The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2019 THE WOLVERINE 65 COMMITMENT PROFILE F ormer Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts Mike Sainristil started lighting it up as soon as he got to U-M in January of this year as an early enrollee because of his agility, quickness and overall work ethic. The Michigan staff hopes and thinks they have Sainristil 2.0 in Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John's three- star wide receiver Eamonn Dennis. The 5-10, 173-pounder is consid- ered the No. 5 prospect in Massachu- setts and the No. 73 wide receiver in the country by Rivals, but Michigan actually likes him a little bit better out of the backfield. Wherever he ends up playing, he has got some of the same traits as Sainristil, accord- ing to Rivals Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman. "Dennis brings a lot of speed to the Wolverines and Josh Gattis' new offense," Friedman said. "He can be used in a number of ways. Dennis has shown off very good hands, but the way he makes defenders miss in the open field should encourage Michigan to get him the ball as much as possible. "As an all-purpose back, you could see Dennis get targeted for screen passes and other short routes and be allowed to create big plays with his feet." Dennis' skill set should be a great fit for Gattis' yet- to-be-seen system and that was one of the biggest rea- sons he committed to the Wolverines just days after his official visit. "With his system of offense, I can be anywhere," Dennis said of Gat- tis. "I'm not going to be in one spot. Coach Gattis feels like I'm too good to be in one spot. I could be used all over the field with the ball in my hands." Dennis' head coach took the praise to another level when talking about his electric playmaker. John Andreoli said that Dennis' versatility is his best overall attribute. "Even at an early age when he came to St. John's, he had the abil- ity to excel in big-game situations, primarily on special teams as a fresh- man where he was able to show that fifth gear and separation speed at a young age. That continued through his whole career at St. Johns," An- dreoli said. "That really put him in an elite class as far as offensive play- makers go. "In addition to great straight- ahead speed, he has great vision and has the abil- ity to accelerate and decelerate and see the field develop in front of him." Andreoli loves having Dennis on his team and sees success for him in Ann Arbor. "He's a polite, bright, engaging young man who is a great leader within our community in central Massachusetts and within the St. John's community and amongst his teammates," Andreoli said. "He's put himself in a position where it's all in front of him and he understands what he needs to do every day to get where he wants to go." — Brandon Brown U-M Goes Back To Massachusetts For Electric Athlete Eamonn Dennis FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Eamonn Dennis pos- sesses speed, quickness, overall athleticism and a knack for the big play. Those traits also allow him to be extremely versatile. He is listed as a wide receiver by Rivals, but can play running back, make plays in the return game and even lock down receivers as a de- fensive back. He is a really good all- around football player, and U-M in- tends to all of those skills on offense. Areas Of Improvement: Because Dennis is so versatile, he hasn't re- ally had a chance to focus on any one position. That works out fine in high school, but at Michigan, he'll need to pick a spot, learn everything about it and put all of his efforts into mastering it. His physical abilities should allow him to excel wherever he ends up, but it will be about committing to a position. Michigan Player Comparison: It's obviously super early, but Dennis is a near clone to early enrollee fresh- man Mike Sainristil. The two both hail from Massachusetts, wear No. 5 in a red uniform and play all over the field on both sides of the ball. They are just about the same size and bring a lot to the table as an of- fensive weapon. Sainristil is listed at 5-10, 179 pounds on U-M's spring roster, while Dennis is listed at 5-10, 173 pounds heading into his senior year. Speed, quickness, agility and versatility are Sainristil's and Dennis' calling cards. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Dennis, the No. 73 wide receiver in the nation according to Rivals, compares favorably to fel- low Massachusetts native and current U-M freshman Mike Sainristil. PHOTO COURTESY EAMONN DENNIS VIA TWITTER Rivals Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman on Dennis "Dennis brings a lot of speed to the Wolverines and Josh Gattis' new offense. He can be used in a number of ways."