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Michigan fans got something of a gut punch on Tuesday when 247Sports director of football recruiting Steve Wiltfong put in a crystal ball for Clarkston (MI) four-star offensive guard Rocco Spindler for Notre Dame with a seven rating confidence level.
The Fighting Irish and Wolverines have been all but tied for the standout’s services, and that was indicated in the 247Sports Crystal Ball as the two teams were split with a 50% prediction for either school. While Wiltfong’s prognostication makes it seem like disaster is imminent — he has a 98.57% success rating for his 2021 class predictions — we’re told: not so fast.
I spoke to a person close to the Michigan side of things who requested anonymity, but is very close to the recruitment, and they indicated that nothing has changed at this juncture and that the Wolverines still feel like it’s a 50/50 shot between them and the Fighting Irish. At this point, they shared, they haven’t heard anything to suggest he’s not coming to Ann Arbor or going to South Bend — but those remain the two contenders, as we’ve felt all along in his recruitment.
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As far as personal feeling — not to be confused with Sam Webb’s ‘gut feeling’ which tends to indicate a high sign of knowing what’s actually going to happen — I’ve long felt like Notre Dame is the team to beat. It was some time ago, during Spindler’s sophomore season, but I had spoken to a person close to his camp who indicated that ND had intrigued him from day one — from the storied football program itself to the fact that the school rooms its student-athletes with other attendees in the student body who aren’t on the team. I was told this held a certain appeal to Spindler, and I have no reason to believe this isn’t still true.
Nonetheless, neither choice at this juncture would surprise me. Spindler has a great relationship with both staffs and coaches, not to mention currently committed players.
He will be revealing his choice on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. at Clarkston High School.
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