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Michigan just pulled off a big in-state flip.
That’s because newly-minted four-star defensive back Elijah Dotson announced he was flipping from Pittsburgh to Michigan. The Belleville (Mich.) High star had been committed to Pitt since May. Things picked up between him in Michigan in a big way recently and he took an official visit for the matchup with Oregon.
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The best players in the state become ‘Michigan Men.’ That’s something that coach Sherrone Moore would love to make a tentpole of his tenure leading the program. With Dotson in the fold, Michigan has commitments from several of the top players in the state. He joins four-star defensive end Bobby Kanka and four-star offensive lineman Avery Gach in the class.
The elite players in the state are mostly staying home and going to Ann Arbor. We’ll see what happens with Dotson’s teammate, five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, but the trends statewide are becoming clear. They favor Big Blue. We’ll see if that holds true for Underwood in the end.
There is another subplot here that makes this flip sweeter for Big Blue. Dotson was also pursued heavily by rival Michigan State. The Spartans really wanted Dotson to be a cornerstone of the new program under coach Jonathan Smith.
Instead he’ll play for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines are getting a versatile playmaker that fits the Big Ten quite well. The new Michigan commit was all over the place during the game I saw in person. He racked up 17 tackles during the game. Those tackles didn’t just come from letting guys catch the ball and making the tackle.
Dotson did a great job of coming up to help in run support and showed his physicality. He plays bigger than his size (6-2, 175) and it’s easy to see why many teams have pushed hard to flip him. Dotson also has good instincts and plays with a chip on his shoulder. It’s the exact type of attitude that is wanted in Ann Arbor in coach Sherrone Moore’s program.
