Michigan State football has made an offer to 2022 4-star WR Taylor Groves out of Tennessee
[jwplayer 7LCHev4s]
Mel Tucker and the Michigan State football staff are making plenty of offers to talented 2022 prospects. Now, four-star wide receiver Taylor Groves announced he has received an offer from the Spartans.
Taylor Groves stands 6 feet, 2 inches and weighs 175 pounds. Groves is from Cross Plains, Tennessee, where he plays for East Robertson High School. He is the 39th-ranked receiver in the 2022 recruiting class and the ninth-ranked prospect in Tennessee according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
As of right now, Groves has offers from LSU, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado and Vanderbilt.
Having grown up watching Michigan football as well as Charles Woodson highlights, the 3-star CB calls U-M one of his dream schools.
[jwplayer SQWmTWdh-XNcErKyb]
2022 Fort Pierce (FL) Westwood three-star cornerback James Monds III grew up a Michigan fan.
While he also had an affinity for Florida State and Miami (FL), it seemed that no matter when he turned on the TV to watch college football, the maize and blue were there, wearing their winged helmets in all their glory.
Not to mention, Monds frequently would find himself on YouTube, watching highlights of the only Heisman Trophy-winning defensive player in cornerback Charles Woodson. As he got older, Jabrill Peppers was someone he also took a keen interest in.
Once Sept. 1 came around and coaches could initiate with players, he started getting text messages from Michigan safeties coach Bob Shoop. He asked Shoop if he could call — which he obliged — not knowing that it was going to lead to an offer from one of his three dream schools.
“What happened was Coach Shoop, he had been texting me, sending me little edits and stuff,” Monds told WolverinesWire. “And then I asked if we could get on a call, and we got on a call. It kinda caught me by surprise, because usually, the first call, they try to make a relationship and just tell you about the school. But our conversation was going so well, I guess it urged him to do it. He just said, ‘Man, we really love your film, me and Coach Harbaugh really looked at it and you’re a good fit for us. We want to offer you a scholarship.’”
[lawrence-related id=27729,27725,27699]
Given the gravity of the situation, Monds was naturally elated — and led to something of a physical manifestation once he and Shoop’s call had been completed.
“I was hyped up!” Monds said. “Michigan was one of my dream schools as a kid. I just got juiced up! I was jumping around and stuff. I was super happy!”
At the moment, he’s just waiting for the moratorium on visits to be lifted, so he can get a better idea of where he’d like his future home to be.
“I really want to start cutting my list once they take the ban off visiting. I’m gonna take a lot of unofficials and visit all around and see what I like. I’m gonna try to narrow down my decision around senior year, probably around August or September and commit.”
Texas took another recruiting blow on Thursday, with WR Ketron Jackson committing to Arkansas. Jackson was a primary target for Texas.
Texas took another recruiting blow on Thursday with wide receiver Ketron Jackson committing to Arkansas. A four-star wide receiver, Jackson was an in-state miss for wide receivers coach Andre Coleman.
Coming out of Royse City, Texas, Jackson is seen as a longed framed receiver with incredible hands. Listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 186 pounds, his speed on the outside would have caused problems for Big 12 defenders.
Instead, Jackson will be heading to Fayetteville with newly hired head coach Sam Pittman. Former Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles was one of Jackson’s main recruiters.
Ranked the No. 150 player in the country, Jackson is Arkansas’ highest-rated commit in its 2021 class. The Razorbacks rank No. 8 in SEC recruiting according to 247Sports.
Jackson is also the No. 25 player in the state of Texas and the No. 26 wide receiver in the class.
The Longhorns’ 2021 class contains one wide receiver. Casey Cain, a three-star out of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been committed to Texas since May.
Now, if Texas wants to add another wide receiver to its class, J.J. Henry will be the primary target. Another in-state product, Henry is a four-star from McKinney.
Tennessee scooped up another Nashville talent in 2021 offensive lineman William Parker.
Yet another piece has been added to Tennessee’s highly-rated 2021 recruiting class, as the Vols received a commitment from in-state offensive lineman William Parker out of Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville.
