Quintin Somerville Announcement Primer

With a decision looming for 2021 four-star defensive end Quintin Somerville, Wolverine Digest’s Eric Rutter and Sports Illustrated director of football recruiting John Garcia, Jr. previewed the prized prospect’s decision.

Richard Obert / Arizona Republic

This weekend may be filled with fireworks for Michigan as a pair of four-star prospects-- Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro defensive end Quintin Somerville and Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel athlete Will Latu-- are set to announce. Somerville will be announcing his college decision on Saturday, and Latu is scheduled to commit to a school on Sunday, so this will be an important weekend to monitor on the recruiting trail.

Eric Rutter’s Analysis: When examining Somerville’s decision, it is important to understand the relationships that he has built with the U-M staff. Michigan extended an offer to Somerville back in January of 2019, so the Wolverines have exerted quite a bit of effort in convincing the four-star prospect that he should head to Ann Arbor.

In that respect, Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua, who would be Somerville’s position coach should he choose U-M, has taken the mantle in this recruiting effort. Nua has been in frequent contact with defensive prospects all across the west coast, and Somerville’s school, Saguaro, is a powerhouse program that continually churns out Division 1 talent. Nua has had a lot of time to establish a relationship with the high ceiling recruit, but U-M running backs coach Jay Harbaugh has chipped in with this effort as well.

However, the Wolverines’ pursuit of Somerville does not end there. Throughout the offseason, Michigan five-star quarterback commit J.J. McCarthy has participated in a couple throwing sessions and practices with Somerville, so the future U-M signal caller has put in work here as well, which is not surprising given McCarthy’s recruiting tenacity.

Eric Rutter’s Prediction: Somerville has over 20 offers, though, and he released a top eight of Michigan, Washington, Florida State, Georgia, Utah, Vanderbilt, Arizona State and New Mexico. Up to this point, Michigan has pulled out all the stops in showing interest for Sumerville, and I believe those consistent recruiting pitches have resonated enough for Michigan to earn his commitment later today.

John Garcia’s Analysis: For some time, Michigan has made it very clear where it stands with Somerville from their perspective. They went well out of the region to offer early and appeared to have remained steady in his recruitment, with perhaps increased communication efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Judging by the Arizona native’s list of favorites, with just about all of them outside the Pac-12 footprint, electing to play his college ball away from home has become the most likely scenario.

Rutter mentioned the longevity of a primary recruiter like Nua, who has ties to the area, and it feels like the perfect storm is building up for the Big Ten power to add to its commitment list. The fit makes a lot of sense, too, considering Sommerville is one of the nation’s top edge prospects (hint, hint via SI All-American). UM has been able to maximize compact rushers with similar builds like 2020 second rounder Josh Uche.

John Garcia’s Prediction: I kind of gave my prediction away but the longevity of priority, combined with the willingness to leave his home region, the ties to Coach Nua and the on-field fit make Michigan an extremely logical choice for Sommerville this weekend. 

Who do you think has the upper hand in Somerville's recruitment? With all the chips on the table, where do you think Somerville winds up? Let us know!