The in-state prospect will choose between the Wolverines, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Oklahoma.
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Out of all of Michigan’s targets left in the 2021 class, no recruit has been more enduring than Clarkston (MI) offensive guard Rocco Spindler.
The Wolverines have been hard after Spindler for years now, back when he was initially rated as a top 10 prospect by the 247Sports Composite. The versatile lineman hasn’t fallen much from there, currently rated at No. 50 overall, regardless of position.
He released a ‘final five’ in May, which included the maize and blue as well as Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish and Wolverines appear to be the two schools duking it out for his services, exemplified by a 50/50 split in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. There have only been three predictions made for Spindler in 2020, and all three have indicated that the school in South Bend is the team to beat.
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Likewise, Rivals.com has six predictions in its FutureCast, with four of them indicating Notre Dame could be the school of choice. Of the last four predictions for Spindler, three have indicated ND, whereas only one suggests he’ll stay home and go to Michigan.
Regardless, we’ll know Spindler’s decision relatively soon, as he announced over the weekend that he’ll make his choice known at his high school on August 8.
In his Michigan recruitment, Spindler has developed a close bond with IMG Academy five-star quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy as well as the team’s director of recruiting, Matt Dudek. He received his offer to come to Ann Arbor back in March 2018, marking his second opportunity behind only rival MSU, which offered just over a month beforehand.
As of current, Michigan holds the No. 8 class in the country with 20 commits according to the 247Sports Composite, and No. 6 according to Rivals.com.
Spindler has made multiple visits to campus, especially considering the lack of distance. Will it be enough to lure him to stay in-state? We’ll know more come August 8.
Notre Dame has plenty of targets remaining for their unfinished 2021 recruiting class but few are as big of priority as offensive guard Rocco Spindler. Spindler, a four star offensive guard out Clarkston, Michigan included the Irish when he cut his …
Notre Dame has plenty of targets remaining for their unfinished 2021 recruiting class but few are as big of priority as offensive guard Rocco Spindler.
Spindler, a four star offensive guard out Clarkston, Michigan included the Irish when he cut his potential schools list to five back in May. Joining Notre Dame then were Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and LSU.
Spindler announced on Twitter that he’s made a a decision, at least as to when he’ll announce his commitment to one of those schools.
August 8 at 6 p.m. ET is the date and time as it’ll take place in the Clarkston High School football field.
If you are planning to attend my Commitment Day please WEAR a mask! For safety reasons, it will be at Clarkston Highschool football Field at 6pm ET.
Spindler is widely regarded as one of the top guards in the entire 2021 recruiting class and will be a shot in the arm for whichever school ends up landing him.
The 247Sports composite rankings put him as the third best guard in the nation and a top 50 player overall.
Notre Dame currently has three offensive line commitments in the 2021 class including tackles Blake Fisher and Joe Alt as well as guard Pat Coogan.
For what it’s worth, the 247Sports recruiting experts have it between Notre Dame and Michigan.
It’s hard to call any single recruit a must-get, but Spindler is about as close as it gets for Notre Dame at this point in the cycle.
Rocco Spindler, a 4-star offensive line prospect out of Michigan has moved his decision timeline to visit five schools including Ohio State.
There was an awful lot of buzz surrounding Ohio State recruiting efforts through March and April, but since then, things have calmed down a wee-bit. The Buckeyes still have easily the top-ranked recruiting class for 2021, but there are also some big names still out there that have the Buckeyes among their finalists as the race for one of the best ever recruiting classes continue.
One of those is four-star offensive guard Rocco Spinler out of Clarkston, Michigan. At 6-foot, 4-inches, and 315-pounds, he’s the teammate of another OSU target, four-star offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger. According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Spindler is ranked as the No. 2 offensive guard, and 44th overall recruit in the class.
Spindler originally communicated a mid-May decision date to Eleven Warriors, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, that has been pushed. And now, according to a Tweet from Spindler, he will not be making a decision until after he visits five programs.
Those programs besides Ohio State include Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and LSU. There is no timetable for the visits, but it likely won’t happen until at least an August timeframe or later depending on when the recruiting dead period is lifted.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I will NOT be committing Anytime soon. Not until I take all 5 officials. Which will be… Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn state, LSU.
So, onward we go in the crazy world of big-time college football recruiting and how everything has been put into a blender with all the COVID-19 measures.
It would probably be a little bit of an upset for Ohio State to be the ultimate choice here because Spindler looks to be leaning between Notre Dame and Michigan at the moment. However, because of that, the adjusted timeframe might play into the Buckeyes’ hands more than tie them up.
As things progress, we’ll provide further updates.
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Rocco Spindler is one of Notre Dames biggest remaining targets in the 21 recruiting class. He said Thursday a commitment wont happen soon.
If you follow the college football recruiting world at all, specifically Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts, you’re aware of the name Rocco Spindler.
