Michigan Signs 20 Student-Athletes to 2021 Football Recruiting Class
12/16/2020 9:51:00 PM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football program announced Wednesday (Dec. 16) the signing of 20 student-athletes to the Wolverines' 2021 recruiting class. Michigan inked the 11th-ranked recruiting class according to Rivals and 247Sports, with both sites listing U-M's class second among Big Ten Conference schools.
U-M addressed every position group in this year's recruiting class, with a strong emphasis on the offensive and defensive lines, signing a total of seven players in the trenches. The Wolverines addressed all three levels on defense, adding three defensive linemen, three linebackers and two players in the secondary. On offense, Michigan added four offensive linemen and seven skill position players: three receivers, two running backs, one tight end, and one quarterback. The final piece of the class was signing the nation's second-ranked punter, Tommy Doman.
Michigan signed players from 10 different states, including five players from the state of Michigan. The core of this year's recruiting class includes three players from Massachusetts and two players from each of California, Connecticut, Florida and Illinois.
The Wolverines had four players listed as the top-ranked player in their respective states by different recruiting services: defensive lineman Kechaun Bennett (Connecticut), running back Donovan Edwards (Michigan), tight end Louis Hansen (Massachusetts) and quarterback J.J. McCarthy (Illinois). In addition, U-M had seven signees selected for postseason all-star games -- four in the adidas All-American Bowl and three in the Under Armour All-American Game.
Michigan could add additional student-athletes during the early signing period.
Following is a list of signees as of 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16:
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown (High School) | Coach |
| Raheem Anderson | OL | 6-3 | 298 | Detroit, Mich. (Cass Technical) | Thomas Wilcher |
| Andrel Anthony | WR | 6-2 | 180 | Lansing, Mich. (East Lansing) | Bill Feraco |
| Kechaun Bennett | DL | 6-4 | 220 | Suffield, Conn. (Suffield Academy) | Drew Gamere |
| Tristan Bounds | OL | 6-8 | 305 | Wallingford, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall) | Lawrence Spinnato |
| Junior Colson | LB | 6-2 | 230 | Brentwood, Tenn. (Ravenwood) | Michael Newman |
| Greg Crippen | OL | 6-4 | 285 | Northborough, Mass. (IMG Academy, Fla.) | Bobby Acosta |
| Cristian Dixon | WR | 6-2 | 187 | Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) | Bruce Rollinson |
| Tommy Doman | P/K | 6-3 | 180 | West Bloomfield, Mich. (Orchard Lake St. Mary's) | George Porritt |
| Tavierre Dunlap | RB | 6-0 | 196 | Del Valle, Texas (Del Valle) | Charles Burton |
| Donovan Edwards | RB | 5-11 | 190 | West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) | Ron Bellamy |
| Giovanni El-Hadi | OL | 6-5 | 305 | Sterling Heights, Mich. (Adlai Stevenson) | Justin Newcomb |
| Dominick Giudice | DL | 6-4 | 265 | Freehold, N.J. (Mater Dei) | Dino Mangiero |
| TJ Guy | DL | 6-4 | 240 | Mansfield, Mass. (Mansfield) | Mike Redding |
| Louis Hansen | TE | 6-5 | 232 | Dover, Mass. (St. Sebastian's) | Daniel Burke |
| Jaydon Hood | LB | 6-1 | 212 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) | Roger Harriott |
| Ja'Den McBurrows | DB | 5-10 | 165 | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) | Roger Harriott |
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | 6-3 | 195 | La Grange Park, Ill. (Nazareth Acad., Ill./IMG Acad., Fla.) | Bobby Acosta |
| Tyler McLaurin | LB | 6-2 | 220 | Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook) | Johnny Ivolw |
| Rod Moore | DB | 5-11 | 180 | Clayton, Ohio (Northmont) | Tony Broering |
| Xavier Worthy | WR | 6-1 | 160 | Fresno, Calif. (Central East) | Kyle Biggs |
Position Breakdown
Defensive Back (2): Ja'Den McBurrows, Rod Moore
Defensive Line (3): Kechaun Bennett, Dominick Giudice, TJ Guy
Linebacker (3): Junior Colson, Jaydon Hood, Tyler McLaurin
Offensive Line (4): Raheem Anderson, Tristan Bounds, Greg Crippen, Giovanni El-Hadi
Punter/Kicker (1): Tommy Doman
Quarterback (1): J.J. McCarthy
Running Back (2): Tavierre Dunlap, Donovan Edwards
Tight End (1): Louis Hansen
Wide Receiver (3): Andrel Anthony, Cristian Dixon, Xavier Worthy
State Breakdown
California (2): Cristian Dixon, Xavier Worthy
Connecticut (2): Kechaun Bennett, Tristan Bounds
Florida (2): Jaydon Hood, Ja'Den McBurrows
Illinois (2): J.J. McCarthy, Tyler McLaurin
Massachusetts (3): Greg Crippen, TJ Guy, Louis Hansen
Michigan (5): Raheem Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Tommy Doman, Donovan Edwards, Giovanni El-Hadi
New Jersey (1): Dominick Giudice
Ohio (1): Rod Moore
Tennessee (1): Junior Colson
Texas (1): Tavierre Dunlap
2020-21 Recruiting Class Honors
ESPN300 Members (9): J.J. McCarthy (23), Donovan Edwards (66), Xavier Worthy (124), Giovanni El-Hadi (134), Cristian Dixon (140), Junior Colson (142), Jaydon Hood (193), Raheem Anderson (242), Greg Crippen (297)
247Sports Top 247 (6): Donovan Edwards (29), J.J. McCarthy (35), Giovanni El-Hadi (86), Xavier Worthy (98), Junior Colson (100), Tavierre Dunlap (238)
Rivals250 Members (10): J.J. McCarthy (41), Xavier Worthy (65), Donovan Edwards (74), Louis Hansen (82), Giovanni El-Hadi (90), Junior Colson (94), Greg Crippen (163), Raheem Anderson (166), Cristian Dixon (201), Jaydon Hood (223)
PrepStar Top 350 All-Americans (11): J.J. McCarthy (11), Giovanni El-Hadi (49), Louis Hansen (78), Junior Colson (89), Greg Crippen (125), Raheem Anderson (133), Cristian Dixon (148), Xavier Worthy (200), Jaydon Hood (313), Kechaun Bennett (329), Tristan Bounds (347)
Adidas All-American Bowl (4): Junior Colson, Tommy Doman, J.J. McCarthy, Xavier Worthy
Under Armour All-American Game (3): Donovan Edwards, Giovanni El-Hadi, Jaydon Hood
#1-rated player in their respective state (4): Kechaun Bennett (Connecticut), Donovan Edwards (Michigan), Louis Hansen (Massachusetts), J.J. McCarthy (Illinois)
