Recruiting-wise, the last several seasons have been a little underwhelming. After winning three Big Ten titles in a row as well as a National Championship, you would think the Wolverines would be easily placing in the top five classes. That hasn’t happened.
Michigan football has lagged behind and has had difficulty attracting elite prospects since the formation of NIL.
But after some encouraging progress toward NIL, Michigan football seems to be in a stronger position to attract elite athletes. Although they still lag behind other NIL institutions, the recruits who are interested in the Wolverines show that they are at least trying to compete.
This weekend, Michigan football will welcome a star-studded guest list that includes offensive tackle Douglas Utu, ranked among the top 100. Utu is a native of Las Vegas, but Michigan has steadily gained ground on him and will host him this weekend.
Washington and Alabama are thought to be Utu’s main rivals. He’s been to Washington already, and next weekend he’s going to Alabama. To be honest, this weekend might be Michigan’s best opportunity to play Utu. It wouldn’t be surprising if coach Sherrone Moore was successful in closing with Utu because he will be exerting every effort to do so.
This offseason, it has become quite clear that Michigan is excelling in recruiting visiting prospects. They’ve had a significant influence on guests, notably Utu. Michigan has the potential to win Utu’s commitment with another outstanding visit.
Michigan’s chances will be greatly diminished if Utu decides not to commit to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines will still be competitive, but it will be difficult given that Utu’s current commitment deadline is July. Given that Utu will be touring other universities through July, it doesn’t seem likely that the Wolverines would be selected at that time.
It will be a historic weekend for Michigan. If everything goes according to plan, it might generate a lot of momentum, and it wouldn’t be strange if Utu or another guest committed. For Michigan to reach to where it wants to be, the Wolverines must keep up their tremendous play in these visits.
