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Best Overall Recruit: CB Will Johnson
Johnson is a 5-star talent with size, physicality, good athleticism, and a solid bloodline. Any criticism of him is generally nit-picking, and he was supposedly the best cornerback at the Under Armour All-American Game.
Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.
Best Offensive Recruit: WR Darrius Clemons
This is a pretty ho-hum recruiting class on the offensive side of the ball. There's some talent but not high-end, superstar talent for the most part. Clemons is the one guy that I think could be a star in college and potentially into the NFL. He has great size (listed at 6'3", 205, but reportedly closer to 6'4") and impressive speed. I'm not sold on Michigan's ability to have highly productive receivers, but that doesn't preclude them from having a guy show out like Nico Collins did in 2019.
Best Defensive Recruit: CB Will Johnson
See above.
Recruit Most Likely to Make an Early Impact: CB Will Johnson
Johnson is a local 5-star who just happens to play a position where Michigan could use some help in 2022. With D.J. Turner II seemingly locked in as one starting corner, eyes are on the other corner, where Ja'den McBurrows and Gemon Green might be battling it out to start. Johnson has an outside shot at taking that spot, or at least being the #3 cornerback going into the season.
Fastest Recruit: WR Darrius Clemons
Clemons reportedly clocked a 4.37 forty, which is a tremendous number. Michigan got a couple other guys with decent speed (Kody Jones, Zeke Berry), but they're probably not on par with Clemons.
Strongest Recruit: DT Kenneth Grant
Numbers are harder to come by in this 2022 class than in some past classes, probably because some of those traditional combines, such as Nike's The Opening, are on hiatus since COVID-19 hit. Grant is listed at 6'4", 335 lbs., so he's the largest player to sign with Michigan in the class. Presumably, he has a little bit of muscle to be able to move and throw people out of the way like he does.
Best Under-the-Radar Recruit: OT Alessandro Lorenzetti
Lorenzetti is a 3-star, the #55 offensive tackle, and #684 overall. This award goes to a 3-star who I think will significantly outplay his ranking, and I think that guy will be Lorenzetti. I think he has really light feet and finishes plays very well. He has the quickness to stay in front of defensive ends and climb to the second level. I think he's going to be a good one.
Most Overrated Recruit: WR Tyler Morris
Morris is a good prospect, but I think he's overrated at #133 overall. I'm not too concerned about the ACL tear he suffered, because people make amazing recoveries from ACL surgeries these days. But as we've seen with numerous guys, Michigan doesn't produce supremely productive receivers under Jim Harbaugh. Paired with my thinking that Clemons will be the most productive receiver in this class, I think Morris is just going to be a complementary piece.
Recruit Most Likely to Redshirt: QB Alex Orji
Orji's best bet to make an impact at quarterback at Michigan is to be a dual-threat runner. He needs to work on his passing, and with J.J. McCarthy already solidified as the dual-threat guy, there's not much of a need for an unpolished guy to run the ball.
Personal Favorite Recruit: CB Will Johnson
I'm partial to legacy recruits, and Johnson's dad Deon played defensive back at Michigan in the 1990s. Add in the fact that Will is a local kid who played at Grosse Pointe (MI) South and was a do-everything player - plus the fact that he's a big corner who's a 5-star - and it's hard not to root for him to be a superstar. He's the most recognizable player in the class, and if he has success in a Michigan uniform, perhaps the Wolverines can use that to set the standard and recruit better at defensive back in the coming years.
I know a lot of Michigan fans wanted Domani Jackson. He has incredible hand quickness, and recovery speed in coverage. But I have question about his intensity to want to grow. And I always thought he didn't want to leave the Los Angeles area. He and his dad gave hopes to Alabama and Michigan that he would choose them. But there was always a tone in his dads voice that he was going with USC.
ReplyDeleteDoes Michigan have Conner Stroh on their radar?
ReplyDeleteI like all three offensive tackles in this class but my favorite is the kid that flipped after completing his mission. Maturity which I think this kid has in spades is an under appreciated feature in linemen, regardless of which side of the ball they happen to play on.
