2021 RB A.J. Green commits to Arkansas
Tulsa (OK) Union running back A.J. Green committed to Arkansas, which wasn't unexpected. Michigan had been pursuing him, and there was some hope that the Oklahoma connection to Daxton Hill might help get Green in the class.
With TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State) and now A.J. Green off the board - two guys high on Michigan's board - things are getting a little more pressing with Donovan Edwards. Green isn't on the same level as Edwards, but Green can fly and would be fun to watch.
It would be great if Michigan could get a strong look from Camar Wheaton, but the main targets now seem to be Edwards, Rutgers commit Al-Shadee Salaam, California's Prophet Brown, and Texas's Tavierre Dunlap.
Any personal preferences from that uncommitted group?
The best one of that group of four is obviously Edwards who is the whole package and is even a willing blocker. Brown has more of a quick burst and explosive running style but struggles when met with contact. And I heard They where looking at Salaam as more of a Giles Jackson-ish jet sweep and slot threat.
Remember the rule about Rutgers running back commits. Those guys end up being studs after decommiting and going elsewhere (Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley!!!).
Donovan Edwards and Camar Wheaton are neck-and-neck for #1.
Prophet Brown and Al-Shadee Salaam are neck-and-neck for #3.
Then Tavierre Dunlap is #5.
Brown and Salaam are too small to be every-down type of backs; they're kind of in that Giles Jackson mode where they could line up in the backfield and maybe run the ball once in a while, but they're not going to break many tackles of front 7 defenders.
First rule of running back recruiting. Try to flip the rb who is committed to Rutger. It’s worked pretty darn well for a couple other programs
I thought the first rule of Michigan running back recruiting was recruit only 4 stars or lower, avoid 5 stars at all costs?
Our last consensus 5-star RB was Derrick Green and he was wanted by everyone lol
And now he works at DQ!
Wanted by everyone... yet didn’t work our at any of his stops so he should have been avoided
Well then lets tip our hat to Rutgers...for apparently they understand how to identify RB studs, moreso than our program the past decade...
I don’t know who else they’re referring to other than Jonathan Taylor (Ray Rice? That was four lifetimes ago), but Jonathan Taylor benefited from an always strong to elite Wisconsin OL and a cupcake schedule playing in the West every single year. The West, outside of Wisconsin, is a fucking joke.
He’s a good RB who was smart enough to put himself into a great situation at Wisconsin, I’ll definitely give him that. But I doubt he would’ve been anything more than just a guy at Rutgers. Especially in Chris Ash’s Rutgers program. He certainly would’ve never beaten Michigan.
You neglected to mention he was drafted to play in the nfl!
Maybe he'll benefit from a good OL there too...?
I think you're seriously underrating Jonathan Taylor, and I believe Saquon Barkley was also once committed to Rutgers.
Well you’re significantly undervaluing Taylor. And you’re also forgetting some guy by the name of Saquon Barkley was also committed to Rutgers at one time
Second rule of running back recruiting is you do not talk about running back recruiting. Seems like a few of you aren’t taking this seriously or maybe you didn’t know this rule. Get it together people. Seriously though you really don’t recruit for freshman to take the field day one and hope for the best. Teams like Alabama and Clemson build incredible depth and competition. If they happen to have an injury or a player gets suspended for taking to big of a bag at some point they are able to put a 4 ⭐️ or a 5 ⭐️ in place of the starter and not miss a beat athletically. The replacement may not be up to speed with all the playbook and calls but that can be covered up by other great playmakers. Never be satisfied with what you have now at any position. Always strive to get better. Grab as many highly ranked players as you can at any position. The future comes quick and it’s definitely an advantage to be stacked at all positions. Never say you’re happy with what we have and we don’t need more talent at a certain position. That is a complacent mentality and leads to a 9-3, 8-4 record and losing to your biggest rival again. That’s unacceptable and can not continue.
Go Blue!!
This is it, this guy solved recruiting!!
"I would like to load up on 4 and 5 stars at every position every cycle."
Salaam is one of the most underrated players I’ve ever seen. I don’t understand his ranking at all, and would ecstatic if we could add him to the class.
That said, I think Brown is likely our #2 target. Dunlap looks good too, but I’d rather have Salaam.
Another little tidbit for 2021 recruiting is that 4 star OT Bennet Pitcher switched from football to basketball and has also committed to Harvard. Many fans wondered why Pitcher was not a target for the staff but now we know why.
DAMN YOU TOMMY AMAKER AND YOUR MOCK TURTLENECKS
He’s just prepping for his next gig as Silicon Valley CEO
Lost a croot to Sam Kinison, sad day.
OH! OOOOOHHHHH OOOHHHHHHHH!!!!
I get why everyone wants Edwards so badly and I’d love to have him also, but I’m not as worried with the running backs we have on the team. I see him more as a luxury
I think they can be game changers, but they have not yet shown that they can take over a big game, yet. I don’t think elite teams settle for “well, we already got good players there” mentality. Edwards is the guy they need to get because of his potential to be a game changer. I still see ZC as needing to add a level of straight line burst and long speed to his fantastic vision and decisive, quick lateral moves.
