Michigan Football Recruiting: Pennsylvania Center Becomes Recruit No. 13

Michigan came closer to completing the offensive line portion of it's 2013 class Saturday morning, by landing 4-star center Patrick Kugler of Wexford, PA, reports Scout.com.

With David Molk graduating, the Wolverines are left with two inexperienced centers on the roster. It's expected that redshirt freshman Jack Miller will battle 2011 backup Rocko Khoury for the starting position this spring.

There's even been talk of injury-plagued Ricky Barnum moving over from left guard to join the fight.

At 6'5", 270 pounds, Kugler could be ready to play early. His football pedigree certainly doesn't hurt, either. His father, Sean, is the offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers and his brother, Robert, is a tight end at Purdue.

"(Patrick) Kugler is a technician and he is nasty," writes Scout.com's Bob Lichtenfels. "I actually wouldn't hesitate to say he is the best lineman in Pennsylvania regardless of class."

From right out of Penn State's backyard, Kugler's commitment gives Michigan five offensive linemen. He joins tackles Kyle Bosch, Logan Tuley-Tillman and David Dawson, in addition to guard Chris Fox.

Along with Penn State, Kugler's "offer" list included Ohio State, Stanford and Virginia Tech, which totaled at least 18 schools.

Landing Kugler gives Michigan 11 commits this month alone. At this point, the Wolverines well ahead of last year's class, which finished as a consensus top-10 in the nation.

With such a head start, Michigan can now concentrate on the many 5-star recruits still left on the table. Michael Hutchings (OLB), Su'a Cravens (S), Ty Isaac (RB) and Adam Breneman (TE) are just a few of the players on Michigan's radar. Let's not forget Alex Kozan, an uncommitted member of the 2012 class, who is still considering Michigan.