The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
BY AUSTIN FOX To say athletic genes run deep in Jer- sey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep four-star defensive end George Rooks' family would be an understatement. His father (also named George) earned the Big East's Co-Defensive Player of the Year award at Syracuse in 1991 before getting drafted by the New York Giants, while his sister, Tay- lor, played basketball at Michigan in 2018-19 as a graduate transfer from Harvard. Despite being a late addition to Michigan's 2021 class (he pledged Jan. 27 and was the third-to-last commit- ment in the cycle), Rooks is neverthe- less one of the most important signees due to the versatility he brings to the defensive line. The defensive tackle spot, in par- ticular, has been in need of a boost on the recruiting trail after the Maize and Blue signed only two players at the position (Mazi Smith and Christopher Hinton in 2019) over the span of three cycles from 2018-20. U-M's subpar defensive tackle situ- ation reached a head on the field this past fall and was one of the primary reasons the Wolverines struggled to stop the run, finishing 55th nationally in average yards allowed per carry (4.16) and 79th in rushing yards given up per game (178.8). At 6-4, 270, Rooks has the size and ability to play both defensive end and tackle in college. "He played on the edge and on the inside a lot for us, depending on what we wanted to do," St. Peter 's Prep head coach Rich Hansen explained. "It depended on the other players we had around him, though he's more than capable of playing either spot. "Michigan seems to like him a bit more on the inside. If that's where he winds up, George's job will be to hit the weight room as hard as he can and let the coaches figure out what to do with him from there. It's a good prob- lem to have." Hansen went on to note that Rooks "hasn't even scratched the surface yet" Versatile George Rooks Fills A Need Along U-M's Defensive Front Measuring in at 6-4, 270 pounds, Rooks has the tools to play either defensive end or defensive tackle in college. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 48 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 GEORGE ROOKS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 • 270 ST. PETER'S PREP JERSEY CITY, N.J. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 227 14* 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 30^ 7 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 205 24# 2 * Ranked at strongside defensive end; ^ ranked at defensive tackle; # ranked at defensive end STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks 2020 41 15 8 2019 71 15 9.5 2018 48 10 4.5 HONORS • A USA Today first-team All-State per former in 2020 and a second- teamer in 2019. • A third-team All-State pick as a ju- nior and first-teamer as a senior per NJ.com. • Invited to participate in the 2021 Under Armour All-American Game, though the event never occurred. • Tabbed as The Hudson Reporter's Defensive Player of the Year as a se- nior. • Rated as New Jersey's second-best player by MaxPreps heading into the 2020 season. • MaxPreps Junior All-American hon- oree in 2019. • Three-time all-conference selec- tion. 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE