Michigan Staff Impresses Elite 2023 Tight End Mac Markway

Michigan was offer No. 1 for tight end Mac Markway, and the high level prospect spoke about his interest in the Wolverines.

Standing out early as perhaps the top tight end in the 2023 class, St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet prospect Mac Markway has an offer sheet filled with the country’s premiere programs. Michigan, however, was the very first school to offer Markway, and the elite tight end recruit vividly remembers how that day unfolded.

“It was pretty unbelievable,” Markway told Wolverine Digest. “I still remember it. I was in the weight room and Coach [Jim] Harbaugh walked up to me, just talking to me like, ‘this kid has good size. I think I want you to come play for me at Michigan.’ My parents almost cried. They were like, ‘holy moly, this is happening.’ I wasn’t expecting that.”

Markway already checks in at 6-4 and 250 pounds, and his size caught Harbaugh’s eye during that initial meeting back in his eighth grade year. Since that time, Markway has taken time to learn more about the Michigan program, and U-M tight ends coach Sherrone Moore has helped supply the elite prospect with information.

“I’ve talked to Coach Moore quite a few times,” Markway said. “I’ve talked to him the most. They know how to win, the winningest team. [He said] they’ve had great tight ends like Jake Butt. Sean McKeon just came out and went to the NFL. They’re a great team, great coach. Coach Moore is one of my favorite tight end coach so far. He’s pretty awesome— a player’s coach.”

After learning about the U-M program and its track record of producing NFL-caliber tight ends, Markway took a visit to Ann Arbor in order to have a firsthand look at Michigan’s campus.

“Coach Moore took us everywhere basically,” Markway said. “He took us around the whole facility, showed us the weight room. It’s the biggest weight room, I think, in college football. He showed me the strength coach, and I talked to him for a while. He showed me all the meeting rooms, and we drove down to campus with all the classes and main attractions. That was really cool. He really went in depth with everything.”

So far, Markway has taken visits to Iowa and Indiana as well. The standout 2023 recruit was slated to visit Miami, Notre Dame and Penn State this spring, but the coronavirus quarantine squashed those plans. Still, Markway is looking to visit those schools and also mentioned Ohio State and Florida State as programs he’d like to check out.

“The most important factor is coaching,” Markway said. “Anywhere that fits me, my favorite coaches are player’s coaches or hard, old school coaches that will really push you to your limits, get you to the best you can be. That would really attract me.”

Markway already sports offers from Alabama and LSU as well, so the top-flight recruit has a wide range of schools looking to earn his commitment. Markway comes from a long line of Division I athletes, so he knows a bit about the recruiting process already. Along those same lines, he also is up to speed on the work ethic required to succeed at the next level, so he has been quite busy during the offseason.

“[I’m working on] basically everything: speed, getting my head around on routes, running routes, catching the ball and strength,” Markway said. “The mental game will come. I have my family with my dad always pushing me, telling me what to expect. I think my mental game is there, just trying to get everything up to par.”

Markway has a long ways to go in his recruitment as he heads into his sophomore season this fall, but Michigan’s ability to offer early and host the top prospect on campus already body well for U-M’s chances.

When do you think Michigan’s first commit in the 2023 class will come? Do the Wolverines pick up a pledge during this calendar year? Let us know!