Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy running back A.J. Dillon decommitted from Michigan on Thursday and flipped to Boston College. Here’s what I wrote about Dillon back in March when he committed (LINK).
As you can see, I was not in love with Dillon. He’s a back in the mold of De’Veon Smith, in my opinion, and while Smith has done some good things, he’s not a championship- or award-caliber back. Dillon ran a laser-timed 4.64 forty, but that speed didn’t necessarily show up on the field.
I wrote a piece on Michigan’s running back recruiting not long ago (LINK) in which I outlined some possible scenarios for the position leading up to the completion of the 2017 class. Basically, Michigan seems to have a shot with just a couple guys right now to fill out the class and/or replace Dillon. One is national #1 prospect Najee Harris from Antioch (CA) Antioch. The other is Wylie (TX) East back Eno Benjamin, who is currently projected to go to Texas. There are some positive vibes about Harris potentially flipping from Alabama to Michigan, and the Wolverines were recently put in the top six for Benjamin, a former Iowa commit.
The loss of Dillon isn’t particularly damaging from a talent standpoint, but it could signal an underwhelming haul at the running back position if Michigan can’t close with Harris or Benjamin. The Wolverines had three running back commits, but are now down to two. Dillon was the second-best runner, according to the 247 Composite rankings, and the top back, Los Lunas (NM) Los Lunas’s O’Maury Samuels, is trying to shore up his academic resume. If academics causes him to fall by the wayside, then Michigan might be left with their third-best option in Loganville (GA) Grayson’s Kurt Taylor. While Michigan got a solid crew in 2016 with Chris Evans, Kareem Walker, and Kingston Davis, it would be disappointing for Michigan to only be able to bring in the 59th-best running back in the country after a year in which they were in playoff discussion and finished the regular season ranked at #6.
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