*** Michigan took a hit on the recruiting trail today as Rivals100 Oak Park (Mich.) High defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny gave rival Michigan State a verbal commitment. This one shouldn't have been much of a surprise. Things had been trending down for Michigan over the last couple of weeks, and I recently put in my FutureCast pick in favor of the Spartans. I expressed concern about Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua closing here, and as Benny put it, the MSU win over Michigan was icing on the cake. There is no other way to put it – this one was a bad loss. Benny is a talented prospect at a position of need in your own backyard who was thought to be a lean a couple of months ago. Losing him to a rival with a new coach looking to build momentum is rough. It also adds to the negative in-state perception.
*** So what's next at the position? Michigan is still working on Rivals250 Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep prospect George Rooks. Losing him and Benny would be an unfortunate blow. Like I mentioned, defensive tackle is still a position of need this cycle. Rooks appeared to be leaning Michigan early on before Penn State made a big surge. Rooks has continuously pushed back his commitment date, and both schools remain viable options. Obviously, Michigan and Penn State have both struggled, so I don't think either has moved the needle with on-field results. Boston College is increasingly becoming a dark horse, and Pitt is still hanging around. There is no true update on Rooks. He's content evaluating his options until his senior season comes to an end.
*** Some new names could pop up, but it's obviously getting close to the early signing period. There was some interest in Michigan from LSU defensive tackle commit Anthony Hundley, but I've been told he has work to do in the classroom. Of course, Michigan has a couple of commits that could eventually be defensive tackles. New Monmouth (N.J.) Mater Dei Prep's Dominick Giudice has added a lot of weight and seems destined to be a three-tech. Mansfield (Mass.) High's TJ Guy is an athletic ball of clay that could end up inside depending on how his body develops.
*** The good news is Michigan already hold a commitment from a pretty damn good defensive tackle in 2022 in Essexville (Mich.) Garber product Alex VanSumeren. The Rivals250 prospect is a true three-tech and isn't the usual big-bodied defensive end that Michigan recruits to slide inside. Keeping VanSumeren in the fold is a must. Obviously, his brother is on the team, but he does have interest in Alabama, Penn State and Stanford. It wouldn't be surprising to see him make visits to those schools after the dead period. And VanSumeren has said as much.
*** So what's next at the position? Michigan is still working on Rivals250 Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep prospect George Rooks. Losing him and Benny would be an unfortunate blow. Like I mentioned, defensive tackle is still a position of need this cycle. Rooks appeared to be leaning Michigan early on before Penn State made a big surge. Rooks has continuously pushed back his commitment date, and both schools remain viable options. Obviously, Michigan and Penn State have both struggled, so I don't think either has moved the needle with on-field results. Boston College is increasingly becoming a dark horse, and Pitt is still hanging around. There is no true update on Rooks. He's content evaluating his options until his senior season comes to an end.
*** Some new names could pop up, but it's obviously getting close to the early signing period. There was some interest in Michigan from LSU defensive tackle commit Anthony Hundley, but I've been told he has work to do in the classroom. Of course, Michigan has a couple of commits that could eventually be defensive tackles. New Monmouth (N.J.) Mater Dei Prep's Dominick Giudice has added a lot of weight and seems destined to be a three-tech. Mansfield (Mass.) High's TJ Guy is an athletic ball of clay that could end up inside depending on how his body develops.
*** The good news is Michigan already hold a commitment from a pretty damn good defensive tackle in 2022 in Essexville (Mich.) Garber product Alex VanSumeren. The Rivals250 prospect is a true three-tech and isn't the usual big-bodied defensive end that Michigan recruits to slide inside. Keeping VanSumeren in the fold is a must. Obviously, his brother is on the team, but he does have interest in Alabama, Penn State and Stanford. It wouldn't be surprising to see him make visits to those schools after the dead period. And VanSumeren has said as much.
