The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1451622
74 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2022 a different scheme under former de- fensive coordinator Mike Macdon- ald. While Macdonald is no longer on staff, the Wolverines plan to run a similar scheme and don't have a pressing need for nose and three- technique prospects. Still, there are a handful of high- end targets in the trenches such as Jacksonville (Fla.) Westside nose Jor- dan Hall, the No. 211 overall pros- pect in the country. Hall is arguably U-M's biggest true nose target. Indianapolis Cathedral's Kendrick Gilbert, a three-star recruit listed No. 396, is at the top of the three-tech- nique board and has a strong connec- tion with new defensive line coach Mike Elston. Chandler (Ariz.) High's A'mauri Washington, the No. 127 overall prospect nationally, and Bra- denton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Will Norman, the No. 92 overall player in the land, are two others to watch. EDGE Need: 4 Commits: 0 Michigan is losing star edge rush- ers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo to the NFL Draft, and there is a desperate need for the Wolverines to add pass-rushing depth moving forward. Michigan has offers out to a num- ber of edge prospects, including two five-star prospects in Tampa (Fla.) Berkley's Keon Keeley, the No. 12 overall prospect nationally, and Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Car- roll's Nyckoles Harbor, the No. 13 overall prospect nationally. Keeley committed to Elston at Notre Dame, while Harbor was on campus this fall and is very high on the Wolverines. The Wolverines are especially attacking the DMV for more edge rusher talent. They are prioritizing Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha's Jason Moore, the nation's No. 35 over- all prospect; Washington (D.C.) St. John's David Ojiegbe, the No. 190 recruit in the land; and Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll's Joseph Mupoyi, who isn't rated by the On3 Consensus but the website lists No. 230 overall in its own rankings. The Wolverines' edge rusher board also has some southern flavor to it. Wylie (Texas) East's Anthony James, the No. 135 overall prospect, is com- mitted to Texas A&M but is a Flint, Mich., native and certainly a flip can- didate. The following are also key targets: Colleyville (Texas) Covenant Christian's Enow Etta, the No. 134 overall recruit; Norman (Okla.) Com- munity Christian's Bai Jobe, the No. 173 overall prospect; and Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial's Trey Wilson, a three-star listed at No. 434. LINEBACKER Need: 3 Commits: 1 Michigan linebackers coach George Helow made a big splash early this cycle as he earned a commitment from Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln's Raylen Wilson over SEC powers Ala- bama and Georgia. The No. 82 over- all prospect nationally is the high- est rated of Michigan's five verbal pledges so far this cycle. The linebacker board is relatively small early on with just two more spots to fill. Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit's Troy Bowles, the No. 44 overall recruit, is Michigan's top remaining target and received a visit from Jim Harbaugh in January. Many (La.) High's Tackett Curtis, the No. 51 overall player in the land, has already visited Michi- gan twice and is very high on the Wolverines. Additional linebackers who are high on U-M's board are: Pittsburgh Brashear 's Ta'Mere Robinson, the No. 100 overall prospect nationally; Deerfield Beach (Fla.) University's Jayvant Brown, rated No. 187 in the land; and Pennridge (Pa.) Perkasie's Phil Picciotti, the country's No. 367 overall recruit. DEFENSIVE BACK Need: 3-4 Commits: 0 Michigan finished with a monster secondary haul last cycle highlighted by top-100 recruits Will Johnson and Keon Sabb. Michigan can now afford to be selective in 2023 since it only looks to take around three or four on the back end. Arguably the most important tar- get on the board is five-star Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson cornerback Cormani McClain, the No. 3 overall prospect nationally. McClain has Michigan in his top eight and is set to make a visit this offseason. U-M is working on a handful of other top-300 prospects at the corner- back position, including Seattle Rainer Beach's Caleb Presley, the No. 73 over- all prospect nationally; La Grange (Texas) High's Bravion Rogers, the No. 40 recruit in the land; and Coppell (Texas) High's Braxton Myers, the No. 107 overall prospect nationally. Roswell (Ga.) High's Ethan Nation, who checks in at No. 216 in the country, is also a key target. The safety board is even smaller than the cornerback board. The most- sought-after target at this point in the process is New Orleans Westgate's Derek Williams, the No. 56 overall prospect nationally. Williams visited Michigan in January and liked what the Wolverines have to offer. The Wolverines got off to a strong start at the linebacker position by landing Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln's Raylen Wilson, the No. 82 overall player in the country. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND