Trieu: Michigan rallies to get commitment from state's No. 1 receiver Andrel Anthony
East Lansing High wide receiver Andrel Anthony was the talk of the recruiting world this week as predictions from analysts quickly changed from Michigan State to Michigan. Anthony’s message was: “Tune in Friday.”
Those who did saw him choose the Wolverines, completing a recruitment that seemed to favor Michigan early, turn toward the Spartans and then back to Michigan. Mel Tucker and the Spartan staff had gotten Anthony on campus prior to COVID-19 shutting down visits and then secured a commitment from friend and teammate Ethan Boyd.
Michigan came back strong with recruits like Markus Allen, and current players like Giles Jackson, getting in contact with Anthony. The Wolverines had recruited Anthony from early in the process, then offered him after he put on a good camp performance the summer before his junior year.
“Michigan, I visited there a numerous amount of times,” said the 6-foot-2, 165-pound Anthony, who is ranked the No. 1 receiver and No. 12 player overall in the state by The Detroit News for the 2021 class. “Every time I visited it was delightful. The coaching staff is great – Coach Harbaugh, Coach Gattis, Coach Moore and everybody there. They’re very supportive of my decision on my season now. They’ve been like that since sophomore year.”
Anthony, a long, smooth pass-catcher, joins Allen, Cristian Dixon and Xavier Worthy as wide receivers in the Wolverine class.
He was an Associated Press All-State selection for Division 3-4 after catching 54 passes for 954 yards and nine touchdowns and helping his team win the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue.
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As a freshman, Anthony was pulled up to the varsity for the playoffs, then enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore.
“We saw in the summer during workouts and passing scrimmages (before his sophomore year) that there was great potential there,” East Lansing head coach Bill Feraco said. “He had great speed and willingness to work. He has great skills and tangible things, but he is not afraid of the work.”
The work ethic is just part of the intangibles Michigan will get with Anthony.
“He is a good kid, good student, good teammate and comes from a supportive family,” Feraco said.
Michigan now has 21 commitments in its 2021 recruiting class.
Anthony’s addition moves Michigan from No. 9 to No. 8 in the 247Sports Composite team recruiting rankings.
In-state junior offered by UM
Grand Rapids Catholic Central safety Nolan Ziegler was offered a scholarship by Michigan after a 10-minute conversation with head coach Jim Harbaugh on Thursday.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Ziegler played safety as a sophomore but could grow into a college linebacker.
Ziegler’s great grandfather Fred Trosko played football at Michigan from 1937-39. He also has a relationship with current Wolverine offensive tackle and Catholic Central grad Jalen Mayfield.
Nebraska, Iowa, Boston College and more have also offered Ziegler.
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.