West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield offensive lineman Amir Herring committed to Michigan on Thursday night. He picked the Wolverines over a finalist group including Boston College, Missouri, and Nebraska, but Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Penn State were among his other offers.
Herring is listed at 6'3" and 300 lbs.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 83 grade, #6 OG, #159 overall
On3: 3-star, 88 grade, #43 IOL
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #13 OG
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #13 IOL
Hit the jump for more.
Herring is from West Bloomfield, the old stomping grounds of current Michigan wide receivers coach Ronald Bellamy. Michigan offered on July 1, 2020, which was prior to Herring's sophomore year of high school. At the time Herring looked like a potential future offensive tackle and perhaps a national star, but his recruitment seems to have leveled off since then. Michigan was the presumed leader most of the way, but there was a lull for a couple months when it did not seem like Herring was a priority. He seemed to be trending away, but offensive line coach Sherrone Moore was able to reconnect and reassure Herring. Herring made a slightly surprising official visit in mid-June and at that point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would be a Wolverine.
Herring is built low to the ground and can maintain good leverage. He played left tackle as a junior but from a two-point stance, and he was still able to get underneath defensive linemen. That bodes well for when he plays on the interior in college, because he will be working from a three-point stance. He plays with good body positioning, keeping active feet to wall off defenders. He also has a heavy punch when he decides to use it and can shock defenders. For the most part, he keeps his hands inside to control defenders' upper bodies.
There are times when Herring gets overextended, when his base narrows and he gets off balance. He also occasionally lowers his head when making contact, and that causes some targeting issues. There's also the issue of his size; while he's listed at 6'3", he looks like he might even be a shade shorter than that. That will limit his positional flexibility.
Overall, I think Herring is a solid prospect. He reminds me a little bit of former Michigan lineman Nolan Rumler, who was bigger and stronger but had some of the same playing traits. I thought Rumler would break through because of his strength, but he hit the transfer portal instead. Herring could be a down-the-line replacement at center, but unless he hits a growth spurt, I think even playing guard could prove to be tough considering his lack of length.
Herring is the ninth member of the 2023 recruiting class and the first offensive lineman. He follows a 2021 recruiting class that included two centers in Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson II, so the Wolverines should be set at center for the next few years. Michigan has landed several West Bloomfield products in recent years, including running back Donovan Edwards and safety Makari Paige.
TTB Rating: 73
@Thunder - would be good to get your zoomed out perspective on where things are at with recruiting for the program. Seems pretty bleak to a lot of folks including the Mgoblog crew. Of course they were ready to quit being fans last offseason so I suppose things are looking up in some ways for them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway - this seems more substantial to me - it looks like NIL could be a game-changer but not in Michigan's favor. I'm hearing some talk that things will correct themselves over time but I'm skeptical about it all balancing itself out in Michigan's favor in the end. College football is king of the mountain - it's a lot easier to stay on tap than fight uphill Right now OSU is solidifying it's position and PSU and MSU are edging upwards it seems. Michigan seems to be OK with sliding downward for now. Programs are never about individual recruiting classes but it feels like more than a blip or a cold streak to me.