What’s next for Michigan football RB recruiting?

It’s easy to freak out when things don’t go a certain way on the recruiting trail, which was the case for Michigan football this week, at least when it comes to running backs.

The Wolverines landed a top target on the offensive line on Friday, Avery Gach. He’s a dude Michigan football fans are going to love. He’s a mauler. He can also play guard or tackle, which gives him multiple paths to playing time in the future for the Wolverines.

Offensive linemen are vital for Michigan football. Running backs are pretty important too though. Things were looking up after the hire of Tony Alford, but things took a turn this week.

First, after Michigan football had been trending with crystal ball projections with Marquise Davis, Kentucky swooped in with a bag and landed the 11th-ranked running back in the 2025 class. Davis is ranked 165th overall and would have been a perfect fit. It would have been great having a future RB duo made up of Ohio backs with Jordan Marshall and Davis.

Things got even worse when Bo Jackson, another four-star running back from Ohio, appeared to eliminate the Wolverines from contention. Jackson posted that he’s going to visit Ohio State, Georgia, and Alabama. Michigan won’t get a visit and unless things change, it feels like they aren’t in the mix.

What’s next for running back recruiting?

One name that Michigan football fans should already know is Iverson Howard, a four-star running back from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He’s ranked No. 383 overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. The 5-foot-10 195-pound back is still scheduled for an official visit next month. He also told The Wolverine that Michigan football “remains at the top” after his visit for the spring game.

Michigan 'remains at the top' for On300 RB Iverson Howard after spring game visit. #GoBlue https://t.co/9ViOKWc1wj pic.twitter.com/D6AVGsnOmU

— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) May 4, 2024

Howard would be a quality addition. Michigan also expanded the board on Friday with an offer to three-star running back Todd Robinson.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound back out of Valdosta, Georgia is ranked No. 448 overall according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He runs the 100-meter dash in sub-11 seconds and is one of the fastest risers in the 2025 class. Tennessee, Florida State, Alabama, and Georgia are all listed as “warm” according to his 247 profile.

Robinson has 22 offers in total. Most of the SEC has offered and if Michigan football can work its way into the mix, a two-man class of Howard and Robinson would be a solid haul at running back.

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