The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1484283
DECEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 41 BY EJ HOLLAND W ith the early signing period just around the corner, Michigan holds 15 verbal commitments and has the No. 25-ranked recruiting class nationally, per the On3 Consensus. The Wolverines are running low on time but have previously always found a way to close strong. Here is a position-by-position break- down of where things stand before the all-important National Letter of Intent signing date of Dec. 21. QUARTERBACK Need: 1 Commits: 1 The latest: New Michigan commit Kendrick Bell is an athlete take, but the three-star prospect from Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill will get a shot to play quarterback in Ann Arbor. Bell does of- fer position flexibility and may project better to cornerback or wide receiver. That's two classes in a row with upside quarterback takes. However, the Wolver- ines aren't too concerned. Michigan is all in on elite 2024 signal-caller Jadyn Davis (rated the No. 6 quarterback nationally by On3) and is the clear front-runner in that recruitment. The expectation is for Davis to be the guy after J.J. McCarthy. Of course, Michigan needs to land him first. Davis is set to make a decision be- fore the end of the calendar year. RUNNING BACK Need: 2 Commits: 2 The latest: Michigan picked up two early commits in four-star Dexter (Mich.) High's Cole Cabana and three-star Ken- nesaw (Ga.) North Cobb's Benjamin Hall. Cabana (On3's No. 153 prospect and No. 7 running back in the nation) recently picked up an offer from Miami but has been completely solid throughout the process. Cabana has had a huge senior season and is one of five finalists for the 2022 Michigan Football Player of the Year award from MLive Media Group. Through nine games this season, he had rushed for 1,160 yards and 23 touchdowns, had 273 yards and 4 touchdowns receiving, and on special teams added 429 yards and 3 more touchdowns on kick/punt returns for 1,862 all-purpose yards and 30 TDs. Cabana added two receiving TDs (long of 88 yards) on Nov. 11 when his Dexter team won the Division 2 regional final game 42-7 against Midland (Mich.) High. Dexter (12-0) will play in the state semi- finals Nov. 19. On the flip side of the coin, Hall (On3's No. 76 running back) has disappointed as a senior. As of now, he is expected to be in the class, but that's certainly not a guarantee. The Wolverines are looking at other options and offered Minnesota run- ning back commit Darius Taylor in early November. The three-star Walled Lake (Mich.) Western product visited for the game against Michigan State and is a flip candidate. WIDE RECEIVER Need: 3-4 Commits: 2 The latest: Michigan holds commit- ments from three-star St. Louis (Mo.) Car- dinal Ritter Prep's Fredrick Moore (On3 Consensus No. 74 wide receiver) and West Bloomfield (Mich.) High's Semaj Morgan (On3 Consensus No. 69 wide receiver). Both prospects are locked in and happy with their commitments. Michigan would like to add another pass catcher to the class, though. At the top of the board is four-star prospect and former Auburn commit Karmello English (On3 Consensus No. 24 wide receiver in the land). The Phenix (Ala.) City Central prospect visited Michi- gan in October and is trending towards the Wolverines ahead of a signing day decision. However, U-M must fend off Kentucky and a few other suitors. Michigan is also in play for former Michigan State commit Demetrius Bell, who made a visit last month. The On3 Consensus No. 54 wide receiver in the country from Nashville (Tenn.) McGavok High has some work to do away from the field but is worth monitoring. Adding a bigger body is also a possibil- ity. Emerging Nolensville (Tenn.) High prospect Chance Fitzgerald (unranked) fits the bill at 6-3 and made an unofficial visit last month. He is expected to return for an official visit in December and has the Wolverines high on his list. And then of course, there is five-star Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll athlete Nyckoles Harbor. While he could play many positions at the next level, Harbor prefers to play wide receiver, and U-M position coach Ron Bellamy has taken the lead in his recruitment. Michigan appears to have the slight edge for On3's No. 1 athlete and No. 13 player nationally, but his December vis- its loom large. Harbor is making official visits to Maryland, Miami and LSU (he already used his OVs on Michigan and South Carolina) and is expected to make a decision in February. Harbor's recruit- ment remains a marathon, not a sprint. OFFENSIVE LINE Need: 4-5 Commits: 2 The latest: Michigan has commit- ments from four-star Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga tackle Evan Link (On3's No. 127 recruit nationally and No. 11 offensive tackle) and West Bloomfield (Mich.) High interior offensive lineman Amir Herring (No. 306 recruit nationally and No. 20 interior offensive lineman in the On3 Consensus). Both visited last month and are solid with their pledges. Ideally, Michigan would like to add another guard, an- other tackle and a potential flex pros- pect. The latter could be filled soon. Cumming (Ga.) South Forsyth prospect Nathan Efobi has the potential to play multiple spots along the offensive line FOOTBALL RECRUITING FEATURE Michigan Has 15 Recruits On Board And Is Looking For A Surge In December Cumming (Ga.) South Forsyth's Nathan Efobi has the potential to play multiple spots along the offensive line and is trending toward the Wolverines. In fact, there is optimism that Michigan can get him to join the class in the next few weeks. On3 ranks Efobi as the No. 129 recruit nationally and No. 10 interior offensive lineman. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND