Some things have happened since we last checked in. Starting with…

Quarterback

The dominoes fell($) and Michigan’s top pro-style targets went off the board to Clemson (Cade Klubnik) and Penn State (Drew Allar). Oregon’s commitment from Tanner Bailey ruled out the Ducks for Trayce Jackson-Davis’s brother Tayven, the younger Jackson just put out a top eight that excluded Michigan.

Michigan’s now forging ahead with some dual-threats, notably CA 3* Nate Johnson who sounds like($) the closest thing to a Denard Michigan has recruited since the smiling one. The new offer is 3* TX dual-threat Alex Orji, who expressed “tons of excitement” after getting that offer from Harbaugh directly. Orji is a Linguist idea with a lot of regional offers and a highlight reel of leaving a lot of grasping defenders rolling on the ground.

What?

Running Back

Mike Hart seems focused on 5* Gavin Sawchuk, whom Michigan was first to offer, though Oklahoma has five crystal balls there. They’re also looking at a big fella in AL 3* Quinshon Judkins, who impressed Rivals’ EJ Holland($) at the Panama Beach 7v7 Tournament.

[After THE JUMP we finally name our Tennessee operation]

Wide Receiver

Darrius Clemons, the OR 4* originally from Lansing who reminds people of Nico Collins, has set up an official to Michigan in late June. Lorenz reports that old friend Andrel Anthony has been a big factor in trying to lure Clemons home.

Tight End

Michigan’s been hitting Georgia hard for tight ends this cycle. Marlin Klein was already in, but early find Oscar Delp since blew up to the #1 TE on 24/7 around the same time his buddy Gunner Stockton, the #3 QB, committed to UGA. Projecting Delp to Athens is premature however, since he talks to Jay Harbaugh “almost daily” and told 24/7’s Brice Marich a visit to Ann Arbor is in the plans($, info in title).

Offensive Line

MN 4* OL Lucas Heyer has been one of the most sought-after linemen in the Midwest—and was probably a lock under Warinner—so it’s a good sign that his first visit will still be to Michigan($).

The Rising Stars camp in Michigan had a surprise Tennessee performer who may have added himself to Michigan’s Volunteer State pilfering plans.* 24/7’s Allen Trieu:

Grayson Morgan - OT, Nashville Montgomery Bell Academy (2022) - Morgan came up from Tennessee and came straight from Spring Break but did not look jet-lagged at all. He looks lean, almost like a tight end at first glance, but is surprisingly strong. He can bend and move which we saw on tape but is also aggressive and competitive. Once he adds the weight, look out. Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Memphis and more have offered.

I’m intrigued. There’s video($).

A long-awaited Buckeye offer came in for OH 4* OT Aamil Wagner, which probably means that’s his destination($).

* [Operation Raid Tennessee? The Battle of Takealotta? The Chat-a-croota Campaign? Taking suggestions.]

Defensive Tackle

Michigan’s young new staff is continuing to pay dividends with elite recruits, none more so than TN 5* DT Walter Nolen, who named Ron Bellamy one of the better relationships he had($). [reads that sentence again]. Yep, Bellamy, not Linguist (or Nua) for that matter.

“When Coach Bellamy got there he started pushing,” Nolen explained to The Michigan Insider. “(The vibe) was pretty cool. He was somebody that I could like communicate with easy, off the rip. I just felt like it's one of the better relationships I have.”

24/7’s national recruiting director Steve Wiltfong caught up with Nolen at the Atlanta Under Armour camp last week, and Michigan’s name wasn’t among those he’s hearing from most.

“Georgia, LSU, who else, Tennessee, who else, Florida, really anybody you can think of,” Nolen said. “They all trying to get me.

However we did make the list of sure-fire visits:

“I know for sure I want to get to Ohio State,” Nolan said. “I’m going to get to Georgia. I’m going to get to Michigan and I don’t know from there.”

Nolen is friends with CB commit Kody Jones, remember, and Nolen told Sam Webb that his grandparents live in Michigan as well($), so there’s a chance. It’s also a long one.

Bellamy is also the guy talking most often to 3* Cass Tech DT Deone Walker, whom Michigan’s been recruiting harder lately. That coincides with Walker earning “Alpha Dog” from analyst Allen Trieu at the Rising Stars Midnight Madness camp.

Nua is also coming for ($, info in title) WA 3* Peter Taoipu, a 6’5”/350-pound dude who’s probably not being offered just to make Don Brown furious. Nua’s also gunning for soft Washington commit Sir Mells a NV 3* who’s just a bit smaller at 6’4”/310. If we get some movement there we’re going to have to rename a lot of cats.

Defensive End

Who did this?

A longtime top target IN 4* SDE Joe Strickland has finally locked in a visit($). It’s looking like a PSU-Michigan battle for the star from Brebeuf, which is pronounced “breh-BAHF” for the record. This has been your Seth Remembers Things from Ancient Hockey Recruitments moment of the week. PSU also gets a visit a few weeks earlier.

