The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 155 FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY EJ HOLLAND E ntering June last year, Michigan was quickly approaching the 20-commit mark. After a season full of struggles and an offseason of turnover in players and coaches, recruit- ing is in need of some momentum this sum- mer with the Wolverines holding just seven verbal pledges entering the beginning of June. The U-M staff is finally locked in place and set to make an aggressive push the rest of summer. With the dead period officially ending on June 1, the Wolverines had a prime opportunity to host prospects and their families on official visits and close with some of their top targets. When Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made his hires this offseason, he kept re- cruiting at the top of his list. Harbaugh's new group is full of youth and energy, and is still complemented by staples like Sherrone Moore, who was named a top-25 recruiter nationally by Rivals.com last cycle. While recruiting may be off to a slow start, Michigan is equipped with the right staff members to have a strong close to the cycle — assuming the Wolverines take care of business on the field. At the start of June, Michigan had the No. 19 2022 recruiting class, per Rivals.com, headlined by five-star Grosse Pointe (Mich.) South cornerback Will Johnson, the No. 15 overall recruit nationally, and La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy wide receiver Tyler Morris, the No. 87 overall prospect nationally. Other than Johnson and Morris, Michigan has no commits ranked inside the nation's top 250 per Rivals.com. The following is a position-by-position breakdown for how Michigan is expected to proceed for the remainder of the recruiting cycle. All information is through early June. All rankings are from Rivals.com unless otherwise noted. Quarterback Committed: 0 Projected Take: 1 Synopsis: Finding a quarterback to come in after borderline five-star prospect J.J. Mc- Carthy has proved to be a daunting task for the Wolverines. It certainly doesn't help that it's a down year at the position, but Michigan doesn't have many options. With new assistant Matt Weiss now lead- ing the charge, the Wolverines have nar- rowed their focus on more dual-threat types with upside and position flexibility. And that's exactly why three-star Clovis (Calif.) High's Nate Johnson is at the top of the board. Johnson runs a blazing 10.5 seconds in the 100 meters and has a background playing receiver. Weiss has likened him to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who the coach worked with at his last stop. Michigan is also looking to flip four-star Justyn Martin, the No. 11 pro-style quar- terback nationally, from California. Martin is more of a traditional signal-caller, but he also possesses the athleticism to make plays with his legs. Three-star Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson's Conner Harrell, a player similar to the afore- mentioned Johnson, is U-M's newest quar- terback target and could rise up the board. Running Back Committed: 0 Projected Take: 1 Synopsis: Running back recruiting is much like quarterback recruiting this cycle. The Wolverines are having a hard time find- ing someone to come in after borderline five-star recruit Donovan Edwards in a down year at the position. However, Michigan is very involved with Suffolk (Va.) Nansemond four-star George Pettaway, the No. 5 running back and No. 116 overall prospect nationally. Pet- taway is a compact rusher with tremendous breakaway speed and would be a great com- The Wolverines are prioritizing Clovis (Calif.) High three-star quarterback Nate Johnson, who runs a blazing 10.5 seconds in the 100 meters. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Recruiting Priorities A Look At Michigan's Goals In The 2022 Class