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2024 Recruiting Update: June 12, 2023

COMMITMENT

Princeton (NJ) The Hun School defensive tackle Owen Wafle committed to Michigan. I will have a commitment post coming up soon.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2024

Chillicothe (OH) Chillicothe tight end Tayvion Galloway (4-star, #11 TE, #247 overall) decommitted from LSU. With Michigan already having two tight end commitments, I doubt the Wolverines will get back involved here.

OFF THE BOARD

Olney (MD) Good Counsel center Kyle Altuner (3-star, #61 IOL, #867 overall) committed to West Virginia. I thought he was perhaps leaning toward Michigan before the Wolverines got a commitment from fellow center prospect Jake Guarnera.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #101 Charlie Mentzer

Name: Charlie Mentzer
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Cathlic Central
Position: Kicker
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #93
Last year: I did not rank Mentzer. He did not play in any games.
TTB Rating: N/A

You may not have heard of Charlie Mentzer before. There’s probably a good reason for that.

That reason’s name is Jake Moody.

Moody, the former Lou Groza Award winner, made people forget about backup kickers. The kicking position can sometimes make people yearn for the backup kicker – just like the backup quarterback is often the most popular guy on the team – but Moody was so consistent over the past two years that the only concern was who was going to replace him when he left.

Well, I don’t think Mentzer is going to be that guy. For a while it seemed like he, freshman Adam Samaha, and redshirt sophomore Tommy Doman (the latter of whom will likely be handling punting duties) would be battling it out for the kicking job, but then Michigan brought in transfer James Turner from Louisville. Now it seems like Turner will handle the placekicking duties, and Mentzer is likely to spend most of the 2023 season watching from the sidelines.

Prediction: Backup kicker

2023 Season Countdown: #102 Joshua Nichols

Name: Joshua Nichols
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Detroit (MI) Loyola
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #29
Last year: I ranked Nichols #121 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

Nichols is one of those walk-ons who seems like he’s going to make an impact by the time his career is over, whether just on special teams or maybe a little bit on defense. He filled up the stat sheet as a high school senior two years ago – 82 tackles, 11 forced fumbles, 7 pass breakups, and 1 interception – and now seems to have put on about 20 pounds of muscle.

Nichols could have a Hunter Reynolds type of career. Reynolds played as a backup before transferring to start at Utah State. Now that Nichols has put on some good weight, perhaps this is the season for him to run down on kickoff and/or punt coverage and start to make a name for himself. With the talent and depth at safety right now, that’s probably the best chance for him to get on the field.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #103 Noah Stewart

Name: Noah Stewart
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 283 lbs.
High school: Muskegon (MI) North Muskegon
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #61
Last year: I didn’t rank Stewart. He played in one game.
TTB Rating: N/A

Denegal wins the annual Tom Strobel Random Lineman Turned Into a Tight End Award, previously awarded to the likes of Tom Strobel, Trente Jones, and Joel Honigford. Coming out of high school, Stewart was ranked as a 3-star offensive lineman by 247 Sports, but the offensive line is stacked. The official roster lists a position change from offensive line to tight end, but the #61 jersey lags a little behind the position switch.

Considering how much his predecessors actually played as extra (blocking) tight ends, perhaps I’m ranking Stewart way too low. At 6’7″ and 283 lbs. he could potentially be a very tough tight end to deal with for 5-tech defensive ends – or even smaller players – so perhaps Michigan has some secrets plans to help Stewart outstrip this low-ish ranking. But until I see otherwise, I’ll assume Stewart will be mostly on the bench.

Prediction: Backup tight end

Josh Wallace, Wolverine

UMass transfer target Josh Wallace has committed to Michigan. He picked Michigan over offers from Iowa, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech.

Wallace was listed at 6’0″ and 190 lbs. last season for the Minutemen. He’s a two-time captain and started 34 games over parts of four seasons. Last year he made 41 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, and 8 pass breakups.

Hit the jump for more.