On Saturday morning, the Michigan football team’s 2021 recruiting class lost its second member in as many weeks when three-star inside linebacker Casey Phinney flipped his commitment to Boston College.
Recruited by defensive coordinator Don Brown, the Marshfield, Mass. native originally committed to Michigan over Army, Yale, Georgetown and Princeton, among others, on Apr. 3. Phinney is a high school teammate of four-star 2021 offensive lineman Drew Kendall, one of offensive line coach Ed Warinner’s top recruiting targets this cycle.
Ranked the No. 1,189 overall prospect in the 2021 class, Phinney was the Wolverines’ lowest-rated linebacker commitment and the third-lowest overall player in the class, according to the 247Sports composite. Following Phinney’s departure, the Wolverines’ 2021 class now ranks No. 10 nationally in the 247Sports team rankings.
With Phinney no longer in the fold, Michigan is now left with three linebackers in its recruiting class: four-stars Junior Colson and Jaydon Hood and three-star Tyler McLaurin. Whether or not the Wolverines pursue a fourth linebacker at this point remains to be seen.
Earlier this month, Michigan’s recruiting class also lost three-star wide receiver Markus Allen. Without Phinney, the Wolverines’ 2021 group is down to 20 total commitments.