The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340560
2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 56 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 BY AUSTIN FOX Michigan signed 23 players in its 2021 recruiting haul, with Sterling Heights (Mich.) Stevenson four-star of- fensive tackle Giovanni El-Hadi kick- ing off the class when he pledged to the Wolverines as a sophomore in high school March 19, 2019. El-Hadi and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star quarterback J.J. Mc- Carthy were the only two signees to give U-M their commitments during the 2019 calendar year. "When Giovanni was first offered, it was important to him to be the first commitment in Michigan's class," Ste- venson head coach Justin Newcomb recalled. "That speaks to the leader in him and the commitment level he has to the program. He wanted to jump in head first, and wasn't interested in waiting to see who else might commit. "He didn't even want to entertain any other offers, and it actually took me by surprise when he wanted to pledge as early as he did. We were on a drive home when Coach [Jim] Har- baugh offered, and I told him to give it 24 hours to think about. Giovanni was in love, though, and made it clear U-M was where he wanted to be. "I told him if he commits, his pledge would mean something and there would be no going on visits to other schools. To his credit, he stuck with it and didn't visit anywhere else. Giovanni didn't even field any other phone calls, so he was true Michigan from the beginning." El-Hadi and his Wolverine offen- sive line brethren were dealt a blow in late January when it was announced Ed Warinner would no longer direct Michigan's front. With the recruiting world being so centered around rela- tionships nowadays, the loss of a po- sition coach is oftentimes enough to cause players to look elsewhere and reevaluate their options. "It made Giovanni pause for a mo- ment," Newcomb admitted. "He real- ized how great of a coach Warinner is and everything he'd done, and was sad to see him go. Giovanni neverthe- less stayed very strong in his pledge to Michigan." Newcomb also cited the proximity to home and El-Hadi's love for the "aura of the program and the block M" as two other primary factors that caused the consensus four-star lineman to re- main loyal. El-Hadi has the makings of a future captain, Newcomb added, not necessarily because of his dominant play on the field, but because of the way he leads his teammates. "Giovanni is a magnet and draws people to him," the Stevenson head coach said. "People just want to hang out with him. He has that infectious personality that makes him easy to be around. When you have a guy who's as good as he is and has the charisma to go with it, it makes for a pretty im- pactful player. "Giovanni's teammates respect the heck out of him because of the way he grinds and how hard he works at his craft. That earns him big-time respect." ❑ Giovanni El-Hadi Was The Cornerstone To U-M's 2021 Class El-Hadi was the first recruit in the 2021 class to commit to Michigan, pledging in March of his sophomore year of high school. He never wavered after making his initial choice. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2021 Projection El-Hadi is projected to play tackle at Michigan. And while the Wolver- ines have plenty of talent at the po- sition in redshirt sophomore Ryan Hayes, redshirt freshman Karsen Barnhart and others, he will be pushing them quickly, likely finding himself within the two-deep on the depth chart early. El-Hadi will most likely be a backup for one or two seasons before becoming a favorite to start at one of the tackle spots. GIOVANNI EL-HADI OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 • 305 STEVENSON H.S. STERLING HEIGHTS, MICH. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 92 13* 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 87 12* 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 136 18* 5 * Ranked at offensive tackle HONORS • Selected for the Under Armour All- American Game. • Named to the Detroit Free Press All- State Dream Team in 2019 and 2020. • Earned first-team all-conference honors as a senior and was also named to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Division 1 All-State team. • Four-year starter that helped his team to its first MAC Red champion- ship in 11 years as a senior. RECRUITMENT • Committed on March 19, 2019. • Also had offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Penn State, Purdue and others. • Recruited by former offensive line coach Ed Warinner. DID YOU KNOW? • Allowed no sacks on more than 140 pass attempts and averaged nine knockdowns per game during his se- nior year, while he gave up just one sack in 138 pass attempts and had 53 pancake blocks as a junior. • Enrolled early at U-M. THEY SAID IT • Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt: "You always need to your offensive linemen have a little screw loose, at least when they step between the lines. El-Hadi plays that way. He really relishes not just beating his opponent, but punishing his opponent." • Sterling Heights Stevenson head coach Justin Newcomb: "I get that coaches recruit size and you try and forecast ability, and sometimes you get kids and sometimes you strike out. To be able to get a kid at his size and someone that moves his feet as well as he does, and you couple that with the toughness factor and a kid that loves to grind and work, they're get- ting a great combination in Giovanni."