If the new staff has a guy they seem to adore more than the average program it’s FL 4* Mario Eugenio, a versatile DL prospect who also has some linebacker in him. If you read my Neck Sharpies on the Baltimore Amoeba defense, this guy would fit right in($):

“They said I would both play defensive end and outside linebacker and that they will teach me how to play 9 tech/6 tech/5 tech/4 tech," Eugenio said. "They said when they recruit for my position, they look at film and compare it to other pass rushers and I am what they’re looking for as an end.

I was intrigued enough to watch the tape, which is Chase Winovich if Properly Ranked.

Michigan also recently offered NC WDE Beau Atkinson, a rising, already quite tall (6’6”/235) edge prospect who’s “extremely interested” ($, info in title).

Linebacker

The big news these last few weeks was Michigan missing on MI 4* Joshua Burnham, who committed to Notre Dame. Seems Burnham was a casualty of all the movement at LB coach($), but George Helow isn’t going to just let a go-blue kid like that rot away in some charmless railroad junction in Indiana.

Helow is also playing some offense, redoubling Michigan’s efforts to reel in IL 4* Sebastian Cheeks, a longtime Irish lean. Visit($), shot, etc.

Two guys we seem to have a better shot at are AL 4* Shemar James, whom EJ Holland recently got to see at a Panama City Beach 7v7 tournament($), and FL 3* Micah Pollard (no relation to the CB target), who’s a weird Arizona-Michigan battle it seems. Marich and Lorenz both have crystal balls in for Michigan($). Both really fit the mold of the kind of athlete McDonald wants.

Michigan’s also in the mix for AL 4* Torren Wright, who’s originally from Ypsilanti, and reports most of his family are Michigan fans($). His offer list—Duke, Kentucky, NCSU, South Carolina, WVU—does not quite match “four-star from Alabama.”

And we’re not done with hybrid space players either, as Michigan remains in touch with 3* FL OLB Omar Graham, who slowed down an imminent commitment to FSU($), and recently had a call with GA 3* HSP Joshua Josephs.

Safety

West Bloomfield 4* ATH Dillon Tatum released a top four of Michigan and three other guys($). He plans to take a couple of dead period visits soon to the Michigan schools, with a commitment expected soon afterwards.

We can also probably count Groves (GOOOOOO FALCONS!) 4* ATH Jaden Mangham here. The latest on that is other schools are starting to take notice, including GT, Wazzu, WVU, and Notre Dame. Allen Trieu makes Mangham out to be one of those serious “woulda gone to Michigan without football” (my words) kind of students who’s interested in GT’s engineering school($), which is both the most Wylie E. Groves thing in the history of recruiting, and probably means the Spartans are out. So of course there’s still an RCMB mod with a year-old ball to MSU that has to get talked about in every article.

One of their top targets remains versatile NJ 4* Jaeden Gould, who seems to be waiting for the board to sort itself out($). As for that board, EJ Holland says TX 4.5* Bryce Anderson is still a target($), though not a likely one. Michigan’s also after TX 4* Chace Biddle, a Linguist connect.

Another possibility, though a long-term project, is FL 3* Demari Henderson, a recently offered($) “athletic freak” whose freakish genes are shared with a twin brother Michigan also offered. Demari is also a basketball prospect with Florida and Oklahoma offers.

Cornerback

TN 3* (not for long?) Myles Pollard was another top performer at that Midwest camp, leading the top-five defenders after the afore mentioned Cass Tech DT. The rest were former commit Myles Rowser, whom Michigan wasn’t really pushing for anymore($), Jeremiah Caldwell, also from Belleville, who’s going to Kentucky, Jason Hardy of Detroit Loyola who’s a possible PWO target, and Ann Arbor Huron’s Tyler Bivens, another PWO possibility.

Michigan recently made the top-six here, and Pollard told Sam Webb the Will Johnson commitment means a lot($). Pollard, whose game we’ve been all about since he popped on teammate Junior Colson’s film, made a trip up to Ann Arbor with his dad last weekend($) and had dinner with Will Johnson and father Deon. Pollard recently dropped a top-six, with Sam feeling sorta confident and EJ confirming Pollard is a high priority for Linguist($).

TX 4* CB Terrance Brooks shot up the rankings last month—to #132 overall on Rivals and to 4-star range and the #34 CB to 24/7. EJ Holland was on hand for the same show and seems to think Michigan or ND($) can pull this A&M legacy out of Texas.

We might see the same($) from FL 3* CB Ja’Cari Henderson, the skinny-tall brother of Demari who was offered at the same time.

2023

AL 5* (he will be eventually) DL Peter Woods could be the #1 prospect in the country next year. He’s got Michigan with the two Alabama schools, Florida, and FSU atop his initial list. Cool.