In our latest Michigan football recruiting roundup, we review the Wolverines’ searches for 5-star recruits Jadyn Davis and Nyckoles Harbor.
It’s not hard to pinpoint Michigan’s top football recruiting targets in the classes of 2023 and 2024. In 2023, it’s five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor and in the next year, it’s five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis.
In terms of Davis, Michigan football has been thought of as the favorite. The five-star caller from North Carolina made two unofficial visits over the summer and another to Ann Arbor for the Hawaii game.
The Wolverines are currently listed as favorites according to the On3 prediction machine, which gives them a 77 percent chance of winning their matchup. However, the longer the draft lasts, the more uncomfortable Michigan football fans should feel about it.
Davis just visited Clemson over the weekend and, according to EJ Holland’s latest report, The Wolverine (subscription required), the Tigers really impressed him. This is what Davis posted on his Twitter account.
Of course, he posted similar things when visiting Michigan football and is said to have a very close relationship with head coach Jim Harbaugh.
But Michigan football still hasn’t been able to shut down. Clemson is one team to worry about, but Georgia is the other. The Bulldogs seemed to be the favorites for another 5-star, Julian Sayin, who has now been projected to LSU. Alabama is also on the prowl.
If Sayin goes to LSU, should that worry Michigan fans? The answer is yes. Georgia got a prediction for a three-star QB in 2024, but I don’t think that will turn them off with Davis. The Bulldogs also didn’t get a QB in the class of 2023, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they took two.
Davis is originally from Georgia and was offered by the Bulldogs even before the Wolverines. Clemson is also close to home, though five-star Cade Klubnik is only a freshman, so the path to start might not be as clear at Clemson as it is at Michigan, which should have an opening in 2024 after let JJ McCarthy go.
It doesn’t seem like anything has drastically changed in this draft. But if Davis isn’t ready to decide by the time the official visits roll around, I’ll definitely be worried about the Wolverines. We’ve seen what happens (Dante Moore) if you’re the lead but you can’t close.
Michigan football can’t make that mistake again.
The track is the determining factor for the port of Nyckoles
Michigan recently hosted Harbor for an official visit and it was the second time it has hosted him on campus. As with Davis, the Wolverines hold the lead according to the On3 prediction machine, but that was the case with Dante Moore and CJ Carr at one point as well.
So that doesn’t mean much. There is no doubt that Harbor enjoyed her visit. He tweeted: “Could this be your home?”
That is the question and it looks like it will come down to the Michigan track according to EJ Holland (subscription required). The Wolverines have everything the No. 10 pick could want in 2023. He’s interested in academics and the Wolverines have a great program.
Harbor said of Michigan “It’s an Ivy League education with power-5 athletics.” All of that is fine, but he is a world class track athlete and that still seems to be the biggest hurdle. Michigan needs to sell him on the track program, and if he can do it, the reward will be a compromise.
Michigan also welcomed five-star defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs to the class of 2023 for an unofficial visit. The Wolverines are trending there, but they have a long way to go and a number of top programs like Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State to beat. Still, if they can bring it back to campus, you never know.