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Another Michigan football 2017 recruiting class member appears to be on their way out.
It’s a class that never quite lived up to its No. 5 ranking nationally, but some players didn’t reach the anticipated level of greatness through no fault of their own. Such is the case for Michigan defensive end Luiji Vilain.
Vilain sat his first two years in Ann Arbor after successively fixing both of his knees due to high school injuries. Rated No. 36 overall by 247Sports as a high school recruit, Vilain was a high-level four-star who bordered on being a five-star. But, once he was healthy, considering he had to sit behind both Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye, his contributions were limited.
Vilain started seeing the field in a limited capacity, but he saw more playing time as the years went on. 50 snaps in 2019 yielded 118 in 2020. But with Hutchinson returning and Taylor Upshaw ascending — not to mention a new defensive coordinator in Mike Macdonald — Vilain appears he will test his luck elsewhere, having entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Michigan DE Luiji Vilain has entered the NCAA's transfer portal as a graduate student, @MLive confirms.
— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) January 19, 2021
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Vilain has appeared in 12 games and has 11 tackles in that span. He also has a tackle for loss and a sack.
He’ll have several years of eligibility remaining, given that he’s had medical issues his first two years, and 2020 is a free year via the NCAA. He’ll be eligible immediately at his school of choice.
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