The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2019 THE WOLVERINE 73 COMMITMENT PROFILE P rior to U-M's massive June 21-23 official visit weekend, offensive line coach Ed Warinner already had a couple of solid, versatile offensive linemen in the fold. Four-star Zak Zinter and three-star Micah Mazzccua are both listed as tackles by Rivals, but have played all over the offensive line in high school and may be better suited for guard at the next level. Their future position is unknown, but that versatility makes them valuable in the class. Because of that, Warinner focused on lengthy, light and athletic true tackle types throughout the spring. San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic four-star Jeffrey Persi cer- tainly fit that mold at 6-7, 265 pounds and filled a very specific need when he committed June 25. Warinner 's vision for Persi was a big reason the rising senior picked the Wolverines. "Coach Warinner has a very im- pressive résumé, and I believe he will do whatever's necessary to coach me up, both on and off the field," Persi said. "He's going to help me achieve my ultimate goal of playing beyond college." Persi also loved the family feel in Ann Arbor. A lot of schools preach it, but he feels like it is genuine and real at Michigan. "One of the biggest reasons for making my commitment to U-M is the teammates and how they value the brotherhood on that team," Persi said. "You usually see it from posi- tion groups, but this team carries it across the whole team. "They realize what the goal is, and they will do whatever's necessary to achieve it for the team." When he was offered by U-M, Persi was an unranked three-star prospect that claimed just a handful of offers. By the time he committed to U-M, he was a four-star tackle with nearly 30 tenders to choose from. As for how Persi ended up picking Michigan, Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney gives the staff in Ann Arbor a lot of props because for a while, it looked like the big tackle would be playing much closer to home. "I thought that Oklahoma had an edge in his recruitment because he talked a lot about the Sooners early on," Gorney said. "Then UCLA and USC tried to get involved and made it into his top three along with Michigan. "When he took that visit to Michi- gan earlier this spring and loved it, I think the Wolverines moved way up the list from there and then won out during his official visit." Landing a prospect like Persi is good for Michigan for a couple of reasons. One, because a player like him was needed. Zinter and Mazzc- cua are nice pieces, but Warinner re- ally need a long tackle and Persi is definitely that. Two, going toe-to-toe with UCLA and USC for a California kid and winning out is not easy. The staff knocked his official visit out of the park, and he is a Wolverine because of it. As a junior, Persi was named to The Los Angeles Times' 2018 All-Star Team. The big tackle followed up his solid junior campaign with an impressive offseason circuit and really started to climb the ranks because of it. Rivals ranks him as the No. 31 player in the Golden State and the No. 35 offen- sive tackle in the nation. — Brandon Brown Ed Warinner Lands Long, Lean Four-Star Offensive Tackle Jeffrey Persi FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Jeffrey Persi is very attractive as an offensive lineman because of his length, overall build and athleticism. He looks like a tight end transitioning to offensive tackle, which is exactly what offensive line coach Ed Warinner was looking for. He has great feet as well, which paired with his length and athleti- cism, makes him nearly impossible to beat around the edge. Areas Of Improvement: It's all about getting stronger for Persi. That's almost always the case with offensive linemen coming out of high school, but it's very much the case for the lean, stretched-out Persi. He has a great frame for adding weight and getting a lot stronger, but he is several years away from being hefty enough to play in the Big Ten. Michigan Player Comparison: There's no way to predict if Persi will be as good as former Wolverine and NFL All-Pro Taylor Lewan, but that's the best comparison right now. Lewan was a long, lean 6-7, 268 pounds when he arrived at Michi- gan, and that's pretty much exactly where Persi is as a rising senior. Lewan was extremely athletic in high school and was ranked as the No. 16 offensive tackle in the country because of it. Persi has a chance to jump into the Rivals250 if he contin- ues to ascend and could end up be- ing north of 300 pounds before play- ing at Michigan, just like Lewan was. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com The 6-7, 265-pound Persi, who stars for San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic, selected the Wolverines over in-state schools UCLA and USC. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/COURTESY RIVALS.COM Persi "Coach Warinner has a very impressive résumé, and I be- lieve he will do whatever's necessary to coach me up, both on and off the field. He's going to help me achieve my ultimate goal of playing beyond college."