2022 recruits at IMG Academy J.J. McCarthy can help recruit to Michigan

If you are familiar with the Michigan football recruiting world, you are probably aware of J.J. McCarthy’s tireless recruiting.

The five-star quarterback in the 2021 class is constantly @’ing recruits on Twitter and telling them to join him in Ann Arbor. He’s done it countless times, including with a few remaining targets in 2021 like four-star tight end Thomas Fidone, four-star defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny, three-star receiver Andrel Anthony and more.

McCarthy recently decided to transfer to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year. The reason? Illinois high school athletics may not happen this fall due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. McCarthy, who played at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois, hoped to finish his high school campaign in his home state, but thought it was best for him to take his talents somewhere he can have a guaranteed senior year.

This is not only just a positive for McCarthy, but also for Michigan for two reasons. McCarthy, who would not have been able to enroll early at Michigan had he stayed at Nazareth, can now enroll early. He also can help Michigan recruit some of the top prospects down south in the 2022 class and beyond.

Here are a few guys in the 2022 class McCarthy could help recruit to U-M.

Tyler Booker, OT

Recruiting Booker will be no easy task. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder began his high school career at Bergen Catholic in New Jersey, a place Michigan had recruited well up until Chris Partridge and Anthony Campanile left the university for other jobs. He is also a Michigan State legacy recruit, as his uncle played left tackle for the Spartans in the early 2000s.

Booker already has a national offer sheet, with programs like Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and others extending scholarships.

Offensive tackle is usually a decent need for any program, regardless of how many guys you already have. If Michigan isn’t able to get Booker, it wouldn’t be a huge deal. The Wolverines have already extended scholarships to 19 offensive tackles in the 2022 class, so they are bound to be in it for several top targets. But Booker is top player in his class, so McCarthy could put on his recruiting cap and try to help reel in one of the elite guys, and a player he will become very familiar with since he will be blocking for him at IMG.

Booker is the No. 13 player in his class and the top offensive tackle, according to 247Sports.

Kaytron Allen, RB

Running back is an important position in 2021, but could arguably be even more important in 2022, so why not go after one of the top guys in the country in Kaytron Allen?

The 5-foot-11, 206-pounder is a fringe top 100 player in his class, according to 247Sports, and already holds offers from places like Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Wisconsin and others.

Again, this will be a player McCarthy becomes quite familiar with, since he will be handing the ball off and passing to him. Allen seems like a longshot as of now, but perhaps McCarthy can get the Wolverines in this race.

Allen is ranked the No. 110 overall player and the No. 14 running back.

Dominick James, DT

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, James does not reportedly have a Michigan offer just yet. It may not be long, as he already holds big-time offers from Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State and more.

James took to Twitter to congratulate McCarthy’s move down to IMG, so the two, at the very least, know of each other at this point.

If the Wolverines want in this recruitment, they should probably extend an offer before it’s too late. This one is probably one of the bigger longshots of them all, but you can always hope for good news to come out of this.

James is No. 169 overall and the No. 8 defensive tackle in 2022.

Trevon Howard, ATH

A native of Minneapolis, Howard decided to transfer down to IMG after this past high school season. Listed at 6-foot and 175 pounds, Howard holds offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana and Iowa State. With him now being in the national spotlight, he is likely to garner more attention and more top-tier offers.

Howard plays both safety and linebacker, so he could potentially be a viper target. His tape shows him doing a number of different things, and versatility is something Michigan looks for in defenders.

Brice Marich at The Michigan Insider ($) reported back in January, when Howard was offered by Michigan, that his dad is not only from Detroit, but a fan of Michigan. I could certainly see McCarthy going pretty hard after Howard if the Wolverines really want him.

Howard is the No. 25 athlete and No. 232 player in his class.

Myles Rowser, S

Once a commit in Michigan’s 2022 class, Rowser decided to open it back up so he could visit other schools and not feel like he was going behind Michigan’s back, which is completely understandable and a very mature thing to do.

Even with the decommitment of the Belleville native and little brother of Michigan freshman cornerback Andre Seldon, I’d imagine Rowser is still a Michigan lean at this point in time. If that’s the case, McCarthy could, at the very least, be in his ear and tell him how Michigan is still the way to go despite interest from other top programs — he holds other offers from Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee and others.