1. Donovan Edwards Pt. 1
As most of you guys know, I have a really good relationship with Rivals100 West Bloomfield (Mich.) High running back Donovan Edwards. This one was a long time coming for Edwards. While he almost committed to Ohio State in the spring, Edwards was always looking for a reason to come to Michigan. I first met Edwards on my second week on the beat last year and immediately knew that Michigan was going to be the team to beat. In fact, I was the first Rivals reporter to put in a Michigan FutureCast pick back in September of 2019 and never wavered — no matter how bleak things looked at times. While it was never reported, Edwards spent some time around Ann Arbor in the summer and gave indications that he was going to side with Michigan. Of course, Edwards had plenty of ties to the program through West Bloomfield and made a cameo at the big visit weekend. He officially made his decision more than a week before signing day but didn't inform the staffs recruiting him till much later to avoid leaks. We'll get to his announcement in a bit.
2. The Eve Of Signing Day
The day before signing day is always the craziest. So many rumors pop up, kids start doubting their decisions and information starts coming in from everywhere. I rented a car from O'Hare airport (prices are the cheapest there) around noon and planned to leave soon after. However, news kept coming in like crazy, and I had to get prewritten on our back end. I didn't end up leaving Chicago until about 6 pm. As soon as I got in the car, I got a call that Oklahoma was making a strong run at Donovan and that there was a lot of buzz coming out of Norman. I briefly mentioned it that’ll night, but of course, I didn't really buy it. About halfway through the drive, Balas caught wind that Quintin Somerville wasn't going to sign with Michigan. I literally texted everybody I could think of and finally got confirmation that he was going to flip to UCLA. I also got confirmation that Branden Jennings was off to Maryland. I posted Blue Chips that night from a random Shell gas station parking lot that hinted at all of that in the middle of nowhere and didn't get to the hotel until after midnight. By the time I went to bed, it was 3.
3. The Big Day
My alarm went off at 5:30 am, so obviously I didn't get much sleep. One commit in particular was up bright and early and let me know that Somerville had left the group text. Jennings actually hadn't, and Junior Colson told me the night before that he was continuing to try to get him to stay. A little later, the commits started feeling optimistic about Ja'Den McBurrows sticking. That's when I posted the note that my final pick was Michigan. After about an hour in the hotel, I drove to a really weird location on 7th mile road for Cass Tech signing day. And when I say weird, I mean it. The Cass Tech players signed in some office building that appeared to sell tiles and other home accessories. The did, however, run a really good ceremony and even had a media room with high end lights and video production.
4. Raheem
Wednesday was likely my last time interviewing Raheem Anderson. The Rivals250 Michigan offensive line commit has grown into one of my favorite recruits of the cycle. I've mentioned this a ton but what makes Raheem special is his leadership. He may be the most respected athlete at Cass Tech, and it was clear at the ceremony that his teammates absolutely love him. Raheem is such a cool, down to earth kid that excels both on and off the field. A National Honor Society member, Anderson is going to be a great fit in the classroom at Michigan as well. While Anderson can play guard thanks to his physicality, I just love him so much as a center. You have to be cerebral and be a commander and that's what makes Raheem, well, Raheem. I'm sure he'll turn into a fan favorite in Ann Arbor.
5. News Break
After Anderson's ceremony, I made my way back to my hotel in Southfield. I watched Jennings' ceremony on Instagram just to make sure he would side with Maryland. And obviously that was the case. While I thought Jennings was ranked a bit too high, he was definitely a major loss. The defensive class doesn't have as many studs as the offensive class, and Jennings was eventually going to grow into a big impact player at Michigan, in my opinion. Losing him to a school like Maryland was rough. Somerville did flip to UCLA, but I didn't think that was too big of a deal. Yes, defensive line is a need, but Somerville was ranked way too high and wasn't going to necessarily be an impact player. Lastly, Omarion Cooper stuck with Florida State. I laughed at that one. He told Michigan he was going to flip throughout the fall and even recruited Jennings to Michigan before the latter committed to the Wolverines. That should tell you how crazy recruiting can be at times.
