Michigan In Heavy Pursuit Of Nation’s No. 1 Offensive Lineman J.C. Latham

Ever since his freshman season, five-star offensive lineman J.C. Latham has fielded interest from Michigan. Now, the Wolverines look to secure an official visit from the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle.

After heading to IMG Academy, five-star prospect J.C. Latham underwent a position switch from the defensive to the offensive line. Despite learning on the fly, the 6-6, 315-pound five-star prospect proved that he could excel at the line of scrimmage wherever he was placed.

To no surprise, Latham has fielded offers from every top-flight program in the country, but the high-ceiling recruit has noticed a degree of loyalty and persistence from the Wolverines’ staff.

“[Michigan was] one of the first schools interested in me,” Latham told Wolverine Digest. “They’ve continued the relationship even though they gave a grace period when I transitioned from D-Line to O-line. They were consistent through all three years in communicating with me ever since I got my first offer back in January, February of my freshman year.”

From a recruiting standpoint, Latham says he hears from U-M offensive line coach Ed Warriner very often, and head coach Jim Harbaugh has joined in on the recruiting efforts as well.

“My coach at IMG, he actually played for Ed Warriner in the NFL, so he knows a little bit about him too,” Latham said. “Coach Harbaugh is one of the first coaches I was talking to. That relationship has always been there. Coach [Brian Jean-Mary] has recently come into the program, so we are starting that relationship too.”

As the No. 3 player in the country according to 247Sports.com regardless of position, Latham says that Ohio State, LSU, Georgia, Michigan and Alabama reach out to him the most. Clemson has also showed a high degree of interest, and Florida State is working hard to recruit the book-end left tackle as well.

Without a spring period to visit potential schools, Latham has delayed his announcement, which was previously scheduled for April. Now, Latham is looking at taking his official visits before committing to a program.

“I know I have two locked in for sure, which would be LSU and Ohio State,” Latham said of his officials.

With two official visits decided, Latham still has three other slots to fill. Once the top 5 overall prospect picks which schools to visit, then Latham will break down each school based on his personal criteria, and he opined on what that will be.

“Basically, the relationship that they have with me and how I feel about the school,” Latham said. “M y coach told me that nothing should be forced, so if I’m not feeling them then I shouldn’t force myself into feeling them, A lot of people around me are telling me it’s a business decision. Before, I was thinking I should feel comfortable, but then I have to look at it as a business for the next three years and it could potentially change the rest of my life, so I have to figure what I’m going to do as far as that standpoint goes. But also, I want a good relationship with the coaches.”

These factors are set to comprise the decision making process for the country’s top-ranked offensive tackle. But before he reaches that decision, Latham has worked on refining his skill set during the quarantine and highlighted the areas he’s worked on the most.

“Definitely my kick step,” Latham said. “I worked on that all year long. In practice, I stayed an extra hour just working on my kick step, and conditioning so I can be ready for anything. Once I realized that we were more of a run-heavy team, I worked on my hand placement and my feet.”

Latham credits his coaching staff for his ability to seamlessly transition from the defensive line to the offensive line along with the high quality of competition he faces on a daily basis.

Five-star J.C. Latham would act as a perfect complement for the offensive linemen Michigan already has committed in the 2021 class. Do you think Latham is best suited at left tackle or at defensive tackle, his prior position? Let us know!