Michigan has assistant coaches again, which means they get to recruit again. It’s been a minute since an update so we’ll go over the shape of the end of 2021 recruiting, then give an overview of 2022 recruiting and, if there’s anything available, transfer recruiting.

The Xavier Worthy Question

It appears Michigan has dodged a self-inflicted bullet here. Admissions decided not to let him enroll early for some reason nobody—including Worthy—seems to understand. Both Rivals and 247 have noted Worthy was the first of Michigan’s class to graduate his high school, and did so with a 3.5 GPA. Via Worthy himself he is in Ann Arbor, and is being patient with whatever’s going on over in tweedville.

2021: The Great DT Search

Michigan retained defensive line coach Shawn Nua, and that seems to have helped with Michigan’s biggest remaining need for this class, with top 3T target George Rooks committing earlier today.  Rooks appeared to be trending to BC during the Nua drift, and then PSU was in a strong position a week ago, with Rivals East Coast analyst Adam Friedman predicting Rooks to Happy Valley just this morning.

When last we spoke Michigan’s other top target was MI 4* Rayshaun Benny. Benny committed to Michigan State after their fluke victory, but did not sign with them in the early period, which everybody took for a sign that his Spartandom wasn’t cast in bronze. If you’d asked me then which Michigan’s more likely to get I’d say Benny, but that seems to have flipped in January. Benny has publicly maintained he intends to sign with MSU, Rivals Adam Gorney said it “would actually be a surprise if he flips to the Wolverines” on January 6, and Josh Helmholdt predicted Benny sticks with the Spartans a day ago. However the guy on the ground, EJ Holland, says Michigan still has a chance, and adding Bellamy helps($). Texas is also getting involved late.

Michigan has also added a pure nose target in TX 3* Ikechukwu Iwunnah. Non-fans of Don Brown’s DT recruiting will be happy to hear that Ike, who committed to Colorado a week ago, is 6’4”/290. Sam Webb more or less admitted on our roundtable last week that Brown’s demands for the position held Nua back from pursuing the space-eater types he likes, like Ike. Iwunnah is a weird late-riser since he played in Dallas and was DPOY for his district as a sophomore, but his HS coach says Ike is listening to Michigan($) despite the recent Buffs commitment. Brice Marich notes Michigan’s pitch is serious($), with Macdonald, Harbaugh, and Nua all in contact. Marich also notes the 290 is more accurate than the 275 still up on his own site. Lorenz thinks Michigan’s got a good shot at a flip.($)

The 247 guys think Nua’s hands were tied under Brown, that Michigan’s DL coach going to be more aggressive from here in after some of the better scouted, higher-ranked southern and western dudes, and that they’re all going to have size.

[After THE JUMP: transfers, casting about for cornerback names, The Bellamy Effect]

2021: The Great CB Search

A lot of top cornerback prospects, including several Michigan was involved with, did not sign in December. Depressingly, Michigan fans clicking on any of those guys haven’t been able to detect a whiff of Wolverine interest for the stretch run. That includes top-125 NE 4* Avante Dickerson, who decommitted from Minnesota, is probably following Minnesota’s former CB coach to Oregon, and is trolling us with a David Long comp. Top target Ceyair Wright committed to USC in early January, and what’s left looks bleak for Michigan, with Linguist focusing his efforts on the 2022 class.

Transfer Options

With free transfers this year and an extra year of eligibility for everybody to boot, Michigan is going to be active in the transfer market just like everybody else.

Linebacker: The Wolverines have three LBs in the portal (Jordan Anthony, Osman Savage, and Charles Thomas), and lost Cam McGrone to the NFL, so they want at least one guy to play next to Josh Ross immediately. WMU star Treshaun Hayward, originally out of Ann Arbor Skyline, seemed like a good bet until Don Brown was let go and Hayward followed him to Tucson. Michigan is going to be one of those involved in the shopping spree on Tennessee’s roster, which has former 2019 top-75 LBs Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch already in the portal. To’o To’o as a freshman all-America and Bama is after him too, plus USC and Georgia. Michigan was pulling ahead of Clemson for Crouch before Tennessee came out of nowhere.

Defensive Tackle: Michigan still didn’t have their staff in place when PSU DT Antonio Shelton chose Florida, which is frustrating because I thought PSU always misused the guy. PSU in turn picked up Duke DT Derrick Tangelo, who was also a Michigan target. The next guy up is CMU grad transfer Mo Diallo, who was All-MAC this year, and a major Michigan target again according to Isaiah Hole. There was some talk of Michigan bringing in Diallo last year before he decided to stick with the Chips. Georgetown DT Duval Paul, from the same high school as Mike Sainristil, has been floated.

Cornerback:

That doesn’t mean there won’t be anybody; players often don’t enter the portal until they already know their destination, which is understandable of a sample of people who’ve been through the recruiting process once in their lives already. It groans that ND transfer Isaiah Rutherford, a onetime Michigan target, is joining Don Brown at Arizona.

Fixing In-State Recruiting

Since last we spoke all-everything CA 5* Domani Jackson committed to USC, which Michigan is taking about as seriously as a USC preseason ranking, via Sam Webb on our roundtable. Linguist is going to use his clock($) in an attempt turn that recruitment, and that of “package deal” 5* MI CB/legacy Will Johnson around. For what it’s worth, Rivals’ Mike Farrell calls that package fictional because Johnson is probably a Michigan-Ohio State battle that could bend blue quickly if Ohio State succeeds in recruiting star freshman Elias Ricks out of LSU’s roster. I would guess Domani sticks out West but having friends in Ann Arbor and having Linguist on the job makes that less of a sure thing.

Sam also notes Will’s dad Deon, who played cornerback for Bo, has been involved with Sound Mind Sound Body since its inception($), so we’re talking deep, deep Detroit football here. Will Johnson also admitted he was close to committing to Ohio State at one point, but like: sure, Michigan didn’t have a defensive staff two weeks ago. Now that they do, things are hopeful, at least. It doesn’t hurt that Ron Bellamy, whom everyone around here loves, is now on staff, nor does it hurt that Michigan just hired a cornerbacks coach who’s recruited in the SEC West before. If Michigan loses that recruitment after they would have won The Game year, it won’t be Michigan’s fault.

Speaking of Deep Detroit, Bellamy is also helping to fix the issues with Belleville, the state power just down the road from Ann Arbor where head coach Jermain Crowell, the former DC of Cass Tech, publicly did not get along with the Harbaugh program. Sam had Crowell on the podcast to talk about Crowell’s love and respect for Bellamy. Crowell certainly loves the hire, as well as the Hart hire, and he likes Nua.

That could pay off quickly; former commit Myles Rowser, Andre Seldon’s brother, seemed to be drifting away but the staff shakeup gives Michigan new life in trying to lure back the highly rated safety at Belleville.

Etc. Linguist isn’t going to let 2022 S/CB target Jaeden Gould slip away($). Add to the board one Kody Jones, a 4* CB/ATH who was probably going to Tennessee($) before all that, TX DB Bryan Allen Jr., an LSU decommit, and Ja’Kobi Albert, a safety from Alabama($). New staff re-recruiting MA LB commit Tyler Martin. 5* RB Gavin Sawchuk likes the cut of Mike Hart’s($) foremast staysail. MI 2022 4* WR Tay’shawn Trent of Eastpointe added to the board($). WR/TE Antonio Gates Jr. (YTAG) from Dearborn Fordson has been considered an MSU lean but it looks like Michigan could get involved, via Marich on the 247 pod.