Parker chose the Vols over Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Louisville and Kentucky.
A 6-foot-5, 325-pound prospect, Parker is rated a 3-star by the 247Sports Composite. The Pearl-Cohn senior is also rated the No. 34 offensive tackle in his class, and No. 13 player in Tennessee.
Since Jeremy Pruitt’s arrival in Knoxville, UT has established an effort to bring big bodies to the offensive line. Parker fits this mold, with experience on both sides of the ball for the perennial 3A contender he plays for. Tennessee assistants Will Friend (offensive line) and Tee Martin (wide receivers) are Parker’s primary recruiters.
Tennessee has 26 commits in the class of 2021. The Vols’ 2021 class is ranked No. 6 in the country and No. 3 in the SEC.
The offers have been pouring in for Florida native James Monds III since the September 1 threshold. The 2022 CB has seen offers fly in recently as schools can now initiate contact with rising high school juniors. Among those offers are of course the Badgers, conference foe Michigan State, Kansas State, Miami, Mississippi State, and most recently Michigan.
Monds III has seen a meteoric rise in his recruiting over the past year, but of all the places that have been in contact with the Fort Pierce star, he told BadgersWire that the fan base at Wisconsin has stood out so far. “Since the offer, the fans have been in my messages on Twitter showing me hospitality and selling me on Wisconsin,” the four-star corner told BadgersWire on Friday morning.
The offer that came just a couple of days ago was not the first Monds III had heard about Wisconsin football. His cousin, DB Jameson Wright, was with the program in 2010 and 2011 before transferring to Bethune-Cookman.
It has not only been the fans who have been going after the talented Florida native, but also Wisconsin commits. S Braelon Allen, the first Badger commit in the class of 2022, immediately reached out to Monds III after the offer to give him his number and add him on Snapchat. The two have stayed in contact over the past couple of days, with Allen even adding Monds III to a group chat with 2021 commits that were selling him on the Wisconsin experience.
“2022 commit Braleon Allen texted me and added me to this group chat with other Badgers. They were a mostly 2021 commits, along with Braelon [Allen]. They were telling me what it is like to be a Badger.”
On Twitter, Allen has made his recruiting of Monds public, as have other Badger commits including 2021 WR Skyler Bell.
So, after all the love shown by the Badger community, how is Monds III feeling at the moment?
“I’m feeling great about Wisconsin. I am just ready to take a visit to Madison.”
Hopefully the Badgers are able to get Monds III on campus as soon as safety permits, as the Florida corner is ready to see what the Madison experience is all about.
What the Wolverines football commit says to top-rated recruits to get them to consider coming to Ann Arbor.
[jwplayer XLbDFjxf-XNcErKyb]
The second commit of Michigan’s 2021 class, five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been the ringleader, the most outspoken spokesperson of the group, advocating for the nation’s top prospects to join him in Ann Arbor.
A player of his caliber has a certain cache that will get those who weren’t paying attention previously to suddenly give a glance at the Wolverines, but, of course, it takes a little more than that to get the top prospects to want to come to Michigan over other programs that have more recent success — like Alabama or Clemson.
However, the maize and blue has a lot going for it. Since Jim Harbaugh took over, he took a team that was in the doldrums of college football, having gone 5-7 in 2014 and missing a bowl game, to being a perennial 10-win team. Of course, mounting losses to Ohio State haven’t helped, but McCarthy sees that more as an opportunity than a knock to be had against the school.
So, we asked McCarthy — especially now that he’s surrounded by future Power Five elite players at IMG Academy — what does he say to a recruit that’s only considering a top school in the SEC or ACC? What’s his pitch to a top-rated player who hasn’t been looking at Michigan?
We have to say, it’s pretty convincing.
