The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2019 COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan officially put a bow on its 2019 class in early February, had seven pledges in the 2020 class as of mid-March and even procured its first 2021 verbal commitment be- fore the calendar flipped to April. Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson offensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi picked up his Michigan offer just a few days before pulling the trigger March 19 to become commit No. 1 in U-M's 2021 group. "I knew that I was going to be the first commit in the class, but that wasn't the reason I did it right now," El-Hadi explained. "It wouldn't have mattered if there were other guys committed; I still would've done it. "Being the first guy to commit is just a cool bonus." Stevenson head coach Justin New- comb sees El-Hadi being the first pledge in the class as a pretty cool situation and believes that his young lineman is wired perfectly to fill that role. The prospect seems like a ma- ture kid and the coach likes the idea of his sophomore tackle pacing Mich- igan's 2021 haul. "It was pretty important to him to be the first kid in that class," New- comb said. "He prides himself in that a little bit and he likes to be the leader, so to speak." Being wired that way also means that El-Hadi is as solid as can be to Michigan despite having more than two years of high school left. Com- mitments this early rarely stand the test of time, but it's hard to imag- ine El-Hadi opening things back up based on what he said after commit- ting to the Wolverines. "Even if I had 40 offers from ev- eryone — Alabama, whoever — it wouldn't change anything for me. Michigan is the one for sure," he said. "I never really grew up as a huge Michigan fan, but it's just the perfect place for me. "I know about the program and Ed Warinner and the rest of the offensive line coaches. I know about Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and the program, and it's just the exact right choice for my family and I." Newcomb echoed the same exact sentiments and sees the family aspect as a big reason why El-Hadi will stay committed. "Kids will commit to what feels right at the time or just the best visit, but I don't get that feel from him at all," the coach noted. "He comes from a good family and they're loyal people. They're going to stay true. It's very important for mom to keep him close to home. "I talked to him about not wast- ing schools' time or his own time, and he was fine with that. I'll say this — his commitment is about as firm as you're going to get from a sophomore. He's very solid with Michigan." El-Hadi is listed at 6-6, 285 pounds, but may be a bit lighter than that this spring. He dropped down to 265 dur- ing basketball season and is climbing back up as he eyes the end of his sophomore year. According to Newcomb, the Michi- gan coaches love where El-Hadi's at and can't wait to get their hands on him, even though it's a couple years down the line. — Brandon Brown U-M Starts Its 2021 Class With In-State Lineman Giovanni El-Hadi El-Hadi is listed by 247Sports as a four-star prospect and the nation's No. 76 sophomore regard- less of position. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Giovanni El-Hadi is billed as a very athletic, aggressive and hard-work- ing young man. He's not the biggest offensive tackle in the country, but he's around 280 pounds at this time and carries it very well for a sophomore. His high school coaches talk about how hard he works in the weight room and also how badly he wants to continually get better. Throw in the fact that he's built like an oversized linebacker and you have the makings of a future star on the offensive line. Areas Of Improvement: Because he is young and relatively new to football, El- Hadi has a long way to go technically, especially as a pass blocker. He's working hard on his drop and punch in pass sets and also has some work to do when it comes to staying back in his stance when preparing for an oncoming pass rusher. As a run blocker, he's pretty proficient — but to play the tackle position at a level that will see the field at Michigan, he'll have to keep working on pass protection. Michigan Player Comparison: El-Hadi actually looks quite a bit like former Michi- gan offensive lineman Mason Cole. El-Hadi isn't a hulking lineman in high school and neither was Cole. Both have good size, exceptional athleticism and above average length, but weren't the typical huge, overly long prototype tackles. Before getting to Michigan, Cole was viewed as a 6-5, 275-pound offensive tackle. He played there at U-M as a freshman, but ultimately settled in at center and is playing that position in the NFL. El-Hadi has a similar build and comparable abilities to play tackle or other positions if called upon. — Brandon Brown