McCarthy, Worthy, Crippen And Anthony To Enroll Early At Michigan

Several Michigan commits have already decided to enroll early at Michigan, and a handful of other pledges are likely to join them before all is said and done.

It seems that every angle of the college football world has been altered by the COVID-19 virus this year, and it has been especially impactful for high school players looking for one more season before reaching the collegiate level. Michigan, for example, has 21 players committed in the 2021 class, but at least nine of those commits have had their senior seasons canceled over the past several weeks.

As a result, some players are completely forgoing the possibility of a senior season in the Spring and are looking to head to Michigan right away as an early enrollee. Following that path usually comes with a series of advantages that can benefit a player, but not every prospect is able to do so since a lot depends on their particular high school's academic workload.

In this cycle, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has been committed to the Wolverines for well over a year, is penciled in as one of U-M's early enrollees. As a quarterback, McCarthy has perhaps more to gain by doing so than any other Michigan pledge given the nature of his position. McCarthy will have a chance to receive the playbook early, bond with his teammates and get into the swing of a college lifestyle before the rest of his commits report to Ann Arbor over the summer in 2021.

In fact, McCarthy went well out of his way to ensure that he'd be an early enrollee this year. Previously, McCarthy was a three-year returning starter at Nazareth Academy in Illinois, but the COVID-19 situation put his impending senior campaign in jeopardy. Rather than wait around and hope for the best, McCarthy decided to transfer to IMG as the state of Florida planned on pressing full steam ahead for the 2020 season. Additionally, McCarthy would not have been able to enroll at Michigan early from his old school, and that is now an opportunity at IMG, one that he is seizing.

But McCarthy is not alone in doing so as his center this year, four-star lineman Greg Crippen, is also set to enroll at Michigan early as well. Crippen issued his pledge to the Wolverines back in late March, and he has flourished throughout the offseason according to IMG head coach Bobby Acosta. IMG is home to perhaps the most talented offensive line group in all of America, and Acosta shed light on how Crippen has become a natural leader and is the glue that holds the group of blockers together. He will also be joining McCarthy in Ann Arbor in January.

Moving to the other side of the country, Fresno (Calif.) Central East wide receiver Xavier Worthy issued his pledge to Michigan on July 10 after it looked like he might be a lean to Oregon. While his relationship with the Ducks fell apart, Michigan remained aggressive in its pursuit and eventually landed the dynamic speedster on commitment day.

Not long after Worthy committed, his senior season in California was postponed until the Spring of 2021, but he was not convinced that waiting around would be in his best interest. Instead, Worthy opted to enroll early at U-M and will be able to practice with his college teammates when the Spring rolls around instead of taking part in one more year of high school football.

East Lansing (Mich.) High wide receiver Andrel Anthony was in a similar situation. Anthony spurned the local Michigan State Spartans by choosing Michigan on July 31, but the Michigan High School Athletic Association did not make a decision on its season until a little bit after that. But when it did, Anthony knew he wanted to be an early enrollee and he was set to do so before Michigan canceled its fall football season.

Right now, Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech center Raheem Anderson says he does not know if he'd like to enroll early, and many other Michigan commits go to academies that do not allow their students to commit early, so it is not an opportunity open to everyone. However, the 2021 class will likely be comprised of more early enrollees than in previous cycles due to the schedule mayhem that has unfolded in recent weeks. Quarterbacks certainly have the most to gain, but wide receivers such as Anthony and Worthy need to build chemistry with their quarterbacks too, so those two position groups will clearly benefit from the move.

Would you like to see Michigan take in 10 or so early enrollees this cycle? Who do you want on campus the earliest? Let us know!