Michigan Wolverines Football: Final Pieces Soon to Fit in 2012 Recruiting Puzzle

Head coach Brady Hoke already has 23 verbal commits for the 2012 recruiting class. It's destined to be a top-10 if not top-five class, and will definitely be the best since the combined efforts of Lloyd Carr and Rich Rodriguez in 2008.

Only four or five scholarships remain for this class, and the battle for the last few players will be interesting, to say the least.

The Wolverines are looking for help at wide receiver, running back, cornerback and offensive line, even though they already have five committed at that position.

The latest news on the recruiting front concerns a pair of Blake Countess's high school teammates.

It's been well known that Michigan has been interested in 5-Star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who's also from Our Lady of Good Council in Owings Mills, MD. Diggs, however, was reported to have some academic difficulties and could have had a problem enrolling at Michigan.

But information from the scout.com message boards suggests that the academics are now in line, and there's increased interest between Diggs and the Wolverines.

At the same time, Diggs and his teammate, running back Wes Brown, could come as a tandem. The 4-Star Brown is no slouch. He's scout.com's No. 9 back and has offers from more than 20 major schools.

The early success of Countess has certainly stirred some interest. "He loves it there," Brown  said of Countess. "He really likes the school and the coaches."

Of course, Michigan's real interest at running back is with 5-Star Bri'onte Dunn of Canton, Ohio. Dunn, a 6'1", 220-pound bruiser, gained over 2,000 yards as a junior and scored 22 touchdowns. 

He committed to Ohio State in September, 2010, but he's all but reopened his recruitment.  

"I will be visiting Michigan on an official visit for sure," Dunn told scout.com. "I'm also thinking of going to Miami and maybe Penn State, too. I am still committed to Ohio State, but I'm keeping my options open. That's really the best way to describe my recruiting situation right now."

Two other receivers Michigan is recruiting are 6'2" Jordan Payton of California and 6"2" Amara Darboh of Des Moines via Sierra Leone.

Payton has visited both Notre Dame and Michigan and may decide shortly between the two. Darboh has already visited Iowa and Wisconsin. He will also visit Michigan, Florida and Notre Dame.  

"They're all great schools." Darboh said. It's going to be the players and the coaches that I feel most comfortable around." 

One more player Michigan could use is offensive lineman Zach Banner. At 6'9" and nearly 300 pounds, Zach may need two lockers, but only one scholarship. For anyone overly superstitious, Zach will most likely become a Wolverine, since he made his visit, 9-10-11.

Probably the longest of longshots still interested in Michigan is No.1 safety/corner Shaq Thompson from Sacramento. At 6'2", 210 pounds, Thompson would be a huge intimidating cornerback. If all goes as planned, he'll be making an official visit for the Ohio State game.

Another 6'2" cornerback looking seriously at Michigan is No. 5 Yuri Wright of Don Bosco High in New Jersey.  "Michigan has just been one of my favorite schools since I was a kid," he told the Detroit News. "I like the family atmosphere there, the tradition, and I know I can come in and get a real good education and have a chance to play early for a real good football program."

Wright, who's been part of his high school team's 40-game winning streak, will also be in attendance at the Ohio State game.

The list goes on and on. Michigan is no longer looking at kids who have two MAC offers and a Big Ten shot at Indiana. Hoke and his crew may not contend for the title this year, but 2012 is another story. 

Here is a partial list of what will become Michigan's 2012 recruiting class.

For consistency, all "star" and national ratings are courtesy scout.com