Michigan football mailbag: 2024 recruiting class, fall camp start date, more

Michigan football is still in the dog days of summer as it waits for the start of fall camp (more on that soon) and kickoff to the 2023 season. Given the program’s pedigree, there is never a shortage of storylines to discuss no matter what time of year it is.

We went to The Fort – The Wolverine’s premium message board – to take the temperature of what Michigan fans are discussing for a quick pre-4th of July Q&A.

Here are a few quick questions and items of note to kick off the week.

Thoughts on Michigan football’s 2024 recruiting from a team writer

Is the staff feeling slighted by any of the recent recruiting misses and does it impact still recruiting them until signing day? – Sister_Sandoz

Despite being off to a much better start to the 2024 cycle with a class that ranks sixth nationally with 24 commits, vibes about recruiting are off to start the week with five-star DL Justin Scott’s decision to head to Ohio State. It looks like it might kick off a nice run for the Buckeyes in the month of July, and it has some wondering why the Wolverines are not able to close with top targets.

EJ Holland and Zach Libby will do a much better job explaining how things went down, so all I can do is address recruiting from a team writer perspective. I do not claim to have inside info about what top targets decide to do, but we have seen plenty of high-profile recruitments with good Michigan vibes turn on a dime. I’ve covered this team since 2014. It happens so frequently that you start to assume it is going to happen.

Why is it happening now? Despite increased NIL juice on Michigan’s end, nobody is getting paid upfront. Truth be told, that is the way it should be, but we know that programs are doing the quiet part out loud these days. Guys at Michigan are getting taken care of once they are enrolled, but there is still a lot of work to do here. It takes a certain kid right now to buy into the big picture of what’s being built in Ann Arbor. The staff has done a great job of marrying that with much better results on the trail. It will continue to get better, but five-star guys are going to flock to the football factories. That’s just how it is.

As far as if the staff is hurt or put off by it, it cannot afford to be. You recruit a kid until he signs or tells you to pound sand. All it could take is a third-straight win over Ohio State and another trip to the playoff to throw a monkey wrench into other team’s plans before the early signing day in December.

Just keep winning, and keep building.

For now, oh well. Embrace the guys that want to be at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh’s staff has earned the implicit trust of the fanbase when it comes to talent evaluation and player development.

Offensive line depth

When is the last time Michigan has had this kind of depth on the offensive line? On another note, thanks to the staff here. You gents all do a fantastic job. Go Blue! – Thehedgehog

First off, thank you for the kind words!

The offensive line depth is something we touched on in our Sunday countdown to kickoff post when speculating who might fill the starting lineup next year. It is not an exaggeration to say that the second-team OL might start at a lot of other schools in the country. That has taken a lot of time to groom and develop, and Harbaugh’s staff deserves a lot of credit for making that a reality. During the Rich Rodriguez era and in the early Brady Hoke days, sometimes it felt like they barely had enough scholarship guys to fill out the two-deep.

Despite the depth and confidence in what next season’s group might look like, it would be foolish to rule out more help via the transfer portal. Left tackle and center register as the biggest question marks for 2024 if we had to choose them today. But as far as this year goes, they have depth and options at each position.

Knock on wood for good health, but the offensive line will likely not be derailed by a single injury unless it is an extended absence. Barring something catastrophic, the offensive line is in good hands, and Michigan could win a third-straight Joe Moore Award.

Submarine season is closing in

What’s the official countdown to Fall Camp and the return to the submarine? – BlueThunder24

Big Ten Football Media Days will take place from July 26-27 in Indianapolis, then Michigan’s fall camp is set to get going on Aug. 1. Things are not quite as buttoned down as they used to be in Ann Arbor, but Harbaugh still keeps plenty of things locked away. So anyone that has questions about what the offense will look like, or how Jesse Minter will alter the defense are going to have to wait until the season opener, and likely beyond.

It seems as if everyone is on track healthwise heading into camp, so that is the biggest priority right now. If they can get through another few weeks without any bumps and bruises, the Wolverines are about ready to roll.

After months of hype, Michigan’s biggest questions will soon be answered on the field.

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