Michigan Football: More on Micah Pollard and what’s next
Michigan football made an underrated addition to its 2022 recruiting class in three-star pass-rusher Micah Pollard. More on that and what’s next.
There are some Michigan football fans who likely rolled their eyes at the news of Micah Pollard committing, as he’s yet another three-star recruit to do so in the class of 2022.
Of the Wolverines’ 16 commitments in the 2022 class, 10 of them are ranked as three-star prospects including Pollard, who is ranked 550 overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings.
However, as I wrote on Monday, there is plenty of reason to be excited about Pollard and truly believe this is another case of the Michigan football staff having a better eye than people putting together recruiting rankings.
When you put on his highlights, you see an impressive athlete who can help Michigan football at more than one position. He can play more of a traditional linebacker role while also being a really skilled pass rusher as evidenced by his 12 sacks as a junior in high school.
It’s easy to say he’s underrated, but ESPN doesn’t even have him ranked right now. Pollard is a high three-star recruit according to Rivals but his ranking doesn’t really do him justice.
The same could be said for Kevtone Henry, another pass rusher Michigan football added to this class. Both were identified by the staff and became top priorities. Who cares if 247 sports or ESPN has them rated lower?
The truth is that some of these recruiting services don’t see all these players. Rivals had Xavier Worthy as a three-star recruit until he got more eyes on him.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes, and take a look at what Brice Marich of the Michigan Insider said about Pollard, who caught his eye while he was evaluating Branden Jennings, a former commit who went on to sign with Maryland.
"“Ironically, when I went to go down see him in person, that was not the kid I was going to go see… it was Branden Jennings from Sandalwood, the one-time Michigan commit who flipped to Maryland. And so, when I watched that game down in Jacksonville, Florida, the best linebacker on the field happened to be this kid named Micah Pollard. 6-3, 200-pounds, he can run sideline to sideline, he can stand up, he can put his hand on the ground, but preferably stands up. He was just a freak.”"
Pollard definitely flashes when you watch his highlights. It’s clear he’s got big upside as a pass rusher and even though Michigan only has one four-star edge rusher right now, this class has a ton of promise at that position. Here’s more.