The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/575020
BY TIM SULLIVAN W hen Benjamin St-Juste commit- ted to Michigan in June, the cornerback out of Vieux High School in Montreal, Quebec, still had plenty up in the air. Although Michigan was his first scholarship offer, the 6-3, 180-pound defensive back saw enough in Ann Arbor during his experience at the "Exposure U" summer camp June 15-19 to know that he wanted to spend his college career there. The questions related more to when he'd make his way to Ann Arbor as a student-athlete. Although he's eligible to gradu- ate from his Canadian high school as a member of the class of 2016, the paperwork necessary to qualify through the NCAA Clearinghouse can take a little more time for in- ternational prospects. That's espe- cially true for those like St-Juste who weren't sure what their college op- tions would be until later in their high school years, and didn't get ahead of the timeline. On Aug. 15, St-Juste informed The Wolverine that he'd be a member of Michigan's 2017 class, enrolling early in January, rather than a 2016 commit. "I will know if I am a class of 2016 or 2017 [prospect] in June 2016," he said at the time of his pledge, before updating his status. "I'll be a mem- ber of the 2017 class. I'll enroll early in January 2017." The change in St-Juste's status is a long-term positive for himself and for Michigan. It gives the na- tive French speaker time to improve his English-language skills to the level necessary for success in the classroom at one of the nation's top universities. It also gives him more time to refine his physique and foot- ball-specific skills in Canada, and af- fords him the opportunity to spend his first semester on campus going through spring practices and adjust- ing to the higher level of competi- tion he'll see in college. It also means that U-M's 2016 MICHIGAN RECRUITING Commit Benjamin St-Juste Reclassifies St-Juste, a 6-3, 180-pound defensive back from Montreal, Quebec, has moved to the class of 2017 and will enroll in January of that year. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM