The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1493247
2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 26 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2023 BY EJ HOLLAND Enow Etta still has four months before he arrives at the University of Michigan. Ranked as the top recruit in U-M 2023 class, Etta knows expectations will be high once he steps foot on campus. Aside from being ranked as the No. 15 defensive lineman and No. 123 overall recruit nationally in the On3 Consensus, he is already being touted as the next great edge at U-M in the same mold as future NFL Draft pick Mike Morris. This offseason, Etta has been following Michigan's training guidebook provided by strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert as well as working out with defensive line specialist Tank Reed, a Michi- gan native who spent eight years in the NFL. "For a guy his size, he's very limber and flexible," Reed said. "He's more flexible than I was. He's explosive. He has great hips and great bend. He's go- ing to be the total package. He can play the run and transition to pass rush. He's instinctual. He's just a really complete player." When Etta isn't on the field working, you can usually find him in his room with a headset on in front of a three-monitor setup. "I'm playing a lot of Call of Duty and Madden," Etta said. "A little Fortnite." The usual for a kid Etta's age. But Etta is far from your normal teen- ager. He's as cultured as you can get, mov- ing with his family from the Pacific North- west to Georgia to Florida to Africa before eventually settling down in Texas. He's also brilliant in the classroom and plans to major in engineering. While most high school seniors would be using his computer setup simply for the purpose of being the best gamer, Etta is a little bit different. He's already thinking about long-term wealth and has a unique side hustle. "I have two monitors because I started day trading recently," Etta said. "I had to get a third monitor to track the stock mar- ket." Etta's mature foresight makes his de- cision to pick Michigan that much more unsurprising. In the era of name, image and likeness, top recruits from around the country are being lured to schools by promises of big deals. While the NCAA chooses to investigate U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh over buy- ing a prospect a burger, other programs are flat-out participating in pay for play. That's certainly not the case in Ann Ar- bor. Michigan has taken a hard stance on NIL, pitching a transformational oppor- tunity over a transactional one. Of course, that sell doesn't work for a lot of blue- chip talent and is a reason Michigan fin- ished outside of the top 15 in the 2023 On3 Consensus recruiting rankings despite notching back-to-back Big Ten titles and Explosive Defensive Lineman Enow Etta Engineers A Business Decision With U-M The top recruit in U-M's class of 2023, Etta was ranked as the No. 15 defensive lineman and No. 123 overall recruit nationally, per the On3 Consensus. PHOTO COURTESY ENOW ETTA STATISTICS Year Tackles TFL Sacks FF FR TD 2022 122 34 20 5 8 2 2021 124 40 22.5 0 2 0 2020 67 16 17 0 0 0 2019 34 1 3 0 0 0 HONORS • Selected to the Polynesian Bowl. • Named a PrepStar Top 350 All-American, checking in at No. 82 on the list. • First-team Division III all-district selection at defensive end as a senior (2022). • 2022 Whataburger Super Team finalist. • Two-time Division III, District 1 Defensive Player of the Year. • First-team all-state defensive lineman as a junior. • Helped Covenant Christian win the Texas private and parochial schools state title, going undefeated (8-0) as a sophomore. RECRUITMENT • U-M's highest-rated recruit in the On3 Consensus rankings. • Committed to Michigan on July 13, 2022, after receiving offer in January 2022. • Picked U-M over offers from Michigan State, Stanford, Utah, Alabama, LSU, Ten- nessee, USC and Miami, among others. • Recruited by U-M defensive line coach Mike Elston. DID YOU KNOW? • Full name is Enow-M'beleke Etta. • Totaled 91 tackles for loss and 62.5 sacks in his high school career. • Led the state with 22.5 sacks as a junior. • Played two years of basketball at CCA be- fore stopping to focus on football; averaged 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore. • Also ran track as a junior, posting personal- best times of 12.54 in the 100 meters and 28.45 in the 200 meters. • Son of Nchacha and Pauline Etta. • Born March 17, 2005. ENOW ETTA DEFENSIVE LINE 6-5 • 270 COVENANT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY KELLER, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 123 15 22 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 123 16 26 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 106 15 21 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 118 15 20 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 241 16 41 consensus