Michigan Football Recruiting: Wolverines Don't Need Josh Garnett to Finish Class

Michigan doesn't need highly-touted offensive guard prospect Josh Garnett.

While he would be a nice addition to an already solid recruiting class, he's not the make-or-break prospect he's being made out to be. The Wolverines have already done a tremendous job of upgrading the offensive line with or without him.

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN provides an update on Garnett's decision-making process:

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Offensive lineman Josh Garnett (Puyallup, Wash./Puyallup) recently hosted coaches from both Stanford and Michigan and says he is now officially down to those two schools. Notre Dame was previously in his top group but has been eliminated from the running.

Garnett welcomed Michigan coach Brady Hoke into his home on Sunday night, and that will be the last visit before he makes his decision at 3 p.m. Thursday during a news conference at his school.

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The Wolverines already have four offensive lineman on their commitment list, according to Rivals. The group is led by 5-star phenom Kyle Kalis, who was one of the most coveted players in the entire nation coming into the year.

Kalis has the size and ability to step into the starting lineup right away and will anchor the team's line for the next couple of seasons. Even if he was the only marquee lineman they secured, it would have been considered a nice haul.

But that's not the case. A pair of 4-star players will be joining him in Ann Arbor.

Blake Bars and Erik Magnuson were both great finds by Brady Hoke and his staff. They might not make the same immediate impact that Kalis will, but it won't be long before they should be pushing for more playing time. The size is there in both cases, so it's all about fine-ftuning their technique.

The final offensive line commitment comes from 3-star Ben Braden. He might not have garnered as many headlines as they other three guys when he picked Michigan, but that doesn't mean he won't have a rock-solid career.

All told, Michigan fans shouldn't be overly concerned if Garnett ends up choosing Stanford. It's not like the line will suddenly crumble just because he doesn't pick the Wolverines. Upgrades have been made and the team continues moving in the right direction.