Tuesday Recruiting Roundup: Five-star DL locks in visit to Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines continue to work tirelessly on the recruiting trail to try and get the best talent possible following their Big Ten Championship-winning season. One of the guys that new defensive line coach Mike Elston is making a run for is 2023 five-star defensive lineman Samuel M’Pemba.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder from St. Louis, Missouri is the No. 13 overall player on the 247Sports composite and has offers from just about everyone. He recapped with 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins ($) who is standing out the most in his recruitment so far, and Michigan was among the top schools thanks to his relationship with Elston.

“You know, he used to be at Notre Dame. Him and coach Harbaugh came to the school last month and now they are recruiting me pretty hard,” M’Pemba said. “(Elston) is the main guy that I talk to. I also talked to the new defensive coordinator the other day. He seemed to be pretty cool. I look forward to meeting him when I get up there.”

M’Pemba also noted he will be taking a trip to Michigan on March 18. The following day, he will be visiting Notre Dame, another one of his top choices. Other schools standing out thus far include Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, USC, Oregon, LSU and more.

With a loaded board at the defensive line spot in this cycle, Elston and company can take some swings at the top overall talent in the class. M’Pemba is certainly among the top overall choices, so it’s great to hear Elston is doing a good enough job to get him on campus next month. We’ll likely see after the visit if there will be continued interest.

2023 four-star DL planning trip to U-M

Another highly-regarded defensive line prospect in the 2023 class who is trying to see Michigan up close is four-star interior lineman John Walker, who hails from Kissimmee, Florida.

Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 310 pounds, Walker is a freak show of a talent, coming is at No. 107 overall on 247Sports’ composite ranking. As a junior, he racked up 77 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

Walker took a trip to Ann Arbor last month for the very first time. Recently speaking with 247Sports’ Ivins ($), Walker admitted he is trying to revisit Michigan, with it likely being an official visit this summer.

“I really like the coaching staff,” Walker said. “Coach Elston, who came from Notre Dame, is a cool dude. I really like him. We were just talking. I like the facility there, too. I’m going to go do an official visit there. It’s either going to be in June or July.”

Other official visit destinations he has in mind include Ohio State and USC. He may take a couple unofficial visits this spring to some schools closer to home, including Florida and UCF, a couple schools he has already been to. He also visited Penn State recently.

2023 S reacts to U-M offer

On Monday, 2023 three-star safety Winston Berglund reeled in his best offer to date from the Wolverines. The currently unranked prospect held previous offers from the likes of Iowa State, Purdue, Indiana, Wake Forest and more.

He earned the offer from head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“Coach Harbaugh brings a lot of energy and is great to talk to,” Berglund told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong ($). “The University of Michigan is the all-time winningest program in college football. You would get a chance to compete for a Big Ten title every year. Michigan also has an outstanding academic reputation. I am excited to get up to Ann Arbor to watch spring practice and meet the coaching staff and players.”

The 6-foot-1, 191-pounder hails from Carmel, Indiana. During his junior season, Berglund compiled 91 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six pass breakups, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two defensive touchdowns and a blocked punt, per his Hudl.