Tavierre Dunlap / submitted
Examining Michigan's Options At RB And DB In 2021
While Michigan's 2021 class grew to 20 commits with the addition of wide receiver Xavier Worthy on Friday, the Wolverines have also been picking up steam with a handful of other rising senior recruits.
At the running back position, West Bloomfield (Mich.) High four-star Donovan Edwards is clearly the staff's top target, but Del Valle (Texas) High four-star Tavierre Dunlap has also been in consistent communication with the U-M coaching staff. Dunlap was over a couple months back, and he's participated in FaceTimes with the Wolverines' staff and his family members.
On Thursday, Dunlap named Michigan to top eight with Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Arizona State, Washington, USC, Utah and Virginia Tech.
After picking up his Michigan offer, Dunlap was elated and called it “one of his biggest” at the time.
“Their academics stands out a whole lot,” Dunlap told Wolverine Digest. “Some schools are huge on football but their academics isn’t there. Now, academics is a huge priority for some schools, but not a lot of schools have academics like Michigan.”
Since that time, Dunlap has kept in contact with U-M running backs coach Jay Harbaugh, and he was comfortable enough with the Michigan program to include the school in his top group. In addition to that connection, Michigan is after one of Dunlap's teammates, 2022 wide receiver Caleb Burton. At this juncture, Burton ranks as one of the top receivers in the '22 cycle, and the pair have already discussed taking a visit up to Ann Arbor this fall. Caleb is a fan of Harbaugh and his recruiting style as well.
As Michigan wraps up the 2021 class, defensive back is one area that needs a little bit of attention before calling it a day. Right now, U-M has pledges from three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows and three-star safety Rod Moore, but it is believed that the Wolverines would like one more pledge at each position.
Along that same line, Brentwood (Tenn.) High athlete John Howse IV is one player that could fill that role. Though listed as a corner on Rivals.com, Howse has been hearing from U-M safeties coach Bob Shoop, and the two connected when the secondary prospect visited Ann Arbor earlier this year.
“I spent a lot of time with the safeties coach and the defensive coordinator,” Howse said. “I was getting to know them one-on-one, and it was a great time. I got a great feel from the coaches. They were all family-based and family-oriented, which is something that I love.”
Howse told Wolverine Digest that he still communicates with Coach Shoop “a lot,” and Michigan is a program that the Tennessee native is still strongly considering.
It will be important to see how Michigan continues to recruit Howse as its 2021 class continues to fill up, but there is certainly interest on both sides for the time being.
How would you like for Michigan to end the 2021 class? What positions are of the utmost importance to you? Let us know!
