Social media 'follow' gave insight into Michigan securing commitment of top player

Watching social media can be a "tell" as to what many of the players in the portal are thinking

UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The number one rated player in the transfer portal, Yaxel Lendeborg, is now a Michigan Wolverine. The news broke early today, and social media lit up with Michigan fans rejoicing another Dusty May portal win. However, there were signs the day prior to his commitment that Lendeborg was leaning towards the maize and blue.

Lendeborg has over 21K followers on his Instagram account and only follows 300. The day before announcing his commitment that number crept up to 301, as Lendeborg began following Michigan head coach Dusty May. Eagle eyed Michigan fans caught the small move almost immediately and screenshots of the new pairing flew out across multiple social media platforms.

Yaxel Lendeborg recent Michigan commit following Dusty May the day before his official commitment | Yaxel Lendeborg IG (@yaxellendeborg)

A quick review of his profile showed that he was not following any coaches, players, or other staff affiliated with the Kentucky Wildcats, who were seen Michigan's chief rival in his recruitment. While it may seem innocuous, it is telling when a player follows or adds someone on their social media. Many of these players leverage their online profile and social media numbers as a way to earn name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.

With that being said, tracking who players follow can be a very telling factor in the world of recruiting. When Lendeborg clicked follow on Coach May, who also recently started following Lendeborg, Michigan fans began predicting a huge win for the Wolverine program. It turns out they were right and the minor act of a player and coach following one another on social media was a precursor to the biggest portal snag of the season thus far.

UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3)Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

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