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2021 Recruiting: Early Signing Day Grades, Offense

Keep in mind with the grades below that this is just based on the early signing period. Players can still sign in February (or beyond), transfer in, etc. So the ink isn’t dry on the class just yet.

QUARTERBACK: A+
Needed: 1
Signed: 1
Michigan landed an elite player, J.J. McCarthy (5-star, #2 pro-style QB, #22 overall). Not only is he elite on the field, but I think his attitude helped keep the class together when things got a little bit rocky. Naturally, the hope for Michigan fans is that he maintains that kind of leadership throughout his career in Ann Arbor. He’s also the first quarterback recruited out of high school by Jim Harbaugh who actually fits the mold of an RPO signal-caller.

Hit the jump for more.

Donovan Edwards, Wolverine

West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield running back Donovan Edwards committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Georgia, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, among others.

Edwards is listed at 5’11” and 190 lbs. As a junior in 2019, he ran for 1,326 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also catching 33 passes for 419 yards and 5 touchdowns.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 86 grade, #4 RB, #66 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.9 grade, #3 RB, #74 overall
247 Sports: 4-star, 95 grade, #2 RB, #29 overall

Hit the jump for more on Edwards’s commitment.

Branden Jennings, Ex-Wolverine

Jacksonville (FL) Sandalwood outside linebacker/defensive end Branden Jennings signed with Maryland on Wednesday morning after being committed to Michigan. Jennings had also previously been committed to Florida State.

Jackson is a 4-star, the #7 outside linebacker, and #109 overall. I’ve seen him projected all over the place, and sometimes I have wondered what other people see in him that I don’t see. I think he’s a good prospect – as a weakside end or outside linebacker – but some have intimated that he’s an inside linebacker, and I just don’t get that.

Anyway, Michigan loses some star power from its 2021 class since he’s just outside the top-100. They also lose a potential pass rusher.

Jennings is one of four decommits from the 2021 class, joining WR Markus Allen, LB Casey Phinney, and DE Quinton Somerville (Somerville picked UCLA shortly after Jennings picked Maryland).

Site News: Visit Touchthebanner.blogspot.com tomorrow for news

SHORT STORY: Since news and updates will be coming in a flurry tomorrow, December 16 (National Signing Day), I will only be posting updates at touchthebanner.blogspot.com. That’s the only place you can comment right now, anyway, and I want to have a place for discussion. I will post about when National Letters of Intent have been sent in, what Michigan offerees have committed elsewhere, etc.

LONG STORY: WordPress recently updated to a new version, and the new version is no longer compatible with my theme. That’s why comments have been disabled – not by me, but by The Borg. I have been told that I need to re-theme (basically rebuild) the website, which costs a lot of money (the quote was $3,400). I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we’re in a pandemic. And I don’t have that much money just to throw at this project when ad revenue is so low.

So that’s why we’re in a holding pattern with comments, and that’s why I have to post everything twice – here and over on Blogspot.com. On the plus side, I guess it’s a good thing that I kept the Blogspot site up, because it has come in handy a couple times when WordPress has been dumb.

Sorry you’re being jerked around from site to site. This is a major pain in the ass for me and has been the source of a lot of stress and consternation over the past several weeks.

2021 Recruiting: Early Signing Day Primer

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SOLID COMMITS

Michigan has 21 commits in the class of 2021, and the following players are expected to sign with Michigan during the early signing period, which starts tomorrow (December 16):

• QB J.J. McCarthy
• RB Tavierre Dunlap (early enrollee)
• WR Andrel Anthony
• WR Cristian Dixon (early enrollee)
• TE Louis Hansen
• OL Raheem Anderson II
• OL Tristan Bounds
• OL Greg Crippen
• OL Giovanni El-Hadi
• DE Kechaun Bennett
• DE Dominick Giudice
• DE T.J. Guy
• DE Quintin Somerville
• LB Junior Colson (early enrollee)
• LB Tyler McLaurin
• S Rod Moore
• P Tommy Doman

Hit the jump for more.