2022 Recruiting Awards

You can contribute to the blog by using Amazon links (LINK):

You can take a look back at the awards for the 2019 class if you want (LINK).

Best Overall Recruit: CB Will Johnson
Johnson is a 5-star talent with size, physicality, good athleticism, and a solid bloodline. Any criticism of him is generally nit-picking, and he was supposedly the best cornerback at the Under Armour All-American Game.

Hit the jump for the rest of the awards.

Best Offensive Recruit: WR Darrius Clemons
This is a pretty ho-hum recruiting class on the offensive side of the ball. There’s some talent but not high-end, superstar talent for the most part. Clemons is the one guy that I think could be a star in college and potentially into the NFL. He has great size (listed at 6’3″, 205, but reportedly closer to 6’4″) and impressive speed. I’m not sold on Michigan’s ability to have highly productive receivers, but that doesn’t preclude them from having a guy show out like Nico Collins did in 2019.

Best Defensive Recruit: CB Will Johnson
See above.

Recruit Most Likely to Make an Early Impact: CB Will Johnson
Johnson is a local 5-star who just happens to play a position where Michigan could use some help in 2022. With D.J. Turner II seemingly locked in as one starting corner, eyes are on the other corner, where Ja’den McBurrows and Gemon Green might be battling it out to start. Johnson has an outside shot at taking that spot, or at least being the #3 cornerback going into the season.

Fastest Recruit: WR Darrius Clemons
Clemons reportedly clocked a 4.37 forty, which is a tremendous number. Michigan got a couple other guys with decent speed (Kody Jones, Zeke Berry), but they’re probably not on par with Clemons.

Strongest Recruit: DT Kenneth Grant
Numbers are harder to come by in this 2022 class than in some past classes, probably because some of those traditional combines, such as Nike’s The Opening, are on hiatus since COVID-19 hit. Grant is listed at 6’4″, 335 lbs., so he’s the largest player to sign with Michigan in the class. Presumably, he has a little bit of muscle to be able to move and throw people out of the way like he does.

Best Under-the-Radar Recruit: OT Alessandro Lorenzetti
Lorenzetti is a 3-star, the #55 offensive tackle, and #684 overall. This award goes to a 3-star who I think will significantly outplay his ranking, and I think that guy will be Lorenzetti. I think he has really light feet and finishes plays very well. He has the quickness to stay in front of defensive ends and climb to the second level. I think he’s going to be a good one.

Most Overrated Recruit: WR Tyler Morris
Morris is a good prospect, but I think he’s overrated at #133 overall. I’m not too concerned about the ACL tear he suffered, because people make amazing recoveries from ACL surgeries these days. But as we’ve seen with numerous guys, Michigan doesn’t produce supremely productive receivers under Jim Harbaugh. Paired with my thinking that Clemons will be the most productive receiver in this class, I think Morris is just going to be a complementary piece.

Recruit Most Likely to Redshirt: QB Alex Orji
Orji’s best bet to make an impact at quarterback at Michigan is to be a dual-threat runner. He needs to work on his passing, and with J.J. McCarthy already solidified as the dual-threat guy, there’s not much of a need for an unpolished guy to run the ball.

Personal Favorite Recruit: CB Will Johnson
I’m partial to legacy recruits, and Johnson’s dad Deon played defensive back at Michigan in the 1990s. Add in the fact that Will is a local kid who played at Grosse Pointe (MI) South and was a do-everything player – plus the fact that he’s a big corner who’s a 5-star – and it’s hard not to root for him to be a superstar. He’s the most recognizable player in the class, and if he has success in a Michigan uniform, perhaps the Wolverines can use that to set the standard and recruit better at defensive back in the coming years.

You need to login in order to vote