I said I would have a more lengthy update today on where things stand with some possible big, late additions to the 2021 football class and here it is. This is later than I expected, has some info I already put out there last night and has been revised due to a commit in the middle of writing it, but it should give you an idea of where things stand.
I first looked into Jenning a couple of months ago and again this week looked into Jennings to see if a flip is imminent. And if I were hearing that were the case, I would be reporting on it!! But that isn't what I'm hearing. So here is a quick summary of what I AM hearing for you guys...
Jennings originally decommitted from Florida State and everyone wondered if Maryland would have a shot. I never even bothered to mention him really because I heard from several plugged in sources that he would commit to Michigan almost as soon as he decommitted from FSU, which he did.
The plan for Jennings originally was to sign in Dec. and enroll early. From what I am told, that is no longer the case. He is now going to wait to sign and will not enroll early. The two schools that have remained after Jennings the hardest are Miami and Maryland. Many seemed to think Jennings was going to commit to Miami shortly after decommitting from FSU. That obviously didn't happen.
As for Maryland, the connection between Jennings and the Terps is linebackers coach Brian Williams, who is close with Jennings' father.
The bottom line, there does seem to be some confidence from Maryland that they have a shot with Jennings, but there does not seem to be that same type of confidence from others that it is going to happen.
If things go as expected and Jennings does not sign this month, this very well could be a Maryland and Miami battle now but things could change on a dime as others try to get in the fray. The one thing that sticks with me is the fact that Jennings' older brother Bradley Jr. was originally committed to FSU as well, and he ended up a Cane. He's in his third year with the program and is starting for a top 10 team.
Jennings isn't the only Michigan commit Brian Williams is working on, as there has also been talk that Rivals250 LB Jaydon Hood could also be a flip candidate. Throughout his recruitment, he's kept the door slightly ajar and like Jennings, he now plans on not signing early. That's the good news if you are a Maryland fan, as it gives Williams and Locksley significantly more time to make up ground. This is important as the Maryland confidence level with Hood appears to be much lower than it is with Jennings.
Again like Jennings, Miami also appears to be in the picture, as do the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who have really prioritized him, along with Kentucky.
That said, with Jennings, he is publicly saying that he's firm with Michigan and the only reason he is delaying his signing is that he wants to see the Ann Arbor campus first.
So what does all of this mean for Jennings and Hood? From everything I'm hearing, they both seem to be rather solid to Michigan unless something is to happen with either Jim Harbaugh or Don Brown. For now, both coaches have jobs, but it is something to watch closely moving forward. The ball appears to be in Harbaugh's court as to whether he signs an extension with Michigan or leaves for the NFL once again.
The Terps were one of the first offers for Tallahassee, Fla. three-star DE Darrell Jackson. Despite the early offer, Jackson committed to Tennessee back Feb. and then decommitted from the Vols on Monday. Brian Williams, who coached high school ball in Tallahassee, wasted little time in meeting with Jackson virtually shortly after his decommittment.
There has been some talk that Jackson and FSU commit Joshua Farmer wanted to be a package deal, but with space getting tight at all of the schools recruiting both, that does not appear likely to happen at this time. Still, Jackson's meeting with the Maryland staff this week went extremely well and I anticipate Jackson being a member of the Terps' 2021 staff once the ink dries. Miami, Mississippi State and FAU are some of the other schools that offered.
Since I started writing this, Locksley tweeted out a wall .gif and I've put in a FutureCast for Jackson.
Finally, some big news out of Baton Rouge this week, as freshman TE Arik Gilbert is expected to put his name in the transfer portal. Gilbert was a huge pick up for Orgeron as the No. 9 player in the class overall and a five-star. It appears Gilbert has become disenchanted with LSU as he wants to play more on the outside as a wideout versus playing inside with the down linemen. Sources have also said Gilbert is homesick. All of that said, I do not expect Maryland to be a player for the Ga. native, but there are rumblings Gilbert is one of quite a few freshmen unhappy in Baton Rouge. Among those freshmen rumored to be unhappy is former St. Frances star Jordan Toles. If things continue to go further south for the Tigers, don't be surprised to see more LSU freshmen in the portal, including possibly Toles. Like Gilbert, the rumblings on Toles are that he is also homesick. If he were to enter the portal, the former five-star would absolutely be someone for Terps fans to keep an eye on.
