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The Wolverines are a little more thin than usual at defensive tackle, particularly when it comes to young talent.
Yes, there are two promising young players from the 2020 class in Christopher Hinton and Mazi Smith, but Michigan brought in none in 2018 nor in 2019. Thus, finding one or two in the 2021 class is of paramount importance.
The maize and blue are into it with a few prospects this cycle, with players like Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic’s Tywone Malone and Belleville (MI) product Damon Payne being chief among them. But another that’s been commonly linked as a potential target in Ann Arbor has just put Michigan in his final list.
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Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Westlake (CA) Village four-star DT Victory Vaka released his top 5, and the Wolverines made the cut.
— đź‘˝ (@victoryvaka) March 14, 2020
Vaka is rated by 247Sports as the No. 200 prospect, regardless of position and the nation’s 13th-best defensive tackle in 2021.
But, of course, with Oregon, Florida State, Texas A&M and Florida also making his cut, the Wolverines will face stiff competition for his services.
Vaka previously released a top 5 of Michigan, LSU, Texas A&M, Utah and Arizona State back in Nov. 2019, but insisted that he remained open at that time.
Shaun Nua is his primary recruiter at Michigan.