Richmond (VA) Hermitage defensive back Andre Clarke committed to Michigan on Monday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, SMU, South Carolina, and Tennessee, among others.
Clarke is listed at 6'1" and 175 pounds.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 83 grade, #14 CB, #101 overall
On3: 4-star, 90 grade, #27 S
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #32 S
247 Sports: 4-star, 92 grade, #11 S, #136 overall
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Michigan offered Clarke back in June 2024. He had strong interest in the likes of Kentucky, Miami, and SMU, but Michigan seemed like the odds-on favorite for a while. After taking an official visit to Ann Arbor the second week of June, he set a commitment date for today and Michigan looked like the pretty clear choice.
Clarke is a long and lanky player who plays some safety and some cornerback for his high school team, along with receiver on offense. He's physical in press man coverage despite looking very thin, and he's not afraid to tackle. Offensively, he's capable of making big plays on deep balls that show off his speed, and that's where his top-level speed is most obvious from his highlights. Combined with his physicality, the speed seems to make Clarke a nice looking prospect for cornerback. He changes direction pretty well without losing too much velocity, and he's able to high-point the ball on both offense and defense.
On the negative side, Clarke has some room to fill out and also plays a few different positions. He will probably take some time to develop both physically and mentally, as we've seen 2023 signee Jyaire Hill struggle a little bit to put things together in a Wink Martindale-designed defense, despite having excellent talent.
Overall, I like Clarke and I think he's somewhat Jyaire Hill-like. Both of them are/were a little thin in high school, but they're not afraid to be physical and they have good speed. The experience of playing both offense and defense is helpful in the long run, even if it prevents them from focusing on one position for the short-term. If it were me, I would start Clarke off at cornerback but leave open the possibility that he could play safety down the road. Clarke is probably in for a year of adjustment in 2026 before becoming a viable option by his second year.
Michigan now has 18 commitments in the class of 2026. Clarke would be the first Hermitage product to join Michigan since running back Derrick Green in the class of 2013. The Wolverines just nabbed a commitment from fellow Richmond product Markel Dabney a few days ago, though Dabney attends Huguenot High School.
TTB Rating: 83
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