Four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy sticks with Michigan football
Despite losing a pair of commitments on defense, the first day of the early signing period did bring some good news for Michigan as wide receiver Xavier Worthy remained committed to Michigan and sent them his letter of intent.
This comes after the Fresno (California) Central wide receiver took a visit to Alabama in November.
He originally committed to Michigan in July over offers from LSU, the Crimson Tide, Georgia, Penn State, Oregon and more. The Ducks were once considered the favorite to land him.
“Michigan showed the most love and the most consistent with me,” Worthy said in September. “If they are going to be consistent with me, then I’m going to give my all to them.”
He brings serious speed to the table, having run a 10.55 in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore. During his junior football season, he helped his team go undefeated and win a state title, catching 54 passes for 992 yards and 16 touchdowns, all while sharing the ball with a high-major recruit at the other receiver spot.
One of the reasons he chose Michigan was his relationship with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, and Gattis’ plan for using him. He also kept in touch with head coach Jim Harbaugh.
“Yeah, I text him all the time about my routes, asking him if I’m doing good or doing this right, so he’s kind of coaching me as we speak now. It’s just good to be able to get that,” Worthy said. "With Coach (Jim) Harbaugh, we talk football and family, and with Coach Gattis, we're breaking down the plays and then just talking life."
Another piece of him sticking with the Wolverines was his relationship with the players in the class. He had become close with quarterback J.J. McCarthy and wide receiver Cristian Dixon, who is also from California. Worthy came to Ann Arbor in the fall and spent a weekend with the other commits and their families. Due to NCAA rules, he could not interact with the coaches or go inside the facilities on that trip.
Subscription: J.J. McCarthy heads Michigan's 2021 class, next in line to try to become answer at QB
The Wolverines played a number of young receivers this season and he hopes to have the same opportunity.
“(The plan is) to be able to get on the field and start right away,” Worthy said. “They want to play me at the Z receiver, where Ronnie Bell plays now. I feel I could do good at the spot with all the stuff he does, I feel like I could do good at that spot.”
Worthy is the second highest-ranked signee for Michigan with McCarthy being first.
The 247Sports Composite ranks him the No. 76 overall recruit in the country.
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.