The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
MARCH 2021 THE WOLVERINE 19 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ones in Detroit. Bellamy having as much respect and as many friends as he does in Detroit will help in future recruiting battles." Lemming on Bellamy: "Bellamy is going to be a superstar for recruiting. I've met a lot of kids at West Bloom- field over the last few years to do a group picture, and I could tell Bel- lamy was well liked. "I know that because all the other high school coaches showed up, too, and they wouldn't have if they didn't like him. I think he's a rising star in the recruiting industry and could be- come the best recruiter on Michigan's entire staff. "He'll be getting most of the top players in Michigan, because of the way all the high school coaches are friends with him. They'll direct their kids to Michigan, so it was a great move by Harbaugh to bring him in. "He's a grad first and foremost, but is also personable and very intelli- gent. Within a year, everyone is going to know Ron Bellamy's name. I think he'll be able to reel in [Grosse Pointe (Mich.) High five-star cornerback] Will Johnson and several of the other top players in the 2022 class." Spiegelman on Linguist: "He is from Mesquite, Texas, and played a big role in recruiting Iwunnah down the stretch. Linguist had a tremen- dous amount of success while he was the secondary coach at Texas A&M, and was a big reason they signed five- star cornerback Jaylon Jones last year. "They've also been in on several other great defensive backs, not only in Texas but nationwide. Getting a coach from the Dallas area with NFL ties will be a huge advantage for Michigan as they recruit defensive backs. "It should also give them a leg up in Texas, as we've seen with the amount of offers they've sent out lately. With Coach Linguist on board, I think you'll see Michigan land a few more skill position players from the South over the next couple of cycles. "He's just so straightforward and to the point, and doesn't jump around issues. In today's world, it's all about developing and cultivating relation- ships, because these kids haven't been going to campuses and seeing who has the best facilities and stadiums. "Relationships are the biggest X- factor to push someone one way or the other, and Linguist is great in that regard. He has great connections in and around Texas. Kids appreciate a coach who's to the point, has high expectations, possesses NFL experi- ence and has coached up guys in the past." Helmholdt on Linguist: "He was one of the top recruiters in the coun- try a few years ago at Texas A&M. I can't speak in-depth on his X's and O's, but from a recruiting standpoint, he's a strong addition to Michigan's staff. "Michigan needs to build its recruit- ing face in its backyard, but you also need to go into big areas like Texas and cherry pick some top talent. Lin- guist gives them the ability to fight for some top guys, thanks to his relation- ships down there and the ties he has built." — Austin Fox MICHIGAN FINISHES 2021 CYCLE WITH TOP-10 CLASS NATIONALLY Michigan entered the late signing period ranked No. 11 in Rivals.com's team recruiting rankings, but after some fireworks Feb. 3, the Wolver- ines' class vaulted up into the top 10 in the nation. Oak Park (Mich.) High four-star defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter 's Prep four-star defensive lineman George Rooks and Garland (Texas) Lakev- iew Centennial three-star defensive tackle Ike Iwunnah all put pen to paper on the traditional signing day. Rooks committed to U-M Jan. 27 over primary contenders Boston Col- lege and Penn State. Benny flipped from Michigan State just before 9 a.m. on signing day, af- 2021 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Raheem Anderson* OL 6-3 298 Detroit (Cass Technical) Andrel Anthony* WR 6-2 180 Lansing, Mich. (East Lansing) Kechaun Bennett DL 6-4 220 Suffield, Conn. (Suffield Academy) Rayshaun Benny DL 6-5 275 Detroit (Oak Park) Tristan Bounds* OL 6-8 305 Wallingford, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall) Junior Colson* LB 6-2 230 Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood) Greg Crippen* OL 6-4 285 Northborough, Mass. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) Cristian Dixon* WR 6-2 187 Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) Tommy Doman P/K 6-3 180 West Bloomfield, Mich. (Orchard Lake St. Mary's) Tavierre Dunlap* RB 6-0 196 Del Valle, Texas (Del Valle) Donovan Edwards* RB 5-11 190 West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) Giovanni El-Hadi* OL 6-5 305 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Stevenson) Dominick Giudice DL 6-4 265 Freehold, N.J. (Mater Dei) TJ Guy DL 6-4 240 Mansfield, Mass. (Mansfield) Louis Hansen TE 6-5 232 Dover, Mass. (St. Sebastian's) Jaydon Hood LB 6-1 212 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Ike Iwunnah DL 6-4 281 Garland, Texas (Lakeview Centennial) Ja'Den McBurrows DB 5-10 165 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) J.J. McCarthy* QB 6-3 195 La Grange Park, Ill. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) Tyler McLaurin LB 6-2 220 Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook) Rod Moore DB 5-11 180 Clayton, Ohio (Northmont) George Rooks DL 6-4 270 Jersey City, N.J. (St. Peter's Prep) Xavier Worthy WR 6-1 160 Fresno, Calif. (Central East) * Early enrollee