Visitors this weekend
This is a relatively slow weekend of recruiting visits compared to some recent weekends, but the most exciting visitor is #1 offensive tackle Brandon Baker from Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei. Baker was supposed to visit a couple weeks ago, but his plans got canceled. Now he's coming in Monday (technically not the weekend, but close enough).
Michigan is also getting Rochester (MI) Adams tight end Brady Prieskorn back on campus. He's the #2 tight end in the class, and he's the fourth - and only uncommitted - prospect from the somewhat famous picture of Jadyn Davis, Jordan Marshall, Blake Frazier, and Prieskorn at Michigan Stadium for several weeks ago.
Here's the full list (LINK).
BTW, Benedict Umeh is on the list but I'm not sure if he's going to make it. I know he had to cancel his Notre Dame visit this weekend on a swing through the midwest, so I'm guessing he won't make it to Ann Arbor, either.
How do you acquire this information Magnus?
Lots of carrier pigeons....
From Varys
Tweets, emails, DMs, etc. I saw the info about Umeh from a Tom Loy tweet...so apologies for using an ND guy.
April 21st, 2023 at 10:50 PM ^
To hell with ND,
Good day sir
Minecraft
Counter Strike message board, obviously.
There are modern methods like electronic intercepts, but Magnus is up on the old school methods too: cultivating a network of informants, opening mail, sorting through trash, and tailing the targets around. That extensive CIA training comes in handy. Side note: Magnus could tell you who really shot JFK, but then he'd have to kill you.
I've actually already killed the first 3 people I told about who assassinated JFK.
Wow, they all have OSU offers so they obviously are extremely important recruits.
/s & Fuck Ohio State.
The Ohio State offer means Michigan is not going to get any of them. That's tongue in cheek, BTW.
OSU has offered 45 in this class, but they are only getting 23 of them.....
Is taylor tatum at osu this weekend? What's that looking like?
He is supposed to visit OSU, yes. I think it's unlikely that Michigan will be able to sign two top-100 running backs in the 2024 class. I know there are a lot of people who think/thought Tatum was going to commit to Michigan, but I don't think he comes if Jordan Marshall is committed.
I do think Michigan could use two elite running because both Corum and Edwards are likely to be gone after 2023, and that would give those guys a few seasons to be the next version of Corum and Edwards. But top-100 backs want to be Corum, not Edwards.
So then buckeyes shouldn’t be much in the fold for Tatum then since they have a top 100 back (Sam peoples I think?) and a 3 star RB. I don’t think he comes here because of Marshall, I think he ends up in USC
This^^^.
Only UM can’t/doesn’t load up multiple stars at a position. OSU can sign 3 5* at WR but UM can’t sign 2 4* RB. Bama gets 2-3 RBs in a class to protect their wear, but not UM.
UM needs more than Marshall and there are plenty of carries to spread around.
I think Michigan will get a second back in the class, but I don't think the two backs will be Marshall and Tatum.
April 22nd, 2023 at 12:06 AM ^
Who do you view as the better prospect of the two?
I like Tatum more because he has better long speed.
April 22nd, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
Tatum has great speed but I find it hard to evaluate RBs when they are just outrunning everybody. Would like to see a lot more broken tackles and balance through contact to justify how high he is ranked. Still would take him.
April 22nd, 2023 at 12:18 PM ^
Seems like they would compliment each other the way Michigan uses their RBs.
But that assumes Tatum would be willing to share the room.
Whats the buzz with Prieskorn, is he leaning to UM or no?
No information on his interest, but I think he's a must-get sort of guy for Michigan. An in-state, nationally ranked player at a position Michigan has had a great recent track record in developing, is someone they can't let get away if possible.
I completely agree with you
I honestly don't know what "must-get" means. Does that mean Michigan will be terrible if they don't land him? Does it mean Jim Harbaugh will get fired if he doesn't land Prieskorn?
Michigan is and has been a very good team without recruiting top-100 tight ends. If Prieskorn goes somewhere else, I have no real reason to believe that the team's performance will drop off significantly.
This isn't meant as a specific criticism. It's just to point out that most teams - with few exceptions - do not depend upon one recruit to become or remain relevant.
