The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516256
2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ 66 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2024 Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor prospect Cameron Sparks, the No. 7 athlete and No. 114 overall recruit nationally, and Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh prospect Jeff Exinor, the No. 13 athlete and No. 240 recruit in the land, are two highly ranked flex tight ends that can also play other positions. Both have expressed interest in Michigan. OFFENSIVE LINE Commits: 0 Need: 3-4 Michigan took five offensive line- men last cycle, which means this class should be smaller in the trenches. Moore is personally swinging for the fences and stopped by to see elite of- fensive tackles like Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day prospect David Sand- ers, the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 2 overall recruit nationally, Roswell (Ga.) Fellowship Christian's Josh Petty, the No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 11 over- all recruit in the land, Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Northwest's Andrew Babalola, the No 4 offensive tackle and No. 21 overall recruit in the country, and Houston Lamar's Dramodd Odoms, the No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 94 over- all recruit nationally, during the contact period. New Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome was also very active on the road and saw top tackle targets like Toms River (N.J.) North's Jaelyne Mat- thews, the No. 9 offensive tackle and No. 86 overall recruit nationally, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman's Douglas Utu, the No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 215 overall recruit nationally, Eureka (Mo.) High's Jake Lange, the No. 18 offensive tackle and No. 289 overall recruit na- tionally, and Matawan (N.J.) Region- al's Jayden Elijah, the No. 20 offensive tackle nationally. The 2025 class is especially strong for interior offensive linemen. On300 prospects like Glenside (Pa.) Central Bucks East's Michael Carroll, the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and No. 117 overall recruit nationally, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman's SJ Alofaituli, the No. 7 interior offensive lineman and No. 161 overall recruit in the class, New Rochelle (N.Y.) Iona Prep's Rowan Byrne, the No. 15 interior offensive lineman and No. 242 overall recruit in the land, and Bir- mingham (Mich.) Groves' Avery Gach, the No. 16 interior offensive lineman and No. 264 overall recruit in the coun- try, all visited Michigan last year. The Wolverines have also hosted three-star interior offensive linemen like San Francisco St. Ignatius Prep's John Mills, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Brophy Prep's Logan Powell, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Kaden Strayhorn and Cincinnati St. Xavier's Tucker Kattus for unofficial visits. DEFENSIVE LINE Commits: 1 Need: 3 Michigan already has one defensive line commit in On3 Industry Ranking four-star prospect Bobby Kanka. The Howell (Mich.) High product fits exactly what former defensive line coach Mike Elston wanted in a three-technique. He is a hard worker with high-level tech- nique and a blue-collar mentality. Kanka is a solid foundational piece for the defensive line, but Michigan will ob- viously try to go after some more elite- level prospects. The Wolverines have already hosted Top 100 Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth prospect Ethan Utley, the No. 7 defen- sive lineman and No. 44 overall recruit nationally, for a pair of visits. Philadel- phia St. Joseph's Prep prospect Max- well Roy, the No. 17 defensive lineman and No. 174 overall recruit, just named Michigan in his top six schools, while Austin (Texas) Lake Travis prospect Gus Cordova, the No. 19 defensive lineman and No. 209 overall recruit in the coun- try, just notched an offer and is looking to visit soon. New Michigan defensive line coach Greg Scruggs has preexisting relation- ships with both Roy and Cordova. He also has a strong relationship with three-star Princeton (N.J.) Hun School prospect Kole Briehler, who visited Michigan during Moore's first recruit- ing weekend as head coach. Michigan needs to find a true nose this cycle and has some options. Mans- field (Texas) Timberview's Dillan Battle, the No. 29 defensive lineman and No. 288 overall recruit nationally, visited in the fall and is originally from the state of Michigan. New U-M assistant JB Brown also has a tie to Battle — his father was formerly the head coach at Timberview. Michigan is also in the mix with On300 Washington (D.C.) Friendship prospect Bryce Jenkins, the No. 30 defensive lineman and No. 290 over- all recruit in the land. Scruggs previ- ously recruited Jenkins during his time at Wisconsin. Three-star Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb prospect Amir Leon- ard-Jean Charles is another nose can- didate and has visited Michigan twice. EDGE Commits: 0 Need: 2-3 This cycle isn't particularly strong at the edge position, and with Michi- gan taking three during the last cycle, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wol- verines only take a couple of pass rush- ers. Moore hit Chicagoland hard dur- ing the contact period and made sure to see On3 Top 100 Oak Park Fenwick prospect Nathaniel Marshall, the No. 30 overall recruit and No. 5 defensive lineman nationally, and On3 Industry Ranking four-star Palatine High pros- Birmingham (Mich.) Groves' Avery Gach, On3's No. 16 interior offensive lineman and No. 264 overall recruit nationally, is a priority in-state recruit for Michigan in the 2025 cycle. PHOTO BY ZACH LIBBY