The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MARCH 2020 THE WOLVERINE 63 2020 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE STATISTICS Year Tackles Sacks 2019 56 13 2018 52 13 2017 49 3 HONORS • In his junior and senior seasons, Mo- han was named to the New York City Coaches' All-City Team and was also an All-Conference selection by the NYCC. • Was named a Big "44" Brooklyn All- Star for the third consecutive season in 2019. • Helped his team win the Public Schools Athletic League City Champi- onship in each of his final two years, going 22-3 during that time. RECRUITMENT • Committed on June 23, 2019. • Also had offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, among others. • Recruited by then-linebackers coach Anthony Campanile. DID YOU KNOW? • Helped lead a defense that gave up only 4.3 points per game during the regular season with 10 shutouts in 2019. • Led his league in sacks as a senior. • Ran a 4.78-second 40-yard dash and a 4.19-second shuttle run at Nike's The Opening Regional. He also posted a 31.60-inch vertical jump. • Enrolled early at U-M. THEY SAID IT • Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh: "William Mohan is athletic enough to be a corner or safety or an edge rusher like a viper. There are a lot of ways he can contribute. He is a tremendous tackler and gets on the quarterback and running back so fast. He tracks plays and eventually runs them down." BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Four-star linebacker William Mo- han's recruitment went differently than many of the other top prospects from his high school. Brooklyn (N.Y.) Erasmus Hall has sent its fair share of players to U-M's rival — Ohio State — in recent years, including star wideout Curtis Samuel, who now plays for the Carolina Panthers. "His recruitment really unfolded in an unusual way for a player out of Eras- mus Hall," Rivals. com Mid-Atlantic re- cruiting analyst Adam Friedman explained. "That's been an Ohio State pipeline for a long, long time. Mo- han kind of changed that history a little bit. "On his visit, he re- ally clicked with the staff. He saw how he fit into that defense." Mohan committed just days after taking his official visit to Ann Arbor over the sum- mer. He was one of four commits to give their pledge to the Wol- verines June 23, and one of 11 to do so in the two weeks following. U-M was looking for fast and physical de- fenders, and it's safe to say Mohan fits the bill. "We heard a lot about him throughout the process, and early on we knew he was a good player," Friedman said. "… We got a good look at him in a camp set- ting [last spring], and we really got a good idea as to how big he actually is and how fast he really is. Those are two of the things that really make him a special prospect." Mohan has the ability to play as an inside linebacker or outside at the vi- per spot in U-M's defense, though it's likely he begins his career at the latter. "He's pretty lean, and if he's able to pack on some mass, he could develop into more of a traditional linebacker," Friedman noted. "But, at this point, I expect he'll start out as a viper; kind of that hybrid linebacker/safety role that Jabrill Peppers and Khaleke [Hudson] starred in. I expect him to learn that position first, because they want to take advantage of his athleticism, and down the road he could develop into more of a pure linebacker." Whatever position he ends up at, Mohan is an athlete primed to make an impact. "He's an explosive defensive playmaker," Friedman said. "That's what really stands out about him, is his speed and the way he's able to be all over the field. "He's a physical player, he's instinctual, he's explosive and he just has a great eye for creating momentum- shifting plays." From what Friedman observed of Mohan in high school, he was a team leader, which is something he believes will translate to U-M. "This is one of those a l p h a - t y p e g u y s , " Friedman said. "He's one of those players that you can count on to be a leader, lead by example and keep g u y s a c c o u n t a b l e . He's somebody who people want to follow. "He did a really good job of that at Erasmus Hall. He was one of those players that a lot of the other players looked up to. He's somebody that I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be one of the team leaders down the road." Friedman believes it may take a year or two for Mohan to carve out a defensive role, but he could still find the field this fall. "He's a big, fast, physical player," the analyst said. "He has a big frame and great length, so he could make an impact on special teams pretty early, and I wouldn't be surprised either if he gets some action in some of the blowout wins." ❑ 'Alpha' William Mohan Is A Leader In The Making Rivals.com rates Mohan as the top player in New York and the No. 18 outside linebacker in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2020 Projection Mohan will likely learn behind redshirt sophomore viper Michael Barrett, be- fore vying for the starting job in a year or two. It will be interesting to see what position he ends up at be- cause his athleticism gives him the versatility to play in the defensive backfield too. WILLIAM MOHAN ATHLETE 6-1 • 195 ERASMUS HALL H.S. BROOKLYN, N.Y. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 18* 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ 720 45^ 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 48^ 4 * Ranked as an outside linebacker; ^ ranked as an athlete