The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 51 MICHIGAN RECRUITING he will be a viable option to start games at some point in his career. Flipping Orji from Virginia Tech on Signing Day was a major win. He has positional flexibility as an athlete and will, at the very least, add depth at quarterback. Running Back — C+ On The Roster: Redshirt junior Hassan Haskins*, third-year sophomore Blake Corum, sophomore Donovan Edwards, sophomore Tavierre Dunlap Signees: Three-star CJ Stokes Running back is one of the stron- gest position groups on the team, but Haskins — who has already accepted a Senior Bowl invite — is all but gone to the NFL after this season. Corum, who racked up 11 touch- downs and 939 rushing yards this sea- son, will become the starter next year, with Edwards playing a major role. The Maize and Blue are at a good spot here, with Dunlap and new signee Stokes adding depth to the room. Michigan didn't add a second player in the class despite some efforts earlier in the cycles. If Corum departs after the 2022 season, landing an elite pros- pect in 2023 will become all the more necessary. Wide Receiver — A- On The Roster: Fifth-year senior Ron- nie Bell, junior Cornelius Johnson, junior Mike Sainristil, third-year sophomore Roman Wilson, third-year sophomore A.J. Henning, sophomore Andrel An- thony, sophomore Cristian Dixon Signees: Four-star Darrius Clemons, four-star Tyler Morris, four-star Amorion Walker Michigan isn't expected to lose any wide receivers following this season and will only add to its group. A big-bodied speedster who can stretch the field, Clemons is the top candidate to impact right away. The Wolverines made just 17 contested catches this season, per Pro Football Focus, and he could provide a big boost in that area. Morris could play right away despite a torn ACL suffered in high school, while Walker may have to wait his turn and is a candidate to potentially switch to defensive back down the road. The next two-plus years at receiver look bright. Tight Ends — A- On The Roster: Fifth-year senior Luke Schoonmaker, junior Erick All*, third- year sophomore Matt Hibner, sopho- more Louis Hansen Signees: Four-star Colston Loveland, four-star Marlin Klein "Everything you want in tight ends," is how head coach Jim Harbaugh de- scribed the Loveland/Klein duo. Michi- gan is strong at the position already, though it may lose All to the NFL after his impressive 2021 campaign. Loveland and Klein may be a year away from contributing, but they both fit the offense and should be able to plug in when needed. Bringing in two quality players at this position makes it a great haul. Offensive Line — B On The Roster: Sixth-year senior Chuck Filiaga*, sixth-year senior An- drew Stueber*, redshirt junior Ryan Hayes, redshir t sophomore Trevor Keegan, redshirt sophomore Trente Jones, redshir t sophomore Karsen Barnhart, third-year sophomore Zak Zinter, third-year sophomore Reece At- teberry, third-year sophomore Jeffrey Persi, redshirt freshman Greg Crippen, sophomore Giovanni El-Hadi, redshirt freshman Raheem Anderson, redshirt freshman Tristan Bounds Signees: Four-star Andrew Gentry, three-star Connor Jones, three star (Ri- vals) Alessandro Lorenzetti Michigan is expected to lose two starters — sixth-year senior center An- drew Vastardis and Stueber — from the offensive line. However, the Maize and Blue have plenty of players already on the team on both the interior and at tackle to replace them. Gentry was originally a 2020 recruit and is the age of Zinter and Co., and after some strength training once he joins the program at the conclusion of his Mormon mission trip, he should be more physically mature than the tradi- tional freshman. The Wolverines added just three of- fensive linemen in the early period, and it appears to be a solid trio who can help down the road. Defensive Line/ Outside Linebacker — B On The Roster: Sixth-year senior Jess Speight*, sixth-year senior Donovan Jeter*, fifth-year senior Aidan Hutchin- son*, redshirt junior Julius Welschof, junior Christopher Hinton, redshirt sophomore David Ojabo*, redshir t sophomore Mazi Smith, redshirt sopho- more Mike Morris, redshirt sophomore Gabe Newburg, third-year sophomore Kris Jenkins, third-year sophomore Braiden McGregor, third-year sopho- more Jaylen Harrell, sophomore Ray- shaun Benny, sophomore George Rooks, sophomore Dominick Giudice, sophomore Ike Iwunnah, sophomore TJ Guy, sophomore Kechaun Bennett Signees: Four-star Derrick Moore, four-star Kenneth Grant, four-star Ma- son Graham, three-star Micah Pollard Th e k n o c k o n t h i s group is the lack of edge defenders, though land- ing Moore, a consensus top-200 prospect, late is a big addition. With Hutchinson and (likely) Ojabo both leaving for the NFL, Michigan will need a host of players to step into bigger roles. The Wolverines did a fantastic job at the inte- rior spots, though, land- ing a prototypical 3-4 nose guard in Grant, and a three - to five -tech- nique in Graham. None of the tackles are ex- pected to leave the ros- ter, either, so the Maize and Blue are only load- ing up on talent there, with Smith and Hinton having proved to be a strong duo up front. When Andrew Gentry, who has been serving a church mission and signed with Michigan this December, originally was evalu- ated in the 2020 recruiting class, ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all listed him as a four-star, top-150 recruit nationally. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND