Jaydon Hood Commits To Michigan

Michigan’s recruiting momentum grows with the commitment of four-star inside linebacker Jaydon Hood.

By announcing his future college plans on Twitter, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star inside linebacker Jaydon Hood committed to Michigan, giving the Wolverines two highly coveted 2021 pledges in two days.

At 6-1 and 212 pounds, Jaydon Hood is a pure inside linebacker prospect that brings a component of physicality to U-M’s 2021 class, which now ranks No. 6 in the nation. On tape, Hood is a true thumper that flies downhill in pursuit of the ball carrier. In doing so, Hood shows the ability to take on a lead blocker and shed that block, making him a force in stopping the run. But Hood’s speed also extends laterally as the heavy hitter is known to deliver tackles near the sideline as well.

Last year, Hood produced 115 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, seven sacks and one interception, scoring on the play. Overall, Hood has a track record for making plays, and he will have the opportunity to continue that trend on the field this fall.

At St. Thomas Aquinas, Hood is teammates with a slew of other highly rated recruits. In particular, Michigan commit and three-star cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows is one player that has long advocated to bring Hood to Ann Arbor with him. Additionally, four-star weak-side defensive end Dallas Turner is another player that Michigan has been hot in pursuit of, so the level of competition at St. Thomas Aquinas is certainly pronounced.

With Hood in the fold, Michigan has one of the strongest linebacker corps in the nation. Three-star Casey Phinney was the first player at the position to commit to U-M in early April, and he is another aggressive heavy hitter who projects as an inside-dominant linebacker. After that, three-star outside linebacker Tyler McLaurin dropped for Michigan earlier this month, and just yesterday four-star outside linebacker Junior Colson chose the Wolverines, kickstarting what is a productive week for the Wolverines on the recruiting trail.

Just four days ago, Hood announced his top 10 on Twitter, showing that the newest Michigan commit had been considering his future options and worked to trim his list from 24 schools down to 10. Naturally, Michigan was on the list and joined Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, Louisville, USF, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Miami.

Throughout his recruiting process, Hood has kept in close communication with the trio of U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh, defensive coordinator Don Brown and linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, his future position coach. These three coaches helped pull Hood into the fold, forming what is one of the top groups of linebacker commits in the country.

With Michigan adding both Jaydon Hood and Junior Colson in the same week, how do you currently feel about the Wolverines defensive recruiting in the 2021 cycle? Based on Hood’s skill set, do you see him playing more Mike at Michigan or could he slide over to the Sam? Let us know!