Julian Armella / submitted
U-M In Top Group For Pair Of Elite 2022 Prospects
Looking ahead to the 2022 class, Michigan has already solidified itself as a contender with numerous prospects, and two elite recruits named U-M to their respective top groups on Wednesday.
First, Olathe (Kan.) Blue Valley North athlete Dasan McCullough is a 6-5, 215 pound blue chip prospect who covers a lot of ground when patrolling the secondary for his high school team. McCullough has quality ball skills and is also one of the more willing defensive backs in run support as well.
Though it is quite early in the recruiting process for many 2022 athletes, McCullough holds 40 offers already, so he trimmed that list down to 10 in order to make his recruitment easier to traverse. As a result, Michigan was included in his top group along with Texas, Nebraska, Ohio State, Florida State, Florida, LSU, Clemson, USC and Oklahoma. More schools are likely to enter McCullough's recruitment as he continues to develop, but these programs have a leg up on the competition at the moment.
Shortly before in-person visits received the kabash from the NCAA, McCullough made a trip to Alabama in order to check out the Crimson Tide's campus and facilities, but the school was not listed among McCullough's top group.
At the moment, McCullough is listed as a four-star prospect by Rivals, but he has not received a positional grade from the site yet. When that does happen, however, expect for the Michigan target to check in as one of the top safety prospects in the class of 2022.
Later in the day, Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep five-star offensive lineman Julian Armella is another rising recruit who holds well over 30 offers and chopped his list down to a group of 10. Out of that select group, Michigan was included along with Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee and Miami.
For the past two seasons, Armella played at St. Thomas Aquinas for head coach Roger Harriott, who is a very respected coach in the region. Michigan has done well at the school lately with commitments from three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows and four-star inside linebacker Jaydon Hood, but the Wolverines are still clearly in the mix for Armella despite his transfer to Gulliver Prep.
So far, Armella has taken an unofficial visit to Miami, and he has built a strong relationship with the Florida State staff as well, so much so that he has already received a crystal ball prediction on 247Sports.com to wind up as a Seminole. Armella picked up his Michigan offer back in January of 2019, and he has risen up the ranks as one of the school's top offensive tackle targets.
Standing at 6-6 and 300 pounds, Armella already has the build of an NFL offensive lineman, and he's used his size, footwork and strength to help achieve his five-star status on Rivals.
So far, Michigan has put itself in strong position with a slew of top 2022 prospects. Which members of the '22 class do you want Michigan to pursue the most? Who are the must-land recruits in that cycle? Let us know!
