Rick Osentoski – USA TODAY Sports
Alabama has a verbal commitment from the nation’s No. 2 ranked athlete in Bo Scarbrough, but the Tuscaloosa native is rumored to take a visit to Michigan in May, so perhaps his verbal commitment to the Crimson Tide isn’t as solid as once believed?
According to ESPN RecruitingNation’s Jared Shanker, “I was talking with one of the people who trains Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Northridge RB Bo Scarbrough (sic) and he said the Alabama commit will visit Michigan in the days leading up to May 18. Bo’s trainer is holding a camp outside of Toledo on May 18 and Bo is scheduled to participate, so the plan is to visit Michigan before the camp.”
My opinion is that the 6-2, 220-pound Scarbrough will be incredibly hard to flip if not impossible, and I wouldn’t lose any sleep if I’m an Alabama fan because of him taking a trip to Ann Arbor. I think this is just a matter of convenience where Scarbrough will be near the campus so he’ll stop by and hear the Wolverines sales pitch, but the likelihood of a player in Alabama’s backyard leaving for another school is unfathomable to me.
From the perspective of the Wolverines they know having him on campus offers at least the slightest possibility that he can be swayed with what Brady Hoke and his staff have to sell him on and you can’t flip a kid if he’s not on campus.
I think they will tell him that Alabama is loaded at running back and they’re trying to secure a commitment from the nation’s top running back, Leonard Fournette, so he would be best served to go elsewhere where he wouldn’t be buried on the depth chart.
At Michigan he could platoon with Derrick Green and combine to be a deadly duo in the Big Ten, and even line up as a wide receiver in some formations. Michigan is likely out of the running for running back Elijah Hood so they know they need to find another target at running back, so they’re hoping to connect on this Hail Mary attempt.
However, Alabama has a lead that even famed race-horse Secretariat wouldn’t overcome and I don’t think they should lose any sleep over him rumored to take a visit elsewhere — it’s just what recruits do.
Patrick’s a college football writer for Rant Sports and radio host on Sportstownchicago.com. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your Google network.
