Trieu: Ja’Den McBurrows will try to recruit other St. Thomas Aquinas stars to Michigan
Michigan may be starting a pipeline into St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.
The Wolverines received a commitment from the Raiders’ star defensive back, Ja’Den McBurrows. He is now planning to recruit several of his heavily-recruited teammates like defensive end/linebacker Dallas Turner and linebacker Jaydon Hood to Ann Arbor with him, the same way Michigan freshman Anthony Solomon recruited him.
“One of my old teammates, Anthony Solomon, went there and he said it’s just a great school and that the coaches there are great,” McBurrows said.
McBurrows then established a relationship with the staff and experienced what Solomon was talking about.
Defensive coordinator Don Brown, defensive backs coach Michael Zordich, and linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, who has a good relationship at Aquinas from his recent time at the University of South Florida and other stops, all had a hand in recruiting McBurrows.
The talent-filled roster was one reason McBurrows did not log heavy minutes until his junior season, but he made up for lost time, recording 37 tackles, breaking up 15 passes, intercepting six and even blocking four punts for a team that went undefeated and won a state title.
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The later start meant a later start in recruiting, but he made up for that too, eventually receiving 27 total offers.
“Last season was his debut as a starter, and he performed exceptionally well. He exceeded expectations on defense and special teams as a returner,” Aquinas head coach Roger Harriot said. “He is a versatile, instinctive player with the ability to play anywhere in the defensive backfield.”
McBurrows also ran an 11.01 100-meter dash.
Michigan is getting that speed and playmaking ability and they may also get him to bring some of his friends north with him, all thanks to a multi-pronged recruiting attack.
“The Michigan coaching staff did a great job recruiting Ja’Den by cultivating a personal relationship with him,” Harriot said.
The Wolverines now have 11 total commitments in the 2021 class.
Ohio pass-rusher sets UM official
According to The Michigan Insider’s Brice Marich, Akron (Ohio) Hoban defensive end Darryl Peterson will visit Michigan the weekend of June 26 for his official visit.
Peterson (6-3, 235 pounds) is also considering Wisconsin, Alabama and West Virginia, among others.
He finished his junior season with 21 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
As a sophomore, Peterson played with Michigan freshman offensive lineman Nolan Rumler at Hoban.
Offer out to Indiana sophomore
Zionsville (Ind.) offensive tackle Joey Tanona was offered by Michigan.
Tanona is already a four-star in the 2022 class per 247Sports. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound prospect also has offers from Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, Arizona State and more.
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner has been recruiting Tanona for Michigan.
More information
Allen Trieu covers Midwest football recruiting for 247Sports. He has been featured on the Big Ten Network on its annual Signing Day Show. His Michigan and Michigan State recruiting columns appear weekly at detroitnews.com.