The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 BY EJ HOLLAND W hen looking at potential addi- tions along the offensive line, the focus always seems to be on tackles. And with good reason. However, interior offensive linemen are vital pieces to the puzzle, especially centers. In fact, center may be one of the most undervalued positions in recruit- ing. Having a high-level center with a great football IQ is a very important part of a successful offensive front. Michigan is hard at work recruit- ing centers in the 2021 recruiting cy- cle, and line coach Ed Warinner has put the Wolverines in a great spot to land an elite prospect at the position. The Wolverines are squarely in the mix with the Rivals' top four 2021 centers in the country. The highest ranked is Damascus (Md.) High product Ryan Linthicum, who recently named Michigan one of his final three schools along with Clemson and Virginia Tech. While Virginia Tech is still alive, this one has the makings of a heated Clemson-Michigan battle. Right now, Clemson may have the slight edge. His teammate, five-star defensive line- man Bryan Bresee, is committed there and has been recruiting him hard. But this one could very much go either way. The 6-4, 278-pound Lin- thicum has an extremely strong bond with Warinner, and he feels very comfortable around the Michigan program. A Big Ten title could push the Wolverines over the edge. "I love Michigan, Coach Warinner and my boy [four-star 2021 U-M quar- terback commit] J.J. McCarthy," Linthi- cum said. "I'm really close with him. Coach Warinner is a really good coach, and he's put a lot of guys in the league. A lot of guys want to play for him." Linthicum, who is ranked as the No. 47 overall player nationally by Rivals and was a second-team USA Today All-Maryland pick as a sopho- more, is set to visit Clemson Sept. 21, and is still mapping out trips to Michigan and Virginia Tech. He hopes to make a decision before the end of his junior campaign. The No. 2 center and No. 119 over- all player in the country and second- best junior in the state is Detroit Cass Tech's Raheem Anderson, who is in Michigan's very own backyard. The Wolverine had the opportunity to watch the 6-3, 295-pound Anderson earlier this fall and came away super impressed. He has the frame of a true center and the football smarts to go along with it. He was a bully in the trenches and helped his fellow offen- sive linemen make key adjustments. Anderson is very high on Michigan early on and plans on making an unof- ficial visit to Ann Arbor later this fall. He is already familiar with Warinner and the campus, and said Michigan provides that "home feeling." "Michigan is showing very high in- terest in me," he said. "I'm just focused on my team right now, but I like how they preach team. That's a big thing. "I like the camaraderie the coaches have with the team. They are a family." LSU is another player in the race for Anderson, but it's pretty safe to say that the Wolverines are out in front early on. Anderson likes that Michi- gan is close to home, and proximity may be the ultimate deciding factor. The Lone Star State is home to the No. 3 center nationally and No. 41 ju- nior in Texas in Fort Worth All Saints prospect James Brockermeyer. This recruitment is a little tricky. The 6-3, 255-pounder is the brother of five-star 2021 offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer (No. 5 overall prospect in the land) and the son of former Texas and NFL player Blake Brockermeyer. His older brother, Luke, is currently on the Texas roster. The Longhorns have been labeled as the clear frontrunners for the Brocker- meyer brothers. But while Texas cer- tainly has the inside track, it's not a full guarantee that they'll end up in Austin. The Brockermeyers visited Michi- gan in the spring, have developed a great relationship with Warinner and plan to be back in Ann Arbor for the game against Michigan State Nov. 16. "We visited over spring break, and it was for sure one of our best visits," James said. "I really liked getting to sit in on some meetings and having breakfast with Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and Coach Warinner. "We were there as they were doing construction on some of the parts of the facilities, but other than that they were definitely some of the best in the country no doubt. Ann Arbor is arguably the best college town in the country, and we got to see some of it, and it confirmed that. I think it would be a really cool place to live." This is going to be a tough one to win, but if any school can top Texas, it's Michigan. From speaking to sources around his recruitment, the Wolverines are recruiting the Brock- ermeyer brothers harder than any other team in the country. Along with Michigan and Texas, Alabama, LSU, Iowa and Notre Dame are schools the two siblings have shown mutual interest in. The No. 4 center in the country and No. 14 prospect in Michigan in the 2021 class is Davion Weatherspoon. A three-star recruit, Weatherspoon isn't generating nearly the buzz as the other three centers, but he is an excellent candidate to fill the role. At 6-1, 280 pounds, Weatherspoon is un- dersized, making him a true center. FOOTBALL RECRUITING U-M In Position To Land An Elite Center In 2021 Rivals rates junior Ryan Linthicum of Damascus (Md.) High as a four-star recruit, the No. 3 player in Maryland, and the No. 1 center and No. 47 overall prospect nationally. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM