The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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58 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2020 MICHIGAN RECRUITING group messaging and is already forming plenty of friendships. "We all have a bond," Doman said. "It's like we've already been playing with each other for a couple of years. We're focused in on getting to work when we get to Ann Arbor, but we're still having fun playing football. It's not all business. Every time we get a new commit, we just keep on jelling. It feels like my second family." Doman, who is ranked as the No. 2 kicker in the country by Rivals.com, committed to Michigan in April over offers from Air Force, Army, Boston College, Colorado State and Wash- ington State. A n e a r l y e n ro l l e e , t h e 6 - 3 , 178-pounder is fully locked in with Michigan and can't wait to get to campus and compete for a starting job. "I'm so excited," Doman said. "I'm talking to Coach [special teams ana- lyst Tyler] Brown all the time. After each game, I describe each scenario and the call I chose to make as far as where to put the ball and location. That's what we would be doing at Michigan, so it's a pseudo situation and just making sure we see eye to eye. He might teach me a better call or the right kick to hit. "I'm super excited to get on cam- pus and compete for a job. I'm going to provide the team with everything that I can. If I'm the guy, I'm the guy. If not, I'm going to try to learn as much as I can from my teammates." JA'DEN MCBURROWS REMAINS SOLID TO U-M Ja'Den McBurrows proved himself on national television. The 2021 three-star Michigan cor- nerback commit completely shut down his side of the field and did not allow any receptions in Fort Lauder- dale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' big win over fellow Florida powerhouse Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage in a nationally televised game on ESPN Nov. 6. "It was a good game," McBurrows said. "We said it from the start — we knew it was going to be a defensive game. We had three defensive touch- downs and helped the offense out. It was just a great overall game for us. We're really excited for playoffs." McBurrows committed to Michi- gan in April over offers from Baylor, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee, West Virginia and a num- ber of other major programs. Since then, the 5-10, 175-pounder has remained completely solid. And his status is unchanged despite Mich- igan's rough start to the year. "Everything is still good with my commitment," he said. "I have a good relationship with the coaches. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh texts me every day. Coach [Don] Brown texts me every day. Coach Z [defensive backs coach Michael Zordich] texts me every day. I'm solid with my recruitment right now." McBurrows noted he has a strong relationship with the entire Michi- gan coaching staff, but his bond with Zordich — his future position coach — is especially tight. "It's not all about football," McBur- rows said. "We talk about how my parents are doing and how his son is doing. Football wise, I ask him all the time about other teams' schemes and how they plan to beat that. We have great talks about football and life." McBurrows, who is rated as Rivals' No. 35 cornerback in the country and No. 65 overall prospect in the state of Florida, got his first look at Michigan on a self-guided tour Nov. 14 along with several other commits. The Wolverines fell to Wisconsin that weekend and are now coming off three straight losses, but McBurrows still has confidence that the team can turn things around. "They started off good, but they just have to get back to the black- board," McBurrows said. "It's just like we did [at St. Thomas Aquinas]. McBurrows, a standout at Plantation (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, is listed by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect and the nation's No. 35 cornerback. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND 2021 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Raheem Anderson OL 6-3 295 Detroit (Cass Tech) Andrel Anthony WR 6-2 175 East Lansing, Mich. (East Lansing) Kechaun Bennett DE 6-4 225 Suffield, Conn. (Suffield Academy) Tristan Bounds OT 6-8 280 Gaithersburg, Md. (Choate Rosemary Hall [Conn.]) Junior Colson LB 6-2 215 Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood) Greg Crippen OL 6-4 270 Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) Cristian Dixon WR 6-2 185 Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) Tommy Doman K/P 6-3 178 Orchard Lake, Mich. (St. Mary's) Tavierre Dunlap RB 6-0 195 Del Valle, Texas (Del Valle) Giovanni El-Hadi OT 6-6 285 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Stevenson) Dominick Giudice DE 6-4 262 New Monmouth, N.J. (Mater Dei) TJ Guy DE 6-4 240 Mansfield, Mass. (Mansfield) Louis Hansen TE 6-5 225 Needham, Mass. (St. Sebastian's) Jaydon Hood ATH 6-1 212 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Branden Jennings LB 6-3 225 Jacksonville, Fla. (Sandalwood) Ja'Den McBurrows CB 5-10 175 Plantation, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) J.J. McCarthy QB 6-2 180 La Grange Park, Ill. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) Tyler McLaurin LB 6-3 215 Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook) Rod Moore S 5-11 170 Clayton, Ohio (Northmont) Quintin Somerville DE 6-1 233 Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro) Xavier Worthy WR 6-1 160 Fresno, Calif. (Central) 2022 Michigan Commitment List Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Marlin Klein TE 6-6 215 Rabun Gap, Ga. (Nacoochee) Tyler Martin LB 6-2 249 Cambridge. Mass. (Buckingham, Browne & Nichols) Alex VanSumeren DT 6-2 260 Essexville, Mich. (Garber)