Michigan Wolverines 2021 College Football Recruiting Class Overview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
Michigan had a disappointing season in 2020 in their sixth year under Jim Harbaugh as the Wolverines finished 2-4 in a coronavirus shortened season. Their only wins came in the season opener at Minnesota (49-24) and at Rutgers on Nov. 21 (48-42) in three overtimes. The final three games on their schedule, including their annual battle against rival Ohio State, were scrapped due to COVID-19. After the season there were rumors of Coach Harbaugh’s departure but, ultimately, he signed a four-year contract extension.
Despite the unfavorable finish, the Wolverines scooped up a solid recruiting class during the early signing period in December which currently ranks second in the conference behind Ohio State and 13th in the country. Michigan received 20 signed letters of intent last month with the highest rated recruit being five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy from IMG Academy in Florida.
Another future offensive weapon who signed with the program is four-star running back Donovan Edwards from West Bloomfield (MI) who is the second highest-rated recruit in the state. The Wolverines filled depth on the offensive line by signing five high school prospects and gaining transfer, Willie Allen, a monster offensive tackle who is joining the program from Louisiana Tech. Allen should make an immediate impact.
The Wolverines are ready to get past the disaster of 2020 and get back to their traditional ways. It is important they can get back into conference contention otherwise fans might wonder if Coach Harbaugh’s contract extension was a mistake.
Michigan’s Early Signees
QB J.J. McCarthy, 6-3, 190, IMG Academy-Bradenton, FL
RB Donovan Edwards, 5-11, 190, West Bloomfield HS-West Bloomfield, MI
WR Xavier Worthy, 6-1, 160, Central East HS-Fresno, CA
OT Giovanni El-Hadi, 6-5, 285, Adlai Stevenson HS-Sterling Heights, MI
LB Junior Colson, 6-2, 228, Ravenwood HS-Brentwood, TN
OC Raheem Anderson, 6-3, 298, Cass Technical School-Detroit, MI
WR Cristian Dixon, 6-2, 187, Mater Dei HS-Santa Ana, CA
LB Jaydon Hood, 6-1, 212, St. Thomas Aquinas HS-Fort Lauderdale, FL
TE Louis Hansen, 6-5, 232, St. Sebastian’s-Needham, MA
OC Greg Crippen, 6-4, 285, IMG Academy-Bradenton, FL
DE Kechaun Bennett, 6-4, 220, Suffield Academy-Suffield, CT
RB Tavierre Dunlap, 6-0, 196, Del Valle HS-Del Valle, TX
OT Tristan Bounds, 6-8, 285, Choate Rosemary Hall-Wallingford, CT
LB Tyler McLaurin, 6-2, 210, Bolingbrook HS-Bolingbrook, IL
S Rod Moore, 5-11, 180, Northmont HS-Clayton, OH
WR Andrel Anthony, 6-2, 175, East Lansing HS-East Lansing, MI
CB Ja’Den McBurrows, 5-10, 165, St. Thomas Aquinas HS-Fort Lauderdale, FL
DE TJ Guy, 6-4, 240, Mansfield HS-Mansfield, MA
P Tommy Doman, 6-3, 170, St. Mary’s HS-West Bloomfield, MI
DE Dominick Giudice, 6-4, 250, Mater Dei-Middletown, NJ
Photo credit: TheSpun.com; Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh