The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Consensus Four-Star Mazi Smith May Be Needed To Play Early STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL FF 2018 81 18 3 HONORS • Part of The Detroit News Dream Team in 2018, which honors the best players in the state of Michigan regardless of classification. • Selected first-team All-State by USA Today in 2018. • Made The Detroit Free Press Division I All-State team in 2017 and 2018. • Selected to The Detroit News' All- State Division 1-2 first team in 2017 and 2018. • Named to the Associated Press' Di- vision 1-2 All-State first team in 2018. RECRUITMENT • Committed on June 24, 2018. • Had offers from Notre Dame, Ala- bama, Georgia, Ohio State and Penn State, among others. • Recruited by former defensive line coach Greg Mattison. MAZI SMITH DEFENSIVE TACKLE 6-3 • 303 EAST KENTWOOD H.S. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 142 9 7 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 170 12 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 45 4 3 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection At defensive tack le, Michael Dwumfour and Carlo Kemp will be the lone upperclassmen, and behind them will be just Donovan Jeter since Aubrey Solomon trans- ferred out. Jeter will be a redshirt sopho- more who played limited snaps last year, so there's room for a youngster to step in and provide depth at the very least, and Smith could be poised to do just that as a rookie. The numbers, combined with Smith's tools and enrolling early, almost make that likely to happen. BY CHRIS BALAS Mich igan h as hauled in a num- ber of outstanding defensive linemen from the west side of the state over the years. Mike Reinhold (Mus- kegon) was a 1980s stalwart inside, while Rob Renes ( H o l l a n d ) f o l - lowed in the 1990s. The early 2000s b r o u g h t M u s - kegon's Terrance Ta y l o r, w h i l e Whitehall's Ryan Van Bergen was a key part of the last U-M team to beat Ohio State in 2011. East Kentwood's Mazi Smith is the Wolverines' lat- est, and he might have more upside than any of them. At 6-3, 303 pounds with a 450-pound bench press in high school, Smith put on a show at the January Under Armour All-Amer- ican Game to back up his four-star rat- ing and creep back into the Rivals' top 150 (No. 142), after falling to No. 174. Rivals.com national recruiting di- rector Mike Farrell identified Smith as an honorable mention selection for the player that raised his stock the most during the week. Smith dominated the competition with his quick-twitch athleticism from the tackle position against the elite of the elite, and while he only notched one tackle in his Team Ballaholics' win, he'd proven himself long before then and was a consistent practice standout in the all-star contest. "I was actually down there [in Flor- ida watching]," East Kentwood head coach Tony Kimbrough said. "He practiced very well, did some good things in the game as well. That's all he knows. He only has one motor — he goes hard all the time. "He went up with some of the best of the best and won most of his one- o n - o n e b a t t l e s , represented East K e n t w o o d a n d the University of M i c h i g a n v e r y well." Rivals.com re- cruiting analyst C h a d S i m m o n s saw the same dur- ing the week. "It was tough for offensive line- men to slow Mazi Smith down this week," he said. "He had to be one of the stron- ger players in this game. He won nu- merous reps with straight power. "You combine his power with his pad level, and that is a nightmare for the offensive line- man in front of him. The Michigan signee looks to be ready to compete in Ann Arbor." Smith spent four years on the East Kentwood varsity, saving his best for a senior season in which he notched 81 tackles. He was named to The De- troit News Dream Team, which hon- ors the best players in the state of Michigan regardless of classification, and finished his prep career ranked among the nation's top 170 overall re- cruits and the 12 best defensive tack- les by all three recruiting services. Smith has been in Ann Arbor since early January preparing for his first season in maize and blue. Many, in- cluding Kimbrough, believe he has a chance to play a key role early. "It's about getting the work in early and trying to put myself in the best position before the season starts," Smith said. "My goal is just to settle in and get a feel for everything and be a pleasant surprise to the coaching staff. "They say I have the opportunity [for early playing time] so it's up to me if I take it or not." Some, like Rivals.com Midwest re- cruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt, be- Smith was one of the top players during the week of practice at the Under Armour All-American Game, and Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell named him an honorable mention for the player whose stock rose the most during the week. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN 56 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019