I watched Mason Graham again the other night having forgotten to take my medicine. He's very good.
I also watched Clemons again. He's just a man among boys in that league. He appears to be about as big as the kid they have playing left tackle. Clemons, in that league just isn't even fair. I'm kind of surprised that his numbers weren't bigger.
The problem with Morris is that he hasn't played much football. You have to watch sophomore film in order to see what he can do. So, you're really guessing. But, as a very young player he shows some solid hands, route running and some cut above speed along with some shake. His career could be anything at all.
Walker with a 43” vertical. He looks like such a baby in his photo and the way he jerked Notre Dame around causes me to wonder about his maturity. But I like that he’s in the same room with Ron Bellamy who by all reports, the kid adores.
I think people would be hyping Walker like crazy if it wasn't for Clemons and Anthony.
DeleteI have the impression many, maybe most, kids look at recruiting with a different mindset that us olds. Like, the definition of commitment is fundamentally different. More like agreeing to go on a date than an engagement. I'm not inclined to hold decommitments against kids anymore though I definitely prefer the old school approach. But I'm a one minute late is still late guy.
The level of competition Clemons plays is closer to Loveland's than Berry's.
Good rundown. A little surprised Graham wasn't mentioned.
ReplyDeleteJohnson's path to meaningful playing time seems clear and his EE status and close connection to the program make him as likely to be an early contributor as Peppers and Hill, even if he isn't quite the athlete as those two.
A couple other guys I think could play prominent roles just based on the context of the roster are Stokes and Loveland.
Stokes - Michigan could use a thumper to pair with their excellent lightning duo and Dunlap's freshman year was uninspiring. Would not surprise me to see Stokes get 50-100 carries as the third back, more if Corum or Edwards miss time.
Loveland - TEs play a huge role and while we're pretty deep for 2022 the top trio could all leave and open the door wide in 2023. Seems like a small school talent that will translate to the next level, in a similar way to Mike Hart way back when.
Other takes:
WRs - it's too hard to pick. The tall guys are fast, not jump ball reliant. Morris is crafty and connected with JJ. The future is bright but I don't expect much this year.
DBs - it's too hard to pick. Even lower ranked guys like Dent and Pollard seem promising. Michigan absolutely needed to inject talent into the secondary after a couple down years in recruiting (at corner at least) and they did. I have no real guesses on how it will all shake out in playing time but feel very optimistic. I would guess there is at least one surprise from this group, besides Johnson, who contributes early and rises ahead of some vets.
I won't pretend to know anything about the linemen and don't expect any first year contributions but I like what I read about Gentry and Graham.
I'll bet at least one of these big tall LBs Rolder Pollard Spurlock will end up growing into a role rushing of the edge.
Speaking of edge, there's immediate opportunity but Moore seems most overrated to me. Expect him to end up inside eventually. He should get a shot at proving this take wrong immediately.
Moore does not look to me like an edge rusher. If this were Don Brown's scheme, I would probably peg him for the 5-tech defensive end. I'm not sure how well he fits into Michigan's current scheme, so he's one to watch as a potential misfit.
DeleteTBF that is the spot Hutchinson was recruited for.
DeleteI'm looking forward to Micah Pollard. 6'3", 200. Clink really likes him, made it a point to go after him and get him to Michigan after he came over from Kentucky. There must be something great in Pollard.
ReplyDeleteMicah Pollard is the LB. I think you're talking about Myles Pollard, the CB.
DeleteMyles was under consideration for my best under-the-radar recruit designation. I like long corners, too, because even when they're not very talented, they can be effective.
Yep, I was thinking of Myles.
DeleteNew offer:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/ryan_pellum/status/1496660110290022400
He is fast. It's like zero to sixty in 4 steps. Every big name school is after him, including Alabama. It just looks like he's going to be a superstar.
Deletehttp://www.hudl.com/v/2FeT9Q