The good news in Ann Arbor is that their Michigan Wolverines have  1) cemented themselves as a consistent wrestling power and 2) passed the baton to one of the best young coaches in the country after the long and successful tenure of Joe MacFarland.

Our 'Decade of Recruiting' showed Michigan to have brought in the 8th best recruiting classes and 11th best NCAA average finish over the last ten years. 

So where's the bad news? There isn't any. By nearly everyone's perspective, the future looks bright. So bright, in fact, that perhaps there are even higher expectations going forward. And if we've learned anything over the last couple decades, it's that in addition to coaching, recruiting plays as vital a role to future success as anything. 

Six of the last seven years brought a Top 20 class to Ann Arbor with five of them being Top 10 and three being inside the Top 5. On the roster currently are 11 Big Boarders (Top 100 recruits) from years past. The #4 recruiting class in 2018 will bring four more: Mason Parris, Joey Silva, Will Lewan and Iowa State transfer Kanen Storr.

Nomad did a deep dive into the current Wolverine Depth Chart, and here I'll take a look at weights of need and potential targets.

Lightweights

On the Roster:

Down low, Michigan is set for the foreseeable future. Uber recruit, Kurt McHenry, who is our #1 projected prospect at 125, is the obvious solution there.

Until then, Austin Assad and Drew Mattin will man 125 for the next two+ years. One (likely Mattin) will take over for Micic at 133 when he graduates. That would mean Michigan wouldn't need a 133 until 2021 (w/ a redshirt) or 2022 (as a TR FR). 

While Michigan picked up Kanen Storr in the offseason, I think it's a safe assumption at this time to project him to wrestle this year at 141 before moving up to 149, allowing another Class of 2018 gem, Joey Silva, to slot in.

It's a fantastic young group. Your looking at long-term starting status of Assad/Mattin/McHenry (125), Micic/Mattin (133), Storr/Silva (141), and Storr/Freeman (149) for many years.

Targets: 

There is no need to spend at the lightweights in 2019, and perhaps not even in 2020. Michigan is in the market for pure luxury here. And although Robby Howard (#4 in 2020) comes a year before they truly need him, you're not gonna not get Randy Jackson's autograph and you're not gonna worry about overlap and fit with Howard. I think he's their clearest target down low, but it will be a crowded market for the Bergen Catholic product.

Middleweights

On the Roster:

This is where I would expect Bormet & Co. to focus their recruiting energies. They have some talent in this range, but many are graduating, and it's unclear exactly how the youngsters will pan out or which weights they'll go.

Within the next two seasons, every starter from 149 through 174 will have graduated: Malik Amine, Alec Pantaleo, Logan Massa, and Myles Amine.

Malik Amine (149) and Alec Pantaleo (157) graduate this year. The future at these two weights look to be covered by Kanen Storr moving up, although it could be possible that Will Lewan, ranked 28th in the Class of 2018, could spend time at 149. 157 would then be covered by either Lewan or Layne Van Anrooy, who was #37 in 2017. 

Another scenario has Storr-Lewan-Van Anrooy manning 149 through 165. 

165 and 174 is where things really get interesting. Van Anrooy could be the guy at 165 but the roster is thin here, and 174 will be completely depleted following the graduation of Massa and Myles. In fact, the only other 65/74 on the roster will be unranked incoming freshman Max Maylor.

Targets:

Both ranked highly in the Class of 2019, Detroit CC duo Cam Amine and Kevon Davenport are the no-brainers. Michigan needs help and needs help fast. While they could land one or both, each are seriously considering other schools. The other Class of 2019 candidates in this weight range that match Michigan's profile are few and far between. Perhaps Jake Stiles out of Illinois.

Their are also two obvious middleweight instate targets for Michigan in the Class of 2020. Josh Edmond destroyed everyone in Fargo Cadets and his stock continues to climb. I'd project him at 149. And though Austin Boone hasn't wrestled much nationally, he's considered an elite, Michigan-level talent. We have them ranked as the 11th and 13th best prospects at 149 and 157, respectively.

There are two Ohio prospects I think fit Michigan well. Mick Burnett just came off a Fargo finals performance. He could be a B1G-caliber guy and with Ohio State loaded up already in the weight range, Burnett as a Michigan 149 would make some sense. There's also E'lan Heard out of LaSalle, who has been a bit of an enigma; uber talented but has yet to place at the state tournament. Should he go scorched-earth in the next few months, I think he becomes a smart target for Michigan in the 165 range.

Looking at our 174 Prospect Rankings, there are a few really good fits in my opinion. 

First is Brecksville, Ohio's Victor Voinovich. I have the sophomore as the #4 174lb prospect, though anywhere from 157 to 174 might be feasible. I also like Dom Mata in the 65/74 range for Michigan. Originally from Poway and now at Blair, he won a state title in Cali last year as a soph. 

Alright, lastly, I like the Mastrogiovannis to Michigan. Often I write of things like this with hints from either the wrestlers or the coaches. I have none of that here. I don't know if Michigan and Bormet are targeting or particularly like the Mastrogiovannis, and I don't know if the Mastrogiovannis particularly like Michigan.

What I do know is that they are from a great family, are smart, work incessantly. In essence, they appear to me as 'Michigan Men'. Both Trevor (2020) and Travis (2021) will be Top 10 overall in their respective classes. I have them projected a tad higher in weight classes than what they currently wrestle. I have Trevor as a 41/49 and Travis as a 65.

For all I know they could end up at OK State or Harvard or Penn State. But I also think Michigan is a good fit for both parties. 

Upperweights

On the Roster:

Young and hungry. Michigan's top half is filled with talent and the future line-up is pretty straightforward.

Jelani Embree (#28 in 2017) will be a freshman this year and start at 184. 

I thought for sure 197 would go to #57 of 2017, Andrew Davison this year. And maybe it still will, but Jackson Striggow had pretty solid season last year as a Midlands placer. Davison will be a freshman while Striggow has two years remaining. Either way, they're in good hands here.

Likewise at 285, where they have one of the finest young prospects at the weight in Mason Parris. He's ready to go now, but the multi-sport athlete is still raw. It's possible they redshirt him and start Luke Ready, who was the #82 prospect coming out in 2016.

Targets:

Facundo. Alex Facundo. He's the #1 prospect, Pound-for-Pound in the Class of 2021 and he's from Davison, MI. He'll be coming in at about the perfect time. But it will be a dog fight to get him - Michigan is clearly in contention, but he's said to have legitimate interest in several other schools as well.

The Wolverines also have done well historically in recruiting Ohio. I think fellow Class os 2021 upperweight talent Paddy Gallagher would be a great match for them.

Longer term, watch for Manny Rojas, a top incoming high school freshman who is from Michigan.

Related Reading:

Depth Charts:  Iowa    |    Oklahoma State    |   Nebraska

Targets:   Iowa   |   Oklahoma State   |   Nebraska

Class of 2019 DI Commitment List

Top 100 Recruits of 2019

Top 100 Recruits of 2020