A.J. Abbott’s quick rise does not surprise his coach

The recruiting process for West Bloomfield, Mich. wide receiver A.J. Abbott looks to end as quickly as it started. After landing his first Big Ten offer on June 10, Abbott added three more in less than a week and plans to announce his commitment as soon as this weekend.

THE LATEST

Offers came in from Iowa, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin between June 10 and June 17. A half dozen Group of Five and FCS programs had offered previously, but shortly after receiving the Big Ten offers Abbott cut his list to a top three of Iowa, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Those schools will not have to wait long to see a resolution to this recruitment, as Abbott plans to make his commitment before the upcoming weekend is finished. His head coach at West Bloomfield, former NFL wide receiver Ron Bellamy, sees Abbott being an impact player in the Big Ten early in his career.

QUOTABLE

“You’re looking at a kid who is a high character kid. When you look at A.J.’s junior film you see a kid making plays but the things coaches look for, I think a lot of coaches wanted to see his suddenness and is he a natural pass catcher. He went to camp and answered all of those questions. He ran in the 4.4 range, which opened coaches eyes with him being 6-2, 185. He has a Big Ten body, he caught the ball extremely well and he’s a high character kid, so talking with the coaches he won a lot of them over.” - Bellamy

RIVALS’ REACTION

Abbott is obviously a decisive young man, and when he got the offers he was looking for he took little time deciding who his top contenders were. What has certainly helped Abbott is having two older sisters already competing on the Big Ten level – one who plays volleyball at Northwestern and another who just finished her freshman track and field season at Purdue. Although the Boilermakers have the family connection, they were left out of his top five. With this decision on the horizon, Wisconsin appears to have put itself in the best position.