The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 49 COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan has landed its highest- rated defensive commit in the 2021 recruiting class. Rivals100 linebacker Junior Col- son from Brentwood (Tenn.) Raven- wood set a May decision timeline and stuck to it. The nation's No. 83 overall recruit publicly announced his commitment to Michigan over Memorial Day Weekend after being a silent pledge for more than a month. "I believe Michigan was the best fit for me and family," Colson said. "Be- ing able to come in and play early, having great academics because foot- ball ends at some point in life, and cultural fit made it the best option for me." Colson picked Michigan over fi- nalists LSU, Ole Miss, Oregon and Tennessee. Colson earned an offer from the Wolverines at a summer camp last year and returned to campus for an unofficial visit in November when Michigan played host to rival Ohio State. He was set for another unof- ficial visit this spring, but the corona- virus pandemic forced him to cancel his trip. Still, Colson remained high on Michigan and built a strong relation- ship with the coaching staff through virtual recruiting. Both defensive co- ordinator Don Brown and lineback- ers coach Brian Jean-Mary played huge roles in his decision to side with Michigan. "Our relationship is great," Colson said. "I don't even know how many times I've talked to them in the last week. I talk to them every day. We just talk about normal things. We also had a film session this week, and that just reiterated my commitment to them. "Our personalities are alike, which is a plus. We'll all get along and know what each other is thinking." Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh also video chatted with Col- son throughout the dead period and made a big impression on the four- star prospect. "I really like him," Colson said. "He really cares about his players. He shows that it's not all about foot- ball. Life doesn't end after football. He's shown that he's helped players get acclimated to proper jobs if they don't make it to the NFL. He helps his players succeed in life." Colson recorded an eye-popping 175 tackles and 14 sacks as a junior at Ravenwood last season. In Brown's attacking defensive scheme, the 6-2, 215-pounder will be expected to play the viper position, which will allow him to showcase his multifaceted talent on the field. While he can certainly plug gaps, Colson also excels in pass coverage and has a high football IQ. "Being able to play that viper posi- tion will be beneficial to me," Colson said. "I believe it will help, especially with my goal to get to the draft — be- ing able to play multiple positions and move around. I'm used to a 4-3, but in this scheme, I'll be playing safety, linebacker, defensive end and even corner a bit." At the end of the day, Michigan of- fered the best of everything for Col- son and his family. Colson's mother, Melanie, is originally from Michigan and actually grew up a fan of the Wolverines. In recruiting, it always helps to have mom on board, but the deci- sion to side with Michigan happened organically for Colson, who plans to visit Ann Arbor as soon as the dead period comes to an end. "My family was overjoyed," Col- son said. "They were happy that I was able to come to a decision on my own. I didn't have any outside influences. They were beaming with smiles. They would have supported any decision I would have made. "Mich igan h ad ev eryth in g I needed, and they felt it was the best fit for me too. My mom went crazy. She was jumping around. It was amazing to see her smile." — EJ Holland Tackling Machine Junior Colson Gives U-M Its Top Defensive Commit So Far FILM EVALUATION S t re n g t h s : J u n i o r Co l s o n i s very well put together and has a chance to play multiple spots in Don Brown's defensive scheme. He was extremely product as a junior, tallying close to 200 tackles. The defender is relentless in pursuit, fills gaps quickly, has tremendous sideline-to-sideline speed and also has a knack for creating turnovers. Despite being a bigger backer, he is also a plus in pass coverage — he can truly do it all on the defensive side of the ball. Areas Of Improvement: While Colson is a tackling machine, he doesn't necessarily live for contact. It would be nice to see him develop more of an aggressive style to his game, which will be needed in the Big Ten. Other than that, it's hard to find many faults in his game. He should be an early impact player in Ann Arbor. Michigan Player Comparison: Colson has a chance to be even bet- ter than Khaleke Hudson, who was a fifth-round NFL Draft pick this year. Like Hudson, Colson will be asked to play the viper position. Hudson wasn't really long and neither is Col- son, but they play with an attacking mentality and bring a ton of versatil- ity to a true hybrid position. — EJ Holland Colson "I believe Michigan was the best fit for me and family. Being able to come in and play early, having great academics be- cause football ends at some point in life, and cultural fit made it the best option for me." Colson, who notched 175 tackles and 14 sacks as a junior, is ranked by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 83 overall recruit. He is the first of U-M's six Rivals250 commits this cycle to come on the defensive side of the ball. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM