One Wolverine makes ESPN’s top 25 most impactful 2021 recruits

One Wolverine makes the Worldwide Leader’s cut, and it’s not the pledge you’d think.

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Michigan is bringing in a strong recruiting class in 2021, led by five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who will be the starting signal caller at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton (FL) this fall.

But when ESPN put together its list of the most impactful commits in the 2021 recruiting cycle, it wasn’t McCarthy who got the nod for the maize and blue.

No, it’s one of Michigan’s latest pledges, a standout from the West Coast that long seemed to be an Oregon lean in Fresno (CA) Central East four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Worthy, who runs a 10.5 second 100-meter dash, is the Wolverines third wideout commitment in the class and is a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ offense, in that he’s a speedster, a game-breaker and a freak athlete.

Thus, when ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren put together the list, it was Worthy who made the cut — and not McCarthy.

10. Michigan Wolverines
WR Xavier Worthy

6-foot-1, 165 pounds
Fresno, California
ESPN 300 rank: 125

This pick was going to be quarterback J.J. McCarthy because he could stabilize the quarterback position for Michigan in the future. Worthy is getting the nod, though, because he is going to ultimately help Michigan get to the speed in space as he has elite speed.

Most of the faster receivers Michigan has signed in the past few classes have been 5-foot-10 and under with Mike Sainristil, Giles Jackson and A.J. Henning. Worthy is going to bring a little more size to the offense, and if he can add weight, he could be an excellent option to stretch the field on the outside.

McCarthy would make sense as this pick, and maybe he should be, but it seems as though Worthy could be an outstanding receiver at Michigan.

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If you checked out last Friday’s edition of the Locked On Wolverines Podcast (embedded below), you’ll also hear why 247Sports’ Steve Lorenz calls Worthy his favorite recruit of the cycle.

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Worthy announced last week that he’ll be making his way to Ann Arbor early as a mid-year enrollee, as the state of California is postponing all of its high school football activities until spring.