What to watch for during the 2022 Early Signing Period for Michigan football

Tomorrow is the start of the Early Signing Period for the class of 2022, which will go through midnight on Friday. Michigan has 20 commits in its class so far and is set to add several pieces to the puzzle by the end of the week. Here’s a quick primer on what to look forward to during these next few days as Michigan wraps up most of its latest class.

Scheduled Commitments

Four-star DL Derrick Moore - 2:45 PM

The top-100 defensive lineman is announcing his commitment in the afternoon on Wednesday. There is optimism that Michigan will get him cleared by the NCAA to be able to play in the winged helmet. If he does get past the red tape, then it’s likely he’s going blue. Ole Miss is the main threat here.

Four-star WR Darrius Clemons - 3:00 PM

Michigan could be in for some good news in short order if the Wolverines can land both Moore and Clemons in a 15-minute span. Clemons is coming off an official visit to Ann Arbor that caused two national 247Sports writers to Crystal Ball him to Michigan. The hats on the table for Clemons will be Michigan, Auburn, Miami, Oregon, and Penn State.

Four-star S Keon Sabb

The top-100 safety is set to sign with the rest of his teammates at IMG Academy on Wednesday, but a time is not known yet. Michigan pulled into pole position here after he visited for the Ohio State game and subsequently decommitted from Clemson. He didn’t take any visits after that, which is a good sign for Michigan.

Four-star DL Deone Walker

Walker also doesn’t have a set commitment time but has said he will be announcing tomorrow. Kentucky held the momentum for a long time here, but after getting him to come to campus immediately following his official visit to Lexington seems to have swayed him enough to stay in-state, but this could flip-flop either way before Wednesday.

Three-star WR/DB Keon Entringer

Entringer is a late riser in the state of Michigan that has picked up plenty of Big Ten interest as the cycle draws to a close. He’s a program take for Michigan, meaning he could play either wide receiver or defensive back for them. The final four schools for Entringer are Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Boston College. He’s coming off of an official visit to Iowa that may have given the Hawkeyes the lead here.

Flips

Usually players committed to other schools don’t make scheduled decisions on signing day, but rather just announce their flip. These typically happen earlier in the day so their original school isn’t wondering where their letter of intent is, so expect this news to happen first thing on Wednesday.

Three-star WR/DB Amorion Walker

Michigan has long thought to have flipped Walker from Notre Dame, but he has kept things under the lid all fall. Sam Webb from Michigan’s 247Sports site is very confident he will choose the Wolverines, though.

Three-star QB Alex Orji

Michigan has been looking for a second quarterback in their class and hosted Orji on campus for an official visit last weekend. He’s still deciding if he wants to stick to his pledge to Virginia Tech after its coaching change or head up north to Michigan. This one is still up in the air.

Transfers

Other than the high school prospects, Michigan also hosted two coveted transfer portal targets this past weekend for official visits. While transfers aren’t bound by the same recruiting calendar as high schoolers, expect most of them to decide by the end of the week as well.

RB DeaMonte “Chip” Trayanum

The bruising former four-star running back spent his first two seasons at Arizona State but is from Ohio originally. Michigan has struggled getting underclassmen through admissions but seem to think Trayanum is a special case.

C Olusegun Oluwatimi

It’s rare you see a finalist for a major award hit the transfer portal, but Oluwatimi did just that after Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall stepped down. As a Rimington Award finalist, Oluwatimi was considered one of the top three centers in the country last season. Michigan was able to get him up on campus for an official visit that he enjoyed.

Flight Risks

Of course, signing day is a two-way street. Michigan could not only gain players, but lose them to other schools as well. There are a few recruits that are thought to have been wavering in their commitments to Michigan.

Four-star DE Kevonte Henry

Henry is far and away the biggest threat to leave the class after Director of Recruiting Courtney Morgan left for Washington. The two formed a close bond during Henry’s recruitment as he was looking for a role model and protector coming from a rough background. Henry took an official visit to Washington last weekend and seems poised to flip, which is a bummer because he has one of the highest ceilings of anyone in the class.

Four-star DB Kody Jones

Before Morgan left for Washington, Jones held the title as biggest flight risk. However, his in-home visit with the Michigan coaches seems to have quelled any threat of him going elsewhere. In fact, he cancelled his official visit to Tennessee last weekend, who were able to get him on campus multiple times before this season. Illinois was also trying here, but it’s Illinois.

Three-star S Damani Dent
Three-star LB Deuce Spurlock

There were rumors that both Dent and Spurlock were fielding interest from other teams in the past week or so. Florida under new head coach Billy Napier actually contacted both as they try to put together a class late. Spurlock was also hearing from Auburn and Clemson. However, both commits went on record saying that they were sticking with Michigan and signing on Wednesday. Crazier things have happened in recruiting though.