“Honestly, when I try to recruit kids to Michigan, ask me any scenario, I’ll tell you why Michigan is a good fit for it,” McCarthy told WolverinesWire. “Like, if you ask me, ‘How’s the education?’ ‘It’s one of the best in the world.’ ‘How’s the strength and conditioning?’ ‘We have one of the best strength coaches in the world.’ And the biggest questions that I get when I ask these recruits: ‘What about beating Ohio State and stuff like that?’ It’s like, ‘Good. Good that we’re gonna have the opportunity to be the ones that beat them and be the one to be a part of that opportunity to ignite a fanbase that will love you and cherish you for decades.’ When we do get over this hump – this year was a great year, next year is gonna be better. We just have such an opportunity in front of us, and a lot of kids don’t realize that.
“Michigan, hands down, has proven over and over again: Top 5 public university in the country. You add that with the football tradition that it has and the winningest program of all-time – and people ask about the cold? Well, if you’re gonna go the NFL, you’re gonna play in the cold. Might as well get used to it. What can you not possibly like about Michigan? It has everything – you might not like it sometimes, but it’s the best for you. Best for any athlete or any human that’s just trying to strive to be the best that they can be.
“That’s pretty much the pitch I would give to them and it’s one of those pitches – ask me anything. Everything Michigan has is in your favor.”
At the moment, Michigan has 21 commitments in the 2021 class, but it’s looking to add more, including four-star RB Donovan Edwards and four-star DT Rayshaun Benny. McCarthy says he’s made his pitch to them already, but he’s letting them have some space as they make their college decision.
Why his relationship with Jim Harbaugh and Jay Harbaugh not only has Michigan in contention, but it’s helping his run game in high school.
[jwplayer SQWmTWdh-XNcErKyb]
Coming from an NFL pedigree is always a bonus, and it seems to instill a level of seriousness in high school-aged prospects.
Such is the case for 2022 St. Louis (MO) Lutheran of St. Charles County four-star running back Arlen Harris Jr.
Harris’ father, Arlen Sr., attended Virginia and Hofstra before playing with the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions. Now he’s coaching high school football in Missouri. Having grown up a Michigan fan, among other schools, it’s been somewhat surreal for the younger Harris to be in the position to be courted by the Wolverines.
“Michigan has always been one of my dad’s dream schools as a kid. It kinda comes from the bloodline,” Harris told WolverinesWire. “You could say it’s a fun experience me going through this process, the same process he went through and the different schools he liked when he was younger. Just seeing how they recruit me if they are – just stuff like that.”
And Michigan has been in the thick of Harris’ recruitment, along with Stanford, Iowa, Missouri and Penn State.
When Sept. 1 rolled around and college coaches were able to start initiating contact, Harris didn’t know what to expect. But if there was something of a calming presence, it was getting to hear from Jim and Jay Harbaugh.
“I was a little nervous just going into it. Just a different atmosphere,” Harris said. “I could say for some schools, it wasn’t that different. Especially for Michigan. Michigan was a big one for me. They explained from the beginning of the recruitment of me they’re not gonna be a school that falls through the lines and is mediocre about how they feel about me. They’re going to follow all the way through and they’re gonna keep that going. So that’s one thing that I greatly appreciate.
“Like I said, I was a little nervous. But everything went great. I was glad that I got to talk to Coach Jim Harbaugh. That was big for me. I could probably say there was a couple other big ones, but that was good.”
[lawrence-related id=27725,27699,27697,27695]
On Tuesday, the messages Harris received from the Harbaughs was via text, but when he got his offer back in April 2020, he was invited to FaceTime with the father-son coaching duo — which he had to initiate, of course, given NCAA rules — which indicated the seriousness of Michigan’s pursuit of him.
Since, he’s developed a strong relationship with running backs coach Jay Harbaugh, who’s already taken something of a mentor role in Harris’ life.
“It’s amazing – I love Coach Jay,” Harris said. “He’s a realist to me. It’s amazing to be able to talk to him and just learn from him. I’ve had different opportunities to see his teachings. We’ve been able to FaceTime, we’ve recently been texting. On Snapchat, he’ll send me different clips of running backs doing different things, explaining what they’re doing, what their assignment is. What they could do better, what they could do right – just stuff like that.