6. Donovan Edwards Pt. 2
After recording a YouTube live, where I answered your questions (I hope to do more of those), I drove over to West Bloomfield for the Edwards announcement. Our Clayton Sayfie met me there after covering Andrel Anthony's ceremony in East Lansing. Clay was running a little late because of the snow, and I told him we needed to hurry and prerecord a video talking about Don picking Michigan. I wanted to get on the road back to Chicago as soon as the ceremony was over to see JJ McCarthy at his NSD party. Right when we set up the tripod, Don came speeding by in a Cadillac with music blasting. He rolled down his window, did a head bob and sped off to another spot. This was 15 minutes before his announcement lol. Of course, Don out of his car in a flashy white coat and salmon shoes. I just love this kid.
7. Donovan Edwards Pt. 3
I remember reading a tweet in my mentions that Michigan had the ugliest hat on the table and laughing. Don has swag and that hat with the little 'M' is in style. I thought it was a dead giveaway that it was going to be Michigan. By the way, ESPN made him put the hats in alphabetical order. While I knew Don was going to pick Michigan, the moment he did it was a little surreal. It's been tough covering Michigan recruiting over the last couple of months, and Don signing made things feel a lot better. On top of that, I love Don and was so happy for him. It was a privilege to cover him and get to know him. I'll be a lifelong fan for sure. I didn't even get in the media scrum. I had Clayton video it while I talked to 2022 athlete target Dillon Tatum. Then I ran to my car, uploaded the Don photos and hit the road.
8. Xavier Worthy
I found out Xavier was for sure going to stick with Michigan on Monday — the day I got the exclusive with him — so I had everything prepared. Still, it was a little stressful driving and knowing that he was going to make his decision live. Of course, the Huge Show picked that time to call me. If you go back and listen to the audio, I actually say live on the air that Xavier is sticking with Michigan. I was talking on the radio, watching Instagram live and speeding 75 mph on the highway. That's basically the definition of signing day. Anyway, Xavier did really like Bama and considered making the flip. But he really wanted to be at Michigan. He feels like he is the perfect fit for the offense and has a bond with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. I do expect Worthy to get on the field right away.
9. JJ
As soon as I got to JJ's ceremony, which was on the complete opposite end of Chicago, my phone was blowing up about Jaydon Hood potentially signing. I checked around and knew Hood got an NLI, but was told it wasn't expected. The fact that Hood went through with it was big and a nice way to end signing day. Of course, McBurrows ended up sticking as well. Miami actually felt super confident about flipping him the night prior. That's why I said I was picking Michigan with low confidence. Anyway, seeing JJ sign (he had already submitted his paper earlier in the day) was awesome. This is a kid that I've see at 37 workouts, so I feel like he's family in a sense. As I've written many times, he's an elite talent but an even better kid. He loves Michigan already and is dedicating himself to do everything he can to turn the program around. And I wouldn't doubt him. He's going to compete for that starting gig right away.
10. Distraction
Obviously, there was a lot said about me and the site throughout signing day. I'm not really going to address it, but I have no personal issues with anyone. I'm hyper competitive, and I'll talk a little shit, but like with football, what happens on the field stays on the field. Look, this is my third beat. Who cares? I stayed on Texas my entire full-time recruiting year. I believe it was 5 years. But it was time for me to move on. My wife and I never intended to stay there forever. I took the Notre Dame job, but it just wasn't a good fit, so I jumped to Michigan when it came open. After all, Michigan is a beat I wanted to jump to even before my wife and I were ready to leave home. Was I just supposed to stay on the ND beat and be unhappy? lol. I'm not a fan of the programs I cover and therefore can move around. I have allegiance to the kids and the readers not the program. With that said, Michigan will more than likely be my last stop before I get too old and will dissolve out of recruiting. Maybe I'll join Balas on the team beat after that. Lastly, my evals are my evals. They are not based on interviews or whether I like kids. I work too hard on the road for that. My job is to tell you what I think of recruits as players and kids. I'm not going to think everybody is good or a fit. If my writing appears harsh (I can tone it done), it's because I'm used to covering recruiting in the south, and evals down there are very harsh. Again, I'm writing my opinion for you not giving you sunshine and rainbows to make it seem like Michigan is always getting world beaters and the most upstanding individuals of all-time.
