Throughout the fall season and for a good chunk of the 2017 recruiting cycle, UM’s linebacker board and eventual haul looked to be pretty much set. And those rumors and gut feelings have all come to fruition for at least one of the longtime favorites as IMG Academy (FL) LB Jordan Anthony has committed to Michigan.
Commitment
Scouting Report
Anthony is one of the best overall athletes in high school football. He uses his pure athleticism, size and instincts to be a standout at both the linebacker and running back position for national powerhouse IMG Academy. But it’s the defensive side of the ball where he’ll play his collegiate career, and it’s a good choice. His ability to read and react in coverage on passing downs and at the line of scrimmage on running downs, should make him a tackling machine at the next level. Add in him looking like a future defensive captain and Michigan is getting themselves an absolute stud prospect.
Anthony does so many things well, but what stands above all else is his ability to tackle in space. If it 1-on-1 with a running back, he is winning it. He changes direction well, has the ability to find the ball carrier in traffic, and he gets off blocks well. He can blitz from the edge or the middle, and he can chance down on the backside. He has very good instincts and should be a tremendous weakside linebacker in college. – Brian Dohn, Scout.com
Recruitment
Though he didn’t receive a ton of coverage or love throughout his recruitment, the silent stud linebacker was one of the best bets on Michigan’s board for quite sometime. Outside of his hometown Maryland Terrapins and a couple other teams here or there, there really weren’t many threats to the Wolverines here. That’s why he was one of my first Crystal Ball predictions back in June.
As a highly ranked recruit, he took his time and enjoyed the process but with a decision needed prior to him enrolling early at his school of choice, Anthony officially made his decision known just days before Christmas. He’ll be a name to watch early on in his career thanks to his speed and instincts.
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 225lbs
- Hometown (School): Olney, MD (IMG Academy)
- Notable Offers: Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, Maryland, Penn State, North Carolina
- Rankings: Scout (4*, #185 overall) – Rivals (5*, #26 overall) – 247 (4*, #204 overall) – ESPN (4*, #123 overall)
- Composite Ranking: 4 star, #106 overall, #6 OLB, #21 in Florida
Highlights and Interviews
As for the Rest of the Class
Anthony is the 25th overall commitment in this class, 2nd linebacker commit and the 3rd commit out of Florida. With him on the board, the staff still has two more top linebacker targets left in Drew Singleton and Willie Gay. Singleton being a player that looks likely to drop sooner rather than later while Gay looks to be favoring Michigan but still has some hurdles to climb before an announcement will be made. As for other positions, WR Nico Collins, OT Chuck Filiaga, DT Aubrey Solomon and DT Jay Tufele are sitting atop the staff’s board.
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