“I have a really strong connection with Coach Harbaugh. He’s definitely one of my favorites.”
The best part of the relationship is that Harbaugh is already making Harris a better player.
Those clips mixed with the remote coaching is already making an impact for Harris — who avidly wants to improve his game, not one to rest on his laurels.
In 2019, Harris carried the ball 168 times, rushing for 1,763 yards and 32 touchdowns. But, he realizes that it’s just the tip of the iceberg for him, given that he has so much room to improve.
“I can implement that a lot,” Harris said of Harbaugh’s tips. “I’m a big film watcher. I could say I’m pretty critical of my mistakes and things I do right when I watch film. The fact that he could show me different angles to look at different things and open my mind up to a whole different world is amazing. And I could definitely use that on the field all the time. If I get in those situations, get back to what he’s showing me and teaching me and I could implement that onto the field.”
Future plans
Harris hopes that he’ll be able to narrow down his college choices and be able to come to a decision after his junior season concludes or early into 2021.
Rated a four-star and the No. 156 player in the country, according to 247Sports, Harris also has offers from Florida, LSU, Kentucky, Michigan State and Nebraska.
But what’s important to him about finding a school at the next level? For one thing, Harris doesn’t want to find somewhere he can just coast on or off the field.
And his description of hopeful destination matches up nicely with what we hear future Michigan commitments saying.
“I would say a big thing for me is being challenged on and off the field,” Harris told WolverinesWire. “Michigan definitely brings that to the table. That’s why they’re a top school for me. I want to be able to work just as hard on the field and do that off. Just a balanced challenge for me. Obviously, I want to be at a place that feels like home and makes me feel wanted and not just a part of a program, a business or a team – but a family. I think those are some of the things I desire in a college team.”
Of course, all running backs are different. You can even see that on the current Michigan team with the variety of runners.
So what type of back is Harris — or, more importantly, what does he aspire to be?
“I’d definitely say I’m more of a versatile back – I like to say ‘complete back,’ that’s one of my main goals I try to achieve is being complete. Us running backs, we can’t get by having one main strength, so I try to implement that into my performance. I gotta be fast, I gotta be strong, I’ve gotta be able to block, I’ve gotta be smart, I’ve gotta be able to catch and all those things. And I just try to perfect it out on the field.
“One of the backs I can relate to is maybe Saquon Barkley, I would say probably a little bit of LeVeon Bell – his patience is one of the things that I like to appreciate.”
The Wolverines commit wants to out-G.O.A.T. the G.O.A.T.
[jwplayer XLbDFjxf-XNcErKyb]
In every way, this is the exact demeanor you want out of your future quarterback — and in many ways, it reflects that of your most prolific former quarterback.
Despite being a five-star since before he committed to Michigan, J.J. McCarthy isn’t resting on his past accolades. The way he sees it, he won’t live up to the hype until he achieves something only one other has done thus far — he wants to win seven Super Bowls, one more than former Wolverines QB Tom Brady.
And what if Brady wins a seventh, himself? Well then, McCarthy wants to win eight.
Oftentimes, when you’re as highly-regarded as McCarthy is on the recruiting trail, those long-time five-stars find themselves as having peaked in high school. Why, though? Because they think they’ve made it already.
For McCarthy, what he does in high school is meaningless. Heck, even when he gets to Michigan, what he does in Ann Arbor isn’t the end goal. It’s a rung on the way to what he wants to do in life. And that drive to be the best is what propels him to be great. Not what people already think of him at this level.
So don’t expect McCarthy to sit back and relish his previous accomplishments. Not until he surpasses the G.O.A.T. in the NFL.
“I mean, I’ve been blessed to be ranked in the position I am in,” McCarthy told WolverinesWire. “I don’t even remember the last time I looked at the rankings – I don’t even know what I’m ranked now.
“But it was goal, ever since I was in fifth grade, to win more Super Bowls than Brady. That’s been my goal. And when it comes down to stuff like rankings and opinion-based stuff, it really – okay? Is that winning you a Super Bowl? Is that making any sort of impact on this next generation? That’s my definition of success. Being able to make a positive impact on the next generation.”
