The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2022 THE WOLVERINE 45 COMMITMENT PROFILE Strengths: Etta has only been playing football for three years, making him an extremely high-ceiling prospect. He has the length desired for a true pass rusher and a bigger, sturdy frame that should hold up well against run-heavy teams in the Big Ten. Etta has been working closely with former New York Jets defensive lineman Tank Reed and has progressed rapidly from a technical standpoint. He knows how to be crafty when pass rushing and has had an ultra- productive high school career. Areas Of Improvement: Etta is already at 260 pounds, so it is imperative for him to stay at that weight or cut weight heading into his senior season. The concern is that Etta will outgrow being an edge rusher and turn into more of a three-technique at Michigan. However, that's not something the Wolverines or Etta envision. Body development is Michi- gan's strength, and the conditioning program will be key for Etta once he arrives in Ann Arbor. Michigan Player Comparison: It's hard to compare a re- cruit to Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, but Etta shares a lot of the same traits as the Heis- man Trophy finalist. Remember, Hutchinson was 6-foot-6, 260 pounds coming out of high school and had no problem maintaining weight and turned into one of the most feared pass rushers in college football. The hope is for Etta to follow a similar development path. — EJ Holland M ichigan landed its highest rated commit to date in On300 pros- pect Enow Etta, who gave the Wolver- ines a verbal pledge on July 13. Ranked as the No. 19 edge, No. 132 overall recruit nationally and No. 24 player in Texas, per On3, Etta picked Michigan over fellow finalists Alabama, Michigan State and Stanford. "Michigan really has the best of both worlds," said Etta, who attends Cov- enant Christian Academy in Colleyville, Texas. "I want to do engineering and com- puter science. I believe they are the No. 7 engineering school in the country. On the football side, they just won the Big Ten championship last year. The foot- ball is a no-brainer. The academics are big. I don't really see that anywhere else." Michigan offered Etta in January and immediately made him a priority on the edge board. Michigan State was con- sidered the leader for most of the off- season, but the tide started to turn as his recruiting process entered its final stage. Ultimately, Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston was able to propel U-M past the rival Spartans. "Coach Elston's track record seems really respectable," Etta said. "I watched film with him, and seeing the things he did at Notre Dame and the way he coaches, I think he would definitely be a good coach for me. Some of these col- leges have coaches, but you don't get developed. I think he can actually de- velop me." U-M took the lead for Etta following his official visit to Michigan on June 17. Etta had made an unofficial visit earlier in the offseason, but his summer trip al- lowed him to get an in-depth look at the program on and off the field. And it's safe to say Etta was extremely impressed. "It was great," Etta said. "I got to meet a lot of the commits like Semaj [Mor- gan], Brooks Bahr and Cole [Cabana]. I got to chill with those guys, which is my favorite part about official visits. "Your official visits are your top schools, so you've probably been there before. Hanging out with the guys you could be around and the staff you could be around for the next four years really makes the visit. It's a big factor. It can be the best school in the world, but if you don't want to be around the people, you would never go there. "It was a really good feeling at Michi- gan. I got to see Coach [Jim] Harbaugh way more than I expected. I thought he was just going to do the introduction, and that was going to be the last time I saw him until the meeting. But I got to be around him a lot. That was really cool." At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Etta is an intriguing prospect that has the look of a five-technique defensive end. However, Michigan sees him as a big- ger edge that can play a similar role as Heisman Trophy finalist Aidan Hutchinson. "Michigan told me what they wanted me to play and what I wasn't going to play," Etta said. "I was really happy to hear it. I've been playing defensive end my whole career. "They see me as an edge/defensive end that can rush the passer and play the run since I have a bigger frame — I guess like Hutchinson if you want to put a name on it." In his 30-game high school foot- ball career, Etta has racked up an eye- popping 214 tackles, 154 of which were solo, 57.5 tackles for loss, 39.5 sacks, 36 quarterback hurries and 10 pass de- flections. — EJ Holland Texas Edge Rusher Enow Etta Picks U-M Over Spartans In three years of prep football in Texas, Etta has posted 214 tackles, 154 of which were solo, 57.5 tackles for loss, 39.5 sacks, 36 quarterback hurries and 10 pass deflections. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND/ON3.COM PLAYER EVALUATION