This weekend is one of the biggest on this year’s college football calendar and is arguably the biggest of the season thus far. While the Wolverines kick off their Big Ten slate, top-priority Michigan football recruiting target Bryce Underwood — a five-star QB — will be in Happy Valley for the Penn State white out game. Underwood, who is the No. 1 recruit in the nation, is thought to be favoring the Maize and Blue right now; however, there are a number of schools still making a strong push.

Top Michigan football recruiting target Bryce Underwood to visit Penn State white out

The Penn State Nittany Lions are not currently considered a major threat to Michigan football recruiting when it comes to top-ranked target Bryce Underwood. That said, this weekend’s Penn State white out game against a ranked Iowa squad, which is led by former Michigan quarterback and Big Ten Champion Cade McNamara, could change things if James Franklin plays his cards right.

With Underwood’s commitment date (Jan. 6th, 2024) approaching quickly, a number of teams are starting to make a strong push for the elite five-star QB. Underwood is the No. 1 recruit in the nation, per On3 and 247 Sports composite, and is currently leaning towards the Wolverines, per the Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Still, teams like LSU, Colorado, Ohio State, and clearly, Penn State, are still in the mix, so seeing where this weekend’s white out visit leads could be a good storyline to track for fans of the Maize and Blue.

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The Wolverines, known for their rushing attack under Jim Harbaugh, have a few incredible running back recruits currently locked down in the 2024 recruiting class. That said, as four-star Jordan Marshall (the top player in the class) continues to impress, three-star Michigan football commit Micah Kaapana is being overlooked a bit. Still, the Las Vegas-based future Wolverine continues to impress each week.

Three-star Michigan football commit continues to impress

So far this year, Micah Kaapana has played in all five of his school’s games and is averaging over 12 yards per carry this fall. Kaapana is one of the more recent Michigan football commits, as he officially pledged to the Wolverines earlier this year.

While he is not the highest-ranked recruit in Jim Harbaugh’s 2024 recruiting class — he is a three-star Michigan football commit — he has been quite impressive so far.

Micah Kaapana is averaging over 12 yards per carry, nearly 12 yards per reception

Last weekend, Micah Kaapana carried the ball five times for 61 yards (12.2 yards per carry) during his school’s fifth-straight victory of the season. His solid rushing performance moves him to 436 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns so far this year. The fact that he has only received 36 carries and is posting stats like these (averaging 12.1 yards per carry) is quite impressive.

The three-star Michigan football commit has been a solid pass-catching back as well, hauling in 11 receptions thus far for over 130 yards (11.8 yards per reception). This is a skillset that Sherrone Moore is trying to optimize with Donovan Edwards right now, so Kaapana should fit right in when he gets to Ann Arbor next fall.

The future of the program is in good hands with the 2024 recruiting cycle

While Micah Kaapana is not getting the publicity that other top Michigan football commits are, he is a great find for the coaching staff and could be a difference-maker for the Wolverines in years to come.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!

Over the weekend, Colorado football improved to 3-0 on the year, downing Colorado State in thrilling fashion during the famous ‘PAC-12 after dark’ hours of the night. The Buffalo, who went 1-11 last year, yet are undefeated under Deion Sanders, will now be facing the Oregon Ducks this weekend for their second ranked game of the year — they beat TCU by a field goal during Week 1. All of Sanders’ early success with the Buffalo has the nation buzzing and has caught the eye of the No. 1 Michigan football recruiting target — five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood — who met with Sanders following the win.

Deion Sanders making a push for the top Michigan football recruiting target

Five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood is perhaps the hottest name in Michigan football recruiting talks right now. The elite prospect is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the nation, and plays high school ball about 20 minutes from the University of Michigan’s flagship campus in Ann Arbor, meaning he is right in Jim Harbaugh’s backyard.

Can Colorado sway the five-star quarterback?

While the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine still favors the Wolverines here, there are a number of teams that are still major contenders — for quite some time, the biggest threat appeared to be the LSU Tigers; however, a new team has now entered the race. Deion Sanders and Colorado football have been playing some entertaining football, which is heavily focused on QB performance and getting elite players in open space, which is something that just about every quarterback and wide receiver will love.

Over the weekend, following Colorado’s win over Colorado State in overtime, Bryce Underwood met with the legendary Buffalo head coach. Sanders and Colorado jumping into Underwood’s recruitment with this much momentum out of nowhere is a bit concerning for Michigan football, to be frank.

Five-Star Plus+ QB and 2025 No. 1 recruit Bryce Underwood checks in from his visit to Colorado with Coach Prime🦬https://t.co/Bds1HcubNs pic.twitter.com/wRKmGrsdxg

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) September 16, 2023

Bryce Underwood rankings and more

Per the On3 rankings, Bryce Underwood is a five-star quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class and ranks as the No. 1 player in the entire country. For the time being, he still has a 40.7% chance of choosing the Maize and Blue — the best odds of any school — however, it’s worth keeping an eye on Deion Sanders and Colorado football as the make a strong late push.

Underwood will announce his commitment on January 6th of next year.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!