Michigan Football: Who will be the next commitment in 2021?

4-star DE/DT George Rooks

Of the three guys on this list, in terms of fits, George Rooks might be the best fit with Michigan football, simply because he’s an ideal guy for the Wolverines defensive line.

Michigan loves versatile defensive lineman and a guy like Rooks, who has the appearance of a three-technique/five-technique hybrid is just perfect for that sort of role.

Michigan needs more bodies on the defensive line in this class and even though Rooks may not be a pure defensive tackle like Benny, it mostly depends on how big he gets. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 260 but if he adds 30 pounds, he could easily play inside.

Regardless, Rooks is one of the top recruits in the state of New Jersey, a state Michigan has done well in, and he ranks 196th overall in the 247 composite.

Rooks hasn’t done many interviews and his recruitment has been tough to read. But EJ Holland caught up with his high school coach Rich Hansen ($) and here’s what he said about Rooks:

"“As of right now, he wants to make a decision in August. I think Pitt, Boston College, Penn State and Michigan are four of the five. I think he feels good about those places and has great relationships with them. Those are the schools we talk about the most. Obviously, Syracuse with the lineage. That has created a natural affinity. I would not be surprised if he walked in and committed to any of those five schools.”"

Michigan has been viewed as the favorite and is the only school with crystal ball and Futurecast projections for Rooks, who also took a dead-period visit to Ann Arbor, as well as to Penn State.

For that reason, the Nittany Lions feel like the biggest threat. They are also the other big-time program in the mix.

While the Wolverines feel like the solid leader with Kendall and it’s more just a matter of time, as with Grimes, there is more uncertainty about where they stand with Rooks.

Yet, like Kendall, Grimes and Rooks seem poised to make a decision soon and I’m confident that in the next two weeks, more than one of these targets will be committed to Michigan football.