The Wolverine

August 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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72 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2018   COMMITMENT PROFILE A urora (Ill.) West Aurora four-star defensive tackle Denver Warren picked up his Michigan offer in early May and turned around and visited in mid-June. The 6-3, 300-pounder left feeling very strongly about his potential future at Michigan. Even though he was pretty sure he'd eventually be committing to the Wolverines, Warren dropped a top group consisting of Michigan, Cincinnati, Illinois, Minnesota and Penn State. Once his commitment video was completed, Warren did not hesitate to release it and become a member of U-M's 2020 class. "Michigan just felt like home to me," Warren said. "Both my mom and I really felt at home when we visited Michigan. Michigan is a place where I can go in and work hard and get a great education and a great col- lege experience." Obviously picking a school is a big decision that lasts well into adult- hood for college football players, and the visit to Ann Arbor made Warren confident he was making the right decision with the Maize and Blue. "The visit to Michigan played a big part," Warren said. "I was able to learn more about the academics at Michigan and the support that they offer, along with the importance that the football programs places on academics overall. "Michigan just offers the best from academics to athletics, along with hav- ing a great winning tradition. After my visit I just knew and felt that I wanted to be a part of the Michigan program." Warren still has two years left of high school and is glad to have his commitment out of the way. Com- mitting so early was never really part of his initial plan, but U-M simply had too much to offer and he didn't see a reason to delay the inevitable. "It just sort of happened to be hon- est," Warren said. "I really didn't have any sort of plan. I just felt that after my visit to Michigan and talk- ing it over with my mom and the rest of my family and coaches that I was ready to make my decision." Michigan was ready for his deci- sion as well. Rivals.com's No. 15 de- fensive tackle and No. 213 overall player nationally in the class of 2020 has a lot of talent. West Aurora head coach Nate Eiler sees it every day in person and believes that Warren will be a star at U-M. "I think as a D-lineman he just checks all the boxes," Eiler said. "He's 300-plus pounds, he's fast — I think he ran right around or even under a 5.0 in the 40-yard dash at 300 pounds, he moves side to side and he's violent. "He's not afraid of contact and when he does hit you it does hurt. He's the whole package." Rivals.com Midwest recruit analyst Josh Helmholdt agrees. He's watched Warren in person in a few different settings and believes he'll be ready to roll once he shows up in Ann Arbor. "He's really ahead of the curve in terms of having a feel for his posi- tion," Helmholdt said. "Warren un- derstands angles and knows how to work linemen. He is just someone you have to watch — or keep an eye on for a while — to appreciate. The first time I saw him, I was underwhelmed, but the more I watched him the more I ap- preciated what he brings to the table." Those abilities have allowed War- ren to make a lot of plays in high school. He recorded 46 tackles (36 solo) with 5.5 sacks in 10 games as a sophomore. He also claims a 28-inch vertical, 29-foot power ball throw, 545-pound squat and 26 reps of 185 pounds on the bench press. The athletic Warren was named to The Beacon-News 2017 Football All- Area First Team and also earned all- conference honors as a sophomore. — Brandon Brown Ann Arbor Visit Blows Denver Warren Away, Leading To Pledge FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Denver Warren is a little sawed off, but he is cat quick off the line and really understands how to set offensive linemen up. He's strong as well, but he makes his money because of his burst at the snap. Areas Of Improvement: Warren is never going to be the biggest defensive tackle in the world, so he'll have to work hard on getting stronger in order to take up space in the middle. He's agile and quick, but plugging holes isn't necessarily his strong suit right now. Michigan Player Comparison: Maurice Hurst was a lot like Warren when he was coming out of high school — a tad small, a little sawed off, but very quick and disruptive. If Warren can replicate Hurst's All- American levels of success at U-M, fans will be beyond happy. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Warren is listed by Rivals.com as a four-star talent, the No. 5 player in Illinois, and the No. 15 defensive tackle and No. 213 overall player in the class of 2020. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN Warren "Michigan just offers the best from academics to athletics, along with having a great winning tradition."

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