The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE campus for himself, something sev- eral of U-M's signees weren't able to do due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gamere said Ann Arbor "felt like home" to Bennett, and that he never once wavered on his commitment from that point on … even when the news of Brown's departure broke. Brown had origi- nally planned to play Bennett in his hybrid linebacker " v i p e r " ro l e a t U-M, though the new Wolverine de- fensive staff now plans to use him as a "true defensive end," according to Gamere. "Kechaun is just a tremendous athlete for his size and position," the Suffield Academy head coach said. "He has great length, is so explosive and does a great job finish- ing tackles. "He also has a knack for making big plays. We played him the major- ity of the time at defensive end with his hand on the ground, in order to get him used to staying low. We'd stand him up at times as well, and that just shows how versatile he is and how well he moves in space. "Kechaun can add 30 pounds in the blink of an eye and serve as a true defensive end, so Michigan will definitely have some flexibility on how they want to use him." D e s p i t e B e n - nett's impressive physical attributes, Gamere noted the Suffield, Conn., na- tive is still unpol- ished as a player. This is due in large part to Suffield Academy's 2020 campaign being canceled by the coronavirus. "One thing that should really ex- cite Michigan fans is that all of Ke- chaun's best football is still in front of him," Gamere said. "He was an im- pact player for us, despite still hav- ing so much to learn about the game. "He has such great athleticism, and once U-M digs in and starts coaching him up, they're going to see his up- side is off the charts." ❑ Bennett was also a successful high school wrestler, winning a pair of state titles in the sport and being named to the All-New England team. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM MARCH 2021 THE WOLVERINE 37 KECHAUN BENNETT DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 • 220 SUFFIELD ACADEMY SUFFIELD, CONN. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 12* 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 24# 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 41^ 1 * Ranked at weakside DE; # ranked at strongside DE; ^ ranked at DE STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks 2020 Canceled 2019 48 12 7 2018 52 13 3.5 RECRUITMENT • Committed on May 27, 2020. • Also held offers from Nebraska, Nor thwestern, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee and others. • Recruited by now-former defensive coordinator Don Brown. DID YOU KNOW? • His senior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he was on track to be a four-year varsity performer and three-year starter. • Helped his team to a 9-0 record as a junior and the New England Prepara- tory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Bowl Championship. • Multi-sport athlete who was also named All-New England in wrestling and won two state titles. THEY SAID IT • Private Trainer Stack Williams: "He wanted to go to a place with a great weight room program. He wanted to make sure the strength and conditioning was there because he's a naturally lean kid. He wants to fill out. That was a good draw for him. "He's a long, rangy kid. He can cover a lot of ground because of that. Hawking someone down from be - hind is going to be simple. Deflecting passes is going to be simple. He takes up a lot of area with his length and range. He can stand up or come off the edge. He would like to be utilized in both ways, so he can show his abil- ity to move in space like a [Denver Broncos All-Pro] Von Miller type." • Michigan head coach Jim Har- baugh: "Kechaun, I like the legs on him. He's 6-4, 220. They were [state] champions as well his junior year, but his senior season was canceled for COVID. "He's somebody else who also started since his freshman year. I've known Kechaun for quite some time, back when I was recruiting [U-M safety] Brad Hawkins — I became aware of Kechaun his freshman year. "He's a pass rusher, gets to the quar- terback. He had 48 tackles and 12 of those for loss, seven sacks his junior year. … I'm really looking forward to him beefing up our defensive line."