Just days after Michigan Football 2023’s recruiting class took a major hit in June, a Friday signing in Ann Arbor earlier in July gave some hope again.
With the departure of four-star Florida linebacker Raylen Wilson on Wednesday, the Wolverines’ league had fallen to No. 55 nationally and No. 13 in the Big Ten. But on Friday, Michigan added a four-star linebacker from Pennsylvania in Semaj Bridgeman.
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Bridgeman of the Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia pledged corn and blue via Twitter Friday night, releasing a statement along with a picture of himself wearing the No. 7 in Michigan gear. The 6-2, 230-pound defenseman is the No. 20 linebacker nationally in the 247 Sports composite rankings and the No. 6 recruit in Pennsylvania.
“First and foremost, I want to pay the Most High thanks and honor,” Bridgeman tweeted. “Second, I want to take the time to thank and appreciate my mom, dad, and siblings for the advice and belief in me. & sacrifices they made for me to be able to pursue my dreams & also my grandparents for the extra support. I also want to honor all of my coaches who have guided me in the right direction to become the better young man and athlete that I am now. Finally, I would like to thank all the universities that have offered me the opportunity to play at their school. So I’m 777% committed to the M.”
Bridgeman has also had offers from dozens of Power Five schools, including LSU, Penn State and Michigan State. After last season, he narrowed his choices to six schools: Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Rutgers and South Carolina. He visited Ann Arbor on June 10 and committed to Rutgers on June 21, 10 days after his last college visit.
Bridgeman was the eighth signing for the Wolverines class of 2023, following Missouri wide receiver Fredrick Moore earlier Friday and Illinois tight end Deakon Tonielli on June 19 as the only three since late March. Moore and Tonielli are three stars, as are four other members of the eight-player class.
Bridgeman and Moore’s signings put the Wolverines 50th overall, although they’re still only ahead of Indiana (USC and UCLA, who will attend the 2024 conference) among the 14 teams scheduled for the 2023 Big Ten . , are ranked 10th and 62nd respectively by 247 Sports for 2023.)
Contact Ryan Ford at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @theford.