The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2023 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY EJ HOLLAND M ichigan was expected to land an elite-level recruiting class after winning back-to-back Big Ten titles and once again making the College Football Playoff. While that didn't happen, the Wol- verines still finished with a top-20 class — No. 18 in the On3 Consensus team re- cruiting rankings. — and added some key pieces to the puzzle while building for fu- ture success. "It's a great recruiting class … it's a total effort by all," said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. "It's about choosing future Michigan men who possess the qualities we aspire to have in the program. This class represents those qualities we're looking for — guys who are willing to work hard to be the best version of them- selves, each and every day. Those who are also willing to place team highly in their priorities … show up every day, work in the weight room to learn, to practice, be a champion, be a true Michigan man." Michigan did not sign a true quarter- back this cycle. It took an "all eggs in one basket" approach and solely focused on Detroit King five-star prospect Dante Moore, who originally committed to Or- egon before signing with UCLA. Moore was the biggest miss of the cycle, but Michigan still found an upside signal- caller by going back to the well and land- ing another Bell — three-star Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill athlete Kendrick Bell, the younger brother of former U-M wide re- ceiver Ronnie Bell. Like Ronnie, Kendrick flew under the radar for the majority of his recruiting cycle and held just one offer (UMass) go- ing into his final year of high school foot- ball. However, the three-sport star had a superb senior season at quarterback and became "the guy" for Michigan. "We struck lightning with Ronnie Bell as a great teammate, great player. Talk about someone always willing to put the team first," Harbaugh said. "Ronnie Bell epitomizes that. His brother Kendrick — great athlete. He loves to compete. He told me he's willing to play any position. Could be quarterback, receiver, could be a corner. He's got the skill set to play all those. We'll start him out at quarterback, and we'll roll from there." Of course, Michigan's offensive attack starts up front. The Wolverines landed three four-star prospects along the of- fensive line in West Bloomfield (Mich.) High's Amir Herring, Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga's Evan Link and Cumming (Ga.) South Forsyth's Nathan Efobi. "As soon as you meet all three of these offensive linemen, you're going to be excited," Harbaugh said. "Great guys. They're going to fit right in with our of- fensive line. They love to work. They're not ever really looking for accolades. It's all about working hard and being the best, they can be. That's what I love about each." Perhaps the man most excited about Michigan's offensive line haul is in-state running back signee Cole Cabana. One of the stars of the class, Cabana will have an opportunity to make an im- pact as a true freshman. "He's one of our earliest commits in the class and a great guy to help us recruit the class," Harbaugh said. "Your best players are some of your best recruiters. He's an explosive player. He's a track guy, 10.55 in the 100 meters. That's fast. And he helped turn Dexter's program into a winning pro- gram with their first division title since 1963. He's a two-time all-state player. Gained almost 6,000 all-purpose yards in his career and scored 79 touchdowns." Michigan's class also boasts a hand- ful of other talented skill players. Three- star wide receivers Semaj Morgan (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and Fredrick Moore (St. Louis Cardinal Ritter) both offer plenty of upside, while four-star pass catcher Karmello English from Phenix City (Ala.) Central was a huge win for the Wolverines during the early signing period. Both of Michigan's tight end signees, Oswego (Ill.) High's Deakon Tonielli and Carlsbad (Calif.) High's Zack Marshall, have Harbaugh extremely excited about the future of the position. "Zack led the state of California in re- ceiving yards as a junior with nearly 1,100 yards and had 9 touchdowns," Harbaugh said. "He's younger for his class. He's West Bloomfield (Mich.) High offensive lineman Amir Herring (left) and wide receiver Semaj Morgan (right) were the first of two sets of high school teammates to sign with the Wolverines in 2023. They won a state championship together along with current U-M running back Donovan Edwards in 2020. PHOTO BY ANTHONY BROOME 2023 CLASS OVERVIEW Jim Harbaugh Likes The Fit Of His New Michigan Men