Michigan Football: Why landing 4-star Jamari Buddin is essential

Michigan football is battling Penn State in the vital recruitment of four-star linebacker Jamari Buddin, who is an in-state prospect U-M can’t miss out on.

It’s not a big secret that Michigan football needs to get more athleticism on defense. That’s been apparent the past few seasons and the Wolverines got another reminder last November when Ohio State came to town.

Michigan is one of the most talented programs in the country, just watch the NFL draft this week if you don’t believe me. Since Jim Harbaugh has become the head coach, the Wolverines have had a bunch of guys drafted, including four in the first round.

But for whatever reason, especially since Jabrill Peppers left for the NFL following the 2016 season, Michigan has struggled against elite offenses. There have been a lot of reasons for that, but adding more athleticism to the linebacking core wouldn’t hurt and that’s just one reason why the Wolverines are desperate to add four-star linebacker Jamari Buddin in the 2021 cycle.

Buddin, who is from Belleville, Michigan, is ranked ninth in the state and 264th overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings. Among outside linebackers, he’s 19th.

However, with the Wolverines, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder could end up as a Viper and he might be the perfect guy to fill that role in the future. His 247 sports profile compares him to NFL defender Tahir Whitehead and he’s expected to be a multi-year starter in college.

Here’s what recruiting analyst Steve Lorenz wrote recently in the Detroit Free Press on Buddin and why he’s so needed:

"“Given it’s an important position in the defense, his athleticism at the linebacker spot and the fact that he’s an in-state guy make him another key piece of Michigan’s 2021 recruiting puzzle.”"

The worry is that after Kalen and Kobe King committed to Penn State, along with Jaylen Reed, another in-state recruit from Michigan, they will be able to convince Buddin to join them. Buddin even tweeted at Penn State head coach James Franklin after Reed committed. He said something about them being a dynamic duo, along with a picture of them in Penn State uniforms.

But if we judged recruits by every picture they post, we’d be here all day. Buddin hasn’t made a decision yet and the longer he takes, the better it is for Michigan football, who has former teammate, Andre Seldon, an incoming freshman, working on Buddin as well according to The Michigan Insider ($).

This went from Michigan being the favorite, to a 50/50 battle for Buddin and it’s a fight the Wolverines absolutely have to win. Michigan has added some nice pieces on the offensive side of the ball in 2021, but U-M needs some dudes on defense too and Buddin has the chance to be a dude, so losing him to Penn State would be an absolute killer.