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Michigan Setting Up For Strong 2021 Finish At Linebacker
So far, Michigan has amassed 11 commits in its 2021 recruiting class, and the positional distribution has been fairly balanced. In what is a top 10 class nationally, U-M has players committed at: quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, offensive guard, center, defensive end, inside linebacker and cornerback and kicker / punter.
Exactly one month ago, Dedham (Mass.) Nobles and Greenough School three-star inside ‘backer Casey Phinney committed to Michigan. With a solid foundation in place, the Wolverines are now searching for a few more linebackers to round out its ’21 class.
Here are some recruits at linebacker to keep an eye on moving forward:
| Name | Hometown | Height | Weight | Stars | 247Sports.com composite ranking (by position) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaydon Hood | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 6-1 | 212 lbs. | 4 | No. 12 |
Tyler McLaurin | Bolingbrook, Illinois | 6-2 | 210 lbs. | 3 | No. 26 |
Jamari Buddin | Belleville, Michigan | 6-3 | 205 lbs. | 4 | No. 21 |
Patrick Hisatake | Portland, Oregon | 6-5 | 240 lbs. | 3 | N/A |
Deshauwn Alleyne | Port Saint Lucie, Florida | 6-0 | 220 lbs. | 4 | No. 14 |
Baron Hopson | Leesburg, Georgia | 5-1 | 221 lbs. | 3 | No. 32 |
Junior Colson | Brentwood, Tennessee | 6-2 | 228 lbs. | 4 | No. 10 |
Jamon Dumas-Johnson | Baltimore, Maryland | 6-1 | 235 lbs. | 4 | No. 16 |
Checking in as the No. 12 inside linebacker in the country according to 247Sports.com, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star Jaydon Hood is one of the top players on Michigan’s wish list. Hood is listed at 6-1 and 212 pounds, and he presents both the instincts and downhill speed to make an impact at the next level. Hood recognizes blocking patterns quickly and uses that information to pick the correct gap in run support, which is a strength of his game.
Michigan offered Hood back in January, and the Wolverines have since picked up a commitment from his teammate, cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows. Right now, McBurrows is slated to officially visit U-M next month, and Hood is expected to join him on an official as well according to St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Roger Harriott.
Shortly after committing to Michigan, McBurrows said he would be an active recruiter in convincing his teammate to pick the Wolverines, so this visit weekend could be one to watch for the four-star Florida prospect.
U-M linebacker coach Brian Jean-Mary has kept in close contact with both McBurrows and Hood.
Moving over to outside linebacker, Bolingbrook (Ill.) High three-star Tyler McLaurin is one prospect that is high on Michigan. Recently, McLaurin released his top five schools, and the Wolverines were part of that group.
At 6-2 and 210 pounds, McLaurin projects as an outside linebacker, and he is listed as the No. 26 player in the country at his position. Michigan has been rising with McLaurin lately after landing a U-M offer in January and then visiting campus a couple months later.
At the moment, McLaurin is eyeing a mid-June commitment, so these next couple weeks could be pivotal for Michigan in locking down the three-star’s pledge. Look for McLaurin to potentially take an official to U-M as well for the weekend of June 19-21.
From an in-state perspective, Belleville (Mich.) High four-star Jamari Buddin is the highest ranked linebacker from Michigan in the 2021 class. At 6-2 and 210 pounds, Buddin flies around the defense and has the lateral agility to drop into coverage as well with fluid hips. Additionally, Buddin is a strong hitter that explodes quickly, making him a strong candidate to remain at outside linebacker in college.
Not long before the quarantine put a halt on recruiting visits, Buddin made a stop at Penn State, and the Nittany Lions have done a sound job in recruiting the four-star prospect. Buddin is friends with Kobe and Kalen King, a pair of 2021 players from Cass Tech, and they also committed to Penn State within the last month, so Buddin already has familiar faces headed to Happy Valley.
However, both Michigan and Michigan State are top schools for Buddin at this point as well, and many believe he is likely to stay in state for college. Buddin is friends with players at both programs, and it is difficult to discern who is in the lead for the rangy, hard-hitting linebacker.
Listed as a three-star outside linebacker by 247Sports.com, Portland (Ore.) Westview’s Patrick Hisatake is a player that Wolverine Digest believes is more of a defensive end at the next level. Hisatake is already 6-5 and 240 pounds, and he has been hearing from U-M defensive line coach Shaun Nua, but he has played a good deal of linebacker in high school and has the athleticism to keep his quickness and speed when doing so.
Michigan extended an offer to Hisatake on March 28, and the talented pass rusher spoke about his growing relationship with the U-M coaching staff.
“They are really down to earth,” Hisatake said. “When they call, coach Nua, he has the same Polynesian background as me. He’s really down to Earth, and he’s a really good guy. I know that playing for him or [how he] could be my future potential coach, I could be very successful.”
As expected from a high profile West coast player, Hisatake has a lot of Pac-12 offers, but the highly coveted prospect did list Michigan in his recently released top group.
Michigan would need to host Hisatake on an official visit to make some real headway here since the three-star admittedly was not the most knowledgeable about the U-M program at the time of his offer, but there is still a long way to go in the 2021 class.
Listed as the No. 14 inside linebacker in the country, Port Saint Lucie (Fla.) St. Lucie West Centennial three-star Deshauwn Alleyne is another player that Michigan is looking to add to its linebacking depth chart.
As a speedy prospect that U-M defensive coordinator Don Brown compared to Devin Bush, Alleyne could very well most to outside linebacker when he transitions to college.
In March, Alleyne listed a top five of Michigan, Penn State, Auburn, Nebraska and Kentucky. At the time, Alleyne said that each of those schools would receive official visits, and Wolverine Digest can confirm that the U-M staff has continued reaching out to him “often.”
A couple months back, Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County three-star Baron Hopson released a list of his top eight schools, and Michigan was joined in that group by Nebraska, Louisville, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Cincinnati and Duke.
At the moment, Michigan appears to have a few players higher on their board, but is recruitment will be one to monitor once players are allowed back on campus.
Another player could wind up in Michigan's class is Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood four-star Junior Colson. At 6-2 and 228 lbs., Colson has a great deal of athleticism and is a speedy prospect that shines when blitzing the quarterback.
Recently, Colson received a crystal ball prediction on 247Sports.com in favor of the Wolverines, and a couple U-M commits have put in efforts to recruit the talented linebacker to Michigan.
Currently, Casey Phinney is the lone LB commit for the Wolverines in 2021, but U-M is in good shape for a strong finish to the position. Which players would be at the top of your recruiting board? Who should the Wolverines prioritize? Let us know!
