Michigan Football: Any hope for 3-star WR Andrel Anthony?

Michigan football is among the finalists for three-star wide receiver Andrel Anthony, but is there any hope for the 2021 prospect who decides Friday?

The recruitment of in-state wide receiver Andrel Anthony has been curious to say the least for Michigan football.

At times, it seemed like the Wolverines were pushing hard and were among the clear favorites for Anthony. But other times, the interest seemed to cool and from both sides.

Before last week, I hadn’t mentioned Anthony in quite some time, because Michigan football didn’t seem to be that involved in his recruitment and with three takes on the receiver board, plus interest in four-star Jayden Thomas, Anthony didn’t feel like a huge priority.

But the Wolverines were part of his final five and as he moves towards his July 31 decision date, it appears that Michigan football is solidly in the top two.

While all 10 of Anthony’s crystal ball projections are with Michigan State right now, the confidence level is averaging just a five out of 10 and that’s before Anthony took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor on Sunday.

What does Anthony’s visit mean for Michigan?

EJ Holland of Rivals ($) was able to confirm that Anthony took a self-guided tour of the campus in Ann Arbor over the weekend. Here’s what he wrote about the recruitment:

"“As I mentioned last week, I felt like Anthony bought into some of the negative things being said about Michigan after things went south with guys like Jamari Buddin and the King brothers. On top of that, Michigan landed multiple commits at the wide receiver position. However, there is now legit interest on both sides, and Anthony would be a take.”"

Michigan has made a stronger push in recent weeks and according to Holland, Anthony would be a take by the staff. The three-star wideout from East Lansing is 6-foot-2 and is rated as the 103rd receiver in the 2021 class by 247 sports, as well as 529th overall in the composite.

On Rivals, Anthony is rated as the No. 81 wide receiver in the class. Yet, he also has 12 Futurecast predictions in favor of the Spartans, including Holland’s on July 17.

It’s interesting that the Wolverines would take him over Thomas, but not really that surprising if you think about it. Thomas and Christian Dixon are very similar receivers and maybe that plays into it.

All three are ranked very similar by 247 sports and while other outlets have Thomas and Dixon higher, it’s clear Michigan views him in a similar fashion, otherwise Anthony wouldn’t be a take.

I don’t think it will matter because it seems like he’s headed to Michigan State. But I’d be slightly worried if I was the Spartans. They got ahead in this, partly, because Michigan abidcated a little in my opinion.

The full-court press hasn’t always been applied. It might be too late to change that, but I have more hope after Anthony’s visit than I did before.