The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY EJ HOLLAND Raheem Anderson was all smiles at his signing day ceremony in Decem- ber. No, Anderson didn't have any late- cycle drama in his recruitment, nor did he have hats on the table. The consen- sus four-star offensive lineman out of Detroit Cass Tech was one of the most solid commits in the Wolverines' 2021 recruiting class. Still, Anderson felt a sense of relief when he officially put pen to paper and became a part of the Michigan program. "It was great to just be able to sign and get everything set in stone," An- derson said. "I signed with Michigan because it felt like home, and it's going to set me up for life — not just the next three, four or five years. Michigan is going to help me with life after foot- ball." Despite a rocky season for the Wol- verines and rumors about head coach Jim Harbaugh's future, Anderson never wavered from his commitment, which he made back in April. He was one of the vocal leaders in the class and a glue guy that helped everyone weather the storm and stick together. "My decision was based on how I felt," Anderson said. "It wasn't based on how other people felt or where they were going. It felt like it was the deci- sion for me despite everything going on." The class bond is something that truly stuck out to Anderson this cycle. He was one of many recruits that felt like they could be the difference for Michigan moving forward. "I feel like our bond is really strong," he said. "I feel like we can take this bond that we have now and make it stronger once we all get on campus. Everybody gets along great. We have that camaraderie and agreement that we're going to turn things around. We've been talking about it ever since we committed." Michigan needs leadership from its players during this transition period. Harbaugh realized there was a bit of a culture issue this offseason and made necessary changes to improve the locker room. But ultimately, that starts and ends with the players. If you ask Cass Tech coach and for- mer Michigan running back Thomas Wilcher, there is no one better to usher in a new era at Michigan than Ander- son. "He's a player you can build your team around," Wilcher said. "You Center Raheem Anderson Could Be A Key Building Block For The U-M Offense Anderson, who is ranked as the No. 2 center and No. 166 overall prospect in the country by Rivals.com, was named to the state of Michigan Dream Team by the Detroit Free Press as a senior. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND 34 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 2021 Projection Anderson projects as a center who could also slide over and play guard if needed. He will likely be behind redshirt freshman Reece Atteberry, who has not played a college snap, meaning he (along with fellow freshman Greg Crippen) will have an outside shot to see the field right away either as a starter or depth player — though it's more than likely that Anderson redshirts.