Michigan football makes top 5 for 2023 4-star DL

Interesting, but not expecting much here. #GoBlue

There was a point in the not-so-distant past when Michigan football was trending for the two defensive tackles it coveted most. Weeks later, now the Wolverines are 0-for-2 in procuring two 2024 playmakers.

Pennsylvania-based three-star Deyvid Palepale was poised to stay closer to home, but looked likely to spurn in-state Penn State. Michigan was the presumed favorite, but then USC surged and received his commitment, leaving the maize and blue in the dust. That wasn’t nearly as shocking as the case of five-star Justin Scott, who appeared to be favoring the Wolverines over Notre Dame and Miami — the two other primary contenders for his services in most analysts’ eyes — before he ended up surprisingly committing to Ohio State.

Now the defensive line board is a big question mark this recruiting cycle, but Michigan did end up making the top five for a player who hasn’t visited Ann Arbor in over a year. Originally from Alpharetta, Georgia, 2024 Miami (Fla.) Central four-star defensive tackle T.A. Cunningham has revealed his top five, and the Wolverines made the cut along with Penn State, Miami, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. He’s expected to make his commitment on Saturday, July 22.

Michigan appears to be playing from far behind here, however. He has one 247Sports Crystal Ball indicating he’ll end up in Happy Valley, while he has three similar predictions on Rivals.

While it doesn’t appear that he’s likely to end up in Ann Arbor, the fact that Michigan made the cut is encouraging, and perhaps there’s more of a push behind the scenes that could make something of a difference for him.

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