Wolverine TV: Can Michigan close with top DL target Jamel Howard?

Michigan is looking at just a handful of recruits during the late period. One 2023 prospect high on the board is three-star defensive lineman Jamel Howard.

The Chicago (Ill.) Marist product was previously committed to Wisconsin but backed out of his verbal pledge to the Badgers in the fall. Along with Michigan, Howard also has offers from Illinois, LSU, Ole Miss and others.

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland takes a closer look at Howard and breaks down his recruitment in this week’s Recruit of the Week segment.

Watch below.

Howard visited Michigan twice last year, including for an official visit in December. He is expected to take his recruitment to National Signing Day on Feb. 1.

At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, Howard is ranked as the No. 110 defensive lineman and No. 1,032 overall prospect in the country. He is also ranked as the No. 23 overall recruit in the state of Illinois, per the On3 Consensus.

Howard has an On3 NIL Valuation of $5.9K with 1.8K followers across all platforms. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Michigan has 23 commits in its 2023 recruiting class — On300 defensive back Jyaire Hill, On300 offensive lineman Nathan Efobi, On300 offensive tackle Evan Link, On300 EDGE Enow Etta, consensus four-star offensive lineman Amir Herring, four-star running back Cole Cabana, four-star linebacker Semaj Bridgeman, four-star tight end Deakon Tonielli, four-star wide receiver Karmello English, three-star wide receivers Semaj Morgan and Fredrick Moore, three-star defensive linemen Brooks Bahr and Roderick Pierce, three-star running back Benjamin Hall, three-star EDGE Aymeric Koumba, three-star tight end Zack Marshall, three-star athletes Kendrick Bell, Breeon Ishmail and Jason Hewlett, three-star defensive backs Cameron Calhoun and D’Juan Waller, three-star linebacker Hayden Moore and three-star kicker Adam Samaha.

The class is currently ranked No. 20 nationally in the On3 Consensus rankings and No. 3 in the Big Ten behind Penn State and Ohio State.