Recruiting Roundup: 2021 Offensive Line Carousel Keeps Turning

One big Michigan offensive line target committed to a Big Ten opponent on Monday, but the Wolverines are still in good shape to with several of their top choices in 2021.

@dom_giudice27 / Twitter

After picking up a commitment from three-star cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows on Friday, Michigan’s 2021 big board continues to shift and did so once again on Monday when Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier four-star offensive tackle David Davidkov committed to Iowa.

Throughout the process, Michigan had kept close contact with Davidkov, and U-M offensive line coach Ed Warriner has personally made Davidkov a top priority. Before pledging to the Hawkeyes, Davidkov was slated to take a series of official visits in June. Michigan was set to host the 6-6, 295-pounder over the first weekend of June and Iowa was going to be later on during the month. Now, it is unclear if Davidkov will still take an official visit to Ann Arbor.

As a secondary impact of this move, Michigan will likely turn up the heat on a few other 2021 offensive line targets. For instance, three-star tackle Tristan Bounds is set to official visit Michigan on June 19-21, which will be a big recruiting opportunity for the Wolverines. Four-star offensive guard Drew Kendall is another top target for U-M that sounds as if he is nearing a decision.

Nolan Rucci puts Michigan in top 9

Last week, Lititz (Pa.) Warwick five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci posted his top nine on Twitter, and Michigan was part of that group. Shortly following that announcement, AllBadger’s Jake Kocorowski spoke with Rucci, who touched on the frequent contact he’s been fielding from the Wolverines staff.

“Actually was just on FaceTime with him and Coach (Jim) Harbaugh yesterday (on Tuesday the 21st), so I think we've been having great conversations over the past few days, texting and FaceTiming and everything like that,” Rucci said. “Just how well I fit in their program there. I think just talking to academic persons have been really helpful.”

Kocorowski also reported that Rucci is interested in aerospace engineering, and that has been a focus during his research on the education at Michigan as well. But the Wolverines have a batch of tough competition in landing Rucci. Also in his top group was Wisconsin, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Ohio State, Stanford, Penn State and Notre Dame.

DL commit Giudice comments on Michigan’s draft day success

Over the weekend, Michigan produced the second-most NFL Draft selections of any college in the country as 10 players were picked over the three day event. Out of that double-digit total, five offensive and five defensive players were tabbed.

Michigan’s ability to send its players to the professional ranks has become a compelling pitch on the recruiting trail in the Jim Harbaugh era. Over 5 years, 31 former Wolverines have been picked in the draft, and Michigan had another strong showing in 2020.

U- M defensive line commit Dominick Giudice was watching the draft closely as a refreshing dose of sporting news during the quarantine. And as he watched the draft, Giudice kept watching Michigan player after Michigan player fly off the board.

“It was awesome to see all those guys picked,” Giudice told Wolverine Digest. “It says a lot about the tradition and what the expectation is. Coach [Don] Brown runs a great defense, and I can’t wait to play for him.”

With Giudice in the fold, Michigan currently has the No. 11 recruiting class in the nation for the ’21 cycle according to 247Sports.com.

So far, the offensive line is a strength of Michigan’s 2021 class. How would you like the Wolverines to finish out the cycle at that position? Should U-M go more tackle-heavy or guard-heavy going forward? Let us know!