Roundup: Meet Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class

A full roundup of recruiting evaluations, facts, stats, film and everything else covering Michigan football’s signed 2021 class.

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It wasn’t a perfect signing day for Michigan football, as there were a few unhappy surprises, and a big great one — as well as a couple of smaller ones — so it was mostly good for the Wolverines. It took a minute for the letters of intent to start rolling in, but once they did, they came in with regularity.

We scoured the main sites for breakdowns and intel on all of Michigan football’s newest members, including the new bios from the program itself. Here’s everything you need to know about Michigan football’s 2021 recruiting class, in order of their signing.

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Dominick Giudice

From MGoBlue.com:

Prep
• Attended Mater Dei High School (2021) coached by Dino Mangiero
• Helped Mater Dei finish as the state runner-up after reaching the championship game as a junior
• Played all along the defensive line and offensive tackle in high school
• Selected to the Mater Dei Prep All-Decade Team (2010-19) on defense

Key Statistics
• Credited with 46 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks and 42 quarterback pressures as a senior
• Totaled 43 tackles for loss and 24 sacks as a junior – total was No. 1 in New Jersey and ranked 11th nationally

Honors and Rankings
• Earned a 247Sports Composite ranking of three stars; the No. 1,958 overall player nationally, the No. 100 weakside defensive end and the No. 42 player in the state of New Jersey
• Three-star prospect according to 247Sports; the No. 111 defensive end nationally and the No. 43 player in the state of New Jersey
• Rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN, the No. 179 defensive end and the No. 35 player in the state of New Jersey
• Rivals.com two-star prospect
• First team All-New Jersey Defensive pick by USA Today as a senior
• Named the division’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior; first team defense All-Division selection
• Earned Jersey Sports Zone All-Zone Team as a junior and senior

Personal
• Dominick Giudice was born Sept. 12, 2002
• Son of Anthony and Maryann Giudice

The Wolverine’s EJ Holland:

He plays with a relentless motor and has shown improvement with the way he uses his hands. Giudice doesn’t bend all that well, and a clear lack of athleticism prevents him from going higher in my ranking. He also needs to work on his get off. Giudice fits the cliché billing as a lunch pail recruit with a chip on his shoulder. Overall, you’re getting a big, strong, mean kid that lacks athleticism but will be the hardest worker in the room.

Maize N Brew:

Giudice has said that the coaches plan to play him at the anchor position, which I agree matches his skillset the best right now. He doesn’t have the athleticism to be a pure pass rusher on the weakside, but can definitely take on tight ends and clog up running lanes. However, I think that eventually he’ll pack on 20 or 30 more pounds and slide inside to be a three-tech, where his pass rush skills will be more valuable.

Wolverine Digest:

2021 Outlook: Giudice is an underrated recruit, but does have some upside. At 6-4, 250 pounds, he has the type of frame and athletic ability that will serve him well at the defensive end position. He’s also been described as a kid who is moving fast at all times, making it difficult for offensive lineman to keep him in check. It’s unlikely that Guidice will become an impact player in year one, but the upside is definitely there for him to become one at some point.

Next: Michigan’s tight end of the future

National Signing Day: Michigan Wolverines sign Kechaun Bennett

Michigan football secures one of its four-star defensive end commits in the 2021 recruiting class.

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Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 3 24 1
Rivals 4 13 1
ESPN 4 40 1
247Sports Composite 4 349 22 1

Vitals

Hometown Suffield (CT) Academy
Projected Position Strong-side Defensive End
Height 6-foot-4
Weight 225-pounds

Recruitment

Having played for the same high school Brad Hawkins transferred to after starting out in New Jersey, Bennett wasn’t necessarily highly-sought after in terms of numbers, but he had some high-level opportunities.

With offers from Notre Dame and Penn State, Bennett was rated a four-star by Rivals, ESPN, and the 247Sports Composite. He pledged to Michigan on May 27, 2020.

Readiness Level

Likely a year or two away from seeing the field with regularity.

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Film

Stories

Kechaun Bennett commitment story

Fab Four: Selecting Michigan football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

 

Michigan reels in another 2021 four-star defensive prospect

The Wolverines reeled in another four-star defensive prospect over Notre Dame, Cal, Miami (FL) and Ole Miss.

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It was only last week that Michigan didn’t have a defensive player committed that had more than three-stars to his name via the recruiting sites.

Six days later, three are in the fold.

It started with Tennessee native Junior Colson, a four-star linebacker highly-sought after by some SEC programs. Then another dropped from SEC country in Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas linebacker Jaydon Hood, a teammate of fellow commit Ja’Den McBurrows.

Late on Wednesday night, another dropped from a familiar institution in New England.

If Suffield (CT) Academy sounds familiar, it’s because that was where current Michigan safety Brad Hawkins finished his high school career after starting at Camden (NJ). The Wolverines reeled in another prospect from said institution in four-star defensive end Kechaun Bennett, he announced via Twitter.

Bennett is rated No. 329 in the 2021 class according to the 247Sports Composite and is the No. 21 strong-side defensive end as well as the top player in the state of Connecticut in the class.

He chose the Wolverines over Notre Dame, Cal, Miami (FL) and Ole Miss, amongst others.

That brings Michigan up to No. 5 in the 2021 247Sports team rankings, and Bennett is the team’s sixteenth commitment this cycle.

Shaun Nua and Don Brown led the charge for the maize and blue.