What Michigan Needs To Do To Climb Into Top 5 For 2021 Recruiting

Earlier in the day, SI All-American released the debut of its team rankings, and Michigan occupied the No. 6 position in the country. At the moment, the Wolverines hold onto 21 verbal commitments, and the spread is pretty evenly distributed on both sides of the football (10 on offense, 10 on defense and one special teams). 

For this class in particular, Michigan has dominated during the recruiting dead period when many other programs have struggled. U-M only had two pledges back when the dead period was instituted in mid-March, so the Wolverines ability to sell the program without hosting prospects in person and on campus was huge in the team's ability to secure a near-top five ranking. But what does Michigan need to do to crack the top five and enter the upper echelon of recruiting schools?

1. Land Donovan Edwards

At this point in the recruiting cycle, it is clear that West Bloomfield (Mich.) High running back Donovan Edwards is the top remaining target for Michigan and Wolverine Digest can confirm as much. Edwards is a special player in the sense that he is an agile, speedy runner with the football in his hands, but he is polished enough as a receiver to lineup in the slot or outside and can make just as many plays from that position as well.

Given that particular skill set, Edwards seems to be an excellent fit for Josh Gattis' speed in space concept of offensive football. Add in the fact that he's an in-state prospect who was previously courted heavily by Ohio State and it makes Edwards' recruitment all the more important. The running back position is a priority for Michigan in this cycle, and Edwards is the crown (but not the only) jewel in that respect.

2. Add defensive tackle depth

This sounds like a bit of a broken record at this point, but Michigan is in dire need of adding depth along the interior defensive line. If the Wolverines were to play this fall, U-M would likely feel the pressure of an inexperienced defensive tackle position that only has a couple clear choices for playing time. Behind the starting spots (which will likely be occupied by Carlo Kemp and Chris Hinton), Michigan has more inexperienced players than guys that have seen the field. Add in the fact that U-M whiffed on the position in the 2020 class and it becomes even more of a need.

Luckily, Michigan has been working to address this so far. The Wolverines have made a concerted effort to recruit Oak Park (Mich.) High lineman Rayshaun Benny at his preferred position of defensive tackle, and the in-state player is also high on Michigan State's board, so his recruitment is one that U-M really wants to win. Outside of Benny, the staff has shown its interest in Jersey City (NJ) St. Peters Prep defensive tackle George Rooks, a player who has a big frame and can take up a lot of space in the middle. Michigan will likely press hard for these two, but adding a third defensive tackle could go a long ways in balancing out the roster for years to come.

3. Hold onto all commits that haven't visited campus

One downside to the recruiting dead period is that not all players who have committed to Michigan have been on campus. Offensive tackle commit Tristan Bounds took it upon himself to drive to Ann Arbor to see the area, but not all prospects have had that opportunity. Linebacker commit Casey Phinney committed to Michigan without ever checking out campus, and he is not the only one. Wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Cristian Dixon pulled the trigger without stepping foot in Ann Arbor, and linebacker Jaydon Hood and cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows are int he same boat as well.

Along that line, Hood is still hearing from a lot of the schools from his home state in Florida, such as the University of Miami. Hood has seen what the Hurricanes have to offer, and their close proximity certainly helps, so it makes sense that they've stayed on the Michigan commit and are looking to change his mind.

Hood is a missile of an inside linebacker, and he is a well-rounded young man that will likely be a good fit in the Michigan program, so holding onto his pledge (along with that of Worthy, Dixon etc.) will be key in helping Michigan jump into the top five nationally.

Do you think the Wolverines can make this happen? Where will Michigan wind up in the final 2021 class rankings? Let us know!