I first looked into Jenning a couple of months ago and again this week looked into Jennings to see if a flip is imminent. And if I were hearing that were the case, I would be reporting on it!! But that isn't what I'm hearing. So here is a quick summary of what I AM hearing for you guys...
Jennings originally decommitted from Florida State and everyone wondered if Maryland would have a shot. I never even bothered to mention him really because I heard from several plugged in sources that he would commit to Michigan almost as soon as he decommitted from FSU, which he did.
The plan for Jennings originally was to sign in Dec. and enroll early. From what I am told, that is no longer the case. He is now going to wait to sign and will not enroll early. The two schools that have remained after Jennings the hardest are Miami and Maryland. Many seemed to think Jennings was going to commit to Miami shortly after decommitting from FSU. That obviously didn't happen.
As for Maryland, the connection between Jennings and the Terps is linebackers coach Brian Williams, who is close with Jennings' father.
The bottom line, there does seem to be some confidence from Maryland that they have a shot with Jennings, but there does not seem to be that same type of confidence from others that it is going to happen.
If things go as expected and Jennings does not sign this month, this very well could be a Maryland and Miami battle now but things could change on a dime as others try to get in the fray. The one thing that sticks with me is the fact that Jennings' older brother Bradley Jr. was originally committed to FSU as well, and he ended up a Cane. He's in his third year with the program and is starting for a top 10 team.
Jennings isn't the only Michigan commit Brian Williams is working on, as there has also been talk that Rivals250 LB Jaydon Hood could also be a flip candidate. Throughout his recruitment, he's kept the door slightly ajar and like Jennings, he now plans on not signing early. That's the good news if you are a Maryland fan, as it gives Williams and Locksley significantly more time to make up ground. This is important as the Maryland confidence level with Hood appears to be much lower than it is with Jennings.
Again like Jennings, Miami also appears to be in the picture, as do the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who have really prioritized him, along with Kentucky.
That said, with Jennings, he is publicly saying that he's firm with Michigan and the only reason he is delaying his signing is that he wants to see the Ann Arbor campus first.
So what does all of this mean for Jennings and Hood? From everything I'm hearing, they both seem to be rather solid to Michigan unless something is to happen with either Jim Harbaugh or Don Brown. For now, both coaches have jobs, but it is something to watch closely moving forward. The ball appears to be in Harbaugh's court as to whether he signs an extension with Michigan or leaves for the NFL once again.
The Terps were one of the first offers for Tallahassee, Fla. three-star DE Darrell Jackson. Despite the early offer, Jackson committed to Tennessee back Feb. and then decommitted from the Vols on Monday. Brian Williams, who coached high school ball in Tallahassee, wasted little time in meeting with Jackson virtually shortly after his decommittment.
There has been some talk that Jackson and FSU commit Joshua Farmer wanted to be a package deal, but with space getting tight at all of the schools recruiting both, that does not appear likely to happen at this time. Still, Jackson's meeting with the Maryland staff this week went extremely well and I anticipate Jackson being a member of the Terps' 2021 staff once the ink dries. Miami, Mississippi State and FAU are some of the other schools that offered.
Since I started writing this, Locksley tweeted out a wall .gif and I've put in a FutureCast for Jackson.
Finally, some big news out of Baton Rouge this week, as freshman TE Arik Gilbert is expected to put his name in the transfer portal. Gilbert was a huge pick up for Orgeron as the No. 9 player in the class overall and a five-star. It appears Gilbert has become disenchanted with LSU as he wants to play more on the outside as a wideout versus playing inside with the down linemen. Sources have also said Gilbert is homesick. All of that said, I do not expect Maryland to be a player for the Ga. native, but there are rumblings Gilbert is one of quite a few freshmen unhappy in Baton Rouge. Among those freshmen rumored to be unhappy is former St. Frances star Jordan Toles. If things continue to go further south for the Tigers, don't be surprised to see more LSU freshmen in the portal, including possibly Toles. Like Gilbert, the rumblings on Toles are that he is also homesick. If he were to enter the portal, the former five-star would absolutely be someone for Terps fans to keep an eye on.
