When new Michigan wide receiver commit Markus Allen arrived at Northmont, football head coach Tony Broering quickly knew that he had a special talent on his hands.

At 6-3 and 190-pounds, Allen is a big-bodied receiver that has an even larger appetite for competition and improvement. The new U-M commit’s desire to succeed helped fuel what was a 51 reception, 1,099 yard and 15 touchdown season as a junior in 2019.

“When he first came to us, that’s what ingratiated him to our staff and with the fellas is that he’s a worker,” Broering told Wolverine Digest. “He’s going to show up every day ready to work and try to get better. He is never satisfied. When we started our offseason program this year, you would have thought he was trying to win a starting position and not coming off breaking a school record.”

What makes that feat even more impressive is the fact that Northmont’s previous single-season touchdown leader was a senior who lined up on the other side of the formation from Allen all season long.

“He is a natural leader because of his work ethic,” Broering said. “He has great attitude, great energy, great enthusiasm for the sport of football. He does the other sports… but his love is football. He can’t get enough of it.”

Conservatively ranked as a three-star prospect, Allen is a three-sport athlete that excels in each discipline. During the football offseason, Allen plays basketball at a high level, and Broering is also Allen’s track and field coach. These sports help keep Allen conditioned, and basketball particularly is beneficial to his already-strong ability in the red zone.

“Last year, he really had a breakout year,” Broering said. “He’s big, strong, athletic kid and he can go up and get those 50-50 balls for you. He has really good body control, and he was really working the first two or three weeks we had track. He was working really hard on his starts and his explosions and his breakdowns.”

By focusing on these specific areas during his track season, Allen was on track to improve his route running and his releases off the line of scrimmage, two areas that the new U-M commit will be aiming to refine before his senior season.

“The thing that pops right out to you when you work with him is just how hard he works,” Broering said. “His work ethic is just unbelievable. When we would work out in the morning then go down to the field and do some things, speed development or conditioning or whatever the day called for, every day he asked if I could stay. ‘Coach, can you stay with me?’ Right there we knew this kid had a chance to be special.”

During the recruiting process, Allen picked up his Michigan offer back in February, and at that time Roy Roundtree was still on the U-M staff. He worked hard to recruit Allen to Ann Arbor before eventually taking a wide receiver coaching position at Grand Valley State University recently.

Since Roundtree’s departure, U-M offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has seamlessly picked up Allen’s recruitment, and head coach Jim Harbaugh also helped the three-star decide to choose Michigan. After Michigan signed three-star defensive end Gabe Newburg out of Northmont in the 2019 class, Michigan and Harbaugh have both established strong reputations at the Ohio-based school.

“Coach Harbaugh is a great recruiter,” Broering said. “I’ve witnessed it. I’ve seen it. When he was recruiting Gabe, I was ready to sign up. I said where do I sign? I’ll come too. That’s how impressive he is.”

Throughout his tenure at Michigan, Harbaugh has shown a preference for receivers that can help seal off blocks in the rushing game, and Allen is a player that fits that profile as well. After spending time in a triple-option previously, Allen is an accomplished blocker that should fit the U-M scheme when considering his receiving talents as well.

And while the fit in Michigan’s offense is clear, Broering also expects Allen to fit in at U-M as a student, noting that Allen holds an appreciation for the prestige of the school as a whole.

“Michigan speaks for itself,” Broering said. “The tradition, the atmosphere, the academic side of it because it is such a great academic institution, then you put the icing on the cake with Michigan football. Playing in the Big House and the tradition and you have Bo [Schembechler] and now you have Jim. Those guys know what they’re doing.

“I think that’s the attraction,” Broering said. “It’s a big honor to get just an offer from a place like Michigan, and the kids respect that. They understand how tough it is to get offered by Michigan, and then to actually get to go there, it’s amazing really.”

All factors considered, Allen’s pledge to Michigan is one that seems to make a lot of sense. Allen is also close with a contingent of 2021 and 2020 prospects in Ohio that are on Michigan’s radar, so the new U-M commit may turn into the Wolverines’ newest recruiter moving forward.

With Allen in the fold, Michigan now has the No. 10 class in the country according to 247Sports.com. With Allen as a strong outside receiver, should the Wolverines go after a speedy wideout to complement that skill set? What do you expect Allen’s career at Michigan to look like? Let us know!