The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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70 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 BY AUSTIN FOX To say Columbus (Ohio) St. Fran- cis DeSales three-star athlete Joey Velazquez's recruitment was unique would be an understatement. The two-sport star was originally committed to Ohio State for baseball, but flipped his pledge — for both foot- ball and baseball — to U-M June 22. Unsurprisingly, some Columbus folks weren't too happy when the Ohioan announced he'd be making the 190-mile trek up US- 23 North for his col- legiate days. "There will al- ways be haters," Velazquez said. "I just block them out and only listen to the people who care about me, like family and friends." While the 5-11, 195-pounder athlete plans to play the outfield on the dia- mond, his position on the football field hasn't been completely settled yet. "Coach [Don] Brown told me I'd be competing at either the viper spot or Will linebacker," he revealed. "The viper is like a rover position, and is basically a strong safety/linebacker hybrid. It does a little bit of everything — defends in coverage, plays in the box and blitzes off the edge. It requires an athletic player." U-M has featured two of its best ath- letes at viper since 2016 under Brown, with Jabrill Peppers (2016) and rising- senior Khaleke Hudson (2017-present). Velazquez admitted he doesn't care which position he plays in Ann Arbor, explaining he's just happy to soon be a part of the program. "Simply knowing I'll be attending the University of Michigan is a dream come true for me," he exclaimed. "It's been my wish to play both college foot- ball and college baseball, and having the opportunity to do it at a school like Michigan will be unreal. "I am so excited to get up there and get to work with my teammates and coaches." Fortunately for Velazquez and the rest of the 2019 class, they have already built an immense bond with one an- other. "We have a big group chat and are always talking to each other in it," he said. "The early enrollees who are up there on cam- pus are all telling us how great it is, and it makes the rest of us so jealous because we wish we could be there working out with them." Outside of Velazquez, there are five other Ohioans in U-M's 2019 class, and the St. Francis DeSales alum explained that all of them share the same mindset and goals when it comes to the Michi- gan/Ohio State rivalry. "We want to make sure OSU doesn't get any gold pants any time soon," he confirmed. "I grew up with the rivalry. The people here live and die with it — it's like a holiday when the two teams play, and I take it personally. "I'm not coming to Michigan with a chip on my shoulder — I'm coming with a boulder due to all the things people have said." ❑ Multi-Sport Athlete Joey Velazquez Took Unique Path To Michigan STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks INT FF 2018 76 21 2 0 6 2017 50 4.5 0 2 0 2016 32 3.5 2 2 0 Year Car. Yds. TD Rec. Yds. TD 2018 160 917 13 14 103 0 2017 72 356 7 17 139 1 HONORS • 2018 Division III Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association All-Ohio first-team. • 2018 Columbus Dispatch All-Metro. • 2018 Central District Defensive Player of the Year and first-team Super 25. RECRUITMENT • Earned the safety and linebackers MVP award at Michigan's camp in June. DID YOU KNOW? • Widely regarded as the No. 1 overall baseball prospect in the state of Ohio. • Division II first-team All-Ohio in both 2017 and 2018 for baseball, and his divi- sion's 2018 Player of the Year after hit- ting .545, a new school record. • Has a 390-pound bench press, 570- pound squat and 600-pound deadlift. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt: "His biggest strength is his competitiveness and the way he approaches the game from a mental standpoint. He also has good straight-line speed and is a physical kid who looks like he spends plenty of time in the weight room." "Velazquez is a multi-sport star, and those guys usually know how to com- pete and how to be good teammates. • St. Francis DeSales head coach Ryan Wiggins: "He's a winner, he's a hard worker — that's one of his best assets. Everything he does — drills, lift- ing, warm-up lap — he's trying to win. Anyone who has coached him would agree, he gives you everything he has." JOEY VELAZQUEZ ATHLETE 5-11 • 195 ST. FRANCIS DESALES H.S. COLUMBUS, OHIO RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — — 50 ✪ ✪ ✪ 767 61* 38 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 85* 50 * Ranked as a safety 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2019 Projection Velazquez likely won't be needed as a true freshman, giving him time to learn schemes, get comfortable, add some weight, and hopefully increase his flexibil- ity, agility and even speed. There is obviously a ton of time for moving parts to shift, but it's always fun to look at how the depth chart should/could look, especially at a position like viper. Who will Khaleke Hudson pass the torch to? Velazquez could compete against Brad Hawkins, perhaps Cameron McGrone and even classmate Quinten Johnson for a pecking order at the always-important position in Don Brown's defense. Velazquez's prep career was more deco- rated on the baseball diamond than foot- ball field, but he will play both at U-M. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN 70 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019