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Wednesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup: Michael Onwenu's Impact

In this edition, we take a look at Michigan's newest 2016 commit and what's next on the offensive line, updates on other Cass Tech visitors from Tuesday, a set date for the BBQ and the latest scholarship offers.

By Anthony Broome
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

All throughout Tuesday, it was teased that a surprise commitment could be coming, and Scout's Sam Webb was all over it from the start.

Well, it turns out the surprise visitor was 2016 offensive guard Michael Onwenu (Detroit, Michigan), who announced his commitment to Michigan late Tuesday night. Onwenu is a four-star prospect and the seventh-ranked offensive guard in the class of 2016, according to the 247 Composite rankings.

Webb spoke with Cass Tech head coach Thomas Wilcher after news of the commitment officially broke on social media.

As far as what Onwenu brings to the Wolverines, I briefly broke down his skill set following the news on Tuesday evening.

Onwenu, a player from Cass Tech HS, is a force on both sides of the football at 6-foot-3 and 367 pounds. He is a four-star prospect and the seventh-ranked offensive guard in the class of 2016, according to the 247 Composite.

The Wolverines already have a pretty good offensive tackle in their 2016 class with four-star Erik Swenson, but Onwenu gives them a dominant presence in the trenches and fits what Harbaugh wants to do in the run game perfectly. Do not let his size fool you, though, as he is deceptively athletic and can get to the point of attack with ease.

He is still a bit raw, but when it is all said and done, Onwenu could end up being the top guard to come out of this class when his collage career is all said and done.

SB Nation's Bud Elliott also chimed in on "Big Mike."

So what's next for the Wolverines on the offensive line?

Michigan has a pair of offensive lineman in the fold now with Onwenu and four-star tackle Erik Swenson. I expect them to add at least one more player at each position with their top targets being tackle Ben Bredeson and guard Terrance Davis, both four-star prospects. It would not be a shock if they decided to take a center, either.

Rebuilding the Cass Tech Pipeline?

A few other notable in-state Cass Tech prospects were on campus along with Onwenu on Tuesday in the form of wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell, both 2017 prospects.

Michigan has a long way to go before they can officially claim that they own the Cass Tech pipeline again, but it sounds like they did nothing but help themselves with both of these players.

BBQ at the Big House Date Set

Michigan has set the date for the annual BBQ at the Big House event, according to Steve Lorenz of Wolverine247. (FREE).

Lorenz says that it will be held on Aug. 2, per the recruits that were on campus today.

The BBQ has always been a positive recruiting event for the Wolverines even when Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke were calling the shots in Ann Arbor. There is no reason to believe that will not continue under the new staff's watch.

Latest Offers

A few offers have gone out in the days since our last roundup.

The first was to 2016 tight end Sean McKeon (Dudley, Massachusetts), who is a three-star prospect and the 65th-ranked tight end in the class, per the 247 Composite.

An offer also was extended on Tuesday evening to 2018 defensive back Christian Tutt (Thomson, Georgia), who is currently unranked.

That's it for Wednesday. Check back in with us Friday for the latest roundup of Michigan football recruiting news and more.

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