The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL A "soothing" feeling washed over Quentin Burrell about two weeks before his decision. The Rivals Top 100 wide receiver felt ready to make his commitment, and Michigan emerged from his final four schools as the clear choice. He's close with the U-M coaching staff, extremely familiar with the uni- versity and already built multiple con- nections throughout the roster. Michi- gan pitched him on the new offense and forged new connections with the No. 83 recruit in the country out of Chicago Mount Carmel, leading to this decision. "I'll just say that it was the culture, and they kept recruiting me through- out the coaching change," Burrell told The Wolverine. "And Ron Bellamy is still there. I just felt like they did a good job just keeping in touch, and it's the best educated decision." Notre Dame, Missouri and Arizona State were also finalists. Burrell, the No. 15 wide receiver in the country, planned out official visits at one point but didn't feel the need to take them. He commit- ted to wide receivers coach Micah Si- mon and offensive coordinator Jason Beck when they traveled to Chicago for an in-home visit on April 28. Burrell announced the decision on May 13. Michigan hosted him twice this spring and visited him and his family several times in Chicago. During his time around the program, he felt a no- ticeable shift in the vibes around U-M. "Honestly, the biggest thing they did was make a change from the last coaches and these coaches," Burrell said. "They had a major culture change, so it just felt like it was more polished, more clean- run so that I could trust them." Michigan impressed him with the program's hospitality and the overall plan for him. Simon played a signifi- cant role in this recruitment. He clicked with Burrell ever since he stopped by his home for a three-hour visit in January. "He's a younger coach, so he under- stands more of the newer style of play … and you can always go to him because he's like your big brother," Burrell said. Burrell plays for the top-ranked prep pro- gram in Illinois. He won a state champi- onship in each of his first three years of high school. The 6-foot-2 receiver will spend this offseason taking on a leadership role while also working on his speed. He played outside and in the slot at Mount Carmel last fall and racked up over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. He enters his senior campaign as the school's career leader in touchdown catches (34), to go along with 142 receptions for 2,396 yards. Burrell feels confident Michigan will put him in a position to succeed at the next level as well. "The offense is a lot of moving the ball around, moving the receivers around and motions, RPOs, so they just showed me where I fit in their offense, what role I could play, and how we're going to execute it," Burrell said. Burrell will enroll early at Michigan. He didn't say his recruitment is com- pletely shut down at this point, but he's solely focused on the Wolverines right now and doesn't plan on taking any other visits. The receiver was back on campus for Victors Weekend in June, and the family atmosphere around the program stood out. "Getting to be around my future teammates and coaches, competing, and just having fun together was awe- some," Burrell said. "Every time I'm back, it feels more and more like home. You can tell everyone genuinely enjoys being around each other." His ranking, stars, stats and high- lights all paint a picture of how good Burrell could be in maize and blue. He explained why he will succeed at Michigan. "I'm consistent," Burrell said. "I'm going to be a guy who works all the time." ❑ Culture Change Helps Michigan Land Top 100 WR Quentin Burrell PLAYER EVALUATION STRENGTHS: I wouldn't classify him as a pure ball winner necessarily, but he has very good tracking skills. I think that's probably where he stands out the most in terms of the ball skills, just his ability to attract the football over shoulder, make tough grabs in tight windows on vertical routes. Whenever Mount Carmel needed a big play in the passing game, he was the guy that they would go to, and he made some big catches in key moments as a junior. — Charles Power, Rivals director of scouting and rankings AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: I think when you look at the well-roundedness, the versatility and just the overall skill set he brings, I view him as like a high-floor player, a guy who could maybe make an early impact given just his polish. The physical skills in terms of athleticism may not really blow you away, but I still think he's good in that department. I think he's one who, given his football intelligence and his ability to win in multiple ways, I think he projects as a guy who is a starter and impact receiver at Michigan, just given what we've seen from him. — Power PLAYER COMPARISON: Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. Allen has built a long career off his route running, hands, savvy and competitiveness, more so than blazing speed. We see Burrell as similar in terms of his size and skill set. — Rivals national analyst Allen Trieu Burrell, the No. 83 recruit and No. 15 wide receiver in the nation per Rivals, enters his senior year as Chicago Mount Carmel's career leader in touchdown catches (34), to go along with 142 receptions for 2,396 yards. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/RIVALS