recruiting roundup

I've been wanting to write a Spring Football Bits for weeks, except the biggest news coming out of there isn't what's happening on the field for 2023 but which high schoolers have been coming by to watch it. So here we are, mid Spring Ball of the most anticipated season since 2006, rolling out an update on teenagers who might sign in 2024 or 2025 and be relevant by 2026.

Oh, and one stray 2023 that's still out there.

Safety swipe. VA 4* ATH Brandyn Hillman recently asked out of his NLI to Notre Dame and is expected to join either Michigan or Ohio State($, info in title), with Michigan calling within 15 minutes of Hillman reopening his recruitment. Lorenz agrees Michigan is in front($) but makes it sound more like a 4-point lead, with Ohio State about to get possession($), as Bill Kurelic says OSU is the only school that's currently certain to get visit (video). OSU was the loser of a 5-star battle with Bama for #1 safety/#6 overall Caleb Downs on Early Signing Day. USC, who missed out late on TX 4* Warren Roberson, also offered.

Michigan didn't have a pure safety in the class but brought in three guys who redshirted in 2022 and a couple more ATHs in Jason Hewlett and DJ Waller who project to the LB and CB sides of the safety range, respectively, meaning they can afford Hillman time to develop. Not so at Notre Dame, where the safety depth chart is starting resemble their 4-scholarship player basketball roster. Their 2023 class also got raided over the course of the cycle.

Hillman played QB and several other positions in high school but it's pretty clear this is a safety offer, not a last second quarterback. He's shown out at camps, most recently at the Polynesian Bowl. Tim Prister describes a versatile "wrecking ball" and "Point A to Point B missile" who's sized like a pure safety but brings a LB's mentality. All that sounds more like Khaleke Hudson.

So how did Hillman slip loose? Hillman said "personal reasons." MnB did some message board sleuthing but only found Tom Loy claiming academics but not just academics:

[Loy] stated he “believes academics played a role here in this decision” for him to leave Notre Dame. Loy further stated there were “some hurdles” to getting him academically admitted, but Notre Dame didn’t push to get him cleared. Apparently this is a specific academic problem related to Notre Dame, otherwise high academic schools like Michigan, Vanderbilt and Virginia likely would not have offered.

It's my understanding that Michigan and Notre Dame have the same academic approach—the teams get a handful of "trust us" counters for freshmen who are reasonably close but everyone else has to get in on their own—which means non-qualifiers either A) didn't meet the minimal standard for a counter, or B) were supposed to get in on their own and now need a counter. Loy's claim that ND "didn't push to get him cleared" is a nod toward 'B' but could also translate to "he told us not to bother."

[After THE JUMP: Phil Brabbs gets a downgrade]

Recruiting Board lives here.

Second Signing Day doesn't really matter as much anymore, but it's tomorrow, so let's talk recruiting. Any more 2023s? Transfers? How much has Harbaugh's latest NFL dalliance, Weiss's computer crimes, or things that don't matter but get reported anyways set them back? How mad is that SEC coach that Harbaugh declined the Broncos? How much do recruits care about success in College Football Risk? Are other schools really mad that Michigan is dominating that because taking out Oregon is the key to winning a 5-star recruitment tomorrow? Well, no. But let's check in, get a little annoyed, and throw out some links.

If you want to know what's on the other side of some of those paywall links, 247Sports is offering 60% off a year's subscription today, On3 is just $29.99 to get you through the entire offseason (8/31), and Henschke's been doing a great job at Rivals.

FINISHING THE 2023 CLASS

Michigan is trying to add 5-star track star Nyckoles Harbor, who's announcing at 1PM tomorrow($). Adding the highest ranked uncommitted player on Signing Day could help the narratives. But as a football prospect I caution not to expect much for a year or two because Harbor wants to focus on track first, and stay on offense after, whereas his lofty ranking has a lot to do with his #1 overall upside as an edge. According to Sam Webb, Michigan is completely onboard(~15 minutes) with Harbor using his freshman year to focus on getting to the 2024 Olympics, but both Webb and EJ Holland warn that Michigan had better get completely onboard($) with the modern NIL game if they're going to play in today's world.

If Michigan does get the 6'5"/225 sprinter who recently ran a 6.64 in the 60 meter (that is fast), you cannot stop me from using academics-minded, track star/two-way end Willis Ward as the comp, but that's no sure thing. Though Oregon's track program is currently ranked behind Michigan's, they're a track powerhouse, an NIL powerhouse, and the Ducks got Harbor's last visit. Word out of that trip is NIL is now a bigger consideration($), the implication being Michigan is competitive on brand reach but not on the first suitcase.

