Recruiting Roundup: 2021 Class Update
After Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis brought his speed in space philosophy to Ann Arbor, the U-M playcaller has targeted prospects that would fit that mold on the recruiting trail. The latest player to land an offer is 2021 Miami (Fla.) Central three-star running back Amari Daniels, who picked up an offer from Michigan earlier today.
Wolverines target dynamic playmaker
Standing at just 5-8 and 194 pounds, Daniels is an electric athlete that has the explosiveness to turn the corner and outrun nearly every defender in a race to the end zone. Daniels is a shifty back with lateral agility, quick feet and has the top-end speed to pull away when in the open field.
However, Daniels is a receiving threat out of the backfield and can be shifted to the slot to further create mismatches. As a result, the 2021 recruit is listed as the No. 3 all-purpose back in the country by 247Sports.com for this class.
Back in February, Daniels named a top four of Texas A&M, Georgia, Nebraska and Penn State, but the speedy prospect has not narrowed his list from that time, which leaves Michigan an opportunity to squeeze into his recruitment. However, Daniels also claims offers from Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Miami and South Carolina among his 17 offers, so the Wolverines will have strong competition for his pledge either way. But on the surface, Daniels looks like a dynamic prospect that can supercharge a team’s offense if used correctly at the next level.
Michigan in the hunt for 2021 DE Tobechi Okoli
Also in the 2021 class, Michigan moved up into strong position on the leaderboard for Kansas City (Mo.) Lincoln College Prep three-star defensive end Tobechi Okoli after offering the prospect last month.
At that time, Okoli sported offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Minnesota and Iowa among his 20-plus offers, but Okoli has landed recent scholarships from USC, Georgia and Auburn as well.
As a result of his new interest, Okoli has reevaluated his recruitment and has come up with a top eight that consists of: Missouri, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia and Michigan.
“I will be focusing on these schools moving forward,” Okoli posted on his Twitter account. “I am very grateful to every college and coach that has recruited me up to this point.”
Checking in at 6-5 and 250 pounds, Okoli is listed as a strong-side defensive end, and he certainly looks capable of anchoring the defensive line at the college level. On tape, Okoli is difficult to contain on the edge and sheds blocks well, even splitting double teams when faced with that blocking strategy. Okoli is aggressive in his pursuit of the quarterback or the ball carrier and sticks with plays, even chasing some runners down from behind. These traits indicate that Okoli, who has not been playing football for very long, can develop into an asset on defense in college, even more so once he spends some time in a college weight training program.
At the moment, Michigan has two defensive ends committed in T.J. Guy and Dominick Giudice that are almost the exact same dimensions as Okoli. Both Michigan commits have the potential to play either strong-side or weak-side in college according to their coaches, so U-M appears to be targeting versatile defensive linemen that can slide anywhere from three-tech out to seven-tech and anywhere in between.
With a near-top 10 class in the country so far, Michigan is looking to fill its 2021 class with a bunch of talented prospects. What are your thoughts on Daniels and Okoli? Where would they fit best at Michigan? Let us know!
