Xavier Worthy Goes Blue, Says Michigan Feels Like Home
After a five month recruitment that saw Michigan pursue 2021 Fresno (Calif.) Central East four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy as if he was their top pass catching target, Worthy tendered his commitment to the Wolverines on Friday afternoon.
“Michigan was a school I liked since I was a kid,” Worthy told Wolverine Digest. “It was a dream school. It was one of my favorite schools growing up.”
Now a Michigan commit, Worthy, who stands at 6-1 and 164 pounds, previously had a top six of Michigan, Oregon, Georgia, LSU, Alabama and Auburn, all places that he has not had a chance to visit yet. In fact, a lot of scuttlebutt existed around Worthy and Oregon towards the end of June, but the dynamic four-star prospect said that he did not even have a second place program according to John Garcia Jr. of SI All-American.
From the get go, Michigan has relentlessly gone after Worthy to help add an explosive receiving element to its 2021 class, and the desire to bring him into the fold is one aspect that resonated with the rising senior talent.
“The coaches, how they just keep pushing for me even when I wasn't leaning towards them,” Worthy said.
To be clear, bringing Worthy into the fold was not a singular effort for the Michigan coaching staff. While head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis have been active in this recruitment, the Wolverines have utilized current commits, such as J.J. McCarthy, and current players, such as Giles Jackson, to help Worthy feel that he is wanted in Ann Arbor.
But as a track star, Worthy knows that recruiting is fluid and can change very quickly, but that's why Michigan's continual pursuit, which includes recruitment from the U-M track and field program, was so appealing to the future Wolverine.
In terms of each of the teams to make his top six, Worthy analyzed the Michigan offense to determine if he could see himself flourishing in U-M's speed in space system. That question was met with a resounding answer.
“The offense they run, it’s like NFL-based,” Worthy said. “I think it would prepare me for the NFL the way I’d want it to.”
Worthy continued to praise Michigan's offense when talking with SI All-American.
“I feel like they can throw me the ball in space and I'll make something happen with it,” Worthy said.
At the high school level, Worthy works a lot out of the slot but also returns punts and kicks for Central East, and he said the Michigan coaching staff is pitching him a very similar role when he gets to Ann Arbor.
With Worthy as part of Michigan's '21 class, the Wolverines have three talented wide receivers that all offer a different dimension. Markus Allen is a strong receiver that looks to be exceedingly effective in red zone and one-on-one situations. Cristian Dixon is a tenacious recruit that is a technical route runner and that is as competitive as any player on the field, and Worthy brings elite speed to the table with his penchant for making defenders miss en route to the end zone.
Now that Worthy has committed, Michigan has the No. 7 class in the country according to 247Sports.com, but Worthy feels that it will end up as a top three class nationally given the players that U-M is still in on who are yet to commit.
What do you think about the newest prospect to join Michigan's 2021 class? How would you utilize his unique brand of pure speed at the college level? Let us know!