Spindler is the son of former Detroit Lion and Pitt Panther, Marc Spindler who spent nine seasons in the NFL. Spinder is also about as big of remaining target as Notre Dame has in it’s 2021 recruiting class.
The four-star offensive guard has Notre Dame listed as one of his finalists along with Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and LSU. Spinder announced on Twitter on the morning of June 11 that he won’t be making a commitment anytime soon.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I will NOT be committing Anytime soon. Not until I take all 5 officials. Which will be… Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn state, LSU.
With the state of things we have no idea when visits will again be allowed to be made so it’s going to be a while before anyone gets an answer on Spindler’s ultimate destination.
For what it’s worth, the recruiting experts at 247Sports have it as a two horse race between Notre Dame and Michigan for the Clarkston, Michigan star guard.
Ohio State has been included in 2021 OG Rocco Spindler’s final five schools.
Ohio State has been included in 2021 four-star offensive guard Rocco Spindler’s final five schools. According to 247Sports Composite Index, the 6-foot, 5-inch, 315-pound lineman is the No. 2 rated OG and No. 44 overall recruit in the country.
Besides the Buckeyes, the other four schools included in his announcement on his Twitter profile include Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and LSU. Most recruiting services and projections have him leaning towards Michigan and Notre Dame, but there’s still a lot of time left to make an impression.
Being that he hails from Clarkston High School in That State Up North, the Wolverines might have a little bit of an upper hand towards landing his services.
The Wolverines made the cut along with four other powerhouse schools.
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Michigan has inched closer to landing one if its top targets in the 2021 recruiting cycle.
The Wolverines have been hard after Clarkston (MI) interior offensive lineman Rocco Spindler — who also could play defensively — for years now, but they’ve had hefty competition.
Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Oklahoma appeared to be the contenders for his services, but with the release of his ‘final five’ on Friday, the Sooners were out, whereas LSU seems to have made a push.
But the good news? As anticipated, the maize and blue made the cut for the four-star prospect, who’s rated No. 44 in the country, regardless of position, per the 247Sports Composite.
“Yeah, it’s very accurate,” Spindler said. “Those schools have been around me since my freshman year. They’re great academic schools, great football teams and they put a lot of guys in the NFL. The networking at both of those schools are unbelievable. You can’t get that anywhere else. Of course they would be at the top of my picks.”
Spindler was intending on making a spring decision, but given the coronavirus pandemic, that’s been pushed back a bit.
From the same aforementioned conversation, he explained how he intends to handle his recruitment going forward.
“Hopefully the NCAA allows us to take the whole summer to take all of our official visits and get rid of one of their dead period times, so it just allows us to get back on campus since we haven’t been there in three months. As soon as this blows over, get back on campus, take my five official visits and then probably one to two weeks later, I’ll have a big commitment day with those five schools. It’ll probably be on the football field and I’ll pick a hat.”
For the state of Michigan, Spindler will have to wait a bit to get back on campus, as Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Friday that the ‘safer at home’ order has been extended to June 12. However, Ohio State’s players will return to campus June 8, Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on June 5, Indiana’s restrictions will be loosened come May 24 and Louisiana’s expired on May 15.
However, Spindler has been a frequent visitor to Ann Arbor, so while another visit could get him further acclimated, he already has a broad sense of familiarity with Michigan at this juncture.
Rocco Spindler is a must-get for Notre Dame in the 2021 recruiting class. It’s now between the Irish ad four other powers for his commitment
Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting plan hasn’t exactly gone according to plan in the last couple months. There is still plenty of work to do but they did get some much-needed good news at a position of need on Friday.
Rocco Spindler, a four-star guard and what feels like a must-get for Notre Dame, listed the Irish in his “final five”. Notre Dame makes the cut but will still have to outdo a few blue-bloods to win Spindler’s commitment.
A final five of LSU, Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State speaks volumes as to the level of recruit you’re looking at here.
I’d imagine likely early playing time would be a selling point for Notre Dame. Spindler also told 247Sports of the Irish:
“I got to go with Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, you’re going to be challenged with education, off the field and on the field as well. Coach Quinn, coach Kelly, I love those guys.”
It appears Notre Dame and Michigan are the two favorites here and that battle seems like a coin-toss at this point.
Spindler will be a huge addition for whichever school he ultimately chooses as he’s ranked by 247Sports Composite Rankings as the second best guard in the 2021 class.
Although Notre Dame missed out on Florida’s offensive tackle Caleb Johnson, there are still plenty of big fish out there.
The Irish missed out on one of their top offensive line targets today when Florida offensive tackle Caleb Johnson committed to Auburn. Johnson would have been a nice addition to the already committed tackle Blake Fisher and guard Pat Coogan and now Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn will turn their attention to other prospects.
