Previewing three of Michigan’s top targets heading into their July 1 decisions

It’s been a rocky last couple of weeks for Michigan recruiting to say the least. Going into June, the program seemed poised to add several key pieces to the recruiting class with a long list of official visitors scheduled to visit campus. Instead, Michigan only received one commitment during the month in the 2023 class, three-star tight end Deakon Tonielli.

Following the official visits, it was shaping up for July 1 to be a big day for Michigan recruiting, as several top targets were planning to announce their commitments on the same day. However, the shine on that has faded as well, as Michigan has continued to lose ground on guys it felt good about after their visits.

Here’s a quick rundown of the prospects scheduled to announce their commitments tomorrow, and Michigan’s chances with each.

Robbinsdale Cooper (MN) four-star edge Jaxon Howard

Howard, a top-100 prospect nationally, took his official visit during Victors Weekend on June 17. The Wolverines had been surging with him in the previous weeks as they identified him as an edge prospect instead of a tight end.

Soon after taking the trip to Ann Arbor, Howard went on back-to-back official visits to LSU and Miami. It was hard to tell which of these schools had the edge at the end of his visits, but it has started to become clear LSU has pulled ahead. Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports put in a Crystal Ball prediction for the Tigers on Wednesday, with more likely to follow.

Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) four-star edge Collins Acheampong

Michigan knocked it out of the park with Acheampong during his official visit on June 10. Five Crystal Balls rolled in for Michigan and Acheampong announced his decision date soon after the visit, which is always a good sign.

Acheampong still had an official visit scheduled to Miami last weekend though, and that trip has allowed the Hurricanes to make this a true 50/50 battle. In the preceding days before July 1, Acheampong had still not informed either staff of his decision and reports are he is legitimately torn. He is waiting to iron out details with Miami about an NIL deal, which leads one to think that will eventually be the choice when that’s figured out, considering the deals the Hurricanes have made with other prospects this cycle.

Cardinal Ritter (MO) three-star WR Fredrick Moore

Finally some good news!

The final prospect expected to announce their decision on July 1 is Moore, who also visited on June 10th. After all his visits in June, Moore announced a top five that included Michigan, Texas A&M, Illinois, Cincinnati and Minnesota. Interestingly, he only took official visits to Michigan and Illinois out of that group.

Given that competition, the choice for Moore should be easy regardless of any NIL shenanigans. Michigan has 100% of the Crystal Balls and there doesn’t seem to be any rumblings of any other contenders sneaking up in the 11th hour. But with how this cycle is going, you can never be too sure.