Michigan Football Recruiting: 2021 Signee Superlatives

Michigan inked 20 commitments on Wednesday and some of them are real standouts in several different areas.

Brandon Brown | Dec 18, 2020

It didn't look like Michigan was going to sign its entire class on Wednesday, but that's exactly what happened. With all 20 commits officially in the fold, let's take at who's who.

Most Athletic

In a group that's obviously full of great athletes, Fresno (Calif.) Central East wide receiver Xavier Worthy stands out. He has a true wide receiver build, so versatility might not be a big part of his skill set, but he's ridiculously smooth, fast and can jump out of the gym. Every time he steps on the field he has a big play in him. With 10.55 speed in the 100-meter dash, Worthy is worthy of his nickname Flash.

Most Likely To Succeed (On & Off Field)

ON THE FIELD: Because of his size at 6-2, 230 pounds, speed, versatility, instinct as a blitzer and overall aggression, I think Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood linebacker Junior Colson is as close to can't-miss as you can get. Because of how rangy and athletic he is, he's the kind of linebacker who really shines in today's style of football. He also has the size to thump if he needs to making him the kind of player you just can't take off the field.

OFF THE FIELD: Detroit Cass Tech center Raheem Anderson is a great all around kid. He's got a ton of skill on the football field, and is about as reliable as the come at the center position, and he's just as reliable and ready for life away from football. You can tell he gets it and he's really a joy to talk to in person. He's got a calm demeanor about him, a great big smile and he's got his head on straight. I expect him to be very successful in football but if he's not, he'll definitely put his Michigan degree to great use and make something of himself off the field.

Future Team Captain

When it comes to intangibles, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy quarterback JJ McCarthy has everything you're looking for. He's a smart kid, a natural leader, a hard worker and an absolute football junkie. He has everything you look for in a quarterback and is definitely someone who can lead an offense and gain respect of his teammates. He'll lead by example and with a voice and it wouldn't surprise me if he's a captain more than once.

Biggest Steal

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy center Greg Crippen is the default answer here because he was once committed to Notre Dame. The 6-4, 285-pounder was committed to the Irish for nearly a year before opening things back up, weighing his options and ultimately pledging to the Wolverines. The versatile offensive lineman is now preparing to graduate early and enroll at Michigan in January.

Most Underrated

I love what Clayton (Ohio) Northmont safety Rod Moore does on the football field. At 5-11, 180 pounds, he's built more like a corner and can really cover, but also shows unbelievable skills as a centerfielder, making him a more natural safety. He also has great ball skills and put them on display as a senior on both sides of the ball. In just eight games this past season, he posted 68 tackles, one interception and six pass breakups as a senior and also caught 28 passes for 440 yards and eight touchdowns. He's a terrific all-around football player and should've been a more known recruit than he was.

Swiss Army Knife

Listed as an athlete by Rivals.com, Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' Jaydon Hood is now listed as a linebacker on MGoBlue.com. At 6-1, 215 pounds, he reminds me of Khaleke Hudson. Like Hudson, Hood can play several linebacker positions, has a background covering people and also shined as a running back earlier in his prep career. It wouldn't surprise me if he gets a look at viper like Hudson did, but he's versatile enough to play several positions at the next level.

Best Position Group

Only a few positions really qualify as a "group" so the choice for the best haul by position is pretty easy — wide receiver. With Worthy, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei's Cristian Dixon and East Lansing (Mich.) High's Andrel Anthony all in the fold, Michigan has a trio of very different, but very capable players at the position. Worthy brings the pure speed, Anthony brings the Ronnie Bell-like acrobatics and basketball skills to the field and Dixon brings the bigger body, effective route running and possession type of traits to the table.

Hardest Hitter

Because of his speed, size and pursuit skills, Junior Colson can really lay the lumber when he arrives at a ball carrier. The big, athletic linebacker made 59 tackles including 7.5 for loss with 3.5 sacks and also had two fumble returns as a senior. Any time you can get 230 pounds moving as fast as Colson can, it's going to result in big impacts on the football field.

Rookie Star

With Will Hart in the transfer portal, and Brad Robbins potentially on his way out as an academic senior, incoming freshman punter Tommy Doman might be the regular starter from day one. The Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's specialist averaged 44.8 yards on 17 punts with a long of 53 yards last fall and boomed a 50-yard field goal as well. If you have a leg, you have a leg, and Doman definitely does. That will translate to the next level as soon as he step on campus.

Best Recruiter

The same qualities that make JJ McCarthy a future captain allowed him to be a phenomenal recruiter as well. Even with uncertainty surrounding Jim Harbaugh and turmoil resonating from Ann Arbor during and after a 2-4 season, McCarthy was able to lead the class through the mess and was a big reason why the other 19 signees put pen to paper. Obviously the offensive players are really tied to McCarthy, but the quarterback was able to befriend pretty much everyone and should get a lot of credit for U-M's class as a whole.

Best Interview

As a local product, Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi was accessible quite a bit. I was able to see him in person at several camps and got a chance to talk to him quite a few times. I've always liked his demeanor, which is an interesting blend of chill, mature, fun loving and ultra competitive. On the field he's a menace, but off of it while talking he's pretty laid back and is quite a straight shooter. Those types of guys are always fun to talk to throughout the recruiting process.

Published Dec 18, 2020

BRANDON BROWN