As most of you guys know, I have a really good relationship with Rivals100 West Bloomfield (Mich.) High running back Donovan Edwards. This one was a long time coming for Edwards. While he almost committed to Ohio State in the spring, Edwards was always looking for a reason to come to Michigan. I first met Edwards on my second week on the beat last year and immediately knew that Michigan was going to be the team to beat. In fact, I was the first Rivals reporter to put in a Michigan FutureCast pick back in September of 2019 and never wavered — no matter how bleak things looked at times. While it was never reported, Edwards spent some time around Ann Arbor in the summer and gave indications that he was going to side with Michigan. Of course, Edwards had plenty of ties to the program through West Bloomfield and made a cameo at the big visit weekend. He officially made his decision more than a week before signing day but didn't inform the staffs recruiting him till much later to avoid leaks. We'll get to his announcement in a bit.
2. The Eve Of Signing Day
The day before signing day is always the craziest. So many rumors pop up, kids start doubting their decisions and information starts coming in from everywhere. I rented a car from O'Hare airport (prices are the cheapest there) around noon and planned to leave soon after. However, news kept coming in like crazy, and I had to get prewritten on our back end. I didn't end up leaving Chicago until about 6 pm. As soon as I got in the car, I got a call that Oklahoma was making a strong run at Donovan and that there was a lot of buzz coming out of Norman. I briefly mentioned it that’ll night, but of course, I didn't really buy it. About halfway through the drive, Balas caught wind that Quintin Somerville wasn't going to sign with Michigan. I literally texted everybody I could think of and finally got confirmation that he was going to flip to UCLA. I also got confirmation that Branden Jennings was off to Maryland. I posted Blue Chips that night from a random Shell gas station parking lot that hinted at all of that in the middle of nowhere and didn't get to the hotel until after midnight. By the time I went to bed, it was 3.
3. The Big Day
My alarm went off at 5:30 am, so obviously I didn't get much sleep. One commit in particular was up bright and early and let me know that Somerville had left the group text. Jennings actually hadn't, and Junior Colson told me the night before that he was continuing to try to get him to stay. A little later, the commits started feeling optimistic about Ja'Den McBurrows sticking. That's when I posted the note that my final pick was Michigan. After about an hour in the hotel, I drove to a really weird location on 7th mile road for Cass Tech signing day. And when I say weird, I mean it. The Cass Tech players signed in some office building that appeared to sell tiles and other home accessories. The did, however, run a really good ceremony and even had a media room with high end lights and video production.
4. Raheem
Wednesday was likely my last time interviewing Raheem Anderson. The Rivals250 Michigan offensive line commit has grown into one of my favorite recruits of the cycle. I've mentioned this a ton but what makes Raheem special is his leadership. He may be the most respected athlete at Cass Tech, and it was clear at the ceremony that his teammates absolutely love him. Raheem is such a cool, down to earth kid that excels both on and off the field. A National Honor Society member, Anderson is going to be a great fit in the classroom at Michigan as well. While Anderson can play guard thanks to his physicality, I just love him so much as a center. You have to be cerebral and be a commander and that's what makes Raheem, well, Raheem. I'm sure he'll turn into a fan favorite in Ann Arbor.
5. News Break
After Anderson's ceremony, I made my way back to my hotel in Southfield. I watched Jennings' ceremony on Instagram just to make sure he would side with Maryland. And obviously that was the case. While I thought Jennings was ranked a bit too high, he was definitely a major loss. The defensive class doesn't have as many studs as the offensive class, and Jennings was eventually going to grow into a big impact player at Michigan, in my opinion. Losing him to a school like Maryland was rough. Somerville did flip to UCLA, but I didn't think that was too big of a deal. Yes, defensive line is a need, but Somerville was ranked way too high and wasn't going to necessarily be an impact player. Lastly, Omarion Cooper stuck with Florida State. I laughed at that one. He told Michigan he was going to flip throughout the fall and even recruited Jennings to Michigan before the latter committed to the Wolverines. That should tell you how crazy recruiting can be at times.
