‘It’s a dream come true’ – Why Andrel Anthony chose Michigan over MSU

The East Lansing (MI) receiver tells WolverinesWire why he decided to wear maize and blue over green and white.

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Just a week ago at this time, it seemed preordained that 2021 East Lansing (MI) three-star wide receiver Andrel Anthony would end up staying home and going to Michigan State. But that’s the funny thing about recruiting — things are never quite what they seem.

The local product who was expected to pledge to Mel Tucker ended up making himself persona non grata in East Lansing, having committed to rival Michigan on Friday. But, to talk to Anthony, it was never a surefire thing that he would become a Spartan to begin with. Actually, as he puts it, coming to Ann Arbor was always his preferred choice — because the Wolverines were in on him before many other major schools.

In fact, when Michigan offered on June 8, 2019, it was a full week before the school in his backyard gave him a scholarship opportunity, as former head coach Mark Dantonio offered on June 15.

But given the changing world due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was just too much ground to make up for Tucker & Co., with Jim Harbaugh and his staff having laid the important groundwork that made it an easy decision for Anthony to follow his heart.

“It was kind of weird with the whole virus thing and stuff like that,” Anthony told WolverinesWire. “That made it very interesting, especially in Michigan State’s case, I hadn’t really been able to talk to staff like that. You can only do so much through the phone. But Michigan, I’ve been able to grow a relationship with all of them since my sophomore year. So that’s been very strong all the time.

“We kinda fell off from texting all the time – I mean, we still contacted like once or twice a week. But my heart’s always been at Michigan. Being able to play for them, compete – it’s a dream come true.”

It can’t be understated, Anthony’s bond with the coaching staff. Knowing that they saw something in him before MSU or his other finalists Penn State (who offered Feb. 15, 2020) and Notre Dame (offered Sept. 15, 2019), it encouraged Anthony to pull the trigger for the maize and blue.

Between offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and tight ends coach Sherrone Moore, Anthony feels comfortable coming to Ann Arbor. And with their early trust in him imprinted on his heart, he plans to pay that off as much as he can once he gets to campus.

“Best thing was them seeing something in me very early before other big time universities did,” Anthony said. “They were one of the first big programs to offer me – so that meant a lot as well. That really just said I had a lot of potential and they’re going to get everything out of me that they can. I trust and I believe that I’ll be the best player – and then, off the field.”

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But his bond isn’t just with the staff, of course. One thing that the other schools didn’t have going for them is Anthony’s connection with the current commits as well as current players who are already wearing a winged helmet.

Anthony told Rivals.com’s EJ Holland that Nico Collins and ‘director of recruiting’ Giles Jackson helped ease his comfort with coming to Michigan. But we’ve also seen the usual culprits working to compel him — J.J. McCarthy, Raheem Anderson and fellow WR commit Xavier Worthy.

That Jackson and Worthy were hot on his tail attempting to get him to commit was particularly prescient. Both play his position — wide receiver. So, once he gets to campus, they’ll — in essence — be competitors. But Anthony isn’t one to shy away from competition. In fact, he welcomes it, knowing it’ll make him better.

And once they all get to be on the field at the same time, Anthony bids good luck to opposing defenses.

“It’s great because I’m gonna be with them for a lot of the time because we’re gonna play football (together),” Anthony said. “It’s awesome that I’m meeting my teammates, getting an edge, because I don’t want to go there day one just lost, you know what I’m saying? It’s also great because we have a great receiving corps and we all get along really good.

“We’re going to be competing and stuff like that, but that’s a good problem to have – especially with good receivers. You can’t guard all of them. You can’t double-team everybody. It’s gonna be pretty cool.”

When it comes his playing wide receiver, the dual-sport athlete brings a lot of things to the table.

As far as the current class is concerned, Markus Allen is the tall, X or Z receiver prototype whereas Cristian Dixon and Xavier Worthy bring unparalleled speed.

At 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, Anthony brings a little bit of everything to the mix — the height, catch radius, but also the speed, he says.

“Well, definitely I have a lot of versatility at receiver,” Anthony said. “In high school, I played in the slot and outside. I have a lengthy frame, I’m long. I can run fast – my strength is definitely speed – length, I have a large catch radius and probably route-running, I would say. Being able to go up for jump balls and playmaking ability.”