[lawrence-related id=27725,27699,27697,27695]
Photo: Isaiah Hole
It’s rare to find a national-level prospect who has such lofty aspirations who is also down-to-earth and humble as McCarthy is.
His goals are just that — aspirations, not predictions.
He doesn’t want to be one of those five-stars that leaves college while everyone asks what went wrong between high school and his departure from upper education. So while he appreciates that he’s so highly-regarded in his high school years, he sees that as something of a stepping off point. He doesn’t let it define him.
He realizes that if he lets that go to his head, it could be the death of his dreams. He understands he needs to stay motivated, as he doesn’t want to be one of those five-stars who think they have it made before actually achieving anything that will get them remembered.
So, in short, to McCarthy: stars don’t really matter. It’s what you do later that does.
“I put all of these rankings into perspective and all this media stuff, and (realize) as high schoolers we haven’t done anything yet,” McCarthy said. “We haven’t done something that’s gonna get us remembered for ten-plus years. There’s so much more that we have to accomplish and that we have to get done to where the rankings and that ego that a lot of the five-stars get categorized with is something that doesn’t even come into my brain. I mean five-stars’ great, but at the end of the day, who remembers who the five-star of the 2013 class is? I’m sure if we pulled it up, but –
“You see so many people in the Super Bowl, they show the rankings, their stars and stuff – none of that really matters. It’s what you do with it and how you come in day in and day out.”
The Atlanta (GA) Pace Academy four-star dual-threat shares why he was emotional hearing from Jim Harbaugh and ‘high-priority’ Michigan.
[jwplayer SQWmTWdh-XNcErKyb]
It’s common knowledge that quarterback is the most important position on the football field, if not in all of sports. Thus, when there’s a great one out there at the high school-level, college coaches clamor to bring them into their program.
So when Sept. 1 rolled around, Morris was overwhelmed by college coaches blowing up his phone — so much he couldn’t take all of the attention, as positive as it might have been.
“It was definitely a cool day. It was kind of hard – I had to turn my phone off at one point, my phone was blowing up,” Morris told WolverinesWire. “And then at one point, (a school) contacted me with my ringer off. But it was also pretty cool. I got a lot of texts, I got a lot of calls, I got a love from a lot of schools. It was definitely a blessing.”
The highlight for the four-star QB, though, was hearing from Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
He heard from a lot of head coaches, a veritable ‘who’s who.’ But something about Harbaugh reaching out felt a little more special, he says.
“I actually got a little emotional when Coach Harbaugh texted me. He texted me and was like, ‘I can’t wait to build this relationship,’” Morris said. “A lot of head coaches texted me, like Georgia Tech – Coach Kirby Smart texted me, Gus Malzahn texted me, Coach Collins at Georgia Tech texted me, Coach Mullen at Florida and then Coach Norvell over at Florida State. So I got to know a lot of those coaches.”
Why was Harbaugh the one who made him smile ear-to-ear though? He explains.
“Just because he’s well-known all over the nation,” Morris said. “He’s a big-time coach in the world. When he texted me, I thought, ‘Wow, I never thought he would actually text me!’ It was definitely great to know how great of a coach would text me that coaches a big program.”
While it was special hearing from Harbaugh, Morris has been developing a friendship with Michigan quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels, his primary recruiter in Ann Arbor.
Even when life gets crazy, the two strive to stay in frequent communication. It might not always work out that way, but they’re doing their best to stay in each others’ lives at this point in Morris’ recruitment.
“Our relationship has been building,” Morris said. “We try to talk at least once or twice a week, but it’s getting kind of hard to because I started school and then I have practice, so it’s getting kind of hard to stay in touch with him. We definitely stay in touch. We usually have 20-30 minutes of staying in touch, asking how our families are, asking how our schools are, asking how our offenses are, how I’m feeling about the season, what all Michigan’s doing – that kind of stuff. So our connection is getting really, really strong right now.”
