2021 four-star Michigan DL commit Quintin Somerville flips to UCLA

This could go down as the big shocker of the 2021 early signing period for the Michigan Wolverines, as four-star defensive lineman Quintin Somerville has flipped his commitment from Michigan to UCLA.

Somerville is the second Michigan defensive commit to flip today alone, as four-star linebacker Branden Jennings flipped to Maryland this morning.

The 6-foot-1, 257-pounder from Scottsdale, Arizona committed to Michigan back in June after a longtime recruitment from Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua. In fact, Nua recruited Somerville when he was coaching at Arizona State. That relationship ended up paving the way for the Wolverines to landing his commitment.

“I met coach Nua a while back at ASU and we connected ever since,” Somerville told Maize n Brew last year after a visit to Ann Arbor. “We’d talk weekly and he’d just check up on how I was doing, so our relationship really speaks for itself.

“Coach (Don) Brown is a legend, and after sitting in both film and dinner you get to see both sides of him. I have gained a lot of respect for him obviously as a football coach, but also a man outside of the game.”

Perhaps Somerville had a sudden change of heart and wanted to stay closer to home, but this de-commitment really makes you think about the future of the defensive coaching staff in Ann Arbor. His relationships with U-M’s defensive coaches are really what led him to commit to the Maize and Blue in the first place. It really just makes you wonder what is going on behind the scenes, and what these coaches are telling the recruits.

With Somerville off to UCLA, Michigan now has just three defensive lineman in its 2021 class — four-star Kechaun Bennett, three-star TJ Guy and three-star Dominick Giudice.