The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 51 FOOTBALL RECRUITING other great fit for the Wolverines on and off the field. The 6-6, 301-pounder finished as the No. 22 offensive tackle and the No. 208 overall prospect na- tionally. He's got some versatility and might have the ability to play four positions along the offensive line. Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward three- star wide receiver Quintel Kent is one of the more overlooked signees in the 2019 class. As a senior, Kent had 59 re- ceptions for 924 yards (15.7 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns. He also racked up 502 yards on kickoff returns and took two back for touchdowns en route to a state cham- pionship, yet somehow he is barely mentioned as a member of the group. The 6-0, 173-pounder will show up in June and has a Ronnie Bell feel to him in terms of size, ability and produc- tion. When it comes to being a sure thing as a recruit, Akron (Ohio) Hoban four- star offensive guard Nolan Rumler might be the poster boy. The 6-3, 310-pounder grew up a Michigan fan, committed early and never wavered. He finished the recruiting cycle as the No. 10 offensive guard and the No. 199 overall prospect nationally. He's been a figure at Michigan games and practices over the last few years, and it was no different at the spring game. The four-time state champion on the gridiron looks as comfortable and nat- ural as any signee in maize and blue, and could provide some depth on the offensive line as a freshman. Even though he's just 6-1, 200 pounds, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas three- star Anthony Solomon played mostly inside linebacker in high school. He has bulked up a little and still possess great speed, meaning he could play a couple of different spots in Don Brown's defense. The one-time Miami commit always held U-M in high regard, and after receiving advice from fellow Floridians Devin Bush and Josh Metellus, he knew that Ann Ar- bor was the place for him. "They told me it's going to hit me hard when I first get there," Solomon said. "It'll be rough, and I have to really keep my nose down and grind hard. Once I figure out my spot then I should be golden." OTHER VISITING COMMITS Senior signees weren't the only future Wolverines in attendance. Central Michigan graduate transfer defensive lineman Michael Danna was also spotted at The Big House, giving him a small taste of what fall Saturdays will look like. Last year — in his first campaign as a full-time starter — Danna tallied 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles en route to Pro Football Focus first-team All- America laurels and team MVP hon- ors. Though he's a tad undersized at 6-2 and 257 pounds, he can provide depth at a few different spots. "Mike Danna is going to help us," Brown said. Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson sophomore offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi was also at the spring game. It was the 6-6, 285-pounder 's first time in Ann Arbor since committing to the Wolverines back in March, and he could not believe the reception. "It was amazing," El-Hadi said. "Everything about it — the coaches, the recruits and signees, the atmo- sphere of the stadium and espe- cially at the end when I was leaving through the tunnel. "Little kids were yelling my name and asking for autographs. The part that surprised me was that they knew me. That was really special." West Bloomfield (Mich.) High four- star inside linebacker Cornell Wheeler hoped to see more of a game but still enjoyed the time he spent around his future teammates and friends. "I was a little disappointed that it wasn't an actual game, but it was still cool," the 2020 prospect said. The 6-0, 229-pounder has been committed to Michigan since Sep- tember of last year and still seems to be solid. As the No. 8 inside line- backer and No. 247 overall prospect nationally, Wheeler fills a very spe- cific role on the defense, allowing the Michigan coaches to pursue more versatile viper types in the 2020 class. FUTURE COMMITS It's always good to bring in sign- ees and commits, but fans get much more excited about potential future pledges regardless of their age. Clarkston (Mich.) High boasts one of the more talented sophomore duos in the country in offensive tackles Garrett Dellinger and Rocco Spin- dler. Dellinger checks in at 6-6, 265 pounds and looks like a true tackle, while Spindler is stockier and shorter at 6-4, 275 pounds. Spindler 's future may be on the interior of either line, but for now he's listed as a tackle by Rivals. Both seemed to enjoy themselves at Michi- gan and could potentially play to- gether in Ann Arbor. "We're not going to just pick a college based off of each other, but instead on where we each fit best," Dellinger explained. "I would love to keep playing football with him at the next level, because we've been competing together our entire lives. It'd be awesome to be teammates with him once again in college." "We'll be a package deal no matter what — we're just better together as opposed to by our- selves," Spindler said. "We've been playing with one another since we were in flag football — he was the running back and I was the quarterback back then." Neither of them claim a leader right now, but Michigan seems to be a very real option for both. Convincing them to join El-Hadi in the class would be an enormous coup for U-M and a great start to its offensive line recruiting in 2021. Gilbert (Ariz.) Williams Field four-star offensive tackle Noah Nelson decided to take his of- 2021 commit Giovanni El-Hadi was among the many future Wolverines in attendance for the spring game. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN