Tuesday, December 15, 2020

2021 Recruiting: Early Signing Day Primer

 

West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield RB Donovan Edwards (image via Freep)

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SOLID COMMITS

Michigan has 21 commits in the class of 2021, and the following players are expected to sign with Michigan during the early signing period, which starts tomorrow (December 16):

  • QB J.J. McCarthy
  • RB Tavierre Dunlap (early enrollee)
  • WR Andrel Anthony
  • WR Cristian Dixon (early enrollee)
  • TE Louis Hansen
  • OL Raheem Anderson II
  • OL Tristan Bounds
  • OL Greg Crippen
  • OL Giovanni El-Hadi
  • DE Kechaun Bennett
  • DE Dominick Giudice
  • DE T.J. Guy
  • DE Quintin Somerville
  • LB Junior Colson (early enrollee)
  • LB Tyler McLaurin
  • S Rod Moore
  • P Tommy Doman

Hit the jump for more.


SHAKY COMMITS

On the flip side, there are some commits who are either not expected to sign early or who might pick a different school:

  • WR Xavier Worthy (EE): Worthy (4-star, #12 WR, #76 overall) has been committed to Michigan since July 2020. He has a strong relationship with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, but Gattis's job status seems a little bit shaky. Worthy took a recent visit to Alabama for the Iron Bowl, and the Crimson Tide seem like a strong option. He tweeted out that he would make his decision on December 16. Michigan has beaten out 'Bama before (Dax Hill, for example), but they've also lost guys (Najee Harris, Emil Ekiyor, Damien Harris).
  • LB Jaydon Hood: Hood (4-star, #14 ILB, #247 overall) committed to Michigan in May 2020 but he has yet to see the school. He was supposed to visit for the Wisconsin game but could not attend. Maryland and Minnesota have both made a move with him, and he does not plan to sign in December.
  • LB Branden Jennings: Jennings (4-star, #7 OLB, #109 overall) has stated that he will not sign early, so don't expect any news from him immediately. He committed to Michigan back in October and really likes the Wolverines, but the coaching situation has him questioning whether he should maybe flip to Maryland or Miami.
  • CB Ja'Den McBurrows: McBurrows (3-star, #43 CB, #552 overall) has said all the right things, but he admits to still remaining in contact with Miami, too. As the only cornerback committed in this class, Michigan had better hope he sticks with the Maize and Blue.

UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS

  • Omarion Cooper - CB - Lehigh Acres (FL) Lehigh: Cooper (4-star, #22 CB, #280 overall) has been committed to Florida State since June, but the Wolverines have not stopped their pursuit. He was initially planning to sign in February, but he recently announced he would go ahead and sign in December. It's unclear if this suggests that Michigan convinced him, but it's important to note that he has yet to visit Ann Arbor.
  • Donovan Edwards - RB - West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield: Edwards (4-star, #4 RB, #44 overall) remains undecided as of now, even though his high school head coach is former Michigan receiver Ronald Bellamy. The major players in his recruitment have been Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. Georgia has an elite running back committed (Lova'sea Carroll, a teammate of McCarthy's at IMG), and a commonly held belief is that Oklahoma is close to landing 5-star runner Camar Wheaton. Meanwhile, Notre Dame just offered Michigan State commit Audric Estime. The Wolverines do have 3-star Tavierre Dunlap committed at the running back position, but the Wolverines would seem to have the biggest opening for a blue-chip running back.
  • Drew Kendall - OG - Dedham (MA) Noble and Greenough: Kendall (4-star, #8 OG, #131 overall) seems to be headed for Boston College after appearing earlier in the cycle to be a near-lock for Michigan. Kendall is the son of former Boston College star (and 1st round pick) Pete Kendall.
  • George Rooks - DT - Jersey City (NJ) St. Peter's Prep: Rooks (4-star, #18 DT, #260 overall) has been rumored to be leaning toward Boston College, Michigan, Penn State, and Syracuse during the cycle. There has been some talk that he will not sign early at all, so this recruitment may drag out to February or beyond.

For a full list of Michigan's offers in 2021, check out the 2021 Offer Board (LINK).

8 comments:

  1. The next week or so can get really messy, between transfers & recruits dropping out

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    Replies
    1. FWIW, Sam Webb sounded pretty confident on yesterday's recruiting roundup that the negative impact should be minimal. Transfers might be a different story.

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  2. Great. We'll be young again for the next six yeqrs

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  3. Maybe 1 CB and maybe 1 DT - has no one on the staff noticed that these are 2 very thin positions at best? Not exactly addressing positions of need.

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  4. Rooks is a guy who looked like a heavy lean to M for a while. Probably better for us if he waits. We could certainly use a good option at DT.

    I realize there are only so many spots open but if a kid can wait they should. I still don't see the shift to earlier signing days as beneficial given the coaching carousel. At least there should be an automatic opt out if your position coach, coordinator, or HC depart to another job.

    -Lank

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  5. Hopefully some DTs of exceptional girth are coming in. Meaning, i want interior d linemen well over 300.

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  6. I was thinking that our DT philosophy was to get DE / Strongside ends and then bulk them up to DT type weights. Keep the athleticism as the DE but bulking them up and moving them inside. The best DT I remember the last few years was Mike Martin where he was very quick off the ball and could penetrate the line. I guess the other option would get a big run plugger like a Vince Wilfork.

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  7. Who has everyone heard for transfers ? I think that is the bigger question rather than signing day ? I can't imagine over 5-7 transfers.

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