Of the current offensive tackles that have Irish offers it seems as if Pennsylvania’s Nolan Rucci is the biggest fish out there. A massive 6’8” frame is the prototype for a tackle and at 290-pounds Rucci looks skinny. Rucci should be first off the bus when his high school travels, he’s just a massive human. He moves extremely well for his size and will be able to add on good weight and end up around 320-pounds. Kelly and Quinn should turn the heat up on Rucci’s recruitment after the Irish were included in his Top 9 released last month.
Staying with tackles the Irish realistically have a chance at securing a commit from, Texas’ Matthew Wykoff should be next on the list. The 6’6” and 300-pound Texan released a Top 7 without the Irish on it, but don’t worry, that was prior to getting an offer and making an impression on the young man. It will be hard to get him out of Texas, but if Brian Polian, who is his lead recruiter, can get in his ear often, the Irish will have a shot with Wykoff.
Out east in Connecticut is another massive tackle in Tristan Bounds. Another first off the bus guy for his high school, Bounds stands also at 6’8” and weights 285-pounds. The Irish have made his Top 8 list and have a great shot at the bookend tackle. Bounds might not be as highly ranked as the other two tackles the Irish are persuing, but that shouldn’t matter much. He is talented and have a very high ceiling, even if he needs a few years to get acclimated to this level.
As for guards, the Notre Dame staff has extended only three offers, Texas’ Donovan Jackson committed to Ohio State while Coogan verballed to the Irish last month. Michigan’s Rocco Spindler is the lone man standing at guard and the main competition looks to be from Michigan. Spindler will trim his list down from 10 schools to 5 a week from today, and expect the Irish to make the cut for the 6’4” and 290-pound prospect.
The Irish have a great shot with all four of these prospects and there is bound to be a few new prospects that pop up between now and signing day. I am a huge fan of the way Kelly is attacking the offensive line, go after as many tackles as possible and if they need to move to guard, it’s a much easier transition. If I had to make a guess as to who the Irish end up with to finish the 2021 offensive line class it would be Spindler and Bounds. Time will tell if I am right, but the Irish are in good position with each of these prospects.
2021 Clarkston (MI) four-star offensive/defensive lineman Rocco Spindler breaks down the latest in his recruitment in this Q&A.
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Generally, with big time recruits, when we discuss their recruitment, the answers are short as the highly sought-after prospect looks to keep things close to the vest.
Such is not the case with 2021 Clarkston (MI) four-star offensive/defensive lineman Rocco Spindler.
Despite being a player on college football’s radar since he was a freshman in high school, Spindler, now on the clock in regards to an eventual decision, is quite forthcoming in his candor as far as where he stands in his recruitment.
Thus, instead of parsing what he had to say to WolverinesWire on Friday about where he stands as of current, we’re giving you the majority of what he said in what was nearly a 15 minute conversation.
(Editor’s note: Our questions have been simplified for brevity, but Spindler’s comments are presented without change.)
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Our conversation with 2021 Clarkston (MI) four-star Rocco Spindler
What has this time been like for you, being at home and being recruited in the time of coronavirus?
“It’s been crazy, especially with this whole virus and everything. Just trying to stay healthy, hungry and humble, trying to stay safe from this virus. But coaches are blowing up my phone every day, wanting to FaceTime, do Zoom calls, sending me graphics and stuff. It’s been nuts. But, I’ve been trying to stay on top of it. It’s just hard to get some free time in. I get 80-100 texts a day.”
How do you deal with all of that? Getting so many people vying for your attention?
“I hate texting, I actually like calling better. When guys want to do interviews and stuff, I’m like, ‘Hey, can you just call, it’s easier for me.’ And I won’t lose it in another text or something. I try to stay on top of it as much as I can but sometimes I take some breaks, be with my family, have some down time, play some video games, blow off some steam and go lift or something. I try to prioritize it, just trying to do the best I can with it.”
With Michigan, we assume they’re still coming after you with a team effort?
“Warinner, Coach Harbaugh, Matt Dudek – those three guys have really been after me.”
How did we forget that Dudek is your guy?!
“Yeah, Dudek is my guy. He’s been mostly in charge of all this and really coming after me.”
You tweeted out that Michigan graphic that featured you and your dad. It seemed like that really resonated?
“It’s a special moment, because my father was in my shoes, he was one of the best players in the country at the time. Really he kinda stays out of it as much as he can, but I look up to him so much. There’s big shoes to fill, but he lets me create my own path. His draft day didn’t go as expected, but the things, the sacrifices he made to get to where he is now and really I look at how Michigan really captured that. I hope to God I can play at the highest level. They definitely did a fantastic job with that graphic.”
We get the perception that this is Michigan vs. Notre Dame battle. How true is that?
