Michigan Trending Upward With Domani Jackson And Darian Chestnut
Over the last month, Michigan's 2021 class added commitments from Tristan Bounds, Quintin Somerville and Cristian Dixon and now sits at No. 6 according to Rivals.com. Out of that group, Dixon was the most recent to jump on board, and the four-star recruit could be an important key to one of U-M's top 2022 targets as well.
Dixon, who plays at Mater Dei in California, is teammates with five-star cornerback Domani Jackson, and the two have talked about playing together in college. Michigan has made Jackson a clear priority in the '22 cycle, and the highly touted recruit responded by including the Wolverines in his recently released top group.
Jackson, who is listed at 6-1 and 185 pounds, has offers from programs all across the country but is now focused on Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, USC, Arizona State, LSU, Georgia and Texas moving forward.
With Dixon in his ear pretty regularly, Jackson is also hearing quite often from Michigan cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich as part of the Wolverines' recruiting effort. And based on 247Sports.com's scale, Jackson is the No. 12 player in the country for his class, so he is a clear cut top target for U-M.
On the other side of the country, Coach Zordich is looking to land a 2021 prospect in Camden (NJ) High four-star prospect Darian 'Duce' Chestnut. In the past, Michigan has had success recruiting at the school as Cesar Ruiz, Brad Hawkins and Ron Johnson are Camden products, and the Wolverines are hoping to repeat that result with Chestnut.
Much like Jackson, Chestnut recently dropped his top eight schools, and the Wolverines made the cut along with Louisville, Miami, Syracuse, Rutgers, Ole Miss, Michigan State and Kansas.
Last season, Chestnut had a strong junior campaign and saw his recruiting profile rise noticeably. In 2019, Chestnut made 47 tackles, tipped 13 passes and snagged five interceptions, but he also passes the eye test as a special player physically as well. In addition to serving as a stingy member of the Camden secondary, Chestnut took snaps as a Wildcat quarterback and also returned punts on special teams, so his versatility is a cut above most players.
As a defensive back, Chestnut has experience playing both press-man coverage and off coverage in zone, so he can be used in a variety of schemes at the next level. If need be, Chestnut could slide back to safety, but he is mostly regarded as a cornerback in college.
Michigan holds Chestnut in high esteem, and he would be a valuable addition to the team's 2021 class given his ability to help out in multiple areas.
Currently, Michigan sports commitments from three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows and three-star safety Rod Moore for the No. 6 class in the nation according to Rivals.com.
Would you be targeting more cornerbacks or safeties in the 2021 recruiting class for Michigan? Do you think Chestnut would be a better fit at corner or safety? Let us know!
