Michigan Football: Is Junior Colson Wolverines top 2021 recruit?

Could Junior Colson actually be the most impactful member of Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class?

Junior Colson is an athletic freak and that’s why it’s really good that he’s committed to being a member of the Michigan football program.

Colson, who committed to the Wolverines over the summer, was back in action last Friday, playing for Brentwood, Tennessee and Michigan recruiting reporter EJ Holland was on hand to scout.

And Holland came away really impressed with Colson, which isn’t a big surprise, but at one point, Holland pondered ($) if Colson was actually Michigan football’s top commit in 2021 after observing Colson live Friday night:

"“Everyone knows how much I love JJ McCarthy, but I’m not so sure Colson isn’t the best recruit in Michigan’s 2021 class. I feel like he’s a Top 40 guy nationally.”"

J.J. McCarthy, of course, is Michigan’s five-star quarterback in the 2021 and the highest-ranking commitment according to the 247 sports composite rankings.

But those rankings also do a great disservice to Colson who is ranked as the 115th player overall and 8th among outside linebackers. At Rivals, Colson is ranked in the top 100 (83rd) and still, according to Holland that’s too low and I tend to agree.

At 6-foot-2 and legitimately 225 pounds, Colson just has a different type of skill set. Holland actually noted that he was set to return the opening kickoff, but it was kicked away from him, which again, just shows his freakish ability.

But when you see him play, it’s even better. He has all the tools to be a dominant viper, maybe the best the Wolverines have had and that includes Jabrill Peppers.

Colson isn’t quite as quick as Peppers but he’s very explosive and he covers extremely well for a kid of his size.

But in most of the highlights Holland posted on Twitter during the game, Colson was coming off the edge and his explosion there reminds you of Josh Uche. It’s plain as day.

In 2019, according to his 247 sports profile. Colson notched 175 tackles, 30 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. And based on Holland’s evaluation ($), he’s only getting better:

"“He has great hips, is explosive and can change direction better than some high level safeties I’ve evaluated. Colson is the total package at linebacker. By the way, he was back to return the game’s opening kickoff, but Centennial kicked away from him.”"

While Colson’s talent is off the charts, it’s also led to worries about him flipping and some SEC schools are obviously pushing for him. Yet, Holland confirmed was he still 100 percent solid and plans to enroll early at Michigan.

Colson believes he has a chance to get on the field early and by watching him, you’d have a hard time betting against him. Honestly, if he was on Michigan’s roster right now, he might be one of its best edge rushers. He’s simply that good.

And in the long run, he may not be as impactful as McCarthy, because we all know how important quarterbacks are and how long it’s been since Michigan had one.

But first-round defensive prospects are pretty rare too and after 2-3 years in Ann Arbor, that’s the end result see for Colson — a first-round edge rusher extraordinaire.