Tuesday Recruiting Roundup: Top-100 commit visiting another school this weekend

Michigan’s three overtime win over Rutgers is unsurprisingly doing much to quell whatever unrest there is among the team’s commits. There have been some discouraging signs with a couple of recruits, but other programs’ terrible seasons may open the door for top targets.

Top WR commit taking visit to Alabama

California 2021 top-100 wide receiver Xavier Worthy is one of the most electric players in the country and is one of the crown jewels in Michigan’s class. But despite visiting campus a few weeks ago for the first time, it looks like his recruitment is not sewed up just yet.

BamaInsider’s Hank South reported on Monday Worthy is scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa this Saturday for the annual Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn ($).

Alabama was one of Worthy’s finalists before he chose the Wolverines back in July. Since the SEC allows fans in their stadiums, he will be able to witness the game atmosphere first-hand.

When Worthy didn’t make the return trip to Ann Arbor for the Wisconsin games a couple of weeks ago, I said it wasn’t much to worry about yet considering he had just been on campus the week before. But with this new development, Worthy is officially on flip watch.

Michigan will have to keep recruiting him as if he as an uncommitted prospect and hopefully continue the offensive spark with Cade McNamara under center if they want to earn his signature Dec. 16.

Four-star LB not signing early

The other clear flight risk in Michigan’s 2021 class is Florida four-star linebacker Jaydon Hood. This shouldn’t come as a shock to many, as rumors have swirled about Minnesota and Miami continuing to recruit Hood hard after committing to Michigan sight unseen.

After he also canceled his visit for the Wisconsin game, it became clear something was up. Now, 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins spoke with Hood, who revealed he’s thinking about waiting until the February signing period to make his choice official ($).

“I don’t think so,” Hood told Ivins when asked if he’s signing early. “I still haven’t decided yet, but I do want to see Michigan before I sign and everything. Nothing is certain though.”

As mentioned above, Hood had an opportunity to see Michigan two weeks ago, but cited “family things going on” as the reason he couldn’t attend.

Hood also revealed a new contender pushing for his services: Maryland.

“They are new,” Hood said. “I think they might think that I’m ignoring them because I haven’t been responding, but I have just been focusing on my season.”

Choosing Minnesota wouldn’t make much sense considering given how poorly its season has gone and the fact Hood hasn’t visited them either, so it makes sense he’s looking at a new school. Maryland isn’t a world beater, but this is ‘crootin and anything goes.

Michigan gauging interest from nation’s No. 2 TE

For most of the 2021 cycle, Michigan’s top target at tight end was Iowa four-star Thomas Fidone. After he committed to childhood favorite Nebraska in late August, communication between the two parties cooled.

However, according to The Michigan Insider’s Steve Lorenz, Michigan could be trying to take advantage of Nebraska’s abysmal start to rekindle the flame ($).

Lorenz said “Michigan is very likely to gauge the potential interest” of Fidone following Nebraska’s loss to Illinois, which dropped them to 1-3 on the season. While Michigan isn’t faring much better, you have to take these chances when the opportunity arises.

Fidone was never able to visit Ann Arbor before committing, so if the staff can get him up on a self-guided tour for a game day or later on in December, that would go a long way. I wouldn’t expect much right now, but the interest is there.

Michigan biggest threat to flip four-star CB

With a lot of news focused on the 2022 five-star cornerback targets, 2021 Florida State commit Omarion Cooper has been kind of forgotten about lately. Michigan’s season isn’t proving to be much better than the Seminoles’ at this point, but he recently made a definitive statement about Michigan to 247Sports’ Ivins ($).

When asked about who is the biggest threat to flip Cooper from Florida State, he simply stated “Michigan.” He elaborated by saying “I just like their defensive backs and the style they play.”

Cooper won’t be signing until February, giving Michigan more time to work on him. He added that Texas and South Carolina are also keeping in touch.

That does it for this week’s Tuesday Recruiting Roundup at Maize n Brew. Make sure to check back soon for the latest in the tumultuous world of Michigan football recruiting.