Michigan fans woke up to a bit of a surprise on Friday morning.
After all, the Wolverines earned a commitment from three-star Dedham (Mass.) Noble & Greenough linebacker Casey Phinney, who had hardly been talked about and many assumed was further down on the Wolverines’ board.
Phinney only holds one other FBS offer (UMass), and the Wolverines are in the mix for some highly touted prospects at the position.
However, Phinney was a prospect that Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown offered early and wanted in the boat immediately. In fact, Brown and head coach Jim Harbaugh had a video chat with Phinney on Thursday night that led to his verbal pledge.
Phinney may not have a high rating or a big offer list, but the kid is tough as a rattler's tail. He’s an old school inside linebacker that fills gaps quickly and loves to bring the wood. There has been some talk about Phinney eventually moving to fullback, but the staff took him as a linebacker.
They value his toughness and ability to be a thumper in the physical Big Ten conference. Brown and company want someone that will work hard and smash people in the mouth. Phinney will do just that.
As mentioned there are still quite a few big targets left on the board, and Michigan is far from done at the position group. Let’s go ahead and dive into the landscape of inside linebacker recruiting — we’ll save outside linebacker and Viper recruiting for another day.