“Yeah, it’s very accurate. Those schools have been around me since my freshman year. They’re great academic schools, great football teams and they put a lot of guys in the NFL. The networking at both of those schools are unbelievable. You can’t get that anywhere else. Of course they would be at the top of my picks.”
What is it that you like about both schools, staring with Notre Dame?
“I love their campus. I’m an old school type of guy, so when you get on their campus, it’s just tradition, it’s history there. That’s what resonates with me. Those guys are all there at the same time, they’re all competing for the same thing. They all wanna help each other and really get everybody to the next level and eventually hire them as a business partner or something. Those guys all love each other and they all want to be there for the same reasons: they all want to be challenged.”
And Michigan?
“With Michigan, I also see a brotherhood there. Great coaching staff, the facilities there are unbelievable. I truly believe they’re the best facilities in college football. I can just tell that they really, truly want to win and I really believe they have the guys there, the coaching staff is there. I just feel like they’ve gotta figure out one or two things to be a national championship team.”
Could you be one of those things missing? A guy who could help bring a national championship to Michigan?
“I truly believe – Coach Harbaugh has said since my freshman year that I’m the top guy in this class to get, because it’s gonna be a domino effect. You get me you’re probably gonna get three or four other guys that come with me. That’s a big thing. I’m truly blessed to be in that position because my decision could definitely help a team or it could definitely hurt a team. Will just have to wait and see.”
Every time you tweet, seems like you have Michigan and Notre Dame players and recruits in your mentions.
How much have those guys been recruiting you? What’s your bond like?
“Blake Fisher, Pat Coogan – those guys are really coming after me. We play Fortnite all the time, we talk (on) FaceTime. We really are bonding almost like we’re teammates.
“Same thing with Michigan. Braiden McGregor, J.J. (McCarthy), Giovanni (El-Hadi) – we’re all talking all the time and we’re trying to be like a brotherhood from that standpoint, I guess. And it’s something special because that’s something I look forward to. I don’t want to be a part of a team that only cares about themselves and wants to play in the NFL and makes hundreds of millions of dollars. I want to be on a team where we truly care about each other. You want to engage, you want to see the best out of each other.”
At this point, what else are you looking for? What’s left for you to learn so that you can make your college choice?
“I’m hoping this virus passes and blows over I guess, because I had my commitment date May 15, and I’m gonna take all five of my official visits/ One last little hoo rah, one last little sales pitch with each coach. And that’s really gonna set who’s got the best to offer. I really gotta hear them out at these official visits because that’s what it’s gonna come down to because it’s neck and neck I would say with all five of these schools. It’s really, really close. Some people believe that I’m leaning more this way than that way and others believe it’s the other way around. But when I say it’s super, super close it’s really between these five teams.”
What are the other three schools?
“I can’t really release those yet. I haven’t dropped my top 5. I plan on doing that pretty soon here.”
When do you want to get things wrapped up then?
“Hopefully the NCAA allows us to take the whole summer to take all of our official visits and get rid of one of their dead period times, so it just allows us to get back on campus since we haven’t been there in three months. As soon as this blows over, get back on campus, take my five official visits and then probably one to two weeks later, I’ll have a big commitment day with those five schools. It’ll probably be on the football field and I’ll pick a hat.”
Here’s to hoping Brian Kelly doesn’t suffer the same fate with a Spindler over two decades later.
You ever find yourself walking and you stumble into something that means an incredible amount to you and you alone but probably means nothing to anyone else?
If so you may have wondered what it meant and if it was some kind of sign.
One of the nations most desired players in the 2021 recruiting class recently found himself wondering exactly that after a random Mexican run-in with former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz.
Ran into the lendgendary head coach, Lou Holtz in Mexico the other day! He impacted my life with his truly inspiring messages he gave about life. He also recruited my father heavily back in 86-87, this is one of those times we say “like father, like son” Could this be a sign? ☘️ pic.twitter.com/1whZFIJOTa
Rocco Spindler is one of the most coveted players in the 2021 class as 247Sports ranks him the second best guard in the country and a top 50 player overall.
If the Spindler name sounds familiar it’s because Rocco’s father (Marc) is a former All-American defensive lineman for Pitt who played nine seasons in the NFL for the Lions and eventually the Jets.
Spindler mentions it possibly being a sign that he ran into Lou but also asks in the same tweet if it’d be a “like father, like son” situation. In that case then he wouldn’t end up at Notre Dame, correct?
OK, that’s reading far too into the tweet of a youngster who had a cool run-in with an all-time college football coach. Whether he ends up at Notre Dame or if he ends up at one of their biggest rivals it’s still a cool story to come across.
I’d love to hear Lou share stories on recruiting Spindler’s father though as he was the USA TODAY’s high school football defensive player of the year in 1986.
I’m guessing that miss didn’t sit well with Holtz.
Here’s to hoping Brian Kelly doesn’t suffer the same fate with a Spindler over two decades later.