[lawrence-related id=27699,27697,27695]
For many top-notch recruits outside of the Midwest, despite all of Michigan’s accolades, it doesn’t get put on the map until someone like five-star J.J. McCarthy commits.
That’s not the case for Morris, however. While he hasn’t watched much Wolverines football, he was already well aware of Michigan’s prowess.
And considering McCarthy would eventually be Morris’ competition if he does choose to wear maize and blue, he already looks at him as a threat he’d have to take over once he’d arrive on campus.
“I’ve always known about Michigan. It’s just a great program, everyone knows it’s a great program there,” Morris said. “My eyes were open before J.J. McCarthy. I’m not really too focused on him. I know he’s a great quarterback. But if Michigan’s the place for me, I’m gonna go in there and compete for a starting job because I feel like I’m in the top-end of my abilities.
“I didn’t watch Michigan that much, but now that I’m really considering them – they’re a high-priority school – then I’m definitely going to start watching them whenever they come on TV.”
At the moment, Mizzou, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Oregon, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Penn State are recruiting Morris the hardest. Because of COVID-19, he hasn’t had a chance to see much, as of yet, and thus wants to take his time in his recruitment. So far, he’s only been to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee. He’s not going to make any commitments until the dead period is relinquished and he can make some college visits — so, a decision will likely come next year.
As a dual-threat, he’s looking for an offense that has some semblance of balance between the run and the pass. “I don’t want to go to an offense that hands the ball off 80% of the time,” he says. As for Michigan: “I think I would fit into the offense great. (I’m looking for) an offense where I could make reads and that could get me ready for the next level if I can get there.”
Morris didn’t grow up an Auburn fan, per se, but his mother is a graduate, and he’s emulated his game off of Cam Newton — along with Clemson’s DeShaun Watson.
When it comes to finding a college, Morris wants to make sure that he finds a place where, regardless of the situation, he isn’t going to want to leave. Whether it be because of the competition or the locale, wherever he goes, he wants to stay until he graduates and/or head to the NFL.
“One thing I want when I get to campus, I want to feel like I can feel like I’m at home and stay there for three-to-four years of my life and never think about leaving or transferring,” he said. “If I’m like comfortable with a place and I bond with the coaches and the teammates, I feel like that’s gonna make my game so much better, because I’m comfortable. Pretty much what I’m looking for.”
The Wolverines QB commit is set to make his debut at the high school powerhouse. He shares how he earned the team’s respect.
[jwplayer SQWmTWdh-XNcErKyb]
On Friday, Sept. 4, for the first time, J.J. McCarthy will be out on the field, leading the prestigious IMG Academy as its starting quarterback in a game.
The longtime Michigan commit transferred this offseason from Nazareth Academy in Illinois, where he was the lone five-star — not just in his high school, but in the state.
Meanwhile, while McCarthy was a big fish in a small pond in La Grange Park (IL), at IMG Academy in Bradenton (FL), despite being a five-star, he isn’t even the top-ranked player on his team. In his class, 2021, he’s one of three five-stars, and there’s another in 2022, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Beyond that, there are 11 Ascenders ranked in the Top247 between the 2021-22 classes, and others — such as fellow Michigan commit Greg Crippen — who are rated four-stars but not in the first 247 spots of the rankings.
So to arrive on campus and take over the most prominent position on the field, it was going to take a little more than cache — though that certainly helps.
The thing about McCarthy, however, is that he’s willing to go in and do the work. The stars mean nothing to him. But, being one of the most visible high school senior quarterbacks in the country, he used that as a starting point to earn the respect of his teammates.
But to fully earn their respect, he was determined to prove that he deserves it.
“It’s one of those things where you come in there – I mean, the rankings do a lot for you,” McCarthy told WolverinesWire. “I came in, they gave me a little respect coming in, and other players respect me for that. But it was what I did once I was there and how down to earth I am. I’m always never above anyone else, so that’s what got me the total respect of my teammates and my coaches.”
At 8 p.m. on Friday evening, as the Ascenders take on the Venice Indians, all of that offseason hard work will finally come to the forefront.
