Resetting Michigan football’s 2023 top target board

The month of July has seen a flurry of Michigan targets make their commitments, either to the Wolverines or elsewhere. With so much movement going on, it’s a good time to reset the board and see who the remaining top targets are for the staff.

Archbishop Carroll (DC) five-star ATH Nyckoles Harbor - No. 7 overall, No. 1 ATH

Harbor is one of the few targets to remain on the list from the beginning of the year until now. Michigan is still sitting very well with the elite athlete despite not being able to get him up on an official visit because of Harbor’s rigorous track schedule.

He is now firmly set on playing wide receiver in college, which Michigan is happy to oblige. The Wolverines also took the son of Harbor’s track coach as a walk-on grad transfer, indicating they’re willing to pull out all the stops to land him.

Martin (TX) five-star CB Javien Toviano - No. 22 overall, No. 4 CB

Toviano has popped up as a legitimate target very quickly, which doesn’t happen often for five-stars from Texas. Steve Clinkscale has been putting in work here under the radar for a while, resulting in an official visit a couple weeks ago that by all accounts went really well. Since then, Toviano has been almost solely posting pro-Michigan content on his social media. Michigan will still have to battle the Texas schools and Alabama, Georgia and more, and get him back on campus for a game this fall, to remain in the race.

Mustang (OK) four-star ATH Jacobe Johnson - No. 87 overall, No. 5 ATH

Some outlets report it’s Alabama and Oklahoma battling it out for Johnson, but Michigan is quietly sitting well in this recruitment. Hopefully the Wolverines can pull off another win like the Daxton Hill recruitment, where they aren’t considered a major contender until they earn his commitment. A combination of Sherrone Moore recruiting in his home state with Clinkscale is tough to beat.

Osceola (FL) four-star DL John Walker - No. 97 overall, No. 11 DL

Michigan got Walker up on campus twice this offseason, which is huge for an out-of-region player. Walker recently announced his decision date of July 28. His mom apparently wants him to stay closer to home at UCF, but the attraction of Big Ten schools could be too much to overcome. If he does leave the state, it’s tight between Ohio State and Michigan on where he would choose.

North Gwinnett (GA) four-star DL Kayden McDonald - No. 293 overall, No. 41 DL

Michigan surprisingly got McDonald up on campus for an unofficial visit in June. He was so impressed by the visit, he already scheduled a return trip for the BBQ at the Big House and an official visit during the season. If McDonald gets to Ann Arbor for three visits in that span, Michigan will be hard to beat, especially if Georgia fills up along the defensive line.

Kankakee (IL) four-star CB Jyaire Hill - No. 302 overall, No. 32 CB

Hill has been recruited by Michigan just about as long as anyone else on the board. However, reports state his mom did not appreciate being on campus in January during the whole Harbaugh/Minnesota Vikings fiasco. Michigan hosted Hill for an official visit in June but still has work to do to patch up the relationship with Hill’s mother. Meanwhile, Illinois and Washington are working to take advantage of that disconnect.

Trinity Christian (GA) four-star ATH Aaron Gates - No. 318 overall, No. 19 ATH

After Gates made a surprise visit for the spring game and then went back up to Ann Arbor for an official visit in June, Michigan seemed primed to flip him from the Florida Gators. But time has passed and Gates has still not done so. He seems to really be struggling with the decision, as Florida is still working to keep him in its class.

Liberty (NV) three-star DL My’Keil Gardner - No. 488 overall, No. 57 DL

Michigan picked up a handful of Crystal Balls for Gardner following his official visit to Ann Arbor last month. Soon after leaving, he made return plans to come up for the BBQ at the Big House. Gardner recently announced his decision date as Aug. 3, which would line up with his visit timeline as being good news for Michigan. However, Oregon is still lurking and is Gardner’s admitted dream school.

Skyline (ID) three-star ATH Kenyon Sadiq - No. 693 overall, No. 63 overall

Sadiq is being recruited as a true program take, as the staff feels he can succeed on either side of the ball. Sadiq prefers offense, though, so Ron Bellamy has taken the lead here. This is shaping up to be a battle against Iowa State, with Washington also a contender. Michigan obviously has plenty of advantages over Iowa State, but Sadiq may prefer a smaller college town experience. In the end though, Michigan should be able to still win this one.

Villa Rica (GA) three-star OT Jatavius Shivers - No. 909 overall, No. 80 OT

Sherrone Moore has been expanding his offensive line board lately with a ton of initial top targets coming off the board. The Wolverines have zeroed in on Shivers, who is a recent decommit from Vanderbilt. Moore offered the 6-foot-6, 290-pounder earlier this week and should receive an official visit during the season.