Michigan Football Recruiting: The 2022 Quarterback Picture
Michigan got its guy at quarterback during the 2021 cycle in JJ McCarthy. The early-enrolled freshman did some nice things during spring ball but isn't quite ready yet. He's got all the talent in the world, a crazy work ethic and has won everywhere he's been. At some point, he'll probably be running the show, but not yet.
With that in mind, Michigan is trying to find the right guy to come in after McCarthy in the 2022 class and currently the staff has its sights set on three players.
Harrell hails from Alabama and holds more than 30 offers making him an atypical target for Michigan. Out of region prospects with a lot of options are usually tough pulls, but Harrell does seem very open to leaving his home area. He's got official visits with Northwestern and Arizona State scheduled for early-June indicating that he's looking at all options. He's extremely focused on academics, which bodes well for Michigan and explains the legitimate interest in the Wildcats. Michigan just got involved nine days ago so it's hard to say exactly how hard he's looking at the Wolverines at this time.
Harrell is a plus-athlete, has a very live arm and really makes things happen when the play breaks down. He completed 73.4% of his passes for 3,568 yards and 42 touchdowns against just three interceptions last year. He also ran the ball 61 times for 319 yards and five touchdowns. Harrell's Thompson Warriors went 14-0 last fall and won a state championship in the 7-A classification, Alabama’s largest.
Johnson has been on Michigan's radar the longest and he's very interested in the Maize and Blue. Early last month, Johnson acknowledged being Michigan's top target at quarterback in the 2022 class and simply said that things were going great. He'll officially visit Ann Arbor from June 11-13 and it feels like there's a legitimate chance he pulls the trigger during that visit.
Johnson is a phenomenal athlete as evidenced by his highlight tape where he shines as a wide receiver along with standing out at quarterback. Earlier this month, he ran the fastest 100-meter dash in the state of California with time of 10.49. With speed like that and already established skills as a pass catcher, he's got a ton of upside and could get a look at wide receiver at the next level. He's the kind of talent you just take and let it work out down the line.
Martin has been committed to Cal since January, but he's still been on Michigan's radar for a while. The coaches had been in contact with him and then two days ago, offered the 6-4, 210-pounder. Two weeks ago, Martin had this to say about the Wolverines.
"If I was offered by them I would be interested," he said. "I’d have to look into the quarterback room and the offensive scheme and all that stuff, but it definitely would be an option."
Now that Martin has an offer in hand, he's expected to take a very hard look at the Wolverines. Even though he's committed to the Bears, he's expected to drop a top list in the very near future and U-M should definitely make the cut.
Martin is a good athlete but not the runner that Harrell and Johnson are, however, he does have a monstrous arm. There are several clips of him on his Twitter page and throughout his highlight where he shows it off with 60-70-yard throws.