Michigan football has 17 commitments for the 2021 recruiting class but is in a strong position with others. Here are the next four who could commit.
Just like a year ago, Michigan football has done really well in the 2021 recruiting cycle during the spring and so far into the early summer.
But the Wolverines aren’t done yet with commitments, even though they have landed 15 since the end of the March. The current total is at 17, but it should easily be over 20 by the time the season starts in the fall, if not higher.
There are a few recruitments that will drag into the fall, namely Donovan Edwards and Rocco Spindler, easily the top guys on Michigan football’s board right now. Other recruits, of course, will be waiting too in order to take visits.
Some current Michigan commits could also take visits. Jaydon Hood and Ja’Den McBurrows committed to U-M without visiting, which always makes you wonder if they’d be recruited by others. Miami is going to keep pushing for Hood but both seem really solid.
It’s probably why the coaches did cartwheels when they landed Hood and whether its 247 sports, which has him ranked 297th, as a four-star or Rivals, which has Hood as a three-star prospect, he’s very underrated.
That’s another topic for another day as this class is actually filled with sleepers and guys who should be ranked higher or at least have the potential to be ranked much higher.
But after taking in expert predictions, rumors and everything else, here are the next four recruits likely to commit to Michigan football.
4-star WR Christian Dixon
Michigan football has been trending with four-star receiver Christian Dixon since May, when the crystal ball picks started rolling in, projecting him to the Wolverines.
On 247 sports, all eight crystal ball predictions have Dixon going to U-M and there were two fresh picks that came down Wednesday from Barton Simmons and Kevin Ryan ($). The confidence levels seem to vary but all of them are at least at a four out of 10 for the 166th-ranked player in the 247 sports composite rankings.
I don’t necessarily think Dixon will be the next recruit to commit but I do think he will be one of the next four. Dixon also has 80 percent of his Futurecast picks from Rivals projecting him to Michigan and one thing that helps here is that he’s already visited.
If a player hasn’t visited yet, it’s sort of hard to predict when he will commit. More guys are making decisions after virtual visits, but Dixon has a solid relationship with Josh Gattis and he’s another big, outside receiver Michigan wanted this cycle.
With all the picks coming in this recently, you’d think he’d be announcing something sooner rather than later.
4-star DE Quintin Somerville
The next guy on this list, four-star defensive end Quintin Somerville, out of Arizona, is going to commit this month, as he announced a date of June 20. And right now, reading all of the tea leaves make you think Somerville is going to choose Michigan football.
The key to this recruitment has been defensive line coach Shaun Nua, who established a relationship with Somerville while he was at Arizona State. When Nua arrived in Ann Arbor, he pushed to offer Somerville and Michigan has essentially been the leader ever since.
Somerville has dropped a little in the 247 rankings and he’s not among the top 247 in their own rankings, but in the 247 composite, he’s still No. 152 and a solid four star. Depending on his height, which has become a hot topic, he could be a five-technique or a classic defensive end.
He currently has seven crystal ball picks on his 247 sports profile and all of them are with Michigan, with each having a confidence level of seven or higher. All eight Futurecast picks from Rivals also having him going to the Wolverines so in nine days, this seems like a done deal.
4-star Drew Kendall
Next up is four-star offensive lineman Drew Kendall, a recruit out of Massachusetts who has been trending big-time to the Wolverines in recent months.
With Don Brown, the Wolverines have done very well in the state of Massachusetts and the success of some of Michigan’s offensive lineman under coach Ed Warinner has also helped in a big way. Michigan already has four O-line recruits committed for 2021 and three of them are four stars.
Kendall is also very good. He’s ranked as the No. 106 player in the 247 sports composite rankings but in the 247 specific rankings, he’s No. 81. He has six experts from 247 with crystal balls predicting him to Michigan and at Rivals, where he’s ranked 65th nationally, all seven of his Futurecast picks are for Michigan football too.
It’s been thought that Kendall wants to commit soon and with the Wolverines class filling up, especially on offensive line recruits, he should probably pull the trigger sooner than later. He was supposed to take an official visit in April, which had to be postponed, but he’s been on campus before and it just feels like at some point relatively soon, Kendall will be joining the class.
4-star DT George Rooks
One of the biggest needs for Michigan football entering the 2021 recruiting cycle was defensive tackle. The Wolverines have been pushing with a number of different prospects and one that they have resonated with is New Jersey defensive tackle George Rooks.
Rooks is ranked 202nd nationally in the 247 composite rankings and he’s the No. 14 defensive tackle. There is some talk that he could be a five-technique too, however, he’s already 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, so he will surely be big enough to play inside if U-M wants him there, a la Carlo Kemp.
Rooks has two expert predictions from 247 sports, crystal balling him to Michigan. On Rivals, all three FutureCast picks, including one from EJ Holland have him going to U-M too. His father did play for Syracuse and that’s the team to watch in this battle. Rutgers is fighting hard to keep him too, however Nua has also done a great job here and appears close to landing another key target.
Rooks also visited Michigan back in November and his sister played basketball for the Wolverines, so he should be familiar enough with the school to pull the trigger on a commitment. His recruitment is harder to get a feel for, but it’d be a surprise if Michigan didn’t come out on top.