Though all eyes will certainly be on McCarthy and first-year IMG Academy head coach Bobby Acosta, others like fellow five-stars JC Latham (OL, committed to Alabama) and Lovesea Carroll (RB, committed to Georgia) will also look to shine on one of high school football’s brightest stages.
You’d think with so many top-rated players, that egos would rule supreme. But according to McCarthy, it’s quite the opposite. It’s a team rife with hunger, eager to prove themselves.
As McCarthy sees it, despite all the accolades, none of them have truly done anything. Thus, they have to earn whatever is given to them.
“Being around all the talent and five-stars – yeah, there’s a couple players here and there that talk about it – but nobody ever really talks about it, because we’re all focused on one goal and focused on winning week-by-week,” McCarthy said. “We all realize the potential that’s in front of us and the potential within us. We’re not gonna let a couple stars tell where we’re gonna go in life. We all just want to exceed all those expectations, exceed what people are thinking of us right and do so much better. And that kind of brings us all together and makes it really easy to be the quarterback of this team. Because no one looks at me – I can’t say that no one has that same perspective in Illinois, where it’s very uncommon for the five-stars to be in that area.”
Michigan connection
2021 IMG Academy four-star OC Greg Crippen
When McCarthy made his way down to Bradenton this offseason, he was immediately greeted by a familiar face: fellow Michigan commit Greg Crippen, the four-star center.
Crippen has been at IMG Academy for some time, and to have a friendly in his corner was certainly to McCarthy’s advantage. But there’s another advantage: the two can get on the same page now, a full year before they get to work in Ann Arbor.
It’s the second-time we’ve seen an interior offensive line-quarterback combo go from IMG Academy to Michigan, with Cesar Ruiz and Shea Patterson preceding McCarthy and Crippen. But Patterson’s route to Ann Arbor was a little circuitous, with the former five-star spending two years at Ole Miss before transferring to the Wolverines. The intention is for Crippen and McCarthy to have full careers together at the college-level, so building a bond now sets the stage for the immediate future.
And that’s precisely what the duo are doing, McCarthy says.
“Being with Greg for the past month and a half now, almost two, it’s been eye-opening with how similar we are and the type of mold Michigan is trying to bring in,” McCarthy said. “Being with him, we’ve already grown so much together and we’re talking ball together. We’re like best buddies. We’re best friends. He can come to me with anything and I can come to him with anything. He’s the best. He’s the absolute man. I’ve been around a couple people with the same sort of attitude he has. This kid has been at IMG for almost four years and he’s doing everything humanly possible to make sure he improves and gets better to live up to those expectations he has for himself and his team. So just being with him and just understanding his mindset is something that is so beneficial going into Michigan.”
But IMG opens more doors to McCarthy’s future teammates than just those in West Florida.
On Sept. 25, the Ascenders will travel to Brentwood (TN) to take on Ravenwood, home of four-star linebacker Junior Colson, also a Michigan pledge.
The two speak often on social media, but have never met in person. Colson told WolverinesWire that, considering he’s featured in a lot of blitz packages, if he sees an open lane to his future quarterback, he’ll hold up a bit as to not injure his soon-to-be teammate.
McCarthy doesn’t want to hear that. In fact, he wants to know more about the hype — or, rather, he wants to feel why Colson is hyped, from a physical perspective.
“Man, if I don’t feel it when he hits me, I’m gonna be very disappointed in him!” McCarthy said. “As long as he doesn’t go for my legs, I better feel something from him. I wanna know! This is football, this is football – I want him to hit me! I want him to get that and show out.
“Once we get to Michigan and he’s on the defense, he’s gonna be coming. So I want him to get out there and just play ball and whatever he needs to do. But it’s been awesome meeting him, because we’ve been Snapchatting all the time and he just seems like such a great kid and I can’t wait to just meet him and just talk and build that relationship from the start and build it so early that once we go into Michigan, we’ll be buds for life.”
IMG Academy’s Friday night game against Venice can be seen nationally on ESPN U at 8 p.m.
