The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1473191
152 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW FOOTBALL RECRUITING cruiting trail when three-star Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy prospect Brooks Bahr gave the Wolverines a verbal pledge in mid-March. The No. 7 player in Illinois is a big, athletic defensive lineman at 6-6, 265 pounds and projects best as a three- technique at the next level. Elston is looking to find at least one more three-technique to pair with Bahr and has made four-star Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha prospect Jason Moore his top overall prior- ity. Moore, ranked as the No. 46 prospect and No. 5 defensive lineman nationally in the On3 Consensus, made a summer official visit to Michigan and is very high on U-M, Notre Dame and Ohio State. This one is a highly contested battle. The Wolverines are also in the mix with four-star Camden (S.C.) High prospect Xza- vier McLeod, the No. 226 player and No. 29 defensive lineman in the country per the On3 Consensus, and four-star Peoria (Ariz.) Lib- erty prospect My'Keil Gardner, the nation's No. 40 D-lineman according to On3. Michigan would also like to take a true nose this cycle and has two targets at the very top of the board. Top 100 Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola prospect John Walker made an official visit to Michigan this summer and has the Wolverines in his top group along with Florida, Miami and Ohio State. The On 3 Consensus lists Walker as the No. 92 player and No. 10 defensive lineman nation- ally and the No. 19 prospect in Florida. Four-star Suwannee (Ga.) North Gwinnett prospect Kayden McDonald made an unoffi- cial visit this summer and is set to return for an official visit in the fall. U-M is battling Oklahoma, Florida and Michigan State for the No. 39 defensive lineman in the country. Edge Need: 3-4 Commits: 0 Michigan holds no commitments at the edge rusher spot, but the Wolverines ap- pear to be in great shape with four top tar- gets. The headliner of the bunch is five- star Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll prospect Nyckoles Harbor. Ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect and No. 2 edge nationally, Harbor is a freak at 6-5, 235 pounds with 10.28 100-meter speed. Harbor could play several positions but projects best as an edge. The Wolverines lead for four-star Ana- heim (Calif.) Fairmont prospect Collins Acheampong following his June official visit. Acheampong, the No. 36 edge in the country per the On3 Consensus, is set to make his decision on July 1. The Wolverines also made a power move with four-star Colleyville (Texas) Covenant prospect Enow Etta, rated by On3 as the No. 132 player and No. 18 defensive lineman in the country. Michigan took the lead over rival Michigan State on his official visit. Lastly, Michigan is in a strong spot with three-star Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek pros- pect Tyler Thompson. While not ranked as high as the other three targets, Thompson is an athletic recruit with high upside. Linebacker Need: 2 Commits: 1 Michigan linebackers coach George He- low made a big splash early this cycle when he earned a commitment from Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln linebacker Raylen Wilson, who picked the Wolverines over the tradi- tional SEC powers. Wilson is ranked as the No. 81 overall player and No. 4 linebacker nationally, per the On3 Consensus. However, Michigan is still working to fight off Georgia and Florida — both are pushing for a flip. With that said, Wilson remains in the class, and the Wolverines are looking for an- other linebacker to pair with him. Four-star Philadelphia prospect Semaj Bridgeman is the favorite to fill that spot. The nation's No. 24 linebacker according to the On3 Consen- sus made a summer official visit to Michi- gan, and the Wolverines are looking to close with him this summer. U-M is also actively working on Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab four-star Jaiden Ausberry, the No. 82 prospect and No. 5 linebacker in the land according to the On3 Consensus; Perkasie (Pa.) Pennridge three- star Phil Picciotti and three-star Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit prospect Hayden Moore. Defensive Back Need: 4 Committed: 0 Michigan finished with a monster second- ary haul last cycle highlighted by Top 100 Nyckoles Harbor is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound, five-star edge prospect from Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll. He also has showcased his elite athletic abilities as a track star, posting a time of 10.28 seconds in the 100-meter dash earlier this year. GRAPHIC BY HAYES FAWCETT/ON3.COM