2020 5-star WR Julian Fleming leaves Michigan off top list

It has been a down week for Michigan football recruiting for the 2020 class. First, 4-star offensive lineman Kevin Pyne chose Boston College. Then, 4-star receiver Josh Downs committed to North Carolina.

Now, the top receiver in the class has narrowed down his list to six schools, and Michigan is not one of the six.

5-star Julian Fleming is now focusing on Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia and Oregon. He announced his top six on Twitter Saturday.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Catawissa, Pennsylvania is the No. 5 player in the country and No. 1 receiver, according to 247Sports’ composite. The crystal ball currently favors Penn State (82 percent) over Ohio State (18 percent).

Fleming included Michigan in his top 10, which was announced on Christmas Day, and was being heavily recruited by offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Michigan was the first school to offer Fleming nearly two years ago, so it is a pretty big disappointment to see U-M excluded from his top six list.

So where does Michigan go now in terms of recruiting the position now that Down is committed to UNC and Fleming left Michigan off his top six list?

There are plenty of other really good wide receivers in this class the Wolverines are going after. One of them, 4-star Traeshon Holden, was on campus this weekend, along with other notable players including 4-star in-state defensive end Braiden McGregor. Holden (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) is the type of receiver Michigan needs at least one of in the 2020 class, so he would be a welcoming addition.

Another player would be 4-star A.J. Henning. Henning (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) is more of your typical slot receiver/#SpeedInSpace kind of guy. He is the No. 9 ranked wideout and No. 1 player in the state of Illinois in this class. He visited Ann Arbor just a couple weeks back, so look for his name to pop up more often.

There are several good in-state receivers in this class, but it seems like the Michigan community has been waiting ever so patiently for the best in the state — 4-star Rashawn Williams — to commit to the Wolverines. He also visited campus a couple weeks ago and is expected to make a return trip.

While it sucks the Wolverines did not make the top list for the best receiver, they still have really good options at the position in the 2020 class.