Michigan does not have a running back committed in the 2020 class and is probably looking to nab at least two. How does U-M's running back board look? Let's see.
Running Back
The Latest: Michigan and Ohio State are bitter rivals on the football field and also in recruiting and once again the Big Ten powerhouses will be battling it out for Berger. Recently, he said the Wolverines and the Buckeyes are his top two teams, but he plans to visit LSU, Alabama and Oregon before making a decision at the All-American Bowl over the holidays. Other regional programs like Rutgers could stay in the mix as well. The SEC visits will be big but most believe he's going to end up playing somewhere in the Big Ten.
Current Prediction: Michigan
The Latest: Corum is definitely a realistic option for the Wolverines. The four star was in Ann Arbor in February along with eight of his St. Frances teammates and everyone in attendance had a good time. Corum listed LSU, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Syracuse and Purdue as schools recruiting him as hard as Michigan after the visit to Ann Arbor. In one of his most recent training videos on Twitter, Corum is sporting a Michigan shirt. That doesn't mean he's a U-M lock, but prospects know they'll be seen when they post something like that.
Current Prediction: Michigan
The Latest: Michigan offered Boone back in January but doesn't seem to be overly interested in the Detroit product. Boone mentioned Tennessee, West Virginia, Missouri and Kansas as three schools showing him a lot of love but he needs to get out and take some visits before he can put together a solid top group. As of right now, it definitely looks like Boone will take his talents out of state with the Spartans only showing a bit more interest in him than U-M. With that said, if Jay Harbaugh misses on some of his current running back targets, a few visits to MLK could really get Boone's attention down the line.
Current Prediction: West Virginia
The Latest: Murphy checked out Notre Dame, Alabama and Oregon during the month of April. The Ducks and Irish both made his massive top 16 as did Texas A&M, LSU, Syracuse, Duke, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Arizona State, Purdue, Nebraska, Tennessee, Miami, South Carolina and Missouri. Just before releasing his top group, Murphy listed the Irish, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, and Michigan State as some of the schools recruiting him the hardest. All but the Spartans made it through to the next phase of his recruitment. He's taking an official visit to Oregon on June 28 and also intends to schedule OVs with Tennessee, LSU and possibly Purdue. It felt like Notre Dame might be the team to beat for Murphy but after they landed Chris Tyree, things have cooled there.
Current Prediction: Oregon
The Latest: Michigan offered Holmes about two months ago so obviously things are still pretty new. He can shine at either running back or wide receiver, but Michigan seems to like him out of the backfield. Jay Harbaugh stopped by Cocoa High School to see Holmes earlier this spring indicating that interest is pretty legitimate. As a Florida kid, the teams in The Sunshine State are expected to be heavily involved, especially Florida State and Miami. He's also been linked to West Virginia and also has offers from Auburn, Penn State and a handful of others. He's got a lot of options but right now it seems like he'll stay somewhere in the state of Florida for college.
Current Prediction: Florida State
The Latest: This spring, offers from Alabama, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi State and Notre Dame have rolled in, among others. He has made trips to Tuscaloosa twice and South Bend once over the past couple of months. With Tyree committing to the Irish, Alabama may be in the driver’s seat here. It’s been confirmed that the running back is a take for the Crimson Tide, which is hard to top. A&M is the third team to watch here. He has been unable to get to College Station yet despite their persistent push. Edwards is still eyeing a trip later during the summertime.
Current Prediction: Alabama
The Latest: Despite being listed as a wide receiver, Smith is being recruited by Michigan as a running back. His Michigan offer is only about two weeks old so it's worth monitoring moving forward. He's got blazing speed as evidenced by winning the state championship in the 200-meter dash. He took second place in the 100-meter dash. According to Smith, some of the main schools in the mix for him are Florida State, Texas A&M, Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia, just to name a few. Florida State is the school he has visited the most, followed by UGA. Although he's comfortable with the 'Noles and has visited FSU the most, Smith said he doesn't have a leader at this stage. He plans to take a couple of official visits this summer, but he is in no hurry to make a college decision.
Current Prediction: Florida State
The Latest: Williams intends to take official visits during the month of June in order to get ready for a decision on July 4. He'll be taking his first official visit to Missouri on June 7 and is still working on setting up the rest. Some of his recent unoffiical visits include stops at Ohio State, Purdue, Kentucky and Notre Dame. Louisville and, of course, Cincinnati are also involved with the three-star back. He seems pretty set on sticking to a July 4 commitment date but recently said "that should be the plan" when asked if he'd be ready by then.
Current Prediction: Cincinnati
All-Purpose Back
The Latest: With one brother, Ariel, at Washington and another brother, Joe, at Clemson, Ngata said he still plans to make the decision that’s best for him - whether that’s with the Huskies, the Tigers or at any of the other 21 schools that have offered. So far, the Folsom standout said he has official visits planned to Clemson, Penn State and Oklahoma State. Ngata reportedly visited Utah, Oregon and Washington earlier this spring, indicating that he's high on the Utes and Ducks as well. Ngata has always said great things about Michigan but until he makes the long, cross-country journey to Ann Arbor, it may just be lip service.
Current Prediction: Unknown
The Latest: McClain just dropped his top seven consisting of Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky, Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Purdue earlier today. It's hard to say if he's a take for programs like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, which makes predicting where he'll end up tricky. McClain burst onto the scene in a bigger way than ever before at the start of his junior season with seven touchdowns in a single game. He also had 437 total all-purpose yards in that contest. Michigan, Maryland, Purdue and West Virginia's coaches were so impressed they extended offers almost immediately after that performance and Ohio State followed within a matter of a few weeks. It's Kentucky's early offer and consistent early recruiting effort may pay off, however. The Wildcats had offered before that breakout game.
Current Prediction: Kentucky
The Latest: Small visited Ann Arbor for the first time for the April 14 spring game and came away extremely impressed. Recently, he added an offer from Ole Miss, the program where his father Eddie Small played, but Michigan still seems to be in a good spot. Small recently dropped a top six consisting of Arkansas, Missouri, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Michigan. Small, along with offered teammate Omari Thomas, are expected to visit Michigan sometime in June or July but don't have an exact date yet. The two would like to play together at the next level but a lot more schools would take Thomas than would take Small. It'll be interesting to see how all of that plays out.
Current Prediction: Ole Miss
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