Michigan's Signing Day Fireworks Push 2021 Class Into Top 10 Nationally
Michigan Wolverines football had an eventful late signing day Wednesday, and that has pushed its 2021 recruiting haul into the top 10 nationally.
The Maize and Blue were able to officially add three members of its 2021 recruiting class in Rivals100 Oak Park (Mich.) High defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, Rivals250 Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep defensive lineman George Rooks and three-star Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial defensive tackle Ike Iwunnah. Rooks pulled the trigger and committed to the Wolverines Jan. 27.
Benny, who is now Michigan's seventh-highest rated commit, flipped from Michigan State, after not signing during the early period despite being a Spartan pledge since November. He is ranked as the No. 98 overall prospect in the country, per Rivals.com, the No. 5 player in the state of Michigan and the ninth-best defensive tackle nationally.
Defensive line coach Shaun Nua, co-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, new wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy, new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, new running backs coach Mike Hart and head coach Jim Harbaugh went all in on landing Benny, and their efforts paid off.
It was similar with Rooks, who was primarily recruited by Nua and Moore, with Macdonald also being involved after taking over the defense in early January. He ranks as the No. 227 overall player and the fifth-best strong-side defensive end in the country, according to Rivals.com's rankings. The Wolverines' main competition in the race for Rooks was in-division foe Penn State.
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The second flip of the day came when Michigan was able to reel in Iwunnah, who was previously committed to Colorado. The Wolverines offered a few weeks back, and co-defensive coordinator / defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist, who has deep ties in the Dallas area, and Nua were able to bring him into the fold.
Michigan entered the late signing period ranked No. 11 in Rivals' rankings, but after some fireworks Wednesday, the Wolverines shot up to No. 9 in the country, passing Florida and Notre Dame. Michigan's star average is now 3.57 and its rankings score is 2,447. The Maize and Blue have 14 four-star recruits in the fold, which is three more than the Irish, Gators and 12th-ranked Miami (Fla.).
The three new signees make it a 23-man class, joining the 20 early signees — Rivals100 running back Donovan Edwards, Rivals100 linebacker Junior Colson, Rivals100 quarterback JJ McCarthy, Rivals100 offensive lineman Giovanni El-Hadi, Rivals100 tight end Louis Hansen, Rivals250 offensive lineman Raheem Anderson, Rivals250 offensive lineman Greg Crippen, Rivals250 wide receiver Cristian Dixon, four-star defensive end Kechaun Bennett, All-American specialist Tommy Doman, three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows, three-star wide receiver Andrel Anthony, Rivals250 linebacker Jaydon Hood, Rivals100 wide receiver Xavier Worthy, three-star safety Rod Moore, four-star offensive tackle Tristan Bounds, three-star linebacker Tyler McLaurin, three-star running back Tavierre Dunlap, rising defensive linemen TJ Guy and Dominick Giudice.
Michigan has the second-highest rated class in the Big Ten, only behind arch rival Ohio State, which has a group that ranks second in the land. The top half of the conference all has classes that reside in the top 26.
Big Ten Recruiting Rankings
Note: National rank is in parentheses
1. Ohio State (2)
2. Michigan (9)
3. Wisconsin (14)
4. Nebraska (19)
5. Maryland (20)
6. Iowa (24)
7. Penn State (26)
8. Rutgers (36)
9. Michigan State (37)
10. Minnesota (38)
11. Northwestern (53)
12. Indiana (62)
13. Illinois (72)
14. Purdue (74)
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