2021 Recruiting Class Fantasy Draft: Offensive Edition
In this soon-to-be regular series, Wolverine Digest will treat the 2021 recruiting class as if it were a fantasy football draft, going position-by-position rather than round-by-round to highlight which targets U-M would like to add to its growing class.
Quarterback
Right now, the Wolverines hold seven commitments in the ’21 cycle. La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy headlines the group and has acted as a leader throughout the process by working to convince other top prospects to join the fold. Right now, McCarthy is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the ’21 class nation-wide as is the No. 13 prospect overall according to 247Sports.com.
Top selection: McCarthy is as solid of a commitment as there can be, and his loyalty to Michigan is pronounced. There was no one U-M reportedly wanted more at the position, and the Wolverines are not expected to recruit any other players at quarterback.
Next in line: N/A, expect Michigan to ride into National Signing Day with McCarthy and McCarthy only at QB.
Running Back
The U-M staff currently has 15 offers out to running backs according to 247Sports.com, and four of those prospects can virtually be taken off the board after committing to other schools. Of the remaining 11, it is no secret that the Wolverines covet West Bloomfield (Mich.) High four-star Donovan Edwards, and he the primary focus for running backs coach Jay Harbaugh this cycle.
Top selection: As Michigan’s clear cut priority at running back, Edwards has received the full court press from the Wolverines staff. As an in-state recruit, Edwards has made numerous trips to U-M’s campus, and his head coach, Ron Bellamy, told Wolverine Digest how big of a factor family will be for the blue-chip player.
Ohio State was a noted threat in Edwards’ recruitment, but the Buckeyes have loaded up with two running back commits already, so their threat has substantially subsided. According to Bellamy, Edwards had planned to visit Oklahoma, Florida and Florida State before the coronavirus derailed said plans.
Edwards will likely make those visits still, but Michigan is in regular contact with the No. 3 running back in the country and should be confident about their chances to land him.
Next in line: Edwards would be Michigan’s top pick in a fantasy draft of uncommitted running backs, but Corey Kiner, Prophet Brown and Colby McDonald are all options for the Wolverines as well.
Wide Receiver
At wide receiver, the Michigan staff has cast its net far and wide, offering 32 players already. Of that group, seven have already committed elsewhere, leaving 25 still on the market. Look for the Wolverines to take two, potentially three wide receivers this cycle.
Top selections: In recent weeks, four-star wide Dekel Crowdus included Michigan in his top 10, but the Kentucky prospect holds several Southern schools in high esteem and is vocal about that fact.
Elsewhere, Pompano Beach (Fla.) Monarch three-star Jaden Alexis is a bit underrated at this stage and has stayed in contact with head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Both coaches have pitched the potential to see the field early, and Alexis is strongly considering an official visit to Ann Arbor.
Next, East Lansing (Mich.) High wide receiver Andrel Anthony is one player U-M would be thrilled to pull out of Michigan State territory. Anthony is a speedy, lengthy option on the outside and has long held an offer at Michigan.
The Wolverines have also made strong impressions on three-star wide receivers Markus Allen and Xavier Worthy. From Clayton (Ohio) Northmont, Allen is a bigger-bodied receiver who has discussed playing at Michigan with several close friends who also hold U-M offers in 2021 defensive back Rod Moore and 2022 athlete C.J. Hicks. Worthy, too, was elated to pick up his Michigan offer and is looking to take an official visit to Ann Arbor. This would be a big chance for the U-M staff to lure Worthy into the fold.
Next in line: Any combination of Anthony, Allen, Worthy or even Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High three-star J.J. Jones could wind up as part of Michigan’s 2021 class, and that group would offer a complement of size and speed littered across the bunch.
Tight End
At tight end, Michigan added the commitment of Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s four-star Louis Hansen last week. Hansen, who visited Michigan last year, zeroed in on the Wolverines offense as one he feels he can be successful in. Hansen is a tantalizing red zone threat with size and speed, and his head coach, Dan Burke, billed the U-M commit as a strong blocker to boot.
Top selections: It is unclear if U-M will keep recruiting the position to add another tight end into the mix, but if so, Council Bluffs (Iowa) Lewis Central four-star Thomas Fidone has heard from Michigan extensively over the past few months, and his skill set could flourish under the tutelage of tight ends coach Sherrone Moore.
Next in line: Michigan is also in strong position with Moliki Matavao and Jack Pugh. At this stage, Fidone or Pugh seem to be the two most likely additions if the Wolverines do so choose to take another for the 2021 class.
Offensive Line
At this juncture, Michigan already has a very strong start at what is looking like a quality haul along the offensive line. As the first commit for the class, Sterling Heights (Mich.) Adlai Stevenson four-star offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi is anchoring U-M’s class of blockers, and he recently was joined by Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star offensive lineman Greg Crippen, a player with versatility at either guard or center.
Top selections: Adding to an already talented group, Michigan has pushed hard for Clarkston (Mich.) High four-star Rocco Spindler, who checks in at a substantial 6-5 and 295 pounds. According to 247Sports.com, Spindler is the No. 2 offensive guard in the country, and the Wolverines are using a coach-and-commit tandem strategy to recruit him to Ann Arbor. Though he has interest in Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma, Spindler will not leave the state for college if U-M has any say in it.
After that, Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier four-star David Davidkov is another player who Michigan has been surging with in recent months. Davidkov is hearing from the top schools in the Big Ten, but U-M has made its interest clear and is vying for the pledge of the top-15 offensive tackle.
Next in line: Another offensive lineman on the Wolverines' radar is Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech four-star Rasheem Anderson, and Anderson recently included Michigan in his list of top 7 schools, so the interest is mutual on that front.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Michigan 2021 recruiting class fantasy draft. Next time, we will be examining the defensive side of the ball and highlighting a slew of targets that the Michigan staff would love to bring to Ann Arbor. Who is on your wish list? Let us know!
