5 most important 2022 recruits visiting Michigan in June

In case you haven’t looked at your calendar yet, today is June 1. Normally, that wouldn’t be incredibly significant, but today is the first day prospects in the 2022 class can take official visits. That’s right, the NCAA recruiting dead period is finally over.

The Michigan Wolverines have big plans this month to have a ton of their top targets in this class on campus. Many of them have never been to Ann Arbor, so this will be a huge step in those recruitments. Others have been to Michigan before and are making a return trip to the Mitten State, which is a sign of good things in those recruitments.

With that said, these are the top five most important prospects set to step foot on U-M’s campus in the month of June.

Quick note: These prospects are in order of the date they are visiting.

Myles Pollard, three-star CB, June 11

Pollard has been talked about to the nth degree this cycle, but he is vital to what the Wolverines are trying to accomplish in this 2022 class — load up on defensive backs.

The Tennessee native was being pursued heavily by Mo Linguist before he left for the Buffalo job. If anything, Michigan’s pursuit of Pollard has only intensified since Steve Clinkscale came to town. He also has a former high school teammate at Michigan, freshman linebacker Junior Colson, as well as Will Johnson in his ear. Needless to say, the Wolverines have a lot going for them in this recruitment.

After taking just one corner in the previous cycle, Michigan is eyeing several corners in this one, and Pollard is among the top targets for Clinkscale and company. If there is any prospect I feel most confident about heading into their official visit at Michigan, it’s Pollard.

Walter Nolen, five-star DL, June 18 (Victors Weekend)

This is a fairly obvious choice; Nolen is not only the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2022 class, but is a versatile player who comes at a position of dire need.

Like Pollard, Nolen is also tight with Will Johnson, who has become Michigan’s vocal leader of the 2022 class. He also visited Ann Arbor on a dead period unofficial visit back in March, so the next step here is meeting with the coaches and seeing the facilities more up close.

Nolen released a top eight list back in April that consisted of Michigan, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, USC and Ohio State. Nolen has other officials set up for Florida (June 4) and Alabama (June 25), so this recruitment will be one to keep an eye on as the summer progresses.

Justice Finkley, four-star DL/LB, June 18

A lot about Nolen can also be said about Finkley. He is a high-four-star prospect in this class and has the versatility to play at multiple positions.

Where Finkley and Nolen differ is Finkley is being recruited to play either along the edge or at linebacker for Mike Macdonald. At 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, Michigan coaches have compared Finkley to Matt Judon, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens where Macdonald came from, and you can certainly see that when you flip on the film.

Pulling anyone from the state of Alabama is a challenge, but Finkley seems pretty open to other opportunities outside the SEC. He has other officials set up for Colorado on June 11 and Texas on June 25, so the Crimson Tide are going to have to put in a lot more work than they normally would for a top in-state recruit if they really want him.

Marquis Groves-Killebrew, four-star CB Georgia commit, June 18

The big surprise of all the official visitors is Groves-Killebrew, a top 100 four-star cornerback from the state of Georgia who has been committed to the Bulldogs since last May.

Michigan got him to lock in his official visit back when Linguist was still with the program, and the coaching change has not done anything to waiver that.

According to this 247Sports profile, this is the only official visit Groves-Killebrew has set up so far. This is definitely one of the more intriguing developments for Michigan in this recruiting cycle, and I am very interested to see what comes from this official visit.

Darrius Clemons, four-star WR, June 25

The lone offensive player on this list, Clemons is one of the better wide receiver prospects in this class, despite not currently being a top 100 composite prospect. He is not only tall and big at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, but he’s also fast. He clocked in at a 4.37 40-yard dash last summer, which is around the time his recruitment really began to catch fire.

Michigan got in early on him though, offering him in March 2020, so that could help. Another thing that could help is the fact he spent some time residing in Michigan and becoming friends with freshman receiver Andrel Anthony.

Michigan already has two receivers in the 2022 class, and seem to be eyeing at least one more to pair up with four-stars Tyler Morris and Tayshawn Trent. Even with crystal balls flooding in for four-star target Kaleb Brown to go to Ohio State, Clemons should be viewed as a top target at this position, and would be a monster get for the Wolverines.

Other officials for Clemons include Auburn on June 4, USC on June 11 and Penn State on June 25.