The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1518781
MAY 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 39 ❱ FOOTBALL RECRUITING The department has also expanded with the additions of Georgia's John Collins and former player Kyle Dun- away. Michigan even modernized and added a general manager position, which has been filled by Sean Magee, formerly the chief of staff with the Chi- cago Bears. He is an experienced and well-liked figure around Ann Arbor who has been tasked with helping U-M fi- nally figure out a recruiting game plan with NIL. If an NIL strategy is put into place — this has to happen; no more promises of "soon" — and the team wins on the field this season, then Moore and Michigan will have all the pieces in place to recruit at a high level. Remember, despite all the recent on-field success, Michigan's last two recruiting classes have ranked No. 15 and No. 18, respectively, and have featured just one top-100 On3 Industry prospect (2024 running back signee Jor- dan Marshall). Of course, those are two big ifs. Will NIL actually change after years of empty promises? Will Moore and com- pany overcome the losses of key offen- sive stars like quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum? That remains to be seen. CULTURE REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY For now, Michigan is fighting through a transition while being handicapped in the NIL era. Moore and his staff are do- ing that admirably. Yes, it's been more than three months since Owens pulled the trigger. And yes, the staff would love to have some of its top targets jump on board now. However, the culture remains the top priority. Without the culture, Michigan wouldn't have won the national title last season. Michigan isn't going to take commitments just to appease the pub- lic. The new defensive staff wants to carefully evaluate its options and find the right fits, both on and off the field. The same can be said about new posi- tion coaches on offense. Michigan is being calculated in how it approaches commitments. Right now, the Wolverines have just three recruits in the class. But if you look around col- lege football, programs like Florida State and Texas and even NIL superpowers like Miami and Oregon have five or fewer verbal pledges. Michigan realizes it needs momentum but it also has a game plan — much like the programs mentioned. U-M had several top targets visit in March with no commitments. April, however, could be a different story. Four-star Red Oak (Texas) High wide receiver Taz Williams Jr. was on campus April 6-7 and is on commitment watch. The Wolverines are trending for On300 Columbus (Ohio) Franklin cornerback Dawayne Galloway and could close with him on his visit later this month — if they choose to go that route. Michigan always knocks it out of the park on summer official visits, and key recruits like On300 Cleveland Heights running back Marquise Davis, top-100 Doylestown (Pa.) Central Bucks East offensive lineman Michael Carroll, four-star Birmingham (Mich.) Groves offensive lineman Avery Gach, On300 Eureka (Mo.) High offensive lineman Jack Lange and top-100 Winston Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor safety JaDon Blair have all locked in dates. Every recruit mentioned is a very realistic land for the Wolverines. Michigan also remains in the lead for prospects like On300 Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard running back Iverson Howard and three-star Ches- apeake (Va.) Oscar Smith cornerback Jahmari DeLoatch. Both could end up in the class as well if U-M pushes. Having a class ranked No. 20 (as of April 8) following a national champi- onship seems pretty bizarre. And if you would have told me back in San Anto- nio that Owens would be the last com- mitment I would be writing about un- til after April's Fools Day, I would have laughed up and down the River Walk. But again, Moore and his staff have an opportunity to end the commitment drought this month and truly build the class during June official visits. It's not time to panic — at least not yet. ❏ MICHIGAN'S 2025 COMMITMENTS Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Carter Smith QB 6-3 175 Fort Myers, Fla. (Bishop Verot) Eli Owens TE 6-2 230 Alcoa, Tenn. (Alcoa) Bobby Kanka DL 6-4 263 Howell, Mich. (Howell) Since Alcoa (Tenn.) tight end Eli Owens committed to Michigan Jan. 4, the Wolverines have not yet capitalized on their national championship on the recruiting trail. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND