Thursday Recruiting Roundup: Michigan still in it for transfer portal LB

Now that spring practices are all over, the Michigan football coaching staff can now turn their full attention to the recruiting trail. And that means both in future classes and in the transfer portal.

We begin today’s roundup with an update on a defensive player that hit the transfer portal a few months ago. It didn’t seem like the Wolverines had much of a chance here, but they may have a better chance than originally thought.

U-M still kicking tires for transfer portal LB

Back in January, we detailed a few top targets for the Wolverines in the transfer portal this offseason, and one of those guys featured was former Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o. Not much has really happened in this recruitment, but The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb ($) recently detailed how the Wolverines are still in the mix.

The two big questions on Michigan’s end here are “would To’o To’ clear admissions,” and “how many credits would transfer over,” according to Webb. Which, if you’ve been paying attention to Michigan football lately, clearing through admissions can be quite the challenge. But at the very least, despite the hurdles, Michigan is still competing here, which should be viewed as a minor victory.

The other top options at the moment for To’o To’o are Ohio State and Alabama. The Crimson Tide have long been viewed the favorite, but the holdup here may have to do with the SEC’s rule which doesn’t allow transfers in its own conference. However, the SEC is going to vote on whether or not to get rid of that rule due to the NCAA’s new rule, which grants immediate eligibility for a one-time transfer. If the SEC gets rid of the rule, Alabama may very well land his commitment.

I still don’t believe the Wolverines have a great chance here, but the fact he is still considering them is very interesting. It appears he is keeping all options open at the moment. If the SEC nixes the rule of in-conference transfers, I would fully expect him to wind up in Tuscaloosa. If not, this could end up turning into a Michigan/Ohio State battle. I’d imagine we will know sooner rather than later.

To’o To’o racked up 76 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and three passes deflected in 2020.

2023 DB plans unofficial visit

We haven’t talked about many prospects in the 2023 class up to this point, but we are going to end today’s Recruiting Roundup doing just that! According to TMI’s Brice Marich ($), 2023 defensive back Sylvester Smith plans to unofficially visit Michigan the weekend of June 18.

This update is significant for a couple reasons. First and foremost, Smith is a recruit in SEC territory, hailing from Munford, Alabama. He already holds offers from schools like Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State and more, so it looks like he’s going to be a national prospect.

It’s also important because Smith was just offered by Michigan last month, so to be able to get him up on his own dime already is really good work by the coaching staff, particularly analyst Aashon Larkins, who is at the forefront of this recruitment. And to top it all off, it’s great to get him up on a weekend like June 18 when tons of other top targets will already be on campus, so he should be able to get a really good experience out of this.

Smith is not ranked on the composite, but 247Sports has him as a top 100 prospect and the No. 8 safety in his class.

That’s all for this week! Come back Tuesday for another edition of the roundup.