Michigan Making Waves with Top QB Target in 2022

Michigan doesn't have a ton of options at quarterback in the 2022 cycle, but they're doing well with one of them.

With Clovis (Calif.) High quarterback Nate Johnson off the board after committing to Utah, Michigan has now turned it's attention almost entirely toward Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson quarterback Conner Harrell. The 6-1, 191-pounder was just in Ann Arbor yesterday for an unofficial visit and came away feeling good about the maize and blue.

"It was great," Harrell said. "I loved the facilities and the coaches. The coaching from Coach [Jim] Harbaugh during my workout stood out the most to me. I ran a 40, did a 5-10-5 drill and threw multiple routes, some on the run. The throwing went well and Coach Harbaugh told me I'm the No. 1 quarterback on the board, which I hope is true."

It is true and, because of that, several coaches are working hard on bringing Harrell to Ann Arbor.

"I spent some time with Coach [Josh] Gattis but more with Coach [Matt] Weiss," Harrell said. "He's a good guy. He's new to the recruiting part but I could tell he has a lot to teach. We didn't get to talk much football but he was coaching me up during the workout on my footwork and mechanics. That was my first time meeting Coach Weiss so hopefully we can get closer.

"I probably talked the most to Coach [Aashon] Larkins. He's going to be a familiar face for me and we already have a pretty good relationship." 

Harrell is definitely a serious target for Michigan especially now that Johnson is a Ute. However several other programs have Harrell at or near the top of their board as well and he recently checked them out as well.

"I recently took official visits to Arizona State and Northwestern," Harrell outlined. "I also visited North Carolina unofficially. For my other officials, I'm fighting time. There's only one week left in June."

In a pretty interesting approach, Harrell wanted to take all of his visits — official and/or unofficial — during June because of how different they'd be during the fall. It's an interesting point. During the offseason, the red carpet is rolled out and the coaches are all in on the visitors. During the season, while recruits do get to see a game and feel what that's like, they don't get nearly as much time with the coaches since they're so busy with everything else. 

After several very pleasant visits, Harrell is getting close to pulling the trigger. He even said that it could happen as soon as July 4 and Michigan will definitely have a shot.