As of today the only crystal balls in are from South Carolina's 247 writers; they believe SC put in the most work and that the Harbor family, which is tied to the DMV($), won't uproot. Steve Wiltfong seems to think Oregon and SC are favorites, but mentions Michigan's confidence too. Brian Dohn also thinks it's an Oregon/SC battle($). Maryland, which seemed a likely destination just a week or so ago, seems to have been supplanted by Oregon($), while Miami (YTM)'s pure NIL pitch appears to have fallen flat.

Michigan's also been trying to close with a couple of DL. At this point it seems unlikely($) that they'll land Wisconsin decommit IL 3* Jamel Howard, the nose tackle they were close to nailing down on early signing day. Since then LSU and Miami have gotten involved and the Michigan Insider crew cautions Wisconsin is still in play.

So if Michigan does add anybody tomorrow it's because they flipped CA 3* DE/DT Cameron Brandt from a Stanford commitment. Brandt visited Michigan on January 20, but it took awhile for confidence to grow. On3's Chad Simmons said he'd give Stanford the edge($) yesterday, but it seems Michigan got word this afternoon, as Rivals' Josh Henschke and everyone at 247 started predicting a flip. The TMI crew also talked about Brandt at the tail end of their podcast; if Harbaugh to NFL rumors were a sticking point it appears that's been addressed.

[After THE JUMP: 2024, next commits, Kentucky coach is tweeting through it]

And now we wait. Visitors are still trickling through but Michigan got most of their top targets up for official visits, and those targets got to see some other schools, and some have commitment dates that are more or less exciting than others. Touch the Banner made a list of last weekend’s visitors. Will Johnson said he thinks July will be a big month($, title) for commitment. Let’s run the Board.

Quarterback

MSU flipped that Boise State commit; I still think Michigan should kick the tires. They had AL 3* Conner Harrell ⬇⬇⬇ up here last week($, info in title) but the Denegal commitment probably ends that.

Running Back

The only change here is confirmation from most parties that Michigan’s not getting top-100 VA 4* George Pettaway ⬇⬇⬇ over North Carolina because commit CJ Stokes and an impending commit($, title) from TX 3* Dillon Bell ➡ is a class.

Receiver

The board is frighteningly open here after the two commits. The Wolverines made a final five for TX 3* slot Che Nwabuko ⬆, who’s looking to take his official this fall($), said Holland. IL 3* Jacob Bostick ⬇ was one of their recent visitors, but was crystal balled to Iowa($) a few days after.

Harbaugh has been on the phone with($, info in title) WA 3* Tobias Merriweather ⬆ and EJ Holland learned there’s a very strong Michigan connection($), though the recruitment is in its infancy. Notre Dame has been in there a long time and picked up a few homer crystal balls two weeks ago however.

Michigan was also supposed to host AL 3* slot squirrel Marquarius White ⬇ from Nico’s high school, and lanky speedster FL 4* Chandler C.J. Smith ⬇, but it seems the former visited Tennessee instead($, title) and the latter committed to Florida instead.

Tight End

GA 4* Oscar Delp ⬆, probably the nation’s #1 TE, went home from his visit and Dad said regardless of how the recruitment goes, Delp is going to be a better player as a senior because of Jay Harbaugh($, title)—they spent hours breaking down film. Sam and crew are adamant that this is a Michigan-Georgia battle($) while national pundits name South Carolina and Clemson as the non-Georgia suitors. I believe them that Michigan is in this($), and if it was up to the parents maybe in the lead, but I still have a hard time believing Georgia lets Delp out of the state. He’ll escape at least once more—to see a Michigan game in person—so we get to still have some months to find our maid of honor dress. Weirdly he moved down on Rivals after he was the #3 finisher at their camp.

ID 3* Colston Loveland ⬆⬆⬆ came up for a visit and is getting ready to pull the trigger($, title) via all the sites, despite lots of other big-name programs, including Bama, jumping into this one. I’ve got the hello tabs open and…uh…dang…this is not a 3-star you guys.

Sam also made it clear Michigan can take three tight ends this cycle and I wholeheartedly agree, especially since they like to play two and keep going 1/2. Commit Marlin Klein is a Eubanks who needs some development time, and while Loveland has the size to play immediately it’s a big leap from Idaho football to playing in the potato capital of the college football world. Delp would be more like getting Thomas Fidone a year late, or Theo Johnson two years late, or Luke Ford four years late, or Isaac Nauta six years late, or…why does this happen so much?

[After THE JUMP: Buckle up this afternoon]