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Michigan Offers Massive '22 OT, Under The Radar RB
Now that the 2020 high school football season is underway across much of America, the Michigan recruiting staff is taking an extra close look at which rising junior prospects are worthy of offers, and the Wolverines have recently identified a couple players that fit that bill.
Most recently, Michigan extended an offer to Charlestown (Ind.) High four-star offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin. Standing at 6-8 and 305 pounds, Goodwin already has the size and frame necessary to play tackle at the Power Five level (or in the NFL for that matter), and he is picking up Division 1 offers left and right.
After living in Kentucky, Goodwin has moved to Indiana, and he's lost a lot of weight in the offseason after checking in at around 370 pounds a year ago. Now a much lighter, more spry lineman, Goodwin has reaped the benefits of his hard work on the recruiting trail. Michigan offered the 2022 blocker on Tuesday, and he's also landed scholarships from Penn State, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Indiana, Arizona State, and UNLV in the last month. Before that, schools such as Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and USC had offered the prized recruit.
Right now, Michigan has offers out to a host of offensive tackles in the '22 cycle as U-M offensive line coach Ed Warinner has been extremely in locating the next bookend tackle for the Wolverines. Goodwin is rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 30 offensive tackle in his class by Rivals.com.
One day earlier, Michigan extended an offer to a player that Goodwin may be blocking for down the line in 2022 Madison (Miss.) Germantown athlete Branson Robinson. Unlike Goodwin, Robinson is a bit of an under the radar prospect as Michigan is his first offer in the recruiting process, but judging by the success he's seen on the field to start his junior year, the Wolverines will not be the last.
Last week, Robinson racked up 218 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and put together an impressive highlight tape as a result of that breakout contest. In the matchup against Tylertown (Miss.), Robinson showed that he is very quick, can break through multiple tackles without losing his balance and manages to stays focused on reaching the end zone with his compact running style and powerful leg drive.
Michigan has not shied away from going out on a limb as the first Power Five school to offer a recruit in the past, and Robinson is another example of that philosophy. In the past, Robinson has heard from schools like Florida State, Tulane and South Alabama, but the Wolverines are the first program to extend a scholarship to the rising junior ball carrier.
Michigan has not had an overwhelming amount of success in recruiting the state of Mississippi in recent recruiting cycles, but Robinson could be a prospect that U-M makes a positive impression on early with his recent scholarship offer.
What do you think of the way Michigan has approached recruiting in the 2022 class? Do you think in-season recruiting is tougher or easier during the pandemic? Let us know!