6. Donovan Edwards Pt. 2
After recording a YouTube live, where I answered your questions (I hope to do more of those), I drove over to West Bloomfield for the Edwards announcement. Our Clayton Sayfie met me there after covering Andrel Anthony's ceremony in East Lansing. Clay was running a little late because of the snow, and I told him we needed to hurry and prerecord a video talking about Don picking Michigan. I wanted to get on the road back to Chicago as soon as the ceremony was over to see JJ McCarthy at his NSD party. Right when we set up the tripod, Don came speeding by in a Cadillac with music blasting. He rolled down his window, did a head bob and sped off to another spot. This was 15 minutes before his announcement lol. Of course, Don out of his car in a flashy white coat and salmon shoes. I just love this kid.
7. Donovan Edwards Pt. 3
I remember reading a tweet in my mentions that Michigan had the ugliest hat on the table and laughing. Don has swag and that hat with the little 'M' is in style. I thought it was a dead giveaway that it was going to be Michigan. By the way, ESPN made him put the hats in alphabetical order. While I knew Don was going to pick Michigan, the moment he did it was a little surreal. It's been tough covering Michigan recruiting over the last couple of months, and Don signing made things feel a lot better. On top of that, I love Don and was so happy for him. It was a privilege to cover him and get to know him. I'll be a lifelong fan for sure. I didn't even get in the media scrum. I had Clayton video it while I talked to 2022 athlete target Dillon Tatum. Then I ran to my car, uploaded the Don photos and hit the road.
8. Xavier Worthy
I found out Xavier was for sure going to stick with Michigan on Monday — the day I got the exclusive with him — so I had everything prepared. Still, it was a little stressful driving and knowing that he was going to make his decision live. Of course, the Huge Show picked that time to call me. If you go back and listen to the audio, I actually say live on the air that Xavier is sticking with Michigan. I was talking on the radio, watching Instagram live and speeding 75 mph on the highway. That's basically the definition of signing day. Anyway, Xavier did really like Bama and considered making the flip. But he really wanted to be at Michigan. He feels like he is the perfect fit for the offense and has a bond with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. I do expect Worthy to get on the field right away.
9. JJ
As soon as I got to JJ's ceremony, which was on the complete opposite end of Chicago, my phone was blowing up about Jaydon Hood potentially signing. I checked around and knew Hood got an NLI, but was told it wasn't expected. The fact that Hood went through with it was big and a nice way to end signing day. Of course, McBurrows ended up sticking as well. Miami actually felt super confident about flipping him the night prior. That's why I said I was picking Michigan with low confidence. Anyway, seeing JJ sign (he had already submitted his paper earlier in the day) was awesome. This is a kid that I've see at 37 workouts, so I feel like he's family in a sense. As I've written many times, he's an elite talent but an even better kid. He loves Michigan already and is dedicating himself to do everything he can to turn the program around. And I wouldn't doubt him. He's going to compete for that starting gig right away.
10. Distraction
Obviously, there was a lot said about me and the site throughout signing day. I'm not really going to address it, but I have no personal issues with anyone. I'm hyper competitive, and I'll talk a little shit, but like with football, what happens on the field stays on the field. Look, this is my third beat. Who cares? I stayed on Texas my entire full-time recruiting year. I believe it was 5 years. But it was time for me to move on. My wife and I never intended to stay there forever. I took the Notre Dame job, but it just wasn't a good fit, so I jumped to Michigan when it came open. After all, Michigan is a beat I wanted to jump to even before my wife and I were ready to leave home. Was I just supposed to stay on the ND beat and be unhappy? lol. I'm not a fan of the programs I cover and therefore can move around. I have allegiance to the kids and the readers not the program. With that said, Michigan will more than likely be my last stop before I get too old and will dissolve out of recruiting. Maybe I'll join Balas on the team beat after that. Lastly, my evals are my evals. They are not based on interviews or whether I like kids. I work too hard on the road for that. My job is to tell you what I think of recruits as players and kids. I'm not going to think everybody is good or a fit. If my writing appears harsh (I can tone it done), it's because I'm used to covering recruiting in the south, and evals down there are very harsh. Again, I'm writing my opinion for you not giving you sunshine and rainbows to make it seem like Michigan is always getting world beaters and the most upstanding individuals of all-time.
Last edited:
