, how does this staff's approach change with the new portal environment, or has it changed significantly?
Basketball is so much easier to comprehend in terms of # of positions and minutes. I'm wondering if you recruit the portal as hard as you do high schoolers given the complexity of a football roster, or would we just use it to fill gaps.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
I don't think I'm one the 'crootin' guys', but Michigan coaches would probably love to have access to the portal, like MSU, to fill gaps. But the Admissions Dept has a completely different opinion. It's pretty doubtful than any portal participants can get in, except for grad transfers.
MSU added 31 players through the portal last off-season.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:10 PM ^
I am pretty sure MSU added 14 players and lost 17 to get to that 31 number you mention.
They added 32 (or 33) between recruits and transfers last year. If the NCAA doesn't waive some rules for the 2022 season, MSU will be capped at 25 total as they should not have any room for back-dating after the 2021 numbers. They currently sit at 21 fwiw. (20 HS recruits and 1 transfer in Berger from UW)
December 6th, 2021 at 2:12 PM ^
Is there proof of this so called admissions department stuff, or is it just much conjecture and now accepted truth?
I mean, I'd really like to see some official UM policy on this, rather than sort of "if you keep repeating it often enough..."
December 6th, 2021 at 2:38 PM ^
The major problem is we do not accept classes from some other universities. I am pretty sure you can find articles about how this stopped us from bringing in Henry To'o To'. We can also go back to several players who could not join Shea Patterson from Ole Miss a few years back.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:41 PM ^
I don't buy the UM policy stuff. I had a lot of friends that transferred in to school. Seems like it's actually much easier to transfer in. I know it's hard to get JUCOs because of their credits but one of the biggest reasons why JUCOs are a hard get is they only have 2 years of eligibility left which means that they only have 2 years to complete their degree. Players looking to transfer with 3 years of eligibility can likely get admitted much easier as they have 3 years plus 3 summers to complete their degree.
I'm sure we'll continue to use the transfer portal where we can.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Well...you should buy it. Michigan is famous for admitting transfers students, but then being stingy on whether they will accept all of the transferee's credits.
I am sure what you say about your friends is true. But they probably took regular college courses. Many football players are taking a set of courses that... are sort of easy-level stuff. And those are the courses for which Michigan rejects credits.
A football player that wants to transfer to Michigan after the RS freshman year may very well have 4 or 5 courses that are of the type that Michigan will not accept the credits.
In theory, such a guy could make up those credits and get a degree from Michigan after the 5th year. But if a different school is willing to accept all of his credits, then that is a strong reason to pick the other school...
December 6th, 2021 at 3:43 PM ^
Michigan is not alone in the Big Ten denying JUCO credits. I work at another Big Ten university well known for engineering. It is really hard to transfer credits from community colleges in to fulfill required courses. Most often they replace an elective. This puts the student behind in their major and means they have to stay longer and so they look to lesser stringent schools. The point is Michigan is NOT ALONE in doing this. We're not a special story for that. Possibly other Big Ten schools make more exceptions, but that is a different story.
December 10th, 2021 at 4:36 PM ^
Not in disagrement. But...none of this is a JUCO transfer issue. That is not the issue. No one is saying the Michgan should be regularly taking JUCO guys.
The real issue is transfers from other D1 programs to fill in roster holes and/or recruiting miss spots in the roster.
If a kid at a MAC school is really playing well, and wants to transfer to a P5 program, and...Michigan won't recognize all of his credits...he ends up transferring to Tennessee or West Virginia, etc., where they gladly accept all of his credits.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
I do think it is harder at Michigan than other schools but I don't think it is that impossible. The other question is whether in football we'd even want non-grad transfers in most cases. Mike Danna is an example of the type of guy we should be looking for.
When I look at what we return next year, overall I'm pretty excited about the depth chart. The one area of concern is DE (assuming Ojabo leaves). We have some bodies who can play there, but we have been relying heavily on pass rush to help cover up for other limitations and none of the backup DEs have shown that. Finding a Mike Danna player for next year could be huge.
Otherwise, there doesn't appear to be a clear weakness between the current roster and recruiting class. I'm a little worried about replacing Dax Hill assuming he leaves perhaps. So it gives us time to focus on 2023 to address most of the longer term needs.
December 6th, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
I do think it is harder at Michigan than other schools but I don't think it is that impossible. The other question is whether in football we'd even want non-grad transfers in most cases. Mike Danna is an example of the type of guy we should be looking for.
When I look at what we return next year, overall I'm pretty excited about the depth chart. The one area of concern is DE (assuming Ojabo leaves). We have some bodies who can play there, but we have been relying heavily on pass rush to help cover up for other limitations and none of the backup DEs have shown that. Finding a Mike Danna player for next year could be huge.
Otherwise, there doesn't appear to be a clear weakness between the current roster and recruiting class. I'm a little worried about replacing Dax Hill assuming he leaves perhaps. So it gives us time to focus on 2023 to address most of the longer term needs.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:35 PM ^
I have zero inside information, but reading the tea leaves and knowing how Sam Webb tends to talk about recruits who aren't likely to come, I'm prepared for the most likely outcome: our class is just about set. I'm not expecting any of the kids on this list to commit to M at this point.
I'm not panicked, though. Kids know what Michigan Football is about now. If they don't want to be a part of that, they wouldn't be a valuable piece regardless of where they're ranked. The kids that are committed want to be here and want to win for us. I'm good with rolling with them. After watching the c/o '17 flame out, I adopted Norman Dale's "THIS is your team" Hoosiers speech as my recruiting mantra. As much as I'd love to have the talent, the Jimmy Chitwoods of the world can kick rocks if they don't want to play here.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:40 PM ^
I envy this healthy attitude of yours - and yet can't help but have the same thought I had on Saturday night: why is Georgia over-loaded with five stars who'd be better coached at Michigan?
December 6th, 2021 at 1:51 PM ^
Sam Webb's job is to talk about all the players we recruit. The majority of players ANY team recruits will end up committing to other programs. I do not know why people feel the need to be mad at Webb because he reports on the decision making process of teenage kids.
December 6th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
Are you talking about me? I didn't criticize Sam or show any anger toward him. You can usually tell by the way he talks about a kid whether or not he thinks the kid is likely to commit. For example, I felt 100% certain he believed Omarion Walker would flip until his last recruiting update when he changed the way he talked about the recruitment because of the coaching shakeup. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
December 6th, 2021 at 2:23 PM ^
Mea Culpa. This line "Sam Webb tends to talk about recruits who aren't likely to come," sounded critical and there are lots of people here who hate on Webb.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:37 PM ^
Have to confess, as a bit of a star gazer, it both perplexes and bugs the crap out of me to see UM behind PSU, Texas, North Carolina, Stanford and Missouri on 247's team rankings.
December 6th, 2021 at 1:46 PM ^
Courtney Morgan had some comment earlier in the year about uncovering diamonds as opposed to looking at stars or something to that effect. It may be the philosophy the staff is approaching, making sure there is a cultural fit and style of play fit as opposed to pure talent. If this staff feels they can coach up high three stars and four stars as opposed to dealing with five star nfl aspirations, that may be where we are headed. That said, I think we should be recruiting a little better than we are and better than some of the teams you mentioned. Time will tell how this class closes out, we have stability and momentum on our side moreso than any other program.