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Recruiting Targets to Watch Closely After the Utah Loss

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

Team 136 and Jim Harbaugh dropped their first game of the season, 24-17 to Utah and while it was tough to watch, it also gave the coaching staff their first real look at what their roster can do. They can now see the holes that need to be fixed which may mean a little bit of a shift in their attention towards certain top targets.

Here are a couple names to watch moving forward:

  • TE Isaac Nauta 
    • While the tight end position was not even close to a “hole” and Nauta is already being heavily pursued, the showing from Jake Butt was the first real tape the staff has to recruit tight ends. And with Butt being such a beast in this game, they can now show the nation’s #1 tight end the kind of impact he’d have in Harbaugh’s offense.
  • K/P Quinn Nordin 
    • The kicking game is a huge question mark and even though Kenny Allen had a decent showing, he’s a senior and the staff needs a go-to leg. Nordin is the #1 kicker in the country and was close to ending up committing to Michigan before choosing Penn State. With the high need and great chance to play from day one, the staff will have an easy pitch to flip the Rockford standout.
  • OLB Daelin Hayes 
    • Hayes is an in-state standout that Michigan has been going after for a long time but he has yet to flinch thanks to his USC commitment. But there may now be a small chance. Hayes set up an official visit to Notre Dame for this fall and, though he was said to be trying to get out of the state, the Michigan staff will likely take another run at the Skyline star after not getting much out of the BUCK linebacker position. Lawrence Marshall should be a good player but Durkin needs depth badly.
  • OG Terrance Davis 
    • While Jake Rudock was the goat of the game for Michigan fans, the offensive line’s run blocking was, arguably, just as big of a problem. They were unable to open holes and lanes. Hell, the longest run was only 7 yards. That’s unacceptable to a power running team. That is why I could see them ramping up the pressure on another road grading guard to go along with Michael Onwenu, and Davis is the perfect fit. He’s already a top target on the board and is favoring the Wolverines but the staff could ramp up the pressure even more now.
  • ATH Jack Jones 
    • The receiver position was pretty decent in the game with Amara Darboh having a nice showing and Grant Perry and Jehu Chesson showing flashes of reliability. But they are still badly missing that game breaker on the outside and Jones has that ability. Rumor has it that Michigan is the only non-California team that could pull him out of the state. The staff could very well ramp up the pressure on him soon and put a full court press on him during his official visit on
  • RB Anthony Pegues 
    • Pegues is the newest target for the coaching staff and while he does not have an offer yet or the ideal size for a player in the system, he has the speed that was badly missing at the running back position. If the staff continues to see issues in the backfield, they could look to take a waiver on this Darren Sproles-type of weapon.

There are plenty of other names at these same positions that will likely see their recruitment ramped up from the Michigan coaching staff, including OT Jean Delance, OLB Caleb Kelly and TE Jacob Mathis. Either way, the staff needs more playmakers on the roster and in this class, so look for them to patch up as many holes as possible in 2016.

Garrett Fishaw
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