If anyone was ever destined to play big-time college sports, it was Quentin Burrell.
The Mount Carmel junior’s dad, Aaron, played football at Northwestern, his mom, McKenzie, played basketball at Pitt and his sister, Kali, just wrapped up her soccer career at Michigan.
So it’s no surprise that Burrell is following in his family’s footsteps. The star receiver announced his commitment to Michigan live on Rivals’ YouTube channel on Wednesday.
The 6-3, 195-pounder had almost 40 offers and picked the Wolverines over fellow finalists Arizona State, Missouri and Notre Dame.
“The decision wasn’t easy,” Burrell said. “It was a hard, long thought [out] decision.”
Why the Wolverines?
“The culture around the program,” Burrell said. “I believe in coach Whitt [Kyle Whittingham] and coach [Micah] Simon, the receivers coach. … I feel like we can win the natty.”
Burrell is familiar with winning titles. The four-star prospect played an integral role for Mount Carmel’s Class 7A state champions in 2024 and 8A champs last fall.
A top-85 player nationally in his class, Burrell is the No. 6 player in Illinois in the 2027 recruiting cycle and the No. 14 receiver nationally. He has 142 career catches for 2,396 yards and 16 touchdowns after piling up 67 receptions for 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall.
Those numbers are all the more impressive considering the Caravan have another four-star receiver putting up big numbers in sophomore Marshaun Thornton.
“He’s so incredibly productive and he has been for a while,” national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove said of Burrell. “Highly productive players who also have the physical tools usually pan out pretty well.”
There’s a reason Burrell is so efficient in the Caravan’s offense.
“He’s a long strider and a big body,” Cosgrove said. “He catches the ball naturally. He’s a high-IQ receiver. . . . When the game’s on the line, that’s when he shines the brightest.”
A prime example of that came in the Caravan’s season opener last fall at Ohio power Moeller. After Mount Carmel scored on the last play of the game, Burrell caught the decisive two-point conversion in a 43-42 win. The Caravan went on to finish 14-0.
Cosgrove expects to see Burrell make an immediate impact for the Wolverines.
“What you’re seeing right now, combined with his physical attributes . . . there’s no reason he can’t play early,” Cosgrove said. “He’s a good blocker at this age already.”
Notes
Burrell is Michigan’s only current local commitment in the 2027 cycle. Four-star Morgan Park safety Darrell Mattison committed to Michigan in March but decommitted last month.
• Burrell is one of three Mount Carmel players ranked in the state’s top 10 for 2027. Cornerback Tavares Harrington is seventh and linebacker Roman Igwebuike is eighth.
• Two more Illinois top-10 juniors announced their commitments on Friday: No. 2 St. Patrick defensive lineman David Folorunsho to Notre Dame and No. 5 Libertyville tight end Brock Williams to Texas.