While all recruiting visits are put on hold for now, the Michigan coaches have still been working to schedule official visits for the future so they are prepared when the suspension is lifted. Following four-star offensive tackle Garrett Dellinger’s lead last week, a couple top targets have set tentative plans to take their official visits in June. Find out who, along with some other recruiting news, in this week’s roundup.
Three-star DB sets Michigan official visit
One of the top defensive back targets on Michigan’s board in 2021 is Maryland three-star Ryan Barnes. The versatile athlete could play either safety or cornerback in Michigan’s system and has been hearing from the staff plenty, he told 247Sports ($).
”I hear from Michigan a lot. I talk to (safeties) coach (Bob) Shoop every day right now and am talking to multiple coaches on the staff every other day,” said Barnes. “I have had calls with coach Harbaugh in the last couple weeks as well. They are putting in a lot of effort with me.”
During this contact, Barnes has set up plans to visit Michigan for an official visit on June 13, if he is able. Barnes holds offers from several of the premier schools in the country, including Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and USC. His recruitment seems pretty wide open right now, but scheduling an official visit indicates Michigan is near the top.
Three-star OT also locks in official visit to Michigan
Another target high on Michigan’s 2021 board is three-star tackle Tristan Bounds. The 6-foot-7, 258-pounder has the ideal frame for left tackle on the offensive line. He spoke with The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich about his recent conversations with the coaches ($).
“I talked to the strength coach on Thursday and coach Warinner as well later in the day,” Bounds said. “(They were) just providing more information about Michigan.”
Bounds originally was planning to visit Ann Arbor this spring, but has now pushed back his plans to the summer.
“Yeah, I’m going to take (an official visit). It is scheduled for June 19-21, but we will see if that holds.”
There are no crystal ball predictions for Bounds yet, but given the fact that he is from Connecticut, you have to imagine that Michigan is at or near the top.
Coaches making a push for four-star WR
California 2021 wide receiver Xavier Worthy recently saw his profile soar into four-star territory last week when 247Sports updated their rankings. The Michigan staff recognized his ability beforehand and have been in frequent contact with the speedster. He recapped Michigan’s interest in his ability with TMI’s Marich ($).
“Yeah, (I have been in contact with Michigan) everyday,” Worthy said. “I recently FaceTimed with coach Gattis and he’s been telling me that they are highly recruiting me.”
Another connection helping Michigan’s chances is another California wide receiver currently on the roster, Giles Jackson. The sophomore has been recruiting Worthy on Twitter and behind the scenes.
“Yeah, I started building a pretty good relationship with Giles,” Worthy said. “Yeah, (he’s talked to me about Michigan) a little bit. He said it’s a very good school and I will most likely get the opportunity to play my true freshman year.”
Michigan received a crystal ball pick for Worthy last week and is in a very strong position in his recruitment.
Michigan surges for in-state 2022 LB
The 2021 class in the state of Michigan is very strong, but 2022 also features plenty of studs that have been identified early as national-level recruits. Traverse City Central linebacker Joshua Burnham is one of those players, earning a ranking of No. 75 overall in 247Sports early class of 2022 list.
After he received his offer from Michigan last week, TMI’s Sam Webb caught up with the Burnham family to get their reaction ($).
“I was just speechless,” Burnham said. “I didn’t know what to say.”
“It was very exciting,” Burnham’s father said. “(We’re) ecstatic. We’ve always been true lovers of Michigan football. It was one of the most anticipated and exciting offers. Not that they all haven’t been, but this it the one we’ve been kind of waiting on.”
Clearly, the offer meant a lot for the Burnhams, who described Michigan as a “dream school growing up” for Josh.
Given these enthusiastic comments, a run of crystal balls have been made for Michigan recently. However, Burnham may not be a candidate to commit just yet, as he still wants to visit some schools and be sure of a decision. But Michigan looks to be in a very good position to add to a strong in-state haul in 2022 already.
That concludes this week’s Tuesday Michigan Recruiting Roundup! Come back again soon to get the latest news in Michigan football recruiting.