Some exceptions to this might be Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M or Kenneth Walker at MSU.
Come on man, you know that's not what they mean when they say that.
You are extrapolating a whole lot of meaning there that was not inferred.
Even if you think I'm extrapolating, I still don't understand it. The phrase doesn't make sense to me. A tight end is not a "must-get" by any sense of my understanding. Michigan was in the CFP this season with a 3-star high school QB, a freshman from Idaho, a walk-on, and a converted offensive tackle playing tight end.
You've been around recruiting for too long to think the phrase "must get recruit" means that the recruit will make or break a program or that they can't win without them.
The phrase isnt making sense to you because you are adding all that on.
The other poster is just saying he's a talented player that for various reasons (proximity, interest, etc) it would suck to see go elsewhere.
I think the point is that "would suck not to get" is not "must get".
"Must get" has an inherent implication of something really, really bad happening if that "must" is not met.
Correct.
Like all these people who say "Literally" when everyone knows they mean figuratively?
April 22nd, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
Suddenly a promising thread turns very pedantic.
How about this: "Michigan's current level of success is predicated on winning the recruitments of highly touted players, particularly at positions of need that are featured in our style of play. Prieskorn fits this bill, and his proximity to campus has allowed Michigan to have an incredible advantage in his recruitment. He represents so great a golden opportunity that missing on him would require an order of magnitude greater effort to make up for it; he's a must-get."
April 22nd, 2023 at 11:40 AM ^
Not to mention we already have Hogan Hansen in the class, who is almost a top 100 TE on 247. Getting Prieskorn would be great, but it's not make or break especially considering how consistently good the TE position has been regardless of getting or not getting top guys there
April 22nd, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
We need elite offensive weapons for our quarterbacks. Hogan Hanson is more of a in line blocker with good hands but not on Prieskorn’s level to make big plays.
I've read it is probably coming down to UofM and Penn St. Hopefully, the good guys win out!
I think Michigan is the likeliest of options. I do think Penn State has a decent chance because they've put out a few tight ends recently (Gesicki, Freiermuth, etc.) that probably have more hype than Michigan's recent guys (Gentry, McKeon, Schoonmaker, etc.). But I don't think that's a big enough difference to pick Happy Valley over Ann Arbor.
If we can land Baker this would have to be one of the best Oline hauls we've ever had. If not the best.
Brady Hoke had an amazing class one year, but i think only like 1 turned out above average.
EDIT:
It was the 2013 class. This was a hell of an offensive line class that was not developed worth a shit.
#1 C - #68 Overall - Patrick Kugler
#3 G - # 85 Overall - Kyle Bosch
#4 G - #96 Overall - David Dawson
#5 G - #109 Overall - Chris Fox
#11 OT - #169 Overall - Logan Tuley-Tillman
#22 G - #422 Overall - Dan Samuelson
Yeah, the one highly rated but doomed O-line class was a harbinger of Hoke's fate.
Yeah, just found it and edited my post above. Crazy class that just did not turn out for whatever excused you want to give it. Part horrible player development, part taking overrated kids.
IMO - and I said this back then, so this isn't revisionist history - Dawson, Samuelson, and Tuley-Tillman were overrated to start. Fox tore his ACL as a senior and never really recovered, so that kind of sucks.
I really thought Kugler would be better than he was, and Bosch was a good player but just had personal issues.
So that class had solid rankings according to the sites, but Michigan's evaluations were way off, IMO.
Injuries and attitudes if I remember correctly. That line wasn't developed great but not solely because of the coaching staff.
I think they were over ranked as much as they not developed. Several of them transferred but nobody caught fire elsewhere. Bosch did ok at at WVU but none of them ever made it in the NFL.
I remember being so fired up about that group.
Need Brady Prieskorn badly on this squad.
I think it should be “Prieskorn really elevates this class.” Obviously the guy is talented and a top tier TE recruit would be great.
It’s baffling that Harbaugh has not landed top TE recruits nearly every year with his track record, but here we are.
No. NEED.
Large recruiting weeks are obviously nice, but also can't underestimate what having the whole staff focusing on a few recruits can do