Sachse (TX) Sachse quarterback Alex Orji flipped from Virginia Tech to Michigan on National Signing Day. He also had offers from Baylor, Houston, Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas Tech, among others.
Orji is 6’2″ and 233 lbs. He claims a 39″ vertical, a 275 lb. bench, and a 550 lb. squat.
Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Aaron Alexander (image via MLive)
Belleville (MI) Belleville linebacker Aaron Alexander will no longer be a part of Michigan’s 2022 recruiting class. He did not sign on National Signing Day on Wednesday, and then on Thursday, he made it public that he was re-opening his recruitment.
Alexander was offered by and committed to Michigan in June 2021. Eastern Illinois and Marshall are the other teams listed as having offered him. He’s currently a 247 Composite 3-star, the #101 linebacker, and #1013 overall. I gave him a TTB Rating of 57 at the time of his commitment (LINK).
Baltimore (MD) St. Frances defensive end Derrick Moore (#8, image via 247 Sports)
Baltimore (MD) St. Frances defensive end Derrick Moore committed to Michigan on National Signing Day. A former Oklahoma commit, he also had offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and a bunch of others.
Moore is listed at 6’4″ and 250 lbs. He’s an Under Armour All-American and was named the Maryland Player of the Year by Maxpreps in 2021.
Portland (OR) Westview wide receiver Darrius Clemons committed to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State, among others.
Clemons is listed at 6’3″ and 205 lbs. and supposedly runs a 4.37 forty.
Austin (TX) Westlake defensive end Ethan Burke flipped from Michigan to Texas on National Signing Day. Burke was offered by Michigan in November and committed on December 1 (LINK), leaving behind a chance to play lacrosse at Maryland.
Fast forward a couple weeks, and the home state Texas Longhorns offered him. Rumors started to come out just before National Signing Day that he would stay home instead of moving to Ann Arbor.
It’s hard to blame a kid for that type of change of heart. When the big-time hometown school finally comes knocking, we expect that to have some sway for kids in Michigan, like it has done with guys like Vincent Gray, who decommitted from Missouri to pick Michigan.
The reason this hurts Michigan, in my opinion, is that I think Burke can be pretty good in college. I gave him a TTB Rating of 83; though he needs some physical and technical development, he’s a really good athlete for a 6’7″, 225 lb. kid. Furthermore, Michigan needs some edge rushers in this class. Despite the fact that Aidan Hutchinson was a Heisman finalist and David Ojabo has 11 sacks, Michigan has suffered decommitments from Burke and Mario Eugenio (Cincinnati), while outside linebacker commit Kevonte Henry is not signing in December and is flirting with Washington.
