2021 OL Ryan Linthicum talks Michigan offer, interest in program

The news was unexpected, but 2021 offensive lineman Ryan Linthicum was ecstatic nonetheless.

It was just a normal day in the life of a high school sophomore, that is, until he heard the news from his coaches.

He received a scholarship offer from the University of Michigan.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder plays high school ball at Damascus High School in Damascus, Maryland, the same school the No. 1 player in the 2020 class, defensive end Bryan Bresee, plays for. Bresee is being recruited by nearly every big football program in America.

Meanwhile, Linthicum has two offers — Maryland and Michigan.

Linthicum has never spoken to any coaches from Michigan, so he told Maize n Brew the offer was unexpected.

“To be honest, it came out of nowhere,” he said.

Being from the state of Maryland, and having that offer from Maryland, one would think he grew up a fan of the Terrapins. However, that’s not the case.

“No, I grew up a Penn State fan,” he said.

Now that Michigan extended the offer, Linthicum is interested in visiting Ann Arbor for the first time. With his favorite childhood team being Penn State, is it possible for him to visit for next weekend’s game against the Nittany Lions on short notice?

“I plan on catching a game or a visit soon,” he said. “Not sure yet (about visiting for the PSU game), there’s a chance. But not sure yet. But I would love to get down for that one.”

Linthicum said he and Bresee are “great friends,” so would the No. 1 player in the 2020 class visit Michigan with him when that time comes? Linthicum says it isn’t out of question.

“There might be a chance, but I think he’s already seen and saw what Michigan has in store for him already. He’s visited there a couple of times already,” he said.

The recruiting process is still extremely early for Linthicum, but he already has a general idea of what he is looking for when it comes to his future school.

“Since I’m young I just wanna go to a place where I feel comfortable and a place where it feels like home. And I plan on taking visits to schools and seeing what it is like,” he said.

Linthicum has already taken a visit to Maryland this year for its game against Rutgers, and he admits it was “amazing” and that he loves the coaches there.

Now he is focused on eventually getting to Ann Arbor to visit the University of Michigan.

“I just can’t wait to get up there and visit Michigan. and I’m just humbled to have been gifted this opportunity to play college football at the university of Michigan,” he said. “That is one of my dream schools for sure and I can’t wait to get on campus and see what it is all about.”