Thursday Recruiting Roundup: Four-star OT making return visit to Michigan this weekend

The Michigan Wolverines have had a successful week in getting players on campus for visits since the dead period ended.

That momentum looks like it will continue as four-star class of 2023 offensive tackle Cayden Green announced he will make his second visit to Ann Arbor this weekend after making a trip in January.

On his first visit, the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder from Lee’s Summit North (Mo.) told On3’s Tim Verghese ($) at the time the Wolverines had made a strong first impression on him.

Offensive line coach Sherrone Moore has been Green’s primary recruiter and the two have clearly built a strong relationship.

“It has probably been my favorite place so far,” Green said. ” Atmosphere was pretty cool. I enjoy coach Moore a lot. He seems like a very genuine guy. He seems like he coaches hard from what I heard, but you could tell it’s out of love. And then coach Harbaugh, I enjoyed him.”

According to Zach Libby from Rivals ($), Michigan is confirmed to be in Green’s top two choices and is coming to Ann Arbor this weekend to take in practice with his family and see Moore in action.

Green is ranked as the No. 13 offensive tackle in his class and the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri, according to 247Sports.

Michigan still prioritizing 2022 five-star OT

Josh Conerly Jr., a 2022 five-star offensive tackle from Seattle remains the only top-10 player in the class who has not signed with a school. While Michigan seemed to be a favorite to land Conerly early in his recruitment, momentum has seemed to fade over time with Conerly seeming to be leaning toward staying on the West Coast.

On3’s EJ Holland and Scott Schrader ($) teamed up to talk about Conerly’s recruitment and where he stands with his top schools. Schrader and Holland both agree on two things — Michigan and USC are probably the top two, and USC is likely the favorite at the moment.

Schrader: “I think it’ll come down to two schools, and based on the information I’ve gathered — whether it’s people that are close to him at his school or sources I talk to at USC — I think it’s going to be hard for him to leave the West Coast. I think USC is in a great place as they get ready to host Josh for his final official visit. I think it’ll give him an opportunity to spend time with Josh Henson, the new offensive line coach, for the first time and really get a feel for what USC has to offer as a program.”

Holland gave analysis on where he stands with Michigan. While the Wolverines may have led at one point, they have lost momentum because of something that didn’t appear to be an initial factor: “...optimism slowly began to fade, and it’s clear now that distance has become more of an issue. If Michigan was closer to Seattle and didn’t cross time zones then I think it would be the easy pick for Conerly. But that’s obviously not the case. It’s hard for me to see Conerly leaving the West Coast. With all this said, Michigan is great at pulling rabbits out of hats, and Jim Harbaugh did have the longest in-home out of any head coach before the dead period. I’m not completely counting out Michigan just yet, but there is plenty of work to do.”

Even if there’s just an outside shot at Conerly leaving the West Coast, it looks as if Michigan is going to try to remain in the hunt and hope he does make a surprising move.