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Hey everyone, and welcome to another Michigan Recruiting Roundup.
Michigan gained commitments from two top targets on Sunday and Monday in Junior Colson and Jaydon Hood, respectively. So now that those guys are locked in, what about a few other top targets? Let’s check in on three of them.
The latest with Rocco Spindler
Michigan’s top target along the offensive line in the 2021 class is, without question, in-state four-star Rocco Spindler. The 6-foot-4.5, 315-pounder from Clarkston has long been a top target for Ed Warinner and Jim Harbaugh. He got offered by Michigan in March 2018, and the Wolverines haven’t let up one bit.
Spindler recently cut his list to a top five — Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, LSU and Ohio State. This week, Tom Loy over at Notre Dame’s 247Sports site gave his take on where things stand with Spindler’s recruitment ($).
“I still feel good about my 247Sports crystal ball prediction that has Spindler landing in South Bend at Notre Dame,” Loy wrote. “I don’t see myself changing it, but this is recruiting and anything is possible. I still believe the top three include the Irish, Penn State and Michigan. For a while I have said that the Nittany Lions are in the two spot, but the more I dig into this one, I believe the Wolverines are slightly behind Notre Dame as of today. However, in all honesty, it’s a really tight three-horse race and each of the coaching staffs have optimism that he’ll end up at their respective schools.”
Loy has long been saying Spindler would end up at Notre Dame, and he clearly isn’t changing his mind now. However, I think it is telling he believes Michigan is slightly behind Notre Dame now. At one point, like he even said in the post, Loy thought Michigan was running third behind Notre Dame and Penn State.
Loy also said Spindler is hoping to take more visits later this year and then decide. The only school he hasn’t visited yet in his top five is LSU. I honestly don’t know if he’ll get the chance to do so, but he at least hopes to get down there.
To me at least, it really feels like a decision could come any day now. We’ll just have to stay patient and see what happens.
Spindler is the No. 44 overall player in 2021, per 247Sports’ composite.
Top DE breaks down U-M interest
A recruit who has flown under-the-radar a bit is 2021 four-star defensive end Kechaun Bennett. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder hails from Suffield, Connecticut — AKA: Don Brown territory. He hasn’t been talked about a ton, but he could quietly be one of Michigan’s top pass rushers on the board in the class.
He released his top six schools on Tuesday night: Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, Syracuse and Cal. He spoke with 247Sports’ Brian Dohn (FREE) to break it all down.
About the Wolverines, Bennett said, “They have very high academics and (defensive coordinator) coach Don Brown is a genius when it comes to be able to put people in the right position and make plays.”
Bennett also told Dohn he has taken notice about a lot of kids committing to schools without ever visiting, so his decision is “going to be sooner than I thought.”
Michigan — which holds two crystal balls for Bennett — was his first ever offer back in Feb. 2019. We will certainly see soon if the Wolverines can finish the job and land a guy they’ve been recruiting for longer than any other program.
Top DB target trims down list
One of Michigan’s top targets at defensive back in the 2021, three-star Ryan Barnes, cut his top list down to 15 schools on Tuesday, and Michigan made the cut.
I want to Thank All of the Coaches that have believed in my potential & offered me opportunities to play football on the next level. Although My Recruitment is Still Open, I will be Focusing on these 15 schools at the moment... #ClearEyeView #Blessed #Honored @QO_FOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/MmLOnUtiDk
— Ryan “Bo” Barnes (@Bo11Ryan) May 26, 2020
The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Gaithersburg, Maryland once told Maize n Brew he was not going to make a top list, but he changed his mind and dropped a top 15 of Michigan, Notre Dame, Clemson, Penn State, Florida State, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oregon, Maryland, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Duke.
Barnes also confirmed with Maize n Brew he has plans to talk with Jim Harbaugh and safeties coach Bob Shoop Thursday afternoon.
He is still hoping to commit sometime before his senior year, but he also hopes to take some more visits beforehand. With the ongoing in-person recruiting dead period, he may not be able to take any visits, so we’ll see how this shakes out.
That’s all for this week! Check back on Tuesday for another roundup.