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Michigan recruiting took an in-state hit Wednesday when Farmington four-star edge Myles Smith committed to Indiana over Michigan, Oklahoma and other contenders. The miss landed while Michigan recruiting was in the middle of a strong late-May run, which makes Smith’s decision a clear test of how much of the state the Wolverines can lock down in this cycle.
Smith was not a fringe name on the board. Michigan had visited his school during the spring evaluation period, and an official visit to Ann Arbor was scheduled for June 19. Those details show the Michigan recruiting pursuit was active deep into the spring.
Michigan has been piling up commitments. During the late-May surge, the Wolverines had 12 commitments, including five prospects ranked inside the top 125.
That push continued when the class moved into the national top 10 after three more commitments later in May. Smith’s choice did not stop the Michigan recruiting momentum, but it did leave Michigan without one of the in-state four-star edge targets it had worked to keep in the class picture.
Smith’s recruitment gives this more weight than a routine miss. He is an in-state four-star edge from Farmington High, Michigan had him on its spring visit schedule, and the staff had already secured an official visit date.
When a recruitment gets that far, the board implication is simple. Michigan saw Smith as a take worth continued work, and Indiana closed the race before that June visit happened.
The miss does not leave the position empty. Michigan already added four-star edge Jayce Brewer on May 9, so the Wolverines have already landed a pass-rush prospect during this stretch.
That keeps the edge board moving, but Brewer’s commitment and Smith’s decision are separate data points. One shows Michigan can close on edge talent. The other shows that an in-state edge target the staff pursued through the spring still came off the board elsewhere.
Michigan recruiting remains on a real surge. The commitment total, the top-125 numbers and the move into the national top 10 all point to a class gaining traction fast.
Smith’s commitment is notable because it adds a clean counterexample inside that run. Michigan can be hot nationally and still lose a local four-star edge it actively recruited, and both facts can sit next to each other without forcing a bigger claim than the evidence supports.
The immediate follow-up is not a broad warning about trends. It is whether Michigan can turn its remaining in-state pushes into official visits and commitments after losing Smith before his June 19 trip to Ann Arbor ever happened.
Continue reading...
Smith was not a fringe name on the board. Michigan had visited his school during the spring evaluation period, and an official visit to Ann Arbor was scheduled for June 19. Those details show the Michigan recruiting pursuit was active deep into the spring.
Why this result stands out
Michigan has been piling up commitments. During the late-May surge, the Wolverines had 12 commitments, including five prospects ranked inside the top 125.
That push continued when the class moved into the national top 10 after three more commitments later in May. Smith’s choice did not stop the Michigan recruiting momentum, but it did leave Michigan without one of the in-state four-star edge targets it had worked to keep in the class picture.
The recruiting detail matters here
Smith’s recruitment gives this more weight than a routine miss. He is an in-state four-star edge from Farmington High, Michigan had him on its spring visit schedule, and the staff had already secured an official visit date.
When a recruitment gets that far, the board implication is simple. Michigan saw Smith as a take worth continued work, and Indiana closed the race before that June visit happened.
Michigan has still added edge talent
The miss does not leave the position empty. Michigan already added four-star edge Jayce Brewer on May 9, so the Wolverines have already landed a pass-rush prospect during this stretch.
That keeps the edge board moving, but Brewer’s commitment and Smith’s decision are separate data points. One shows Michigan can close on edge talent. The other shows that an in-state edge target the staff pursued through the spring still came off the board elsewhere.
What this says about the class right now
Michigan recruiting remains on a real surge. The commitment total, the top-125 numbers and the move into the national top 10 all point to a class gaining traction fast.
Smith’s commitment is notable because it adds a clean counterexample inside that run. Michigan can be hot nationally and still lose a local four-star edge it actively recruited, and both facts can sit next to each other without forcing a bigger claim than the evidence supports.
The next recruiting detail to watch
The immediate follow-up is not a broad warning about trends. It is whether Michigan can turn its remaining in-state pushes into official visits and commitments after losing Smith before his June 19 trip to Ann Arbor ever happened.
Continue reading...
