The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
MARCH 2021 THE WOLVERINE 59 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE HONORS • All-district performer each of his final two seasons. • Named Texas District 6A Sopho- more of the Year in 2018. RECRUITMENT • Publicly pledged to Michigan Feb. 3 and signed with the Wolverines the same day, just over a week after pick- ing up an offer. • Had previously committed to Colo- rado Jan. 21. • While Iwunnah's decision came down to Colorado and Michigan, he also held offers from Baylor, Boston College, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Wash- ington State and others. DID YOU KNOW? • Led his Lakeview Centennial cub to a 4-1 record in a coronavirus-short- ened senior season. • Lettered in track and field, compet- ing in the discus and triple jump. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com South Central recruit- ing analyst Sam Spiegelman: "When Michigan offered, the chance to play in The Big House was intriguing for him. He was also impressed with the way the coaches recruited him the last few days [before National Signing Day], thanks to the way they made it clear he was wanted in Ann Arbor. Having a great education on their side as well was a resource he couldn't pass up." • TheWolverine.com recruiting an- alyst EJ Holland: "With Iwunnah, it all comes down to development. His best days are ahead of him, but he'll need the right coaching to reach his ceiling. He is still very raw from a technical aspect and needs a lot of fundamental work. The strength and conditioning program will also be big for him. He's weight-room strong, but he needs to reshape his body a bit and learn to ap- ply his full power to the football field." BY EJ HOLLAND Ike Iwunnah received a Michigan offer just a little more than a week be- fore February's National Signing Day. While it was a quick turnaround, the three-star defensive tackle out of Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial flipped from Colorado to Michigan and inked with the Wolverines on re- cruiting's biggest day, giving them a huge win at a position of need. "The reason why I made the deci- sion to pick Michigan was the oppor- tunity," Iwunnah said. "It had more resources and opportunities for me to get better as a man and as a student- athlete. Colorado was good, too. But everything Michigan showed me was great. It fit." Iwunnah committed to Colorado in late January and thought his recruit- ment was over. However, Michigan jumped in the mix late and made an all-out recruiting blitz, working on him every single day until he com- mitted behind the scenes two days before NSD. Obviously, there wasn't a lot of time for relationship building, but Iwunnah, who publicly announced at a ceremony at his high school on signing day, felt a connection with Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua and the rest of the staff. "We built a fast relation- ship," Iwunnah said. "We just clicked. We kept on talk- ing throughout the week, and it just went from there. Coach Nua is a funny guy. "My parents laughed at everything. He was the main guy I was talking to. But really, all the coaches stood out to me." For Iwunnah, the two de- ciding factors in his choice to flip to Michigan were aca- demics and development. "We were talking a lot about the academics," he said. "It played a big role with me and was the main point of some of our conversations. We also talked about the development of me as a player. They talked about their abundant resources, and I feel like it's going to help better me as a student- athlete." Iwunnah is set to enroll at Michi- gan in June. It will be the Lone Star State native's first-ever trip outside of Texas. But he's ready to embrace the challenge. "I've never left Texas," Iwunnah said. "I've never been out of the state before. This will be my first time go- ing to Michigan. It's going to be an amazing feeling. "I've heard it's super cold, but I can handle it. I'm excited about the op- portunity." ❑ U-M Flips Texas Defensive Tackle Ike Iwunnah From Colorado The 6-4, 281-pound Iwunnah, who is rated as a three-star recruit by all three major recruiting services, gave the Wolverines a big win at a position of need. PHOTO BY SAM SPIEGELMAN 2021 Projection It's unlikely Iwunnah contributes meaningful snaps as a freshman, de- spite the fact Michigan needs help at defensive tackle. Redshirt sopho- more Chris Hinton and redshirt ju- nior Donovan Jeter both return in 2021 after playing key roles last sea- son, and the Maize and Blue reeled in a huge addition on National Sign- ing Day in Oak Park (Mich.) High four-star Rayshaun Benny. A red- shirt season will allow Iwunnah to continue working on his craft and adjust to the size and speed of the collegiate game. IKECHUKWU IWUNNAH DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 • 281 LAKEVIEW CENTENNIAL H.S. GARLAND, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — — — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 55* 150 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 78* 203 * Ranked at defensive tackle