In the 2023 class, Michigan had a chance at one 5-star recruit. Yesterday afternoon Nyck Harbor decided to pick South Carolina and play Beamer Ball. So that really left 2 candidates on the defensive line in Cam Brandt and Jamel Howard. Cam went Blue and Howard went back to Wisconsin.
Michigan went 1-3 on the day. Though the good news did continue as they secured a PWO in legacy player John Jokisch who is a 6'4 235 defensive lineman. Who happens to be the son for former Michigan WR Paul Jokisch. John can play and had an offer to Army. Welcome!
Lets take a deeper look at Cam:
Cam was originally committed to Stanford before David Shaw decided to step down. His offer list included the likes of USC, UCLA, CAL, Texas, Washington, etc. Cam is a 4 point student and was clearly looking for a strong academics University. He found one in A2.
Brandt's rankings are a bit all over the board. He is a 4-star to 24/7 and ESPN but a 3-star to On3 and Rivals. He averaged around the 50th defensive lineman in the country.
Cam is a bit of a tweener between DE and DT, most recruiting insiders believe he is being recruited as an edge rusher at Michigan. He might follow a Chris Wormley path as Cam isn't as big as Worm but if he puts on some serious weight on his 6'4 260 frame he could play inside. We will have to see how he develops and what his natural position is.
As I was reading some reviews of the talented lineman, this review caught my eye:
Ellinghouse describes Brandt as "the hardest working kid you can imagine. He's driven, he's self-motivated, 6-4/260, can run like the wind and plays with a motor that's relentless. … Just a complete, well-rounded D-lineman who's just as good as he is inside as he is outside, against the run as he is against the pass. He's a real football player."
Yes, Please!
Welcome to the team!
- The scariest thing to a fan base is when its 100% clear that their coach is out of touch with their players, program, and modern football. Here is the latest example: Kirk Ferentz: “As I stand here today, I anticipate no changes in our staff moving forward”.