Haskins needs to develop better vision and not just be a straight line jackhammer. Corum as a college player is an unknown, and Evans will be gone.
Yeah recruiting is about setting your team up for the future, not just making them better in the present. All of those guys are going to leave at some point. Michigan needs to be able to reload instead of rebuild. Look at the offensive line right now. Lost 4 of 5 starters from last year and yet I feel pretty confident about their continued effectiveness.
no such thing as too much depth. the best programs stack talent on top of talent.
a top RB in state is never a luxury for a team like michigan. you absolutely need explosive plays in the run game and while theyve added some talented backs, they always need more
Also, you don't want this talent going anywhere else to haunt you later. Best have it in the fold in the backpocket
Yeah, I dont want UM to have a good runningback in the future bc I like what they have now, when he isnt on the team.
After watching guys like Zeke and Dobbins at OSU, And Barkley at PSU, it’s time we get our own game changer.
I still believe we are an elite QB and dominant DT rotation away from taking the program from good to great...but having an elite game breaker at RB is not only fun to watch, but can make enough plays over the course of the season and in specific moments to pull off an extra win or 2.
All that said, if Mazi and Hinton have developed and McCaffrey can be special in Gattis’ offense, we are knocking on the door.
qb and dt is the key to the season. Our backs are good. I think Charbonnet Is going to make a big move this year after playing as a cross. I’m especially excited about Corum’s future.
I really, really hope Charbonnet's carries go up from last year. Too often, for my tastes, it would seem like he was in a rhythm looking really good on the field and we would end up subbing in Haskins for the next series. ZC has similar power to Haskins but is a couple notches ahead of him athletically.
I know Evans coming back as a change of pace and 3rd down back is going to eat into the overall available carries but I'd still like to see us stick with the hot hand especially when ZC is rolling.
On purpose?
He lost a bet
Grabbed the wrong hat and now he's stuck being a Razorback.
At what point are we allowed to actually laugh at a player of his caliber picking Arkansas...
Let's give Pittman a chance before mocking him.
Really want DE in this class. We need explosive playmakers to beat the OSU’s. Yes, we have a decent backfield, but it is not elite playmakers that can change games like OSU brings in year after year.
Can we kinda wait and see on that? Tru Wilson was the only back on the roster last season that wasn’t either a true freshman or a redshirt freshman. ZC spent most of the year playing with an injured knee and still went on to break the freshman TD record.
I agree we still need to get guys like Edwards. We always need to continue adding top athletes. But if we’re going to be in the business of comparing freshmen running backs to what OSU is putting out on the field, prepare yourself to be disappointed.
I think Charbonnet can be as good as any RB in the B1G over the next 2-3 years. Nearly 800 yards with 11 TD's as a true freshman after being a coveted blue chip Top 50 recruit. I don't think RB quality is going to cost us games against OSU the next few years.
Re: Prophet Brown — I heard Sam Webb on a recent podcast and he said that Oklahoma had made strides with him by offering to let him play cornerback.
Sam noted that he thought M would offer the same if that’s what the young man wanted — might help fill a stronger need than RB imo as well.
Harbaugh cannot let Edwards get away. He is a must.
I say go for broke with waiting for Edwards to be the only rb in the class. It’s a risk, and you might swing and miss. But if so you just try to flip a lower ranked guy in December or pitch early playing time to the top 2022 guys.
One guy has been at the top of the board for a year now. Don’t settle.
A lot of talented RB will leave a school if they're not starting in 2 years. May be not those playoff teams. Michigan can always look for good to great RB transfers in the future.
A lot of talented RB will leave a school if they're not starting in 2 years. May be not those playoff teams. Michigan can always look for good to great RB transfers in the future.
Edwards has serious pass catching skills. He is a matchup nightmare in Gattis offense. He has no trouble tracking the ball in stride on a fly pattern like a WR. You could split him out and go no back.
Another recruiting note, Rocco Spindler names his final 5: Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio St, LSU and Penn St. He said he won't be making an announcement anytime soon. We have someone on this board who says they have an in with a Great Lakes recruiting area analyst and they say Rocco is a silent to ND and ND is cool with him taking his visits. Two ways to look at this. The negative is this kinda jibes with him saying he's taking 5 and now he announces 5 and one of them is ND. Uh-oh. Now if you want to put a positive spin on it you can say wait, If I'm truly a silent to ND and want to take my visits then I'm taking party visits. I'm going to USC, I'm going to Florida St, etc. I'm going where the girls are tan ad the handshakes have cash. I guess LSU fits there but you know what I mean. I'm having fun before I settle into ND. So with 4 of the 5 being midwest schools one can think hey he really hasn't decided because 3 of the other 4 schools are too similar to ND. Makes you think he's trying to separate them in his mind by visiting.
Hey...handshakes are off limits now....contactless payments only... :)
If he’s visiting, silent commit or not, his recruitment is anything but over.