The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 41 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE BY ZACH LIBBY M ichigan dipped into the state of Nevada on June 17 when Las Ve- gas Bishop Gorman running back Micah Ka'apana announced his commitment. Rated a three-star prospect by On3, Ka'apana took an official visit on June 9 and made the call less than a week after returning home from Ann Arbor. "I feel like the visit went very well," Ka'apana told The Wolverine. "Some of the parts that I liked were the presenta- tions and being able to learn more about the school. Also, being able to meet all of the coaches and getting a feel for things in person." The Wolverines were the third FBS school scheduled to receive an offi- cial visit from Ka'apana this offseason, but he decided to forgo planned trips to Washington State (June 16) and Ne- braska (June 23). Oklahoma State and Hawai'i were Ka'apana's other two fi- nalists. He's originally from the west side of Oahu Island in Hawai'i. Ka'apana is the No. 45 overall running back in the country and No. 1 prospect in Nevada, according to On3. He jumped more than 200 spots in the On3 Indus- try Ranking in June. Michigan running backs coach Mike Hart flew to Las Vegas to formally of- fer Ka'apana on April 21. On his official visit, Ka'apana enjoyed learning the his- tory of U-M's success at the position and sitting down with Hart in meetings. The Michigan coach also took time this offseason to set up regular communica- tion with Ka'apana's parents. "I feel like the more time I spent around Coach Hart, the more he started to grow on me," Ka'apana said. "We def- initely talked football, but we had more talks outside of it. I think he's a great coach. He's very knowledgeable about the game and knows what it takes to be successful." The official visit was the first time K a 'a p a n a re c e ive d t h e c o m p l e te strength and conditioning program presentation from Ben Herbert and saw who head coach Jim Harbaugh is behind the scenes. "I really liked Coach Herb's presen- tation. It was entertaining," Ka'apana said. "Also, he knows what he's do- ing and talking about. Being able to sit down and talk with Coach Harbaugh was definitely one of the highlights of the trip." Ka'apana is the second running back commit for the Wolverines in the 2024 recruiting class. Four-star Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller ball carrier Jordan Marshall, On3's No. 31 overall recruit and No. 2 running back nationally, an- nounced his pledge in March of this year. One of the first people on the team who spoke to Ka'apana in April was Marshall. "Jordan reached out to me after I re- ceived the offer," Ka'apana said. "He speaks very highly of his future home, and that's something I really respect about him. With the offense that Michigan has, the one-two punch between us and our play styles could be something special." Ka'apana brings versatility to the of- fense and a high upside. His patience in the open field and top-end speed were vital to Bishop Gorman's run to the 5A state title. At 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, Ka'apana's traits at running back have some resem- blance to Donovan Edwards. Ka'apana split carries with three-star Hawai'i commit Devon Rice last sea- son, but he made the most out of his usage by compiling 1,001 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on just 70 carries. Ka'apana also finished with 192 yards and 4 touchdowns when split out as a wide receiver. ❏ U-M Draws Full House With Las Vegas Running Back Micah Ka'apana On3 ranks Ka'apana as the No. 45 running back in the country and the No. 1 player in Nevada. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM PLAYER EVALUATION STRENGTHS: "From what we saw from his film, I think Micah will be a good comple- mentary running back. He plays at a national powerhouse. From a polish and development standpoint, you know what you're getting from him. Jordan Marshall is certainly going to be the future cowbell running back at Michigan, but Ka'apana's downhill style and physicality are what Michigan really likes. Also, he's highly productive on a per-carry basis, which you love to see. He's also tested well — the explosion and his good build are all really positive." AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: "More touches so we can see who he really is. Generally speaking, the more in-game carries skill players have will make them more experienced and confident coming in. They see more in-game situations, which are hard to come by. You can't simulate a true game setting in practice. But there are encouraging signs from Micah." PLAYER COMPARISON: "One running back who Micah reminds me of is Trestan Ebner, who played for Baylor and is now with the Chi- cago Bears. He was a really good special teams player, and I can see Micah being the same." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power