Every time a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
RELATED: Allen: My interest is open
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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THE SITUATION
Markus Allen committed to Michigan in late April, then a three-star receiver but also a big recruiting win for the Wolverines over Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Purdue.
The Clayton (Ohio) Northmont standout is now up to 26 offers and he’s up to a four-star prospect and the No. 10 prospect in the state of Ohio. And in the last few days, Allen backed off his pledge to the Wolverines after possibly not being recruited as hard as he liked.
Any de-commitment could be an issue, but Michigan is loaded in this class with wide receivers with back-to-back-to-back commitments from local prospect Andrel Anthony and California four-stars Xavier Worthy and Cristian Dixon.
Michigan is not hurting for wide receivers in this class, but dipping into Ohio for a top prospect is always important and Allen is no slouch after recording more than 1,000 receiving yards last season.
LOCAL REACTION
Allen was one of the most vocal leaders of Michigan's 2021 recruiting class, so his decision definitely comes as a surprise. There seemed to be some type of communication issue following Allen's decision to play as a senior instead of getting surgery on a torn labrum. Ultimately, Allen is a talented prospect with a lot of upside, but Michigan has a pretty talented wide receiver class highlighted by Dixon and Worthy. The Wolverines will be just fine moving forward. Receiver isn't really a position of concern. - EJ Holland, The Wolverine.com
Sting Factor: 4
NATIONAL REACTION
“Michigan is solid at wide receiver and Allen is a solid prospect but can be replaced in this class. As long as they keep Worthy and Dixon, it will be just fine.” — Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director, Rivals.com
Sting factor: 3
