collins acheampong

It's been a little while since we last checked in on Michigan Football recruiting, as the swing of the season has diverted attention from the future to the present. Luckily, not much happened in the meantime, as the Wolverines went a couple months between commitments, a span of time that was snapped by Kendrick Bell's pledge earlier this week. Michigan's bye week, coming with roughly two months to go in the main period of the 2023 cycle, represents a good opportunity to check back in on recruiting. The Wolverines have held several big recruiting weekends over the course of the season and now comes crunch time for the top targets. Today I will refresh your memory with the 2023 class, talk about the remaining targets, and then move onto some early 2024 discussion. 

Where the 2023 Class Sits 

For this part, I'm going to go position by position and list the commits with a quick description of them, much like the recruiting board (which will be updated shortly after this piece goes up). Click on each player to go to their Hello.  

Quarterback: 0

• Michigan does not have a QB recruit. They put all their eggs in the Dante Moore basket, struck out on that (for a variety of reasons) and now are moving onto the next big fish in 2024 

Running back: 2

• Cole Cabana (4*): The Dexter product is one of Michigan's better recruits of the cycle, an electric RB/WR hybrid who draws comps to the likes of AJ Henning and Curtis Samuel and is as fast as it gets. Having a great senior season. 
• Benjamin Hall (3*): Burlier back from Georgia who Michigan took surprisingly early in the cycle for a guy without much of a profile. Having a bumpy senior season that does not inspire confidence. 

Wide Receiver: 2 

• Semaj Morgan (3*): One of the earliest commits, the West Bloomfield product is a polished slot receiver who many recruiting insiders consider to be an underrated prospect. He's a leader of this class in terms of recruiting his peers. 
• Fredrick Moore (3*): St. Louis area outside receiver who committed in the summer. Some questions about his straight-line speed, but he accelerates well and plays the position with zest. Performing solidly as a senior. 

Tight End: 2

• Deakon Tonielli (4*): Leapy flex TE from the Chicago area who also plays basketball. Will need to learn the blocking side of the position when he gets to Michigan. 
• Zack Marshall (3*): California hidden gem who has loads of natural receiving talent but will need to get stronger. Plays for loaded Carlsbad HS with elite QB prospect Julian Sayin. 

Offensive Line: 2

• Evan Link (4*), OT: DC tackle prospect surprisingly chose Michigan over PSU, has good technique and a very high floor. Insiders have been impressed with their viewings of him this fall. 
• Amir Herring (4*), IOL: Similar high floor guard prospect from West Bloomfield, always wanted to go to Michigan and plans to enroll early.

EDGE: 3

• Enow Etta (4*): Borderline top 100 EDGE from Texas, already has proper size for the position as a strong and long pass rusher. Should be able to contribute early in his career. 
• Collins Acheampong (4*): Raw and athletic CA prospect originally from Ghana, towering, long, and explosive. Flying up the rankings, he bought into Michigan's "transformational vs. transactional" pitch in choosing M over Miami. 
• Aymeric Koumba (3*): Build-An-Ojabo French pterodactyl. Has the size and athleticism to be a dominant passrusher but is a sushi-raw project that Mike Elston coveted from the start. 

Defensive Tackle: 1

• Brooks Bahr (3*): Long and athletic Chicago-area lineman that Michigan wants to build into a 3Tech. Also a former lacrosse player. 

Linebacker: 1 

• Semaj Bridgeman (4*): Thick and physical Philadelphia-area prospect. Old school LB who may be better against the run than in coverage. 

Secondary: 0 

• Michigan does not currently have a DB commit. They are looking for a very small class and thus have prioritized several targets who are going down to the wire. 

Athlete: 1 

• Kendrick Bell (3*): Ronnie's brother, a Who Dat recruit that wasn't on anyone's radar until he began torching Kansas City HS football as a senior. Currently plays QB but with an intriguing athletic profile, Michigan is not sure where to use him yet. 

Special teams: 1 

• Adam Samaha, K: Ann Arbor (Huron) kicking prospect who profiles among the best kickers in the 2023 class. Has been locked in for nearly a year now. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: remaining targets and 2024]

The third straight EDGE Hello, today we have the most diamond-in-the-rough-esque guy yet: French prospect Aymeric Koumba. His name was on no one's radar at the start of 2022, largely because he lives in France. Then he attended a camp down in Georgia a couple months back that Mike Elston happened to be at. Elston watched him, got ahold of the measurables, and a quick and tidy pursuit was on, even while many scouting services are struggling to figure out who the hell Koumba is. Going to be an interesting writeup today: 

GURU RATINGS

Riveting! Every site to offer a size measurement is giving the same thing, because they're all working off the same information. On3 is the only one to even attempt a grade at this point, and it may be a bit of time before the others give it a shot. How much Koumba will rise in the rankings between now and signing day will largely hinge on whether he goes to any more camps, and how much more film he puts out for scouts to be using. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: Do you like French pterodactyls?]

We've got two EDGE hellos to get through and we'll go accomplish them in chronological order. First up is Collins Acheampong, a native of Ghana who is slated to play HS football at Santa Margarita Catholic in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (after a recent transfer). Acheampong is a 4* prospect who Michigan had to battle with Miami over to nail down, eventually having "transformational" win out over "transactional" (for once). He's raw, hyper-athletic, and oozing with upside, making this maybe my favorite Hello so far: 

GURU RATINGS

Last row is Seth's conversion to a five-star scale. Links are to profiles

Acheampong is a composite 4* prospect, with ESPN being the highest on him (we'll get to that in a minute), while On3 and 24/7 haven't quite raised him up their board to the same degree yet. The measurements in the top row are pretty similar on height, with Acheampong's 6/7-6/8 frame being ideal for a high upside EDGE, while there is some sizable disagreement on his weight. 24/7 and On3 have him a good bit heavier than the other two but that's a matter of recency for their rankings. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: Another Ojabo?]