The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2019 THE WOLVERINE 73 COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan has offered 14 players from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, and procured a commitment from one of them in late January. Four-star outside linebacker Osman Savage committed to Michigan Jan. 25 over, among others, Florida, Maryland, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Rivals' No. 9 outside linebacker and No. 143 overall prospect na- tionally had a U-M offer for more than a year before pull- ing the trigger, but was always high on the Wolverines. "It was just a good fit," Sav- age said. "I talked to Coach [Jim] Harbaugh directly and he just had a really good en- ergy about him. I really like the energy that he brought to me and what he brings to the table on the field. "It fits my style of play really well, too." Don Brown's defense has been de- scribed as linebacker friendly and Savage see that as well. He commit- ted to U-M as an outside linebacker but could realistically play just about any backer spot in Brown's defense, including viper. "I think I fit in well with their style of play," Savage said. "The system that they play and the schemes that they run fit well for me. It's a good defense for linebackers." St. Frances co-head coach Henry Russell also thinks that Savage will fit in well at Michigan. He sees Sav- age as a multi-faceted athlete that would fit in just about anywhere. "That's just the type of player he is," Russell said. "He has a very high IQ, he's athletic and physical, and he's a playmaker. I think he scored four touchdowns on defense over the last two years. "He just always finds a way to make plays and make good things happen." Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruit- ing analyst Adam Friedman has been watching Savage play for several years and is obviously very high on him, evidenced by Savage's ranking. Friedman sees Savage as someone who can do a lot of things for a com- plex defense like Michigan's. "He's just so fast and plays with a ton of energy at the linebacker position and he fits in really well," Fried- man said. "He fits in great because he's really fast and he has a frame that they can bulk up a bit. He's got a great nose for the ball and he's very physical. "I'm a lot higher on him than the rest of the industry right now, and I think he's got the mentality that really fits in well with the Khaleke Hudson-types and guys like that at that position." Savage used that speed and other abilities to make a lot of plays for St. Frances as a junior. He was named to The Baltimore Sun's 2018 All-Metro second team after recording 64 tackles with five sacks and two fumble recoveries, both of which he returned for touchdowns. He played a large role on a defense that allowed just 14 points with its starters on the field. As a senior, Savage is expected to have a much bigger leadership role with the departure of four-star line- backer Shane Lee, who signed with Alabama. Savage has been groomed to lead the Panthers' defense and will get a chance to shine in that role come next fall. — Brandon Brown Michigan Lands Junior Linebacker Osman Savage Savage is ranked by Rivals.com as a four-star prospect and the nation's No. 143 overall recruit in the 2020 class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman "He fits in great because he's really fast, and he has a frame that they can bulk up a bit. He's got a great nose for the ball, and he's very physical." FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Osman Savage is physical, athletic and versatile. That makes him a really solid linebacker prospect because he can run, get through the wash cleanly and do so from several positions. He's being billed as an outside line- backer, but if he adds weight he could play in the middle or he could even give viper a shot depending on how he develops and how speedy he actually is at the college level. Areas Of Improvement: As a senior, Savage will be working on his size, strength and speed, but will also be called upon to be more vocal and to lead more than he ever has before at the powerhouse program. It's not something he should necessarily struggle with, but the leadership role is going to be new to him. Michigan Player Comparison: As a rising senior prospect, Savage compares favorably to former Wolverine linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone before he got to Ann Arbor. At 6-2, 215 pounds, Jenkins-Stone was billed as one of the top 200 players in the country coming out of high school, but didn't really find his trac- tion until his senior season at U-M. He finished his college career with just 59 tackles. Savage is similarly rated and is currently 6-2, 220 pounds. The two are similarly built and could both run well and play aggressively as high school prospects. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com