The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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50 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2020 COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan scored big down in the Sunshine State. The Wolverines picked up a surprising verbal com- mitment from three-star Fort Lauder- dale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas cor- nerback Ja'Den McBurrows April 24. McBurrows has never visited Michigan, but he felt comfortable enough with the coaching staff to go ahead and make an early decision. "Michigan made me a top prior- ity," McBurrows said. "I can see my- self playing there. We communicate every day. The way they develop cor- ners impresses me. "They had an offensive lineman go in the first round last night. They were very excited when I told them I was committing." Michigan recruited McBurrows hard virtually. The Wolverines set up several video chats for him with different members of the staff and were constantly texting him since the beginning of the dead period. Ulti- mately, academics and the coaching staff were the biggest driving factors in his commitment. "Academics stood out," McBur- rows said. "They have a great busi- ness program, and that's what I want to major in. They have great coaches as well like Coach [Don] Brown. He's been coaching football for a long time. I can see him coaching me." When a recruit never visits cam- pus and commits, relationships have to be strong. Every- one from Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh to corner- backs coach Michael Zordich to defensive coordinator Brown and area recruiter Brian Jean-Mary were involved. "Me and Coach Zordich have a great relationship," McBurrows said. "We talk almost every day. I talk to Coach Harbaugh all the time. He has so many great accomplishments. I'm going to love to be coached by him. "I also talked to Coach Jean-Mary. I actually told Coach Brown I was committing. We all talked every day." McBurrows will get his first chance to visit Michigan in a couple of months. He has an official visit scheduled for June 19 and is excited to make his way to Ann Arbor. "I'm excited to visit Michigan," he said. "I want to see everything — the campus, the facilities and even the restaurants. I also want to learn about their practices and how play- ers go through practice and class." McBurrows was a first-team all- state selection at cornerback last season for national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished the year ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps. M c B u r r o w s i s known for his speed a n d p l a y m a k i n g ability. He loves to play man coverage and believes he's a great scheme fit for Michigan. "I think I have g o o d i n s t i n c t s , " McBurrows said. "I think I play man-to-man well. I have good speed, and I feel like I have great physical abilities. "I see myself fitting in well at Michigan because they play a lot of Cover 1. I can see myself doing that all day." McBurrows committed to Michi- gan over offers from Baylor, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Ten- nessee and others. R i v a l s . c o m r a n k s t h e 5 - 1 0 , 175-pound McBurrows as the No. 58 prospect in Florida and the No. 27 cornerback in the country. — EJ Holland Wolverines Prioritize Sunshine State Cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Ja'Den McBurrows plays with great natural instincts. He breaks on the ball extremely well and came away with several inter- ceptions on the year. The three-star prospect reports a 4.52-second 40 time, but may be even faster than that. His speed on the outside will be valued, as he should have no issue keeping up with the opposi- tion's fastest wide outs at the next level. Weaknesses: McBurrows is a little on the short side and doesn't have the ideal length desired in an out- side cornerback. While fast, McBur- rows may have his hands full with bigger, physical receivers. McBur- rows is still very raw from a techni- cal standpoint. Developing under cornerbacks coach Michael Zordich will be key. Michigan Player Comparison: All of Michigan's scholarship corner- backs are listed at 6-0 or taller, so it's hard to find a true comparison for McBurrows. However, he does share some similarities to incoming fresh- man Andre Seldon. Like Seldon, Mc- Burrows is on the shorter side and lacks length, but he's quick, makes plays on the ball and has a knack for creating turnovers. — EJ Holland McBurrows "Michigan made me a top priority. I can see myself playing there. We communicate every day. The way they develop corners impresses me." McBurrows, the No. 27 cornerback nationally per Rivals.com, selected U-M over offers from Baylor, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee and others. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM