Michigan commit announces he’ll skip senior season and enroll early

Football is in flux at every level across the country as leaders attempt to decide the best way to move forward safely in the coronavirus pandemic. That is leading some players to weigh the option of sitting out in order to preserve their health and stock at the level they are looking to advance to.

The Michigan Wolverines will see at least one of their high school prospects do this, as class of 2021 wide receiver commit Xavier Worthy announced that he will forego his senior season in order to be ready to enroll early in Ann Arbor. High school football in the state of California has been pushed to the spring, so the decision makes sense.

The Wolverines have another wideout from California in Cristian Dixon. There has been no word on his decision as of yet.

Worthy is the No. 174-ranked player in the country and a four-star prospect. Below is what our Jon Simmons had to say in his writeup of Worthy after his commitment to Michigan.

I’ve seen comparisons to DeSean Jackson and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy, which are certainly lofty but do speak to his elite athleticism and speed. Worthy is still pretty light, so hopefully he can pack on some muscle during his senior year so he can be better prepared for the rigors of a Big Ten schedule.

Regardless, I think Worthy can make an immediate impact at Michigan by returning kicks or punts as a freshman if the coaches want to take something off Giles Jackson’s plate. Jackson, Mike Sainristil and A.J. Henning will be ahead of Worthy in the slot depth chart, but as the tallest of those three by at least three inches, he can also see some time on the outside. Either way, he should see some time in the rotation early on.