Chris Partridge was a beast on the path in his final tenure in Ann Arbor. Can he repeat that for the linebackers this time round?
With Chris Partridge returning to Michigan for a second stint because the linebackers coach, the Wolverines can count on a bump in recruiting. This must be very true for the linebacker place.
With Mason Curtis already dedicated, the Wolverines may as soon as once more be taking a look at two and even three blue-chip linebackers in its 2024 recruiting class.
Here are my early picks for the top-five remaining linebacker targets for Michigan on this cycle.
1. Aaron Chiles
Rated as the highest recruit in Maryland and the sixth-best linebacker recruit within the nation, Aaron Chiles is about as elite as they arrive. 247Sports nationwide recruiting analyst Brian Dohn lauds Chiles for his excessive soccer IQ and management skills, concluding he has the potential to be an early-to-mid NFL draft decide.
On3’s EJ Holland can also be excessive on Chiles, stating he must be rated as a five-star. All that is properly and good, however what are Michigan’s possibilities of touchdown him? As it seems, fairly good.
Chiles attended Michigan’s junior day in January and has scheduled two visits — an unofficial this month and an official go to in June. All indicators point out Michigan is the early chief in his recruitment however, as regular, Michigan should discover a technique to convert enthusiasm into dedication.
2. Jeremiah Beasley
Belleville High hasn’t been a real feeder faculty for the Michigan Wolverines lately, however that should change quick. Belleville’s Jeremiah Beasley — a four-star linebacker — is a giant motive why.
With loads of fleetness and panache for taking pictures gaps, Beasley may add the pace crucial to reinforce Michigan’s blitz packages. Let’s additionally not neglect he’s a teammate of the nation’s finest quarterback within the 2025 class, five-star Bryce Underwood. Getting Beasley would offer the Wolverines with an extra beachhead from which they may throw every little thing they’ve at bringing the native phenom to Ann Arbor.
Michigan State is one other robust contender in Beasley’s recruitment, so the Spartans will likely be a formidable foe shifting ahead.
3. Kris Jones
Michigan’s consideration should be closely dedicated to the above two linebacker recruits. With Curtis’ dedication and the true chance of touchdown each the above recruits, convincing extra linebackers to don the Maize and Blue will likely be troublesome. But as we’ve sorely been made to appreciate with quarterback recruiting, placing one’s proverbial eggs in a single basket is a recipe for catastrophe.
Enter Kris Jones. Listed because the ninth-best linebacker within the class, he has each downhill explosiveness and imaginative and prescient wanted for the place. He can be a terrific asset on the a number of protection Michigan has carried out these previous few years.
While Penn State has the clear lead in his recruitment, Jones has expressed curiosity in Michigan so don’t depend the Wolverines out simply but.
4. Braydan Platt
An elite run-stopper and positive tackler, Platt is listed because the Twenty second-best linebacker within the class. He reveals endurance many faculty linebackers lack and has extra room to develop bodily. If he can work on his closing skills, that top-22 linebacker within the nation designation may be a significant underestimation.
While Washington is hardly a pipeline state for Michigan, his recruitment continues to be in its early levels. Platt is certainly a recruit to keep watch over.
5. Sammy Brown
For the Wolverines, early optimism abounded within the recruitment of the nation’s finest linebacker, Sammy Brown. The Georgia five-star had nothing however positives to say about Michigan after a summer time 2022 go to, and adopted that up with much more reward for Michigan’s defensive efficiency in a December interview.
But issues have gone chilly. Jim Harbaugh paid him a go to earlier this winter, but Brown has tipped his hand he’s inclined to play faculty ball nearer to residence; Clemson and Georgia look to be the 2 principal contenders.
However, the doorway of Partridge may present a much-needed enhance for the Wolverines. He made a reputation for himself by bringing within the likes of Rashan Gary and Chris Hinton — each five-stars from outdoors the midwest — to Ann Arbor. Could he do the identical with Brown?
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