Michigan Football: Xavier Worthy asks out of NLI, what’s next?

Michigan freshman and former four-star recruit Xavier Worthy plans to ask out of his NLI and will no longer be a part of the Michigan Football team.

Rumors began circulating late Wednesday night of the possibility of freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy asking out of his NLI, and it didn’t take long for those rumors to come to fruition as Worthy announced his NLI release on Instagram and Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

Worthy is an elite prospect and is considered to be one of the fastest players in the 2021 class.  He sports a 10.55 100-meter dash speed, and that translates well to the football field.  He doesn’t have the biggest frame, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed.

Worthy’s recruitment was one of the most interesting recruitments in recent memory.  The Fresno, CA native announced his commitment to the Wolverines last July, but as the fall progressed, Worthy began flirting with Alabama and even added the Crismon Tide to his list of final two schools in December.

Although Worthy was technically committed to the Wolverines, the four-star receiver held a second commitment ceremony in December where he once again chose the Wolverines and signed with the program.

More from GBMWolverine

• 3 things to watch for Michigan football vs. Rutgers
• Michigan football vs. Rutgers: Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 4
• Michigan Wolverines news: Jim Harbaugh wants J.J. McCarthy ‘gunslinging’, plus a drop in recruiting rankings
• Grades, game balls for Michigan football vs. Bowling Green
• Michigan Wolverines news: Jake Moody is money in the NFL, plus more

There are many factors that are rumored to have played a part in Worthy’s departure, however, Giles Jackson’s transfer to Washington may have been the deciding factor in a player who was obviously unsure of his decision.  Jackson was a big part in Worthy pledging to the Wolverines, as the two were very close, and had many social media encounters with one another.

It’s unknown if Worthy was coming to Ann Arbor solely because of Jackson, but it is quite obvious the California native was never 100% sold on the idea of being a Wolverine.

This move doesn’t hurt Michigan too much, though, as it still brings in two incredibly talented receivers in Cristian Dixon and Andrel Anthony, who both enrolled early.  Dixon and Anthony will have the opportunity to learn from some of Michigan’s more experienced wide-outs such as Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson, and Mike Sainristil.

Tyler Morris and Kaleb Brown are two receivers to look out for as potential options for Michigan in the 2022 class.

Morris currently holds seven 247Sports “Crystal Balls” to Michigan football and is the former teammate of freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy.  Brown also holds three crystal balls to Michigan, but Ohio State is also in the mix.