The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
BY AUSTIN FOX After the Wolverines failed to sign a single player from Ohio in the 2018 recruiting cycle, head coach Jim Har- baugh landed six from the Buckeye State in 2019. One of them — Lakewood St. Ed- ward three-star wide receiver Quintel Kent — unsurprisingly grew up a die- hard Ohio State fan, but knew Michi- gan was the place for him as soon as he stepped foot on campus. "I just fell in love with it the first time I saw it," the 6-0, 173-pound wideout exclaimed. "The fact that it's so close to home was a huge factor for me as well [the two cities are separated by just 160 miles]. Michigan's business school is actually one of the best in the country, so when you combine that with their athletic programs, no other school in the nation can really compare. "I actually wish I could have gradu- ated high school early so I would have been able to move there sooner. I al- ready have a bond with a lot of the in- coming freshmen, so I can't wait to meet up with them and have a blast in Ann Arbor these next few years." Kent's hometown of Lakewood is just two hours from the Ohio State campus, and he admitted his Buck- eye roots run deeper than one might expect. As a result, the trash talk from fellow Ohioans has been in full force ever since he announced he would be attending U-M in August 2018. "There's a lot of it that goes on around here, with people always tell- ing me how I'm going to lose to OSU over the next few years," he revealed. "I hear about this past year's game a lot too. It gives me a little extra motiva- tion going into next season's matchup, because it makes me want to shut my friends up and prove them all wrong. "I love the intensity surrounding the rivalry, though, because I've been watching both teams for so long. My family has mainly switched over to Michigan's side for my sake, but deep down I feel like they'll always have some Ohio State in them." As a three-star prospect, Kent often gets overlooked in a Wolverines' re- cruiting class that includes two Rivals. com five-star players and 13 more four-stars. He is completely fine with that, however, and admitted he actu- ally prefers to be underestimated. "I've always enjoyed being the un- derdog and having to come out and make a statement," he affirmed. "Re- cruiting rankings don't matter to me, and I'm setting the bar for myself as high as it can possibly be set." Given that mindset, Kent revealed he has two specific goals he'd like to accomplish next year as a freshman at Michigan. "I want to see the field and play right away," he exclaimed. "And, of course, I need to make sure we come out and beat Ohio State." ❏ Quintel Kent Gladly Putting His Buckeye Roots Behind Him STATISTICS Year Rec. Yards TD 2018 59 924 12 2017 40 625 9 HONORS • 2018 USA Today All-State first team. • 2018 Division I Ohio Prep Sportswrit- ers Association All-Ohio second team. RECRUITMENT • Committed on Aug. 4, 2018. • Recruitment was led by former line- backers coach Al Washington, but sev- eral others assisted. DID YOU KNOW? • Set the St. Edward record for receiving touchdowns in a career with 21, a big- time accomplishment at a prominent football school like St. Edward. • Helped his squad win the 2018 Divi- sion I state title with eight catches for 120 yards and two TDs in the title game. • Racked up 502 yards and two touch- downs on kickoff returns as a senior. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Midwest recruiting an- alyst Josh Helmholdt: "Kent is an ex- plosive kid. He's a playmaker at wide re- ceiver. He has a game that I think would be best suited on the outside in college, but he doesn't really have the frame to play out there. "I think he'd be at a mismatch against a lot of cornerbacks. He's a guy that cer- tainly knows how to make big plays." • St. Edward head coach Tom Lom- bardo: "I mean come on, who is making those rankings? He didn't get out and about until just before his senior year when it comes to camps and things like that. He won the MVP at the Michigan camp, no one could guard him at the Northwestern camp — he just makes plays. … He's as good as any of those guys with those [higher] rankings, in my opinion." QUINTEL KENT WIDE RECEIVER 6-0 • 173 ST. EDWARD HIGH SCHOOL LAKEWOOD, OHIO RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 87 28 ✪ ✪ ✪ 760 102 31 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 177 64 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection Kent is actually quite similar to 2018 freshman Ronnie Bell and could end up being a more athletic, slightly quicker version of Grant Perry, who was a senior this past year. He almost cer tainly won't be needed in 2019, but with the new redshirt rule he could always see some action after games are decided. He'll have a great opportunity to bulk up, add weight and strength, and learn the ins and outs of the program and position from a very talented corps with a lot of experience. Kent hauled in a pair of touchdown passes, including the game-winning score in the fourth quarter, in the state title game to help his team to a Division I championship as a senior. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN MARCH 